Catch up on previous “American Idol” coverage, watch videos and read interviews with David Cook and other “Idol” favorites at: www.tulsaworld.com/americanidol.

A bottom-three regular, cowgirl Cook finally eliminated

Kristy Lee Cook’s time on “American Idol” was finally up this week.

Cook, a 24-year-old cowgirl from Selma, Ore., had been panned by judges several times and rooted for by votefortheworst.com. She had gotten used to ending up in the bottom three for several weeks — and she lasted on the show until Wednesday night.

Her country-tinged take on Mariah Carey’s “Forever” (blasted by judge Simon Cowell for being “whiny”) wasn’t a hit with voters, and she was sent home after receiving the fewest votes.

She showed a good sense of humor by singing the first few lines of “Forever” directly to Cowell after her elimination: “Those days of love are gone; our time is through.”

Cook and host Ryan Seacrest pleaded on camera to a man to whom she had sold her beloved horse so that she could afford to audition for “American Idol” — please sell him back or let her at least ride him again.

The other singers receiving the fewest votes were Syesha Mercado and Brooke White. Both women will return next week, along with Carly Smithson, David Cook, David Archuleta and Jason Castro.

Judges and fans had predicted that a female singer would be headed home this week rather than one of the male contestants. All three male singers fared surprisingly well on a night themed around diva superstar Mariah Carey’s songs, while the women had a tougher time.

Tulsa musician David Cook earned rave reviews for his rock-infused cover of Carey’s “Always Be My Baby,” a No. 1 hit in 1996 for her poppier R&B version.

“It was sort of like coming out of karaoke hell into a breath of fresh air,” judge Simon Cowell said after David Cook’s performance Tuesday. “It was original; it was daring. It stood out by a mile.”

David Cook, 25, grew up in Blue Springs, Mo., but moved to Tulsa a few years ago to pursue his music career and play with bands such as the Midwest Kings. He tended bar and played gigs at local venues such as the Blank Slate and the Gray Snail before auditioning for “American Idol.”

He and the other five finalists will perform at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Fox channel 23 (cable channel 5).