The elimination of early favorite Chris Medina from “American Idol” on Wednesday night shocked the country and left Jennifer Lopez in tears, but it wasn’t a surprise to Chris himself.
“I kind of went into it kind of expecting to get eliminated. I kind of had this weird feeling, ‘cause you’re in this room with really awesome, talented, wonderful, young, good looking singers, and it kind of dawned on me – ‘This could be the moment where I go home,’” Chris recounted to Access Hollywood on Thursday. “I just kind of had this feeling.”
He may have had a feeling about his elimination, but Jennifer’s reaction and her breakdown on the show came as a surprise.
“I didn’t [know she reacted like that] until I saw it last night…. it was really touching,” Chris said. “I couldn’t believe that she had that kind of bottled up emotion over that specific situation. She handled her self really, really well until I left. You could tell she was sad when she was telling me, but I had no idea it was like that. It was very moving…. It was real nice that she cared.”
Chris even had a few words for Jennifer, who cried as she told her fellow judges she didn’t feel she sent the singer on his way with the right words.
“If I could say anything to her, I would say she did a fantastic job… That was the perfect way to get the axe. It was the perfect way,” he said.
What also surprised Chris was the reaction from his fellow “Idol” hopefuls, some of whom were moved to tears as he departed the competition.
“I was surprised by everyone’s reaction,” he said. “I think what it is or what it was, people got wrapped up in who I was as an individual contestant on the show – with the story and with the singing. There was a ‘rooting for the underdog’ kind of thing going on and when I got kicked off, I think it was just shocking to everybody.
“But to me, living in my own skin, I think they got it right,” Chris said.
If offered an opportunity to come back to the show, Chris would take it, as long as it did not come at the expense of anyone else.
“If they brought me back because they thought I could do a good job, then I would do the best I could,” he said after scoffing at a rumor making the rounds that he could replace Casey Abrams, who is reportedly hospitalized and may miss a taping of a Top 24 performance.
“I hope he can perform, I really do,” Chris said, noting he was unaware if Casey actually made the Top 24, as has been reported. “I would never wish that he was in that position so I can get back on that show.”
While Chris is off the show, he is grateful for the attention it has brought to the plight of his beloved fiancée Juliana Ramos, who — as documented on the show — is mostly confined to a wheelchair following a car accident not long before they were set to marry.
“This whole big thing has been one big giant surprise, shock,” Chris said. “I feel like an advocate for people who are going through similar situations. People are reaching out, asking for advice sometimes or giving advice, lending a helping hand or asking for us to lend ours… Every day is inspirational.”
Chris said his fiancée had predicted he would end up in 14th place on the show, and while he didn’t make it quite that far, he is thankful that “American Idol” has helped publicize Juliana’s struggles, and that people have donated — to the tune of around $25,000 — to help with her medical needs.
“We have been receiving small donations here and there to help with Juliana’s upcoming medical treatments costs and it’s well exceeded our expectation for sure,” he said. “We’ve raised quite a bit of money to help with things like wheelchairs or trying to make things more handicapped accessible around the house, just to make life a little bit easier for her and her mobility. She’s still really injured, so it’s pretty tough for her.”
In addition to the donations, Juliana also enjoyed being a part of Chris’ “Idol” experience. When asked what he thinks she would say is the best moment of her life so far, Chris said it would be down to “Idol.”
“Her answer would be getting kissed by Steven Tyler. She’d point to her face and her voice would get a little higher pitched and she would say meeting Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest,” Chris recounted.
“And then, No. 2, would be, ‘When you proposed to me,’” he laughed.
For more information on Juliana, her injury and how you can help the couple, click HERE.
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