Sanjaya Malakar is eliminated on the 6th season of American Idol.

A Dark Day in the Sanjaya Universe

The combined efforts of Howard Stern, votefortheworst.com and an army of Fanjayas may have delayed the inevitable, but Sanjaya Malakar finally got what was coming to him.

The 17-year-old Seattle native was eliminated from American Idol Wednesday night, following a performance of Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About" that Simon Cowell deemed "utterly horrendous."

"I know this has been funny for a while, but based on the fact that we are supposed to be finding an American Idol, it was hideous," Cowell said Tuesday.

Though Malakar's vocals were undoubtedly the weakest in the competition, the soft-spoken teen won fans over with his enormous grin and dedication to changing up his hairstyle each week. (Case in point: the ponyhawk that will go down in Idol history.)

He also attracted a different set of supporters—those who were determined to see him win based on his unworthiness alone, thereby making a mockery out of all that American Idol is meant to represent.
After Malakar scored a place in the top nine finalists, Stern crowed that he and his listeners were "corrupting the entire thing."

"All of us are routing American Idol," Stern said. "It's so great. The number one show in television and it's getting ruined."

While Cowell famously vowed to Extra that he would quit the show if Malakar won, Idol executive producers Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe remained outwardly unfazed by the guerrilla efforts to keep him afloat.

"There is very little hype anybody can do that will affect the vast number of votes that we get," Warwick told reporters earlier this month. "If everybody who listens to Howard Stern voted, it wouldn't affect the vote. The gap above and below is so big."

Meanwhile, Lythgoe hinted last month that he wouldn't be devastated by a Malakar victory, saying he felt that he, himself, had been "Sanjaya-ed."

"I don't know what the controversy is, to be frank. He has guts, this kid, and you have to applaud that. If half the people with more talent than him had his guts, we'd be getting better talent all-round," Lythgoe told reporters.

However, some fans of the show were unable to see anything positive about Malakar's Idol tenure, especially as singers with better vocals were sent home, while he made it through week after week of eliminations.

On Wednesday, he was joined in the bottom three by Blake Lewis and LaKisha Jones, both of whom have been consistent favorites of the judges over the course of the season.

"I'm beginning to sense something here," a gleeful Cowell said.

Ultimately, Jones and Lewis were told they were safe, while Malakar was informed that his luck had run out.

Despite a few tears, Malakar managed to hold it together as he prepared to sing his goodbye song.

"I'm fine," he told Ryan Seacrest. "It was an amazing experience."

In a followup radio interview with Seacrest on Thursday, Malakar said he had no hard feelings towards Cowell, despite the judge's constant criticism of his performances.

"I'm gonna kind of miss him telling me I'm horrible," the teen said with his characteristic good humor.

"I think he was kind of disappointed in me when I didn't do as well as he thought I could or hoped I would or something," he added.

As for his newfound notoriety, Malakar said it felt "unnatural," but admitted there were perks.

"I'm still just Sanjaya from Seattle. It's weird, but it's kind of fun being able to look in a magazine and see your face."

Wednesday's show also featured performances from Fergie and this week's celebrity coach, Martina McBride, as well as an uncharacteristically somber speech from Cowell.

After he was caught on camera Tuesday seemingly rolling his eyes as Richardson was expressing sympathy for the victims of the Virgina Tech shootings, Cowell was determined to clear the air, explaining that he had actually been chatting with Paula Abdul and had not heard Richardson's remarks.
"I just want to absolutely set the record straight: I didn't hear what Chris was saying," Cowell said. "I may not be the nicest person in the world, but I would never, ever, ever, ever disrespect those families or those victims."

Next week, the talent competition will take an altruistic turn with the Idol Gives Back special. For each vote tallied after Tuesday's show, sponsors will make a donation to the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund, benefiting children and young people in Africa and America.

Wednesday's show will feature performances from stars including Sacha Baron Cohen, Michael Bublé, Kelly Clarkson, Céline Dion, Il Divo, Josh Groban, Annie Lennox, Pink, and Gwen Stefani.