"Life after Idol has been great! I feel like it was a lifetime ago, it's crazy. But all of the opportunities that have stemmed from it have been absolutely wonderful and I thank God every day for them. If it wasn't for Idol, I'd still be sitting on my couch in Katy, Texas!"

"Since Idol ended for me, I've been hosting for TV Guide. It's been really cool to be able to be on both sides of the red carpet in that sense. I moved to L.A. and was lucky enough to have some great mentors show me the tricks of the trade, which inspired me to start writing. Now I'm hosting P. Diddy's Starmaker which is also great because I get to be on the opposite side of the competition."

"Starmaker is The Real World meets American Idol. The contestants all live together and the judges (Rodney Jenkins, Lori Gibson, P. Diddy) rate them on their performance. Johnny Wright is their mentor throughout the show. That part I personally wish we had on Idol to help us move forward. The kids come in really raw and are basically transformed through the course of the show into stars. The winner will win a contract with Bad Boy, but all will leave with what they need to kick-start their careers."

"I am really connected to all the kids on the show because I know exactly what they are going through. When they get kicked off, I tear up because I know what they are feeling inside."