I wasn’t going to continue my American Idol recaps after seeing just how boring these contestants are. With few exceptions, the Idol hopefuls have nothing going for them other than a nice voice. I complained about how terrible the X Factor contestants were, but at least they were entertaining. Idol on the other hand is the most entertaining when judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr. get into arguments. With all that being said, without the ENTERTAINMENT factor, the audience, so far, has been spot on with eliminations. So, I decided to restart me recaps. So, here we go.

First up was MK Nobilette singing Pink’s “Perfect.” I was really impressed with MK last week with her rendition of “To Make You Feel My Love,” but this week was a flop. I’m sure she wants to be on Idol as much as the next contestant, but she has zero stage presence. Last week, her inward energy worked for the song. But this week, not so much. It didn’t help that she retreated even more after she messed up going into the second chorus. Also, is Idol taking notes from X Factor’s backup singers? Because they were heard, sometimes more than MK… The judges gave her some harsh criticisms, especially Harry and Jennifer. But that’s what makes this season bearable!

Dexter Roberts showed a tinge (but not really, at all) of creativity with Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise.” Week after week, I never seem to remember this kid’s performance by Thursday, and I always forget his name by Wednesday. Not exactly a good sign, but has 100% to do with his lack of originality in his performances. He slowed down the beginning of “Cruise,” which was the one and only time he changed things up. And it didn’t really quite work. I still can’t understand anything he says. Harry was brutally honest and told him it wasn’t a good performance and that “unless you’re going to be bigger than the song, you’re going to become generic.” Well put.

Jena Irene gave the very first EDM performance on idol with Zed’s “Clarity.” While I was a little uncomfortable with how much Jena was running around all over the stage, I have to give her props for being able to run around and still sounds great. Her voice is so unique, and I love that she make subtle changes to the melody. The judges loved the performance, but Jennifer gave solid advice and told her she needs to learn how to hold the middle more. Keith also said her performance was the best of the night, which I’m sure was not hard, considering the first two…

Alex Preston delivered one of the best renditions of One Direction’s “Story of My Life.” He made the song a bit more folky, which allowed him to showcase his personal style. Those high notes in the chorus were perfect, and his small changes in the phrasing made the song all the more beautiful. Alex is one of the few people on the show who just knows what type of artist they are, and owns it… much like another idol, Phillip Phillips. (Who is one of the only recent Idol winners who’s killing it right now…) Anyway, I’m sure many people will complain that he never puts his guitar down, but WHO CARES. He’s great at what he does, let him do it.

Malaya Watson sang Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man.” Malaya has a powerhouse voice, and has showcased it to the extreme the past few weeks. This week, she held back, and provided a nice rendition of the Bruno Mars hit. However, she’s still boring to me. She’s predictable. And maybe it’s her over-the-top personality, but she annoys me. Maybe that’s her age though, and she’ll learn to hold back on her outrageous-ness as well.

Caleb Johnson was up next with Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory.” I wrote down, “Boring. Boring. Boring.” And I couldn’t tell you much else about his performance. Keith said, “I didn’t dig the half time feel of it. Energy wise- it felt an unbalance.”

CJ Harris needs some vocal coaching ASAP, although there’s a chance he won’t be staying for another week to make use of the coaching Idol provides. CJ was off pitch for the entire performance of Hunter Hayes’ “Invisible.” While last week, the judges said it’s okay to sometimes be off pitch if you have a passionate performance, this week it just kind of hurt everyone’s ears. Harry gave a quick vocal lesson and tried to explain what being off pitch means, and hopefully CJ decides to use the lesson if he stays next week…

Jessica Meuse sang Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks,” and as I have not been sing the beginning, I was not impressed. This is 100% a preference thing, but I just can’t stand Jessica’s voice. The nasally tendency, with a vibrato that never seems to go away (very goat-like) is just not my thing. While this performance was hands down one of her best, I’m still not a fan. Harry said her performance was “one dimensional,” which got all the judges arguing over whether or not the smile on Jessica’s face throughout the performance was appropriate. I loved that. More arguing from the judges please.

