Michael Sarver may be banished from American Idol 8, but that doesn’t mean he’s headed straight back to his life on the oil rig. Idol’s “roughneck” contestant, after all, has other things to think about these days.

“I don’t think it would be a great idea to get out there and take a chance on hurting myself and not being available for the tour,” he told reporters after his Idol ousting. “I’m going home, and I’m going to take some time off to spend with my family.”

But Sarver isn’t going to be leaving the industry completely. He’ll still be part of the American Idol summer tour, which will carry on for several weeks through July and August (probably - no official dates have been released). He’s got obvious singing chops, but there’s more to Michael than the way he sounds. “I am a serious writer, and I have written over eight hundred and ninety songs,” he admitted.

Maybe we’ll be hearing some of them in the future.

(You can find all the American Idol 8 posts here.)