There was no saving Matt Giraud this time. After a nationwide vote, the 23-year-old piano player from Kalamazoo, Michigan became the ninth finalist eliminated on American Idol. Kris Allen and Adam Lambert joined Matt in the bottom three.

The soft-spoken soul singer got a reprieve two weeks ago when the panel used their veto power to save him from elimination. Last week he earned enough viewer votes on his own to stay in the competition, but after singing “My Funny Valentine” on Tuesday, his luck ran out.

Wednesday’s results show was definitely the most surprising and suspense-filled episode this year. What happened to Adam’s legion of followers? Kris was also a strong contender but I wonder why his screaming female fans didn’t vote for him. If Adam had gone home, the show would have lost a lot of viewers.

“I’ll definitely remember being the cat with nine lives,” Matt said. “This is definitely not the last time you’ll see me,” he promised before launching a reprise of the performance that sent him packing.

VIDEO: Matt Giraud is eliminated