REALITY TV'American Idol' Dropout Wyatt Pike Breaks Silence On His Shocking Exit, Alludes To New 'Musical Things' Coming
After the puzzling exit of American Idol fan favorite Wyatt Pike, the 20-year-old contestant is breaking his silence about his sudden departure from the hit competition series.
“I had to leave the @AmericanIdol competition for personal reasons but am so thankful I get to play music for the rest of my life,” Pike vaguely posted on Instagram on Wednesday, referencing judge Luke Bryan’s previous feedback on his performance.
He went on to wish his competitors still vying for the top spot on the hit ABC series well during the rest of the season. “Fellow contestants - miss you all, good luck! Thank you to everyone for your support… do stick around for more musical things soon!💙,” he concluded his post, alluding to some new music coming soon.
In Idol’s first live show of the season on Monday, it was a night chock-full of surprises. First, OG judge Paula Abdul sat in for Bryan as he was forced to sit out the show due to testing positive for the coronavirus. Then, host Ryan Seacrest made the shocking announcement that Pike had dropped out of the show.
“Before we get to the results, I have to tell you that finalist Wyatt Pike will not be competing in the competition,” Seacrest revealed on the Monday, April 12, episode. “He had to drop out, but we wish him the very best.”
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During the live episode, no real answer was given for his sudden departure. However, eagle-eyed fans did notice that the singer posted a cryptic message via Instagram possibly foreshadowing his exit.
Pike hinted that he was happy to be back in his hometown of Park City, Utah, days before it was revealed he had quit the show. "Something to feel this through: home," he wrote on Wednesday, April 7, via Instagram. "Thankful for the rollercoaster I’m on today. 💙." This means that he had left the Idol quarantine bubble (due to the ongoing pandemic) prior to the big news.
Prior to his exit, Pike blew the judges away on Sunday’s pre-taped episode of Idol. He performed a rousing rendition of the Kings of Leon smash hit “Use Somebody” (which landed him in the Top 12).
Pike’s powerful voice and skills on the guitar earned him accolades from the judges. Katy Perry said, “I think you do have a little bit of an angle in this competition that you’re an authentic singer-songwriter,” whereas Bryan told him that he was “going to be able to do music for the rest of your life” because he was so moved by his performance.
