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Thursday night’s unexpected American Idol twist that led to the eventual ouster of teen Sam Woolf created “too much drama,” he told reporters on a conference call Friday afternoon.
“I don’t really think it had to happen,” he said.
Woolf said last night’s dramatic choice presented to the contestants, which was to send a contestant home or keep everyone for another week with a double elimination next Thursday, was hotly deliberated with the remaining five singers. Although it was confirmed that Woolf, Jess Meuse and Caleb Johnson all voted yes, Jena Irene admitted after the show she had voted no. Alex Preston, who did not cop to his vote, voiced his displeasure on Twitter, writing: “That twist was not cool. Didn’t make sense at all. Should have just kept it the same. Whatever. Sam HAS a career, he’s about to explode.”
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Woolf said he isn’t mad at his fellow castmembers, because any one of them could have been the one to get the ax.
“We kind of just huddled up as a group and were deciding, and at first, we were like, yeah, we should do the save thing and have another week with each other,” he said. “But as it came down to it, some of us were realizing that two people then have to go home that next week, and so we just picked whatever we felt was right, because we had no idea who was going home.”
Woolf knew he was in danger of being on the chopping block because of his “performance the previous night.”
He admitted that Ed Sheeran’s “Sing” was a tough choice, and although he had fun with it, the falsetto in the chorus was something he could not match. A choice was made to perform it “an octave lower,” but he felt it “took away from the song.”
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When asked if he was uncomfortable with the show’s decision to paint him as a teen dream, the 18-year old Bradenton, Fla., resident said it wouldn’t have been his choice. “It’s just not who I really am,” he said. “I don’t think I’m really a heartthrob.”
Woolf said he will return to the show early for finale rehearsals, and will unfortunately miss his May 17 prom. He does, however, hope he will be home in time for his June graduation, and plans to attend Boston’s Berklee College of Music in the fall after the American Idol summer tour wraps.
He added that he is encouraged by the feedback he got from all three judges, Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban, who told them that he had a “real career” ahead of him.
Twitter: @Idol_Worship, @MicheleAmabile
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