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Seventeen finalists prepared for their first, and maybe their last, show. Only 12 acts can move on and for the final time, the judges have the power to send contestants home or put them through the next round of The X Factor.
How the first live show worked was simple: each act was to perform one after another, and once each act in the category had performed, their respective mentor was to vote one of them off. After each act’s performance, each judge gave his or her feedback, making the mentor’s job even harder – especially knowing how one another felt about their acts.
The boys kicked off the show, with an upbeat performance by Astro (Brian Bradely’s stage name.) Although all of the judges seemed to enjoy his performance, his arrogance and cockiness did not go unnoticed; Simon Cowell picked up on it. Chris Rene’s performance was addictive; it was impossible to take eyes off him. Again, the judges loved him – minus Nicole, who of course probably only had something bitter to say because Rene is such a threat to her acts. Marcus Canty and Phillip Lomax both performed with confidence, excitement and class, but one had to go. L.A. showed affection, excitement and love to all four of his acts, but said goodbye to Lomax, even after L.A. reassuring him that his performance left him safe.
An excited Paula introduced her groups next, starting off with The Stereo Hogzz, which at least looked good and danced well. The singing was weak. You would expect a little bit more power behind the voices of four grown men. The two newly-formed groups, Lakoda Rain and InTENsity, sounded like bands that had been together for years. Lakoda Rain had the makeover they needed and looked more like a band then ever, and InTENsity, their “Glee”-meets-“High School Musical” look and sound was a hit with the judges and audience. As brothers, The Brewer Boys were the cutest act ever; they played guitars together. Adorable. An emotional Paula pulled herself together though when she unfortunately had to break the brothers’ hearts and shatter their dream.
Dexter Haygood performed first for Nicole’s category of the over 30’s with a predictably poor over-the-top performance. LeRoy Bell – my 60-year-old crush – blew judges and the audience with his note perfect voice. Is LeRoy really only 60? Incredible.
Stacey Francis walked on stage, and the first thing that came into my head was, “What is this woman wearing?” But then again, she needs to wear something different to make out for her predictably boring voice.
Clearly the judges’ favorite, Josh Krajcik certainly did not fail, being branded “the artist we all fear.”
Nicole said goodbye to a devastated Dexter, who seemed extremely shocked to be out of the competition.
Simon ended the show with his five girls, being the only mentor to have to eliminate two of his acts. Simone Battle thought she owned the stage, scrunching her nose and cheekily smiling as she went for the opposite of the “less is more approach” which would work, if she could sing to go with it. Young teen Rachel Crow was probably the only contestant who was able to get away with looking cute in an outfit worse than Stacey Francis. Her voice didn’t sound as strong as auditions, but how can you say no to her?
Also for the girls, and seemingly of nowhere, the forgettable Drew Ryniewicz became unforgettable. Her distinct voice made her stand out and trumps the other girls in the category – definitely one to look out for. Tiah Tolliver definitely performed to try and prove the judges who did not think she should have even got past the audition stages wrong. Melanie Amaro Simon’s “second chance” was certainly worth it, with L.A. saying “Well, we definitely did save the best act till last” – a pretty decent compliment. As time was running out, Simon made losing two girls seem like a simple decision, and last night, the end of the road had come for Simone Battle and Tiah Tolliver.
Twelve acts remain, the public now has control, the competition is heating up, and performances are only going to strengthen.
The X Factor, Wednesday 7p.m., Fox 31
