{alltv} American Idol's Jacob Lusk Not Surprised by His Elimination

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American Idol fans weren't the only ones who weren't surprised by Thursday night's elimination.

Jacob Lusk, the show's most recent star to leave the spotlight, says he expected it, but it's not for lack of talent. So what does Jacob think could have kept him in the competition and what does he really think of Jimmy Iovine's mentoring techniques?

We gotta hand it to Jacob—the gospel singing underdog handled his elimination with class and celebration. Although his postshow church-style song and dance with fellow contestants, judges and family wasn't planned, he wasn't shocked that it was time to say goodbye to the Idol stage.

"I had expected it because of the judges' feedback and my performance this past week," he told us. "I feel like I was the only one not in their element last week. Everyone else was in their element."

Throughout the season, the judges bounced back and forth between loving Jacob's gospel vibe and pushing him to try other things, and Jacob says their advice is what prompted him to step away from his genre on Wednesday's performance show.

"I definitely got some contradictory advice," he said. "I picked songs that weren't in my genre, that weren't really my thing, trying to do something different, and this wasn't the time to do that. I feel that's why I was voted off—not because I was horrible. I think at the end of the day what Randy [Jackson] was trying to tell me is that it's up to me and I have to be myself, and anytime I'm being myself they can't say anything. That's what it comes down to, being yourself and being the best that you can be. When you're great, you're great. When you're good, you're good."

While we're on the subject of advice, Jacob says working with famed producer Jimmy Iovine wasn't always a picnic. As we've all seen, Jimmy can be really tough on the contestants, which is something Jacob says can hurt more than you think.

"It definitely hurts a lot to have someone who is supposed to be mentoring me and feel like every time you turn around they are tearing you down, but what you have to remember is that you aren't doing it for him, you're doing it for people out there in America," he said. "It's definitely hard to have someone beat you over the head with a baseball bat then say, 'OK, go sing for your life.' but what I do and what I will continue to do is to give my all and continue to show my heart and continue to do my best to touch people. It's not about how great I can sing or how many records I can do or how good Jimmy thinks I am or how bad he thinks I am. It's about putting out great music that America loves."

Post Idol, other eliminated contestants have had established artists and labels approach them with future opportunities, but Jacob is still waiting to hear from anyone who is open to working with him, whether it be music or stepping into the acting world.

"I'm pretty confident," he said. "I definitely want to look into doing some theater, maybe some Broadway as well as some film. I have heard some things in the grapevine and I think I'm going to be fine. There's a world out there who desires what I have to offer. It's just about me really going out there and giving my heart and soul, and someone out there is going to want it and I'm excited just to give that."

Are you sad Jacob is gone? Would you buy his record or see him on Broadway? Who do you think will win American Idol?