Majesty Rose took Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” and made it pure folk. The song was soft and subtle, and allowed the beautiful tone of her voice to come out. While I enjoyed the performance, this girl needs to be more consistent. Last week she bombed with “Let it Go” from Frozen, which was an odd song choice to begin with. Harry enjoyed it, while Keith didn’t like the arrangement. Jennifer told her, “Tonight I saw something in you that i’ve never seen, and that was fear,” followed by words of wisdom that confidence is key, regardless of anything that’s happened.

And the last performance of the night was Sam Woolf with Fun.’s “We are Young.” I want to shake some sense into this kid. He has an incredible voice. His pitch is perfect, and I could listen to a record of his all day. But, his performance skills are awful. He’s a shy kid, which is obvious with his discomfort in answering Ryan Seacrest’s question after the performance, “Where would you rank this performance for you?” His answer, a super awkward “Second.” Regardless, if Sam wants to be a performer, he needs to get over the stage fright and come out of his shell, just like Harry advised.

So my prediction: Bottom three will be MK, CJ, and Dexter, with MK going home.

What do you think?

After a laughable, strange, weird, annoying third season of X Factor, the winner will FINALLY be announced. Kelly Rowland says someone will win the million dollars, and it will change their liveS. Yep, an S. So, either one person has multiple lives, or that was her slip on who she believes will win… (Alex and Sierra). Also on the show, a ton of randoms, and ONE DIRECTION!

The top 13 came out to sing U2’s “One”, and reminded us how horrendous most of the acts were, but also how much of a shame it was that singers like Khaya Cohen were eliminated so quickly. Mario awkwardly interviews the top 3, asking obvious questions like how much would this mean to you, how bad do you want this? There is then a video package mocking Paulina Rubio, which does not do justice to how stupid most of the things that came out of her mouth were…

Each contestant sang a Christmas song, which began with Carlito. He sang “Christ (Baby please come home)” with barely clothed women in Santa wear following him around. No thanks. He didn’t sound very impressive either. But I guess the judgement is all out the window at this point, and I swear if he wins… His performance was followed by a package with his family calling him kiddo a lot and his adorable grandparents.

There was an awkward montage of Kelly flirting with young guys before Jeff Gutt performed “O Holy Night.” He sounded strained for most of the song, but again, judgements are void at this point. Skipped over his video package, because, let’s be real, it’s going to be all about how he NEEDS THIS FOR HIS SON. Alex and Sierra performed next, and although I believe they should have gone with “Baby Don’t Go,” I’m okay with their rendition of “All I Want For Christmas.”

And the award for most awful thing to happen on X Factor goes to the package about Demi Lovato and her “annoying juice.” The package seemed to insinuate that her juice was alcohol. For anyone who doesn’t know, Demi was in rehab for drugs and alcohol, among other things. She was clearly not happy. And if there was any question about whether or not Demi would return, I guess now you know…

Lea Michelle performed her single, “Cannonball,” and as always, sounded incredible. But the song was dull… The repetition in the song was annoying, and catchy. But at least she’s a super adorable person?

Finally, we get to some results. In third place is.. CARLITO! I’m glad that despit some bad choices, America got it right with this one. And as much as I’ve been mean about Carlito, I wish him the best…

After some more random recaps and Leona Lewis, Alex and Sierra performed a duet with Jeff. I wonder if they paired up duets with every possible outcome? The three performed a lovely rendition of John Newman’s “Love Me Again.” There were some pitch problems, but oh well, I’m sure they were anxious to hear the results.

One Direction performed “Midnight Memories” and Louis sounded decent! Harry and the rest of the guys are such cuties, and I have to admit that I’m a little bit in love with this group. I can’t help it. Such a fun song, such a great little boy band. Oh and, swoon at Harry’s scream towards the end.

