Erika Van Pelt Talks ‘American Idol’ Elimination

American Idol fans tuning in to Thursday’s live results show were stunned when Erika Van Pelt was eliminated, especially considering her impressive performance of ‘New York State of Mind’ by Billy Joel.

The news came as a shock to Erika as well, but in a press conference following the results show the Idol contestant seemed like she’s ready to take another step forward and follow the advice of the judges–even if said advice “confuses” her, and seemed to contradict previous statements from the Idol judges.

“I felt like there were a lot of comments that were contradicted week to week. First I wasn’t doing enough, then I was doing too much, then not enough, then I was over-singing,” Van Pelt said in a conference interview. “I felt like I could never just sing and be myself.”

In a separate interview with the Wall Street Journal, Van Pelt shared her thoughts on why she was eliminated.

“The voters just weren’t rallying behind me,” Erika told the WSJ. “I think it’s a combination of a couple of things, but certainly a portion of the live taping when America votes becomes a popularity contest. It’s hard for me having been in the bottom for four consecutive weeks. It would have taken a lot for me to have come back from behind.”

Do you think that Erika Van pelt deserved to be eliminated? If not, who should have been eliminated instead?