Seventh Contender Out On Oxygen's 'THE GLEE PROJECT' As Cameron Mitchell Of Fort Worth, TX Quits The Competition

Only Five Contenders Remain All Vying For A Seven Episode Guest Starring Role on "Glee"

Jenna Ushkowitz ("Glee's" Tina Cohen-Chang) to Guest Mentor for Eighth Episode of "The Glee Project" on Sunday, August 7th at 9:00PM ET/PT

During last night's most dramatic episode of Oxygen's "The Glee Project," contender Cameron Mitchell made the difficult decision to withdraw from the competition. In the episode, the remaining six contenders were paired up to the theme of romance and sexuality. Under the guidance of "Glee" guest mentors Mark Salling and Ashley Fink ("Glee's" Puck and Lauren) the group was coached on "Pairability" and making a love interest look believable. Couples were selected to perform a racy rendition of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream," pushing Cameron very much out of his comfort zone and in conflict with his Christian beliefs. In an unexpected turn of events, Cameron had an on-air heart-to-heart talk with Ryan Murphy and decided he wasn't cut out for this competition.

His decision sent shockwaves through the cast and crew, and also ended up sparing his good friend from Northern Ireland, Damian, who was not originally on the call-back list.

Murphy said of Cameron during the episode of his decision to leave the show: "I've never seen a show where someone has walked away. I think you could have touched so many people." Cameron, 22, is a natural musician who, up until six months ago, had never taken a single music lesson. He's been performing in amateur shows for four years. In high school, Cameron was hated by all the guys but loved by all the girls. He grew up loving the Beatles - they inspired him and influenced him as a musician and a performer. He originally auditioned for "The Glee Project" at the Dallas/Fort Worth open casting call.

The remaining five contenders will face their next "Glee"-inspired challenge on Sunday, August 7th at 9PM ET/PT when Jenna Ushkowitz ("Glee's" Tina Cohen-Chang) urges the contenders to get real for "Believability" week. One contender's intensity hinders the group performance of "The Only Exception."

From Ryan Murphy, the creator and Emmy award-winning executive producer of "Glee," and executive producer of "Glee" Dante Di Loreto, "The Glee Project" is a 10-episode competition series seeking to find the next star of "Glee" and will award one winner with the ultimate prize of a seven-episode role in season three of the hit FOX show. The series began with 12 extraordinarily talented individuals that were picked from thousands of entries, and an exhaustive nationwide and online talent search. The series uncovers a unique group of artists from both professional and amateur backgrounds, proving every underdog has a fighting chance at stardom. Each week one contender is sent home through intensive rounds of singing, dancing and acting based on assignments. During the final 'Last Chance Round,' the bottom three must perform for Ryan Murphy, casting director Robert Ulrich, and choreographer Zach Woodlee as they carefully assess which of them has what it takes to be one of the next new faces of the award-winning show.

For fans who want more of the "The Glee Project," Microsoft's search engine Bing is partnering with Oxygen to host the Bing Fan Favorite Contest, allowing fans to vote for their own favorite contenders. Shazam is also partnering with Oxygen to allow viewers to use the Shazam app to unlock exclusive content from each episode of the show. This week, Shazam users will be treated to extended footage from a one-on-one session with Jenna Ushkowitz and the homework assignment winner.

"The Glee Project" is produced by Ryan Murphy Television and Embassy Row with Ryan Murphy, Dante Di Loreto, Michael Davies and Shauna Minoprio serving as executive producers.