Three strikes and she's out. Spunky Julia DeMato, 24, who's been among the bottom three vote-getters for the past three weeks on FOX's "American Idol," ran out of luck Wednesday night when she became the most recent of 12 finalists to be sent home.

Her performance the night before of Faith Hill's "Breathe" -- which the judges admitted was slightly off-key -- failed to win enough television viewer support.

However, Julia was not without her fans. Judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson protested that "America got it wrong" when Julia, Kimberly Caldwell and Rickey Smith were cited as the bottom three vote-getters this week. (Simon Cowell was typically noncommittal.)

In the end, DeMato, a hairstylist from Brookfield, Conn., was sent packing. Her pluck, however, did receive a standing ovation from the audience and judges (yes, including Simon). The singer took the news with good grace, thanking her family for their support and vowing to continue to pursue a singing career.