Michael Johns voted off Idol

A lot of viewers were surprised and upset when Australian singer Michael Johns was voted off of American Idol last night.

Johns also appeared stunned when Ryan announced that Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson, the others in the bottom three, were both safe.

The crowd's boos were audible, although Simon Cowell said the decision was probably due to Johns' song choice of his rendition of Aerosmith's "Dream On."

"I'm going to miss you. You're a very good singer and a very, very nice guy," Cowell told Johns.

Johns had never been in the bottom three and had more music experience than many of the other Idols, as he had formerly been signed to a major record label. He was dropped before he released an album, though.

Next week, the seven remaining contestants will tackle Mariah Carey's songbook. It will probably be a tough week for the guys, but it should prove to be interesting.