He lobbied for Ensley to advance but couldn't convince the other judges. Ensley said Cowell later told him off-camera he had meant what he said and thought he did well.

"That kind of made it worth it," Ensley said. "Even though I knew I was leaving, I left on a good note with him. At least I was never really that embarrassed by him or he never really said anything that mean. As long as I had his approval, that meant a lot to me. I knew I still could make it."

He made the Top 50 but had to wait about two months to learn if he survived the next cut. He was contractually obligated not to talk about how he had done.

During his time competing, he got to know the rest of the Top 50. He said his best friend in the group was David Cook, a Tulsan who went on to win the competition.

"We flew out of Tulsa together, like every time we were on the same flight," Ensley said. "When they did the Top 10 concert in Tulsa a few weeks ago I got free tickets. I just called David and he got me tickets. I still talk to him."