Greg Neufeld speaks with Eye on Idol after his last show.

A shocked Greg Neufeld is consoled by senior producer Sue Brophey after learning of his eliminiation. Greg Neufeld sings on Canadian Idol Season 4, where here was eliminated at Top 14.

Neufeld faces bright future after untimely elimination

Updated Mon. Aug. 13 2007 1:38 PM ET

Eye on Idol

It seems like every Canadian Idol fan in the country was shocked when Abbotsford's Greg Neufeld was eliminated at Top 7 -- but no one was more stunned than Neufeld himself.

He'd gone week after week with thoroughly positive feedback from the judges and hadn't once landed in the bottom three before the night of his elimination. To suddenly find himself on the chopping block stung like a slap to the face.

"To be pictured as the worst out of those seven (is something) I would not agree with," said a moist-eyed and somewhat dazed Neufeld just moments after hearing the results. "I didn't have the chance of going in the bottom three and coming out of it to wake me up a bit... It sucks bigtime."

Since the Tuesday night elimination episode, Canadians have been sharing this sentiment in droves. Online forums, newspapers and radio programs have been abuzz over what many perceive as an unfair elimination. The question remains as to whether these same people actually made the effort to vote for Neufeld themselves.

In an entry on his Canadian Idol blog posted this week, judge Jake Gold expanded on the feeling of disappointment that was first verbalized by host Ben Mulroney on the elimination show.

"I think at some point people probably thought they didn't need to vote for him because he's so good and he's safe," Gold wrote. "I think that's what happens in this show sometimes... I think it's possibly the worst results we've ever had in five years."

The massive showing of support in the wake of his elimination was cold comfort to Neufeld, but was enough to remind him that his music career isn't going to end with Canadian Idol.

He's already set up some informal but career-related meetings in Toronto this week and after watching Maroon 5's live appearance on the show next Tuesday he'll return home to his band DiMarco.

"I guess that makes it easier, knowing there are people out there who think this isn't the way it should have gone," he told Eye on Idol, noting his pre-show experience with the band will certainly help his transition back to the real world.

"We're going to be booking shows and rehearsing and trying to make the most of this huge exposure of Canadian Idol... We'd like to start off small by doing a B.C. tour and see from there. Talk to some people and book some shows."

He's hoping his now recognizable face and voice will help the band in eventually arranging a national tour.

"Two million people see me every Monday night. That kind of exposure you can't get on any tour."

And considering how much traffic DiMarco's MySpace saw after Neufeld was eliminated from Canadian Idol last year at Top 14, he doesn't think his high hopes are too far from reality.

"We were getting 400-500 hits a day on it so that was pretty crazy," he said. "We're expecting big things."

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