Finally the winner is announced, and it is, ALEX AND SIERRA! Jeff Gutt was visibly upset, but made sure to let everyone know that he met the right people during the competition to continue his career. Okay. Alex and Sierra tred to sing “Say Something,” through tears. All the contestants rushed out to hug them as they finished their performance. Beautiful. Amazing. I’m so happy.

As for their future, I hope Alex and Sierra don’t follow in the pattern of the previous winners, and disappear. Let’s hope they pull a Phillip Phillips and stick to their sound to make good, memorable, music.

Last nights episode of X Factor was about 45 minutes too long, filled with way too many unnecessary video packages, cuts to the contestants’ hometowns, Paulina Rubio… Couldn’t Alex and Sierra just have taken over the entire 2 hours and played some beautiful music?

The contestants all sang three songs, their song to win, a duet, and a song of the series. All three categories were basically pointless. I mean, shouldn’t they all be songs to win?

Carlito was up first, with an absurd video package about how he’s a fighter! This win will mean so much to his family because he came from nothing! He even proclaimed, “This is our one chance! There’s nothing else out there for me after this… I need this,” which is probably sadly true, as I can’t imagine him having a real career. I mean, he did fail with Menudo. But anyway, he sang Shontelle’s “Impossible.” The verses were a little too low for him, and he seemed to be straining. But the back track was nice, and was it just me, or did it seem as though he was lip syncing during the chorus? I don’t think I’ll ever understand Carlito’s appeal. He’s unoriginal, his voice is mediocre at best, and he’s really not that great of a performer. Kelly Rowland told him, “What I’ve come to love about you, is your heart.” Translation: You’re a nice guy, but you’re not all that great. Simon Cowell once again stated that he’s not the best singer, “but that’s not necessarily a problem.” Oh, right. Okay.

Video packages are almost always corny, but what I loved about Alex and Sierra’s was how genuine it felt. They don’t need a sob story, an I’m a fighter! story, or any gimmick. They’re just super talented cool people in love, and I want to be their third wheel and have them sing to me all the time. (Sorry, that was creepy). They sang Ed Sheeran’s “Give Me Love” for the second time (the first after the wrong phone number mistake during the Top 13), and the improvement was so evident. It was beautiful, it was touching, it was everything I’ve come to expect from the duo. Alex’s raspy “Love me! Give Me Love!” shout was so perfectly contrasted with Sierra’s soft tone. Was this song supposed to be a duet, because. Yeah. Perfect.

Jeff Gutt’s life is all about his son and how bad he wants this! He’s a genuinely nice guy! Got kelly a photo of the two of them. They cried. He couldn’t have done this without Kelly. Sob. He says, “I’ve been waiting for 37 years for this one chance.”  A+ for effort in trying to show more personality from Jeff wit that package. He took on Aerosmith’s “Dream On.” He sounded just fine, but something felt missing. The laser show was a bit much, and his energy level never seemed to reach a good spot. Props on that high note, even though it was cut a bit short. Demi Lovato said it was amazing, even though she couldn’t hear him. So that’s makes sense. And perhaps for the first time in the history of this show, Paulina Rubio said something smart. I think she was trying to say that Jeff needed a band behind him, and that is 100% true. Perhaps that would have made him more comfortable and energetic.

Before the contestants moved on to duet with special guests, Paulina Rubio “sang” an awful song called “Boys Will Be Boys.” Isn’t she a little old to be singing about boys? There’s a reason why Paulina hasn’t crossed over to America. And I’ll leave it at that.

Carlito sang “Stand by Me” with someone named Prince Royce. The arrangement was cheesy, the performance was dull, and I think a new rule to my X Factor drinking game is to shot gun a beer every time Carlito yells “Latino!” Oh, you’re Latino, Carlito? I had no idea. The judges threw undeserved praise at him, Demi slightly mentioning that at first the energy was low.

