MANILA, Philippines?Kristy Lee Cook goes down in ?American Idol? history as the only finalist to have called Simon Cowell ?a butt? on national television.

?He has certain remarks that are not very nice [and] over time, these build up,? said last week?s ?Idol? casualty during an exclusive phone interview hosted by Star World.

Her choice of words, explained Cook, ?was, like, telling him [that] he can be a little butt sometimes, a goofy little brat? I figured I?d just say ?butt.??

The 24-year-old definitely knows how it feels to be on the receiving end of harsh criticism. To date, she holds the title of being in the ?bottom three? this season more often than any other finalist.

?That was tough... but I? got a little tougher each time,? said Cook. ?I learned to control the emotions... ?

Cook takes comfort in having outlived Cowell?s prediction that she would be first to leave the Top 10.

?Simon was skeptical because I started out weak,? she said.

Country music

Based in Selma, Oregon, Cook, whose influences include Shania Twain and Faith Hill, has been rooted in the country music genre since she was a teenager.

Performing publicly since age 13, her career seems to have taken a roller-coaster ride with failed record deals. She was signed with Arista Nashville, a sub-label of Sony/BMG, but was dropped before releasing an album; and was the first artist taken in by Britney Spears? now-defunct production company.

Cook was also a singer and pianist in the band Sixshooter. In 2005, she released a solo country album, ?Devoted,? under Ren-Hen Records.

Even so, she claims that ?Idol? is her biggest learning experience so far. ?I needed this push to start my career again because nobody knew who I was before ?American Idol,?? she admitted.

?[All the finalists] have some sort of music background [but] we weren?t discovered before this whole thing, so [AI] was like a second chance,? Cook pointed out. ?The show is about being versatile, being able to do other things out of your element, and I thought I did a pretty good job, considering I had never done other stuff before.?

Apart from that second chance, Cook said, the show allowed her to meet ?Idol? mentors Dolly Parton and Mariah Carey, whom she described as sweet, caring and supportive. ?That?s how I want to be if I become a famous singer,? Cook said. ?I want to be able to carry [the weight of a big career] and still be a genuine and humble girl.?

Perhaps the best experience she takes home from ?Idol? is getting officially engaged on reality TV: Boyfriend Andrew Dobner?s backstage marriage proposal was aired live on ?American Idol Extra.?

Asked if she and Dobner had planned that, Cook said: ?I mentioned it to him a long time ago, about how it would be cool if he? proposed to me on ?Idol,? and he was, like, ?There is no way I would ever get in front of that many people and do that.? But [on the show] it was kind of crazy because he got put on the spot and he ended up pulling through.?

Dobner first popped the question on March 15, in a turned-off sauna?the only place within the ?Idol? compound devoid of bodyguards and other people. The couple decided to keep things low-key because they didn?t want it to get in the way of the competition.

?We haven?t set a date,? said Cook, ?but we?re planning [the wedding] sometime next June.?

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?American Idol? Season 7 airs live Wednesday and Thursday, 6 p.m., on Star World and QTV, with same-night replays on Star World at 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.