Somehow, X Factor managed to fill the first 15 minutes of the show with pure filler. The contestants told us what goes on behind the scenes during the week, in a really unnecessary video package. But right after, host Mario Lopez got down to business. The first contestant to be sent straight home was Ellona Santiago. As Mario said her name, a look of pure shock crept up Ellona’s face. Seems like all the praise from the judges had gotten to her head. “This is ridiculous,” said judge Demi Lovato. Although I am surprised Ellona was sent home, I am not upset to see her over the top performances go. Sorry.

Emblem 3 from last season of X Factor performed their single “Just For One Day.” These guys are from my hometown, so I’m going to throw some love their way and just say the song is super catchy. It’s also nice to see that they stayed with their original California surfer sound they began with last season. After their performance, the bottom two were revealed: Carlito Olivero and Rion Paige.

Before Carlito and Rion sang for their lives, Little Mix, from X Factor UK, performed “Move,” from their second album, “Salute.” The performance just proved further that X Factor is actually pretty good in every other country. But moving on, Rion Paige was up first with Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me.” Her spirit was obviously shaken, and her downward spiral continued. While Rion went for emotion, Carlito played up the sex appeal with Usher’s “You Make Me Wanna.” He walked through the audience, even finding a girl to sing to from the crowd. While I haven’t been a fan of Carlito’s, he has been improving. The competition seemed to be getting to 13 year old Rion, with each week getting worse and worse. It’s no surprise that the judges voted to send Rion home, except for Rion’s mentor, Demi Lovato.

The Mixtape Festival, which debuted last summer, announced the first string of performers for this year. The two days festival takes place in Hershey, PA and includes sets by Train, One Republic, The Script, Hanson, Rev Run & DJ Ruckus, Gavin Degraw, and Serena Ryder on day one. The second day includes more pop artists including NKOTB, the return of TLC, Jonas Brothers, Benji Madden, Emblem 3, and MKTO.

Tickets go on sale Friday, May 10, with one-day, two-day, VIP Silver, and VIP Gold packages. More artists are to be announced, and as much as we love pop boy bands, where are the girl pop stars?