erika van pelt idol, American Idol's Erika Van Pelt: "I Never Had My Moment"Season 11 of American Idol has become all about the moments that make a contestant stand out from the crowd. As the judges have awarded select Idol hopefuls with standing ovations, Jennifer Lopez has become the show's authority on whether or not a performance was "a moment" or not.
For eliminated contestant Erika Van Pelt, not giving Lopez "gooseys" over the past few weeks felt like a determining factor as she faced the end of her run. "I never had my moment," she told reporters after the show. "I knew I would be in the bottom three. I would've had to have had a super-standout crazy performance to get saved by the voters and I didn't. It was a good performance, but sometimes America needs to see that standing ovation from the judges."
nother finalist got the ax from this season's "American Idol."
Erika Van Pelt won't be moving forward. The 26-year-old deejay from Rhode Island might have debuted a short, darker new hairdo during Wednesday's performance episode, but neither it or her version of Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind," impressed voters enough to prevent her from landing on the bottom.
Despite her defeat, Van Pelt seemed to have a solid attitude and sense of optimism on her future.
"This is my dream. I actually have the opportunity to do music for the rest of my life. 'American Idol' has made me a stronger person. I want to go out in a blaze of glory. It's the biggest adventure I've ever had in my life. Why wouldn't I chop my hair off? 'American Idol' has already changed my life," she told host Ryan Seacrest on her way out.
Joining Van Pelt in the bottom three were Heejan Han and Deandre Brackensick. Han – the "Idol" class clown – angered judges with his irreverent performance the night before. Steven Tyler told Han that his take on Billy Joel's "My Life" made fun of the song.
And Brackensick? As The Los Angeles Times pointed out in its Show Tracker blog, he seems to have stood out more for his hair rather than his singing in recent weeks.
After Van Pelt's elimination, nine "Idols" are still standing: Hollie Cavanagh, Skylar Laine, Colton Dixon, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Elise Testone, Jessica Sanchez, Han and Brackensick are still in the running for the 11th-season title.
