Haley Reinhart Didn't Expect Her “Idol” Elimination

Haley Reinhart lost out on becoming the "American Idol," when she was eliminated from the competition on Thursday night, and she's since revealed that she didn't expect the news.

"When I was in the bottom 3, I never said, 'I think I'm going home.' Like, even [Thursday night], I never said it and it's weird because I've talked to every single person on this thing and everybody's had a weird intuition feeling like, 'This is it for me.' And I mean, it's not it for me at all," Haley told Entertainment Weekly's website, EW.com, following the show. "I'm gonna keep going. I'm never setting a certain date of when my time will be."

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The Chicago-bred singer said that although she was eliminated, she shortly thereafter learned some comforting news about the margin of votes.

"I know it was close, which makes me happy. It's always gonna be surprising no matter what happens," she said.

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During her time as a Season 10 contestant, Haley found herself one of the most criticized contenders by judges Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson – eventually taking them on, and challenging their opinions just last week.

Haley, however, didn't feel the judges were against her, despite their remarks.

"I feel like they wanted to push me to see really how far that I would go," she said. "And I really believed they liked to get me mad before performances so that I really give 'em it – you know — what I got.

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"I've had a tough, tough road here on 'Idol,' but it's all for a reason and I take it with me. You get some more skin on your back," she added.

The panel – Randy, Jennifer and Steven Tyler – even gave her plenty of support after Haley's Thursday elimination, which left 17-year-old Scotty McCreery and 16-year-old Lauren Alaina in the finals.

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"The judges were really cool. They came up to me, gave me some kind words of inspiration and support and said, 'Well, obviously this isn't he last that we're gonna hear from you. Excited to see what you come up with.'"

"American Idol" continues with it's final round on Tuesday on FOX.

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