‘Idol’ voters shock rocker

“We can’t go on together with suspicious minds ... “

That old Elvis hit was a fitting swan song for Chris Daughtry, the rock-minded “American Idol” contestant who was plainly shocked when he got his walking papers on Wednesday night. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been surprised -- the show’s voters have always had a skeptical heart when it comes to rockers.

Still there had been reason to think Daughtry might be the show’s first winning rock renegade. The 26-year-old, who worked at a Honda dealership in North Carolina pre-”Idol,” showed himself to be a bold performer with a strong voice during his run, and judge Simon Cowell, the show’s surly Shirley, repeatedly rained glowing comments down on Daughtry’s shaved pate.

But he was also the only rock singer among the final 12 “Idol” contestants in the current competition, a nod to the show’s entrenched inclination toward pop, country and R&B.; So Daughtry may have been the right singer in the wrong place. He was polished enough that he could have passed for the singer of Train, Vertical Horizon or other melodic-rock acts with recent radio hits, but on “Idol” he was up against three contestants with pop or R&B; leanings.

After Tuesday night’s performances, the vote tally was announced on Wednesday’s “results” episode where it was greeted by loud boos and screams of “No!” from the studio audience. Daughtry looked ashen and the other “Idol” contestants stood speechless. Cowell’s jaw dropped and fellow judge Paula Abdul seemed teary-eyed. On Tuesday, after one of his numbers, Abdul had playfully told the singer: “See ya in the finals.”

One reason for the confidence in Daughtry was the perceived level of competition on Tuesday night. Pop-minded Katharine McPhee, for instance, stumbled through her selections from the Elvis songbook and Cowell chided her for being “shrieky.”

The Wednesday night show brought in 27.2 million viewers, according to early data from Nielsen Media Research. The shows this season have been drawing from 25 million to 33 million. The winner will be announced May 24.

Some “Idol” fans weighed in online after the show that Daughtry will be the real winner in the long run. “Chris will be talked about way more than the person that wins this season,” one posting on DialIdol.comsaid. He’s off to a good start: The rock band Fuel announced Thursday that they would like Daughtry to be their new lead singer, a job placement that has been rumored since the contestant performed the band’s song “Hemorrhage” on the show in March.

Fuel guitarist Carl Bell told “Extra” on Thursday: “Chris, you won’t have to do any Elvis songs if you come to Fuel, bro; they’re no more.”

Elvis may be a sore spot for a while for Daughtry. When he got the bad news on Wednesday he had to gamely perform “Suspicious Minds” a second time, and he couldn’t hide his bruised pride. He looked purposely into the camera during one line that may have been pitch-perfect for his feelings about the “Idol” nation: “Why can’t you see / what you’re doing to me?”