American Idol is down to eight contestants, and an Idol apartment is down to three roommates: Ramiele Malubay, the latest castoff, lived with Syesha Mercado, Kristy Lee Cook and Brooke White, the latter two of whom also shared the bottom three with Malubay last week. Here’s what the 20-year-old from Miramar, Florida, had to say about “the first real big thing that’s happened” in her life.
On her dashed hopes of becoming Idol’s first Asian-American winner:
“I felt a little bit of pressure. But just to see how the fan base would grow and stuff…and it’s just flattering. It was really exciting, but then again, I was like, ‘Oh, I have to do well not only for myself now, not only for my parents, but for people of the same race and the people supporting me.’ And I got as far as I could and I hope nobody is disappointed.”
On the off-the-air Simon Cowell:
“Oh, he likes me, I know he does. He’s a very nice guy. Backstage when I left the show he came and he was like, ‘Oh, cry on my shoulder.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, OK.’ And he was telling me it was the song choice, it was the song choice. I’m like, ‘Simon, I know it was the song choice.'”
On the close-knit group of Idols:
“Honestly, we never really thought of it as a competition until, like, Wednesdays when someone has to go home. ‘Someone is going home tonight.’ It’s really weird–we’d, like, help each other. We’re a big family; we’re not out to get the other person kicked off or anything, you know? When we help each other we really help each other. It’s genuine and it comes from the heart. We don’t sugarcoat things just for the camera, do you know what I mean?”
