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Five Other Shocking American Idol Eliminations (of Just the Last Five Years)!

Pia Toscano, American Idol Ray Mickshaw/Fox

Pia Toscano's American Idol ouster felt like a rerun of Tamyra Gray's. And Jennifer Hudson's. And…

Well, the truth is Idol has a long history of exits that outraged as much as they surprised. So, in the name of moving things along, here are the five biggest stunners since 2006:

NOTE: Last night's jaw-dropper is not included. We're still processing.

FLASHBACK: To be honest, we had our doubts about Pia all along…



1. Chris Daughtry?! Guess who became a hot Twitter trending topic last night, post-Pia? Yes, this presumptive winner of season five (who finished fourth) is the ultimate reminder that one should not presume anything about Idol.

2. Melinda Dolittle?! So, the season-six competition was supposed to come down to this veteran backup singer and the kid, Jordin Sparks. But then the beatboxer, Blake Lewis, crashed the party, and another presumptive winner lost her title.

3. Michael Johns?! Carly Smithson?! It was fitting these two dueted on the season-seven finale. As host Ryan Seacrest said that night, the Aussie Jim Morrison and the Irish rocker both "left before their time"—he finished eighth; she came in sixth.

4. Josiah Leming?! As Idol completists know, the shockers start long before the Top 12 (or 13). This stunning season-seven elimination, in fact, occurred before the show reached the semifinals. Subsequently signed to a major label, Leming, who wowed with his rendition of "Grace Kelly," and bombed with "Stand By Me," told the Los Angeles Times in 2008 that the show's "producers didn't like me."

5. Casey Abrams?! OK, so, yes, season 10 is stacked with legit talent, and, yes, someone's gotta go, and, yes, the judges ultimately saved this music-camp cat, but the crazy fact remains Abrams got "voted off" in Week 11. Question: Has anyone else this good ever come up so short so early?

Yes, Miss Toscano, we see your hand…

WATCH: No, it wasn't a bad dream—Pia's gone