For the first time, Alex and Sierra did not have a good performance, but I don’t think it was their fault. They sang “Bleeding Love” with Leona Lewis, who for some reason, was given all the glory notes. Leona sounded a bit sharp, which maybe through off the duo? Perhaps having a third person in the equation just kind of threw off the Alex and Sierra-ness. But, their worst performance is still far superior than anything Carlito has done, so it’s okay. Demi admitted it wasn’t their best performance but, clearly was did not catch Leona’s mistakes as she said, “She out shined you a little bit.”

Jeff was up next with John Rzeznick of the Goo Goo Dolls. The two sang “Iris,” and Jeff more than held his own. John (can we talk about plastic surgery?) seemed only half interested in what was going on around him, which maybe tripped Jeff up a few times. Someone messed up the words into the last chorus, and I’m going to go ahead and blame it on John. (Note, John was the only one not asked about what it was like to work with the contestant.)

After a strange package for Covergirl with contestants I’d already forgotten about, the top 3 sang their Song of the Series, a song they’ve performed previously. Paulina introduced Carlito by announcing, “Carlito has been here for a few weeks,” (Oh has he?) before he sang an awful rendition of Santana’s “Maria Maria.” The vocals were sloppy, the dancers were cheesy, the jacket was horrendous. Kelly said all his performances last night were “nice.” Maybe I’m projecting, but I’m going to go ahead and assume that was shade.

Alex and Sierra memorized everyone with their beautiful, beautiful performance of “Say Something.” The duo somehow managed to have more haunting emotion in their voices the second time around, and I will admit, I finally bought the song on iTunes. They are perfect. I want their album. Now.

Jeff Gutt ended the night with Radiohead’s “Creep.” His vocals were on point, and the simplicity of the staging was a nice change from the lasers. The only thing I’ll say about Jeff is that each performance is kind of the same. Take away the weird stages and lights, and he performs the same way each time. Something different would have been nice, but he’s a talented guy. With this song choice, and the pimp spot, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jeff ends up winning the competition.

To be completely honest, I think Jeff really does need to win more than Carlito Olivero or Alex and Sierra. Alex and Sierra will succeed regardless of the outcome, and well, everyone knows how I feel about Carlito. I don’t really mind who wins tonight, as long as I still get an album from Alex and Sierra (and okay, as long as it’s not Carlito).

Before I start my recap, I’m going to go ahead and predict that Carlito Olivero is going to win, just to spite me. Now that that’s out of the way…

Before an excruciating long recap of Wednesday’s show, the final four contestants did a group number, singing Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger.” These things are always horrible, but Colton somehow managed to out-bad everyone during his solo. It also sounded like someone was messing up the lyrics during the chorus. But anyway, Mario revealed that the contestants would start campaigning NOW for the finale, whatever that means. AND GUESS WHAT! ONE DIRECTION WILL BE BACK NEXT WEEK! (Take a drink!)

More filler with the contestants all talking about what winning means to them. Twenty minutes in, and still, nothing of importance happened. Finally the contestants began to be called to safety. First contestant moving on to the finale is Carlito Olivero. And to begin his campaigning, he sang Elvis Crespo’s “Suavemente.” The performance was actually pretty good, until he decided to shout, “Latinos!” in the middle. Was that necessary, at all?

Enrique Iglesias “performed” his single, “Heart Attack.” He was lip-syncing the entire time. So, was this supposed to be an example for Carlito, or?

Alex and Sierra were called to safety next and performed, Passenger’s “Let Her Go.” I feel as though these performances were rushed together. The two sounded just fine, but something about it wasn’t as special as their performances normally are. After the duo sang, we were reminded that the biggest boy band in the world.. wait for it.. ONE DIRECTION, will perform next week. (Another drink).

And finally, Jeff Gutt was the last contestant to make it to the finale. Before Jeff performed, Colton of Restless Road announced, “This isn’t the end of the road for us. You’ll be seeing us.” The video package showed mostly just Simon Cowell throwing praise at the boys, which is interesting.

Moving on, Jeff sang Journey’s “Open Arms” for his campaign to win the finalw. The song choice, as it so often does, dated him. It felt very 80s rock, and was just a bit too scream-y for me.

