Carrie Underwood Reacts to Top 7 Eliminations of Brooks and Daniel

American Idol continued its tradition of head-scratching and shocking eliminations on April 27 when Brooks Rosser and Daniel Stallworth left the competition after failing to be voted through to the Top 5.

After Brooks sang “Love Story” on Taylor Swift Night, judge Carrie Underwood rhetorically asked the singer if he knew how many folks loved him. “I ask everybody I know, ‘Who’s your favorite?’ and people just love you,” Underwood shared. “I don’t know if you know that.’”

That said, Underwood encouraged Brooks to breathe and told him he was “half a second faster than the music the entire song. Just breathe, sink into it. It will come with time.”

Daniel had the judges up on their feet with his performance of Swift’s “Fearless.” Lionel Richie praised, “You not only sing, but you perform,” and guest judge, comedienne/roast-master extraordinaire Nikki Glaser, added, “I just have the best time watching you. I forgot I was on TV. I was part of the crowd. I want to go to 22 of your shows. I’m serious. That was so fun.”

Afterward, Underwood told TV Insider and a small group of other reporters that Brooks and Daniel’s eliminations were a “shocker” for her. “At this point in the competition, everybody is a bad choice to go home, you know what I mean?” she explained. “Everybody is so good. Everybody is so talented. So, anybody getting voted off, no matter who it is at this point, it’s sad.”

Richie said that he was able to speak to Brooks after his elimination. “I’ll tell you exactly what I said to him,” the “Truly” crooner shared. “Out of all the singers [this season], he has the most identifiable voice. He needs to find a song that showcases his storytelling ability.”

Host Ryan Seacrest observed that Brooks grew more at ease in front of the camera and in the live post-performance interviews throughout the season. “He has gotten more and more comfortable, believe it or not,” Seacrest confirmed.

Richie pointed out that successful singers differ in their stage presence and levels of comfortability. For example, he said, “It’s like saying to Bob Dylan, ‘Loosen up!’ Everybody is not going to be Mr. Showbiz [or] Liza Minelli. One is spicy, one is not. What you want to do now is just let him be who he is.”

He continued, “I told [Brooks], ‘Don’t get freaked out.’ He got this far. [From] 200 people to the [Top 7]! Brooks has been through an emotional roller coaster. He’s in that shock stage, but he’s going to be alright. He’s got that voice and we know who he is.”

Meanwhile, Bryan was “surprised” that Daniel was sent home. “I really loved what he did the whole year, but it’s tough when you get to the Top 5,” he admitted. “I think the show [tonight], overall, was one of the better ones of the year, seeing how the kids showed up. They’re in the hunt to win this thing.”

Chris Tungseth, the last to be announced as part of the Top 5, also revealed what he was feeling while waiting for his name to be called alongside Brooks and Daniel. “The three of us were up there, and we all looked at other, and we’re just like, ‘I love you. We’re brothers,’” Tungseth recalled. “The really hard part about the show is that you fall in love with your friends, and then, it’s, ‘Alright. See you.’ We’ll be in touch. We’ll always be in contact. We’ll always hang out.”

American Idol, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC