Perhaps the most nerve-racking part of each American Idol week is elimination night, where the contestants find out whether or not they are going home. However, one contestant who breathed easy throughout his season was Taylor Hicks–because he already knew who was getting cut.
“I had an ‘in’ in the whole production of the show,” he said during an interview with WJOX radio Friday in Birmingham, AL, though he didn’t name names. That “in” would tell him the results before they were revealed.
The only night he didn’t know about was the season 5 finale in 2006, when he won against Katharine McPhee. He mentioned, however, that the show’s executive producer, Nigel Lythgoe gave him a “wink and a nod” before the results were announced. Lythgoe denied the claim to TMZ.
Listen to the full interview via TMZ below.