If Alex and Sierra don’t win, I give up on America officially.

With how much I’ve slammed X Factor in my past recaps, I’m glad I decided to stick around. The top four performances showed all the contestants’ growth, some more than others, to make for a solid two hours, of mostly good music. The contestants each sang three songs, one voted on by America, a duet, and a judge’s choice.

Kicking off the night was Carlito Olivero with Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend.” He played up his sex appeal by singing to girls, bringing them up on stage, etc. On top of that, though, he actually sounded decent. Depsite my incessant need for Carlito to go home the past few weeks, he proved himself with this performance. The judges all agreed. Simon Cowell noted his lack of vocal ability, saying, “You’re not a great singer, but you make up for it by being a great performer.”

Next up was Restless Road with Luke Bryan’s “That’s My Kind of Night.” The vocals were shaky, the performance was dull… My prediction is that by this point, girls have probably chosen Carlito over the country trio, and Restless Road will go home tonight. Demi Lovato, being the most truthful, unbiased judge, said the performance was “awkward.”

Alex and Sierra sang “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men, and absolutely blew everyone away. The harmonies were impeccable, and Sierra began to really shine. No longer is she merely hiding behind Alex’s shadow. My only complaint is that they didn’t allow for their artistry to show through, leaving the song pretty much the same as the original. Perhaps that just means this is the sort of record the duo would be making, though. Regardless, the judges loved it, Demi going so far as to say she was looking at the winners.

Jeff Gut was given the most over-sung competition song in the history of reality shows, “Hallelujah.” I don’t think there has been a single season of any singing competition that didn’t have a contestant sing this song. Jeff gave the song a rock twist, and delivered an amazing performance with amazing vocals. Demi told him that he would be joining Alex and Sierra in the final, and Simon commended the sincerity and passion behind the performance.

Next up, the duets. Alex and Sierra were up first, singing “Falling Slowly” with Carlito. Carlito’s voice didn’t seem to go deep enough for the opening line, but continued the performance with good vocals, despite one too many runs. Alex and Sierra stole the show, despite a few flat notes from Alex, and especially Sierra with her big note, you KNOW which one.

This left Restless Road to sing “Every Breath You Take” with Jeff Gutt. To be honest, this performance was neither bad nor good. Both contestants had good moments and bad moments, and the pairing was just strange. The song went from “rock” to country in a split second, leaving a weird hybrid. The judges did agree though, that Jeff delivered the better vocals.

Carlito sang Marc Anthony’s “I Need to Know” in his final performance of the night. The dancers popping out of the speakers were a bit distracting (and annoying) but Carlito actually sounded pretty good. He looked confident on stage, and didn’t seem like he was trying to hard, like in his previous efforts. Kelly Rowland wondered where this Carlito has been hiding.

Restless Road ended their performances with “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes. These guys NEED vocal training. They don’t know how to control their voices. There were some really nice moments, like Andrew and Zach’s harmonies. But there were also some really awful moments, like Zach’s solo. But somehow the boys got a standing ovation from the judges. Despite their best efforts, I still believe they’ll be going home.

Alex and Sierra sang Sara Bareilles’ “Gravity,” which was somehow, better than their performance last week. Alex’s falsetto, Sierra’s high notes, everything was perfection. The simple piano allowed for their voices to completely shine, and they nailed every single note. If somehow these guys don’t win the competition, I really hope someone snatches them up to make a record. I want it already, and it doesn’t even exist yet.

Finishing the show was Jeff Gutt with “Demons” by Imagine Dragons. Jeff picked an awful time to give a weak vocal performance. Jeff never found his place with the song, leaving lots of pitch problems. The judges enjoyed it though, only Demi even kind of mentioning how “peachy” the performance was.

I think it’s still safe to say, Restless Road will go home.

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 only reason I’m sticking around to finish watching X Factor is for Alex and Sierra. And, let me be honest, to get a few laughs from Paulina Rubio’s incomprehensible critiques. And before I get any “English is her second language!” comments, it also is for my mom, but she can form comprehensible sentences in English. But anyway, X Factor had the contestants sing two songs last night: a divas song, as well as an unplugged rendition of whatever they wanted.

