Irishman Niall Sheehy was booted off Superstar - but Andrew Lloyd Webber told him he would be perfect for another role in one of his musicals.
The 31-year-old from Bray, Co Wicklow, ended up in the bottom two alongside Rory Taylor, 24, from the Wirral, after the pair received the least number of public votes in the contest to find the lead performer in a new production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
But the final decision between the two had to be made by Lord Lloyd-Webber, who offered Sheehy his commiserations and told him he would be better suited to playing Marius in Les Miserables or Raoul in his own Phantom of the Opera.
Sheehy had left a job on the UK tour of the Monty Python musical Spamalot to be able to take part in the show.
Asked how he felt to be eliminated from the competition an emotional Sheehy told host Amanda Holden: “I feel all right, I’m glad Rory’s through. I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone that voted for me, and thank you Andrew.”
During last night’s show, he had failed to impress the judges when he sang How to Save A Life by The Fray, while Taylor had performed a rousing rendition of Coldplay’s Fix You.
Actor David Hunter, 27, who narrowly avoided being sent home last night after ending up in the bottom two, got plenty of praise when he sang Prince’s Nothing Compares 2U, famously covered by Sinead O’Connor.
But Lord Lloyd-Webber said the best performance of the night was by Ben Forster, 31, from Sunderland, with his version of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car.
The remaining contestants are Jon Moses, 28, from Newcastle, Jeff Anderson, 21, from Newtownards, Northern Ireland, Nathan James, 23, from Reading and Roger Wright, 41, from east London, along with Taylor, Forster and Hunter.
The new production of Lord Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice’s musical goes on tour in September, featuring comic Tim Minchin as Judas Iscariot, DJ Chris Moyles as King Herod and former Spice Girl - and Superstar judge - Melanie C as Mary Magdalene.
The show returns tonight when two contestants are due to be eliminated.