'American Idol' Surprise Reprieve: Final Four React (Video)

Ray Mickshaw / Fox

From left: Kree Harrison, Amber Holcomb, Candice Glover, Angie Miller and Ryan Seacrest

Thursday’s night’s American Idol fake-out was perhaps just the latest example of network brass and series producers rewriting the rulebook. It is their show, after all, and they're certainly entitled and empowered to do so.

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But while some viewers (and seemingly none of the press in attendance) were genuinely surprised by the night’s “shocker” -- a reprieve for the final four -- it seemed the girls on stage weren’t.

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“We hoped,” said Amber Holcomb after the show. Flanked by her fellow finalists Candice Glover, Kree Harrison and Angie Miller, the 19-year-old Houston native, who ended up in the bottom two, called it, but she still showed appreciation and “relief … that I get to redeem myself.”

Indeed, the pressure is on as, next week, the show will tally votes from both episodes and average them out. Now, more than ever, added Holcomb: “song choice is everything.” On the other hand, added Glover, “I was in the bottom, too, it can't get that much worse.”

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If anything, Candice had the best night -- she got to meet her idol, Drake, and get a kiss on the cheek from the hip-hop megastar. “Pardon me if I stutter, I can’t believe that happened,” she said later, still fanning herself from the experience. “He said he's gonna watch for me and he hopes that I can sing on tour with him. I'm, like, let's go!”

There will be little time for celebrating, though, as the last girls standing go straight into rehearsals for next week’s episode. Not to put a damper on the evening, however, Kree Harrison added, “Every day is a celebration!”

Twitter: @Idol_Worship