Restless Road started off the night with Taylor Swift’s “Red.” Not sure Taylor Swift should be considered a “diva,” but okay. The band actually seemed to have practiced a little bit. They looked so much more comfortable on stage, and their harmonies seemed to be a little tighter, although I can’t help but think they had help from some back up singers. The deep voiced one, Zach, needs to be careful and take more control of his voice. Judge Kelly Rowland said they “found that thread that ties you guys together as a group… but you need more energy.” Paulina Rubio said something about someone named Collin, and Simon Cowell told them they “HAVE to be in the final.”

Rion Paige sang Carrie Underwood’s “See You Again,” which proved that being in the bottom two last week really got to her. She had sharp notes everywhere, and it was a bit painful to listen to. Simon told her it was “not the best song to choose perhaps,” which was the closest any of the judges to giving Rion a real critique.

Jeff Gutt sang Mariah Carey’s “Without You.” Not sure if this should count as a diva song since it was originally done by Badfinger. But the performance began a little sleepy towards the beginning, but got much better towards the end. He hit the notes, and on this show, that’s more than expected. Demi Lovato told him, “You got the X Factor.” Paulina Rubio must be drunk as she again just threw some words together and hoped for the best. Simon told Jeff, “You are quite boring as a person,” which sadly, is true. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jeff go home tonight.

Ellona Santiago wowed the judges with Lady Gaga’s “Applause.” I just don’t understand the praise thrown at her. Her “fierce” attitude, her outfits, and her dancing, just don’t mesh with her innocent 13- year old like face. She had a ton of pitchy moments, but somehow the Simon still believe she went from “being a mouse to a little tiger.” Demi, taking a cue from Paulina’s language skills, told her, “I couldn’t be more prouder of you.”

Finally Alex and Sierra came on to perform “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child. I love them. They’re stage presence is improving every week, especially for Sierra. Her vocals were so on point for this. The simple arrangement allowed for their vocals to truly shine, and it was nice to see Alex without a guitar. Amazing. Amazing. These guys don’t need to win this competition for me to buy their first records. Simon told them they could win this show, and gave kudos for taking risks and not using gimmicks to get votes.

Carlito Olivero performed Jennifer Lopez’s “Let’s Get Loud.” I stopped paying attention after a few moments, but could immediately tell that switching songs last minute hurt him. He needs just go home already. I have nothing else to say about him.
Restless Road was up again to take on the theme of “unplugged.” They gave a nice rendition of Avicii’s “Wake Me Up.” I’m still not sure why Colton is the lead singer. Andrew has a nicer tone, and with some more vocal coaching, could easily front the band. Their harmonies still need some work, which makes me think they’re not getting enough vocal lessons, or they’re just tone deaf. The band finally showed some emotion other than just cheesy-ness, and Colton was even crying! Which made Demi cry and tell them how beautiful their performance was.

Rion Paige did slightly better with her second song, “Glass” by Thompson Square. She still messed up a few notes, but the judges, of courses, failed to mention so. Demi was in tears again, as she told Rion, “Every word of that song is what you’re about… It’s so inspiring and I love you.”

Jeff- performed Elton John’s “Daniel,” for his brother, who was in the audience. He sounded just fine, and it was nice to see him with a guitar. But just like Demi told him, it was a bit “stale.” Two boring performances, and I’m sure Jeff will be going home tonight.

Ellona Santiago tried and failed to deliver on Beyonce’s “If I Were a Boy.” The beginning was problematic, and she failed to hit the final run, causing the begninng and end to be a pitchy mess. There were some nice moments in the middle, but she shouldn’t have picked such an ambitious song. Without the craziness behind her, her vocals are front and center, which unfortunately was not a good thing. The judges seemed to be listening to a different person as Demi told her, “I’m so happy that you know, that Simon gave us that advice because it really did showcase your vocals.” Kelly noted that she enjoyed when Ellona softened her notes, and to explore the softer tone a little more. I think that was the nicest way to tell her that her big notes were awful.

