America has sent home gospel-flavored “American Idol” contestant Curtis Finch, Jr.
Despite his huge voice, the St. Louis native just couldn’t connect with the voting audience enough to stick around. His sing-for-your-life performance of “I Believe I Can Fly” didn’t even earn a unanimous vote from the judges to save him – a safety net that can be used only once a season.
Although a contingent of fans have criticized Finch as appearing to be arrogant and “over-singing” his songs, his elimination came as a surprise to some, including Nicki Minaj, who all but threatened to leave if Finch was sent packing. “If you go home, I go home,” she told him after he was announced in the bottom two with Devin Velez, and nearly made good on her statement, getting up from the judges table at one point. [Scroll down to watch.]
For the first time, “Idol” revealed some of the voting results in order of amount of votes received. Though the exact order was not revealed, the top three was a combination of Candice Glover, Angie Miller and Kree Harrison.
From fourth to 10th, the order was revealed. Lazaro Arbos was the highest-finishing guy in fourth, with Amber Holcomb fifth and Janelle Arthur, Burnell Taylor, Paul Jolley, Velez and Finch rounding out the top 10.
The show also revealed some statistics breaking down the vote in different states. For instance, Arthur won 30 percent of the vote in her native Tennessee, while Glover earned 42 percent in South Carolina.
Below, Curtis Finch Jr. is announced as the lowest vote-getter and sings for survival.
