Following the judges' save of Michael Lynche last week, two American Idol contestants were on the chopping block Wednesday night.

Once all the votes were counted, Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens were eliminated from season nine, an unsurprising result, albeit one that led to many tears from fellow contestants.

The singers each spoke to Entertainment Weekly about their experience on the show, starting with Andrew...

How is he feeling? You feel bad ’cause you’re leaving performing on that big stage, but you can’t forget how far you came. I didn’t expect to go far, and to go as far as I did I’m thankful. And I made the tour and I’m going to be able to go out and have a job. And then I get to see my son.

How much did he change the arrangement on Hound Dog? I added drums and horns to it. I made it more flavorful. That’s what I think [Adam Lambert] wanted me to do. And it sounded good. I was like, man, that’s cool.

Will he miss Lee DeWyze? He’s my brother now. He’s like my family now. It was a little tough saying goodbye. We’ve been with each other every day going through the same thing. I know he’s going to rip it up. And I’m going to see him next week [at Idol Gives Back] and on the tour.

And now for Katie...

Was it difficult being so young on the show? It was hard, but everyone was so supportive. There was a little bit of added pressure since I was going up against people who were so much older. It was like racing against the big boys. But I always just tried to hold my own.

Did she feel safe this week? You never really know. I always go into it and think there’s a possibility that I could go. It’s very unpredictable. When I was sitting on the stage with Mike, I was like, ‘It’s gonna be me.’ I just prepared myself. And I did get emotional singing after that.

On getting emotional during her farewell song: I just felt the words as I was singing. But I had to remind myself that it wasn’t the end. There is going to be life after Idol. I thought it was a perfect song to have gone out with. You gotta let it be and let life take its course.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.