Alex and Sierra, once again, delivered an amazing performance. These two are geniuses when it comes to song choice as they took on A Great Big World’s “Say Something.” Sure, they didn’t stray from the original much, but why should they? Sierra was noticeably shaky on the piano, but didn’t miss a note. The duet was simply beautiful. If these two get sent home tomorrow, I will lose all hope in America’s musical taste. (Or atleast the 14 people who vote for the show.) Demi was moved with the performance, and with the fact that the duo couldn’t take their eyes off each other. Paulina said something about mathematics and babies. Simon said the most obvious statement of the night, “In so many ways, this is my favorite performance of the season.”

Carlito butchered “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King. His flip flop between Spanish and English here didn’t work. There were a few times I couldn’t understand him at all. The arrangement was corny, didn’t feel “stripped down.” GO HOME ALREADY. But, I’m not holding my breath for that. Kelly somehow thought that was his best vocal so far. Paulina, after saying something about “open his nose” which Simon thought was “oily nose,” said “we’re not going to ‘loss’ you.” And that unfortunately, is probably the sad truth.

Prediction: Jeff Gutt and Rion Paige will go home.

I’m not sure what the rest of America is seeing when they watch X Factor. Maybe those with their own opinions aren’t voting, and those that are, are simply voting for who the judges gave the most praise to. In a horrendous (but half expected) turn out, Lillie McCloud and Josh Levi were sent home.

Lillie was sent home at the top of the show, which meant she had the absolute lowest amount of votes. Before announcing the two who would sing for their lives, Demi Lovato performed a super pitchy rendition of her latest single, “Neon Lights.” Not sure what was going on with her, but she seemed out of breath throughout most of the performance as well. But, back to the results. Josh and Rion Paige were the bottom two after Lillie. Rion sang Pink’s “Perfect” and Josh took on another Bruno Mars song (after Paulina Rubio made the mistake of introducing Carlito, which if anything, just proves further he should have gone home), “When I Was Your Man.” Both gave their all, and the judges voted with a tie. This meant the result would be based on who truly had the least amount of votes, and shockingly, it was Josh.

Going into deadlock with the votes was a stupid choice by Simon Cowell. He should have saved Josh, who clearly has more star potential than Rion. Oh, well.

It’s big band night on X Factor, which probably meant absolutely nothing to most of the contestants, as almost all picked a contemporary song and turned it to fit the theme. The performances were mediocre as per usual. And I’ve officially decided, this is the last time I’ll ever keep up with X Factor.

Rion Paige sang John Anderson’s “Swingin,” which got her praise from all the judges. Her vocals were not on point, as she seemed to struggle through the song as she skipped around on stage. She sounded out of breath the majority of the time, so I’m not quite sure how to take Simon Cowell’s comment that she showed what kind of artist she would be in the “real world.”

Restless Road gave a painful rendition of “Life if a Highway.” Sure, Kelly Rowland was right when she said the guys sounded more cohesive, but that didn’t stop lead singer Colton Pack from bombing a good majority of his solos. Why he’s still the lead singer, I’m really not sure. Demi said they “look like stars up there.” Okay, then.

Jeff Gutt impressed with Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.” The simplicity really allowed his spot on vocals to shine through. He felt genuine with his performance. The judges agreed it was his best performance so far. I’m still not sure I can see Jeff having much of a career after the show, but he is by far the most consistent.

Jeff Levi stole the show with Bruno Mars’ “Treasure.” This kid has the best stage presence out of anyone on this show. It comes so naturally to him, and so far, he’s the only contestant I can see “making it” outside the competition. The judges loved it, but Simon felt the choreography was a bit dated and theatrical.

