Judging by Emily Vinette's calm reaction to her elimination from the Top 10 on Wednesday night, you would think she had prepared for it all her life. But, in fact, she braced herself the night before by crying it out with family and friends.

"I didn't know if I was going to get kicked off but I knew I was going to be in the bottom three," Vinette tells Eye on Idol. "I just kind of let my emotions get out of me on Tuesday night so Wednesday I didn't want to break into tears."

The high school student from Ottawa became the first victim of Canadian Idol's voting system, which pushed her out of the competition after receiving the lowest number of ballots phoned-in by viewers.

All competitors, except the winner, eventually go through the same excruciating experience, but Vinette's turn came quickly after judges slammed her performance of k.d. lang's "Cryin'".

Zack Werner and Jake Gold called the teen a "pageant singer". Whether that's a negative or a positive remark, Vinette just chooses to look at the upside.

"I think Miss Teen Canada or the person who works in that field works hard and deserves respect and definitely someone who sings at a pageant deserves respect too," Vinette says.

"So I don't think it's fair to make fun of either one of them. And I don't feel bad being called either one of them."

Facing Idol's firing squad isn't exactly a walk in the park, especially when millions of people are watching. In fact, Vinette says it's her least favourite part of the whole experience.

"I think the worst part is anticipating what the judges have to say. I was more scared of the judges. I wasn't at all scared of the crowd when I went out there."

"You can see their faces but I try not to look at them," she says laughing.

It's the kind of pressure some might say is too much for young competitors to handle. But while Vinette, 17, admits the stress can also take its toll on the parents, she feels it's nothing that teens can't handle.

Now that she's a veteran of Canada's largest singing competition, what advice can she give to those who want to chase their Idol dreams?

For Vinette it's all about choosing the right song to showcase your strengths.

"I'd tell them right away that in the first audition to pick something really difficult and try to blow everybody away."

Eye on Idol