Lacey Brown becomes first finalist booted from "American Idol"

Lacey Brown was eliminated from "American Idol" on Wednesday after struggling for weeks on America's most-watched TV show, as Reuters reported.

Lacey Brown, aged 24, from Amarillo, Texas, was the first finalist eliminated from the ninth season of the Fox singing competition.

"I had a lot of people tell me maybe go the country route or something like that," the singer told host Ryan Seacrest after her dismissal. "I'm willing to keep working. I'm not going to stop singing. I'm going to keep singing for my fans and for myself because I love to do this, so I'm excited for the future."

Though the judges' save was back, meaning a unanimous vote by the panel can bring back any of the finalists up until the top five, the judges decided against saving Brown, who received the fewest viewer votes.

The other finalists remaining are Didi Benami, 23, of Los Angeles; Crystal Bowersox, 24, of Toledo, Ohio; Lee Dewyze, 23, of Mount Prospect, Ill.; Andrew Garcia, 24, of Moreno Valley, Calif.; Casey James, 27, of Fort Worth, Texas; Aaron Kelly, 16, of Sonestown, Pa.; Michael Lynche, 26, of Astoria, N.Y.; Siobhan Magnus, 20, of Marstons Mills, Mass.; and Katie Stevens, 17, of Middlebury, Conn.

The remaining 11 contestants will return next week for a teen-idol-themed night of songs.

Source: Xinhua