Michael Johns Voted Off American Idol: Australia in Shock

In a Thursday night shocker and the biggest shock of the season thus far, Australia's Michael Johns has been voted off American Idol.

He came into Tuesday night's performance show as one of the favorites to win it all.  Johns kicked off the show with Aerosmith's "Dream On".  The lesson apparently: Don't do Aerosmith on American Idol.

The performance itself was actually pretty good.

Gambling911.com had reported that Michael Johns appeared to have been among the bottom four vote-getters but he was not expected to have been the person eliminated.

Johns (originally known as Michael Lee) was born in Perth, Western Australia to his parents William (Bill) Lee and Janet Burke (married to John Burke). He is the youngest of 3 siblings and has half and step siblings. He moved to the United States from Australia in 1998 and lived in Atlanta, Georgia for six years, performing at local venues including CJ's Landing and Tin Roof in Buckhead. Michael performed with Jeff Bramwell, Hank Barbee, Anitra Holley, and local band Film. He now lives in Los Angeles, California with his Texan wife.

Johns is a keen sportsman and this was his focus prior to his singing career. He won a tennis scholarship at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia[ to become a professional tennis player. He also played Australian rules football for the USAFL club, Atlanta Kookaburras.  Johns is not related to Michael Johns, the American business executive, former White House speechwriter, and prominent conservative writer of the same name.

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Jordan Bach, Gambling911.com

Originally published April 10, 2008 9:02 pm EST