Do you think you can pinpoint what your downfall was?
Lacey Brown: You know, I would probably have to say energy. I think they kept asking for energy in my songs, and I kept trying to give it, and they kept trying to say, you know, it was a sleepy performance. The issue that I was having is, I really love to sing ballads. I love telling a story with a song. I love the emotion of the song. I'm very artsy, so that side of me comes out when I sing.

And so I think I kept picking songs that I really loved to sing and really felt, and maybe it didn't transfer as well stage wise. Even though I'm a bubbly happy person, not every song that I sing is going to be up-tempo. If I could say anything, I would say possibly that. I'm not really sure, but even if it is, I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Why did you choose "Ruby Tuesday"?
LB: You know, I honestly looked. We had a very limited list. But I love that song. I think it's a great thing for a girl like me to be signing on a big stage like that. It has a great message, and I connected with that song, so that's why I picked it. And even after the 50/50 remarks that I was getting on how they weren't really sure what they liked about it. They liked this, but they didn't like this about it, and they were 50/50 on it. I loved doing it. And I loved the arrangement, and some people, I mean, a lot of my fans were really digging it too.

Were you shocked or angry to be eliminated, or did you see it coming?
LB: There's two different approaches that you can take to being voted off. You can be happy with the situation and make the most of it, which is the route I'm trying to take. I haven't put my focus on anything negative going on. This is a reality show, and this is a show that someone has to go home every week, and the fan base is very, very, very important. And I think it has been a shocker sometimes, but that's just the nature, you know, of the beast that is American Idol. It's how the show rolls. So, no, I think someone has got to go home every week, and if it's you, then it's you, and it's out of your hands at that moment.

Simon went right up to you at the end of the show, and you were a little bit emotional. What did he say? Did he say anything nice to you?
LB: Yes. All the judges came up afterward. I think they genuinely care about the contestants. Sometimes it's hard to hear their critiques, but they're there to help you, and it's a fine line between taking what they say personally and taking what they say and applying it to yourself to fix yourself, and work things out that you need to work out.

When they came up afterwards, they had nothing but nice things to say, things like, 'you know, this is just another step into your career.' 'You have great vocals.' 'You're very unique.' Just, you know, they're just full of compliments because they want to see us succeed, and they don't want us to feel like all hope is lost because it's not. I'm in the top 12 right now, and even though I got voted off, this is not the end all for me. This is a great opportunity to jumpstart my career, so I think that's the point they were trying to make when they got on the stage afterwards.

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Watch TWoP's editors explain why this may be Idol's worst season ever in this segment airing on the New York Nonstop cable news channel: