‘American Idol’ recap: Voters royally reject Majesty Rose

Raise your hand if you’re going to miss Majesty Rose. Yeah, my hand is up too.

The sparkly-eyed singer with the infectious gap-toothed smile was sent home by “American Idol� voters Thursday night, as the top 9 shrank to the top 8 in a lean half-hour show. Though they seemed tempted, the judges ultimately decided not to save her.

“This has without doubt been the hardest deliberation from us tonight. ... But we’ve got to agree, and by a narrow, narrow margin, we are not going to use our save tonight,� Keith Urban solemnly informed Rose after she’d sung her save-me song, a vocally shaky, physically upbeat take on Pharrell Williams’ “Happy,� which she’d finished with an open-armed spin across the stage.

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That spin -- as though Rose was taking in what she knew were her very last minutes competing on “American Idol� -- was nearly as heart-wrenching as the persistent tears she kept trying to wipe away.

No one seemed happy to see the flower-loving former preschool teacher from North Carolina go. She’d had some terrific turns on the “Idol� stage: her original performance of “Happy,� a highlight of Rush Week; her take on Janelle Monae’s “Tightrope,� which was a highlight of the season. (Monae, as it happened, performed her new song, “What Is Love,� on Thursday’s show, shortly before Rose was eliminated.)

But in recent weeks, Rose’s confidence had deteriorated, and her performances had followed suit. And though her performance of Florence + the Machine’s “Shake It Out� this week may have been a return to form, reminding viewers confused by her uneven song choices about her talent and charisma, it apparently came too late.

So Rose found herself, with Sam Woolf and CJ Harris, in the bottom three, where she had been before, and soon after, all alone on the very bottom rung, where she had not. Though the judges didn’t throw her a rope, Ryan Seacrest tossed some unusually kind words her way.

“We love you so much, sweetheart,� the host told Rose once the judges had broken the news. “We’re going to miss you. Thank you for everything, your spirit. ... I am your friend. I’ll always be your friend.�

As Rose waved goodbye and her fellow contestants flocked to her side, Harry Connick Jr. even creakily rose to his feet and stood applauding alongside Jennifer Lopez and Urban to show his regard. Aw.

Oh, well, at least Majesty stuck around long enough to make the “Idol� summer tour. And she didn’t seem terribly surprised.

Are you sad to see Majesty Rose go?

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