Carlito Olivero was cheesy beyond belief while performing a medley of Ricky Martin’s “La Copa de la Vida/Maria Maria.” This performance was much better than his past few, but that doesn’t mean much. He’s back to his “latino” roots, and as a latina, I don’t care for it. He doesn’t have as much “swagger” as the Ricky Martin’s and Enrique Iglesia’s of the world. He stills seems to be trying way to hard, and he doesn’t seem original. The judges loved him, Kelly noting that he finally looked like was having fun.

Alex and Sierra completely reworked Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble.” The outcome was ambitious, and while some moments didn’t work for me, it, again, showed the duo’s creativity. These guys would have been better suited for a show like The Voice, but what can you do? It’s nice to see contestants taking risks on such a stale show. Alex still performed circles over Sierra, but her voice and stage presence is improving fast. While Kelly wasn’t a fan of the rendition, Demi said, “You guys made me like it… It’s so different from the original song… and that’s what artists do, you turn a song into your own.”

Lillie McCloud sang “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess. To be completely honest, I don’t have much to say about her performance since Candy Crush stole my attention during her performance, except during the super powerful last note, which allowed her to show more range. She has the best voice on this competition by far, but she’s dull. Simon told her the entire performance was too contained, which Kelly simply replied, “Shut up.”

The last solo act was Ellona Santiago with “Mama Knows Best” by Jessie J. Her vocals were much better than last week, but she still hit a few sharp notes. I understand that other 17 year old artists have worn outfits like hers on stage, but Ellona just looks too young to pull it off. It made me uncomfortable to watch her prancing around in super short shorts. Her dancing, the stage, the outfit, the dud notes, all made me feel like I was watching a pop star wannabe still. The judges threw tons of praise at her, except for a tiny bit of criticism from Simon who remarked, again, to lose the dancers since “it’s a bit dress up now.”

All the contestants came together for a group number of “Cry Me a River,” which I’m not even going to bother critiquing because those things are horrendous. Also, way to try to bring in a celebrity mentor a la The Voice…

Although I’ve given up trying to figure out how America will vote…:

Prediction: Lillie McCloud and Carlito Olivero will be sent home.

Two contestants were sent home last night in another double elimination on X Factor. Again, America failed to give the boot to the appropriate contestants, but at least got it half right this time around.

Khaya Cohen was sent home right at the start. The teen kept her composure after hearing the news, which made me like her even more. It’s a shame she never broke out of her shell, because she had one of the best voices in the competition, and didn’t deserve her fate. But hey, One Direction didn’t win on X Factor either, and speaking of…

DISCLAIMER: Before you keep reading, and hate me for my 1D review, I love One Direction, I SWEAR.

If you’ve kept up with my drinking game for the show, you were probably still drunk last night from Wednesday’s One Direction pimping, and were probably obliterated by the first five minutes of last night’s show when the band was mentioned about 435 times. Host Mario Lopez introduced the guys, and mentioned a new member to replace Liam, “Lie-am.” (Come on Mario, don’t pull a Paulina.) The boys sang their latest single “Story of My Life,” and it was mostly rough. Harry sounded sick, the harmonies were off, Louis was pitchy, but “Lie-am”, Zayn, and especially Niall sounded excellent. I’ll cut them some slack and say it was probably due to jet lag and perhaps a lack of rehearsal? Regardless, the guys looked great (especially compared to their X Factor audition tapes that were shown in the package before the performance. Hello, puberty), and still showed the contestants what could be (but lets be real, nobody can touch the success of One Direction.)

After the guys performed, the bottom two contestants were announced: Tim Olstad and Carlito Olivera. Although the two of them should have been sent home, it’s good to see that America voted slightly better this week. Tim performed Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up” (another ballad, shocking), which was boring, but showcased nice vocals. Paulina called him a “multi-facetic” singer. Oh. Carlito sang Labrinth’s “Beneath Your Beautiful.” Carlito brought out the charm that has been missing the past two weeks, and showed more consistent vocals throughout the song. The performance won over all the judges, with Kelly, Demi, and Paulina voting Tim off, leaving Simon the freedom not to make a decision (although we’re sure he would have also ousted Tim.)