Kristy Lee Cook made her departure from 'American Idol' last week, and now she's opening up about the experience to AOL TV. "It was definitely a shock for me to go home," the 24-year-old says about of being eliminated. "I wish I wouldn't have left so soon; I wanted to be in the top five."

But it's not all tears for this songbird. "I'm happy that Brooke's still in the competition because she's one of my best friends." Read what else Kristy Lee had to say about the show in this post-elimination interview.

This year's 'American Idol' contestants have been whittled down to the serious six after sending Kristy Lee Cook home last night. Though the 24-year-old's rendition of Mariah Carey's 'Forever' garnered 36 million votes, it failed to impress viewers more than Syesha Mercado and Brooke White's performances.

Simon Cowell called Kristy Lee's cover "whiny" but also said, "You managed with what you could." Randy Jackson added that he "didn't think that [performance] was amazing."

Read what fans like you had to say about Kristy Lee being knocked off in AOL TV's 'AI' results feature.