RECAP: X Factor Moves On To Colorado And New York

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Tonight, X Factor had two more hours of auditions. The auditions, which took place in Denver, CO and Long Island, NY, were nothing more than okay. The “talent” to make it through to the next round were mediocre and the bad were almost too horrendous to believe.

As always, the awful auditions are foreshadowed by arrogance and way too much belief in themselves. Case in point, Yosselin Marquez, a model (really?) who wants to be a popstar. Yosselin took her phone out to read the lyrics for her audition. The audition somehow got worse with her voice, and Simon told her, “You don’t have the X-factor and Denver hates you.” Russ Pouliot also had an exceptionally bad performance, but claimed to be the “next Frank Sinatra.” He sang “I cant help falling in love with you” by Elvis, which Demi said sounded like what Simon would sound like if he sang. This led to Simon singing, which was just him mimicking Russ’s voice.

The contestants who made it through were not much more entertaining. Riley Brown had some drama when she forgot the words to “Clarity.” But fear not, she carried on and delivered a decent, but too breathy rendition of the song. The judges ate it up though, and the 15-year-old got the go ahead from all four judges. Jeff Brinkman, a doggy day care owner, sang a dramatic version of “You Are So Beautiful.” His raspy voice didn’t match his face or talking voice, but again, the judges loved it.

The theme for the night was just that, though: the judges agreeing with each other about everyone. There was no drama, and as soon as one person gave someone praise, the rest of the panel followed their lead. This was apparent with Jorge Pena and Al Calderon. Before hitting the stage, Jorge claimed, his “Latin charm is all I’ll ever need on stage,” which he definitely tried to use on the ladies in the panel. The girls were not having it though and were clearly annoyed with his player persona. The guy came off creepy from the get-go, and yet, he still made it through to the next round with all four judges’ approval. Apparently a crappy attitude (which was called out by all three of the girls) and a pretty awful performance of a song in Spanish was enough to move forward. Al Calderon, though had a charming personality, delivered a shaky performance (albeit better than Jorge’s) of “Sarah Smile,” by Hall and Oats. The 19-year-old clearly has vocal talent, but should probably thank his parents for giving him the good looks and charisma that got him through to the next round. When Simon told him “There were some tuning issues on that song, but I’m gonna put that down to inexperience and nerves. The potential of your voice coupled with the way you look, your charisma… I believe the music business is waiting for someone like you right now,” he should have tried to hide the dollar bill signs in his eyes and said, “Girls will love you.”

Roxxy Montana, a trio of sisters, almost didn’t make it through as they butchered “One Night Only.” Simon saw some talent in 21-year-old Temperance, and gave the sisters another chance. The three sang an a cappella church song that was much better. The judges acknowledged that the girls needed help, but the talent was there. Simon pretty much decided right then that Temperance would be the lead singer, and the girls made it through to the next round. Denise Weeks, a 41-year-old subway singer, joined them into the next round, after making it through some trouble with timing while singing Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All.”

The only two contestants to make it through from New York and Colorado that seem to actually stand a chance are Rachel Potter and Simone Torres. Rachel, 29, sang a twang version of “Somebody to Love” by Queen. She showed control of her super powerful voice, which Kelly noted to Simon within 45 seconds of the audition. With her looks, personality, and ACTUAL talent, I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t make it far in the competition. Simone Torres, a 19-year-old from Long Island, was awkward and quirky before singing on stage. But her awkwardness turned into cool, as she sang with a low bluesy tone that could match up against many older more experienced singers. After finishing her audition, tears fell as she saw the positive reaction from the crowd.

The judges, still, are proving to be just as dull and unexceptional as the contestants. There seems to be a saving grace in Kelly Rowland, who has shown the most personality among the panel. Simon and Demi, who had a fun dynamic last season, have shown very little of their spunk. Paulina Rubio still has yet to say anything interesting.

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