THEY may not have benefited from the contest?s new rule, but ?American Idol? Season 8 castoffs Jasmine Murray from Mississippi and Jorge Nuñez from Puerto Rico said they were pleased with the new twist.

However, they decided not to think too much on what-could-have-beens ? but instead focus on resuming their studies.

?I?d definitely go back and finish high school, go to college and then pursue music. This is really where my heart is,? 16-year-old Murray told Inquirer Entertainment on Friday in a conference call arranged by Star World.

No regrets

Murray and Nuñez were the first two contestants to be eliminated from the Top 13 on Thursday, after the four judges (Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Kara DioGuardi) opted not to use their ?Judges? Save? card ? a one-time opportunity to bail out one contestant who would?ve been eliminated based on home viewer voting.

?I know that no one is perfect so I don?t regret anything,? Murray said when asked if there?s something she could have done more to stay longer in the show.

Nuñez, a 21-year-old student, intends to finish law and pursue music at the same time.

Like Murray, Nuñez had no regrets on his Idol experience. He admitted though that his biggest hurdle was song selection. In the last Michael Jackson-themed performance where he sang ?Never Can Say Goodbye,? he got criticized for his ?corny? and soft-focus take on the song.

The remaining 11 finalists ? Michael Sarver, Allison Iraheta, Anoop Desai, Scott MacIntire, Megan Joy, Matt Giraud, Lil Rounds, Kris Allen, Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace and Adam Lambert ? return next week for country-themed performances.

?American Idol? Season 8 airs live Wednesday and Thursday, 6 p.m., on Star World with same-night replays at 8 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.