American Idol's Lilly Scott on Her Untimely Elimination: My Demographic Was "Doing Something More Productive Than Voting, Like Riding a Bike"

Michael Becker/ FOX

Fans of the first contestant to be called "indie" by an American Idol judge--as a compliment--were shocked last night by the elimination of Lilly Scott. When she received the news from Ryan Seacrest, the Colorado native did nothing to hide her genuine disappointment with the audience at home. "I don't know what America wants to hear," she said.

Today on a conference call, Scott elaborated on that sentiment, saying she felt like her fans just weren't there for her. "My voting demographic is underground," she said. "They probably don't even own a TV, or were doing something more productive than voting, like riding a bike." The "underground market" was exactly who Scott said she was targeting with her performances, saying she would have liked to do numbers by Radiohead and Bjork, but was urged by producers to instead cover Sam Cooke and Patsy Cline, as she did in her
final week with "I Fall to Pieces." That advice wasn't enough to help her win over the mainstream. "Maybe it was time to go out with a bang, so I could keep my indie cred."

Scott also suggested a conspiracy theory about why she was sent home so early: Every week, roommates were eliminated together. Scott roomed with Katelyn Epperly, also cast-off last night. The other two who were sent home last night, Alex Lambert and Todrick Hall, were also roommates. "I don't want to think anything is rigged," Scott said, "but I'd really like to know how many votes I did have."

Scott hopes to eventually find her audience by playing the summer festival circuit. As for the rest of Idol, she said, "I guess it's another season of the same old stuff."