Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your bellies are full of turkey and you’ve plopped down on the couch, because this holiday is being topped off with a slice of delicious X Factor results. The Top 8 had the show’s best week yet with a slew of great performances, and now it’s time to send two more acts home.
There will also be performances by Michael Buble and Demi Lovato, so stave off that tryptophan-induced slumber for another hour.
I predict Carlito Olivero and Lillie McCloud will go home, but I actually predict that at least one of the two will be pardoned and not sent home due to the spirit of the holiday.
I kind of feel bad for the judges, Mario Lopez, the contestants, the crew and the audience, all of whom are working on Thanksgiving. But so am I, so I don’t feel that badly.
In a video we see that the show brought everyone’s families to L.A. for a fancy Thanksgiving feast. Since we saw their families last night, this isn’t much of a surprise, and it makes all of those “surprise” encounters fake. However, when Jeff Gutt’s adorable son shows up, all of my pessimism disappears. He’s so cute! He reminds me of Logan from the final season of One Tree Hill.
The Top 8
They open the show with Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know.” Restless Road gets the lyric “This could be the end of everything,” which may or may not be foreshadowing. Mario keeps insisting that two acts will go home, so either it’s really happening or he’s lying to all of us.
The Results, Part 1
It’s time to eliminate someone right away. Who had the fewest votes?
Lillie McCloud is eliminated!
That’s not a surprise. She always seemed out of place, so much older than everyone else, and Simon Cowell has been trying to get rid of her for a while, Her “Summertime” was just not that exceptional.
“Neon Lights” by Demi Lovato
Rather than book a different singer to perform, we just get one of the judges. I assume this is a rave song based on the glow-in-the-dark paint on the bodies of the back-up dancers.
The Results, Part 2
Now five acts automatically move on to next week.
The first act in the Top 6 is…Carlito Olviero! Wow, he bounced back after being in the bottom last week.
The second act in the Top 6 is…Ellona Santiago! As expected.
The third act in the Top 6 is…Alex and Sierra! Yay!
The fourth act in the Top 6 is…Restless Road! That’s a surprise.
The fifth act in the Top 6 is…Jeff Gutt!
Yikes, that leaves Rion Paige vs. Josh Levi. This is going to be tough. It’s odd that the oldest contestant was eliminated first, and now the two youngest ones must perform for their lives. I’m honestly not sure which of them will survive.
Mario Lopez is holding his daughter and she says “Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.” The battle for cutest kid is on, with Mario’s daughter and Jeff’s son as the contestants. It’s a tie for first place.
Michael Buble
To fill some time, Buble performs again. I just wish Jon Hamm was here for a little Hamm and Buble, possibly the best SNL sketch of the last decade.
The Final Showdown
Rion Paige sings Pink’s “Perfect.” The sentiment of the song is great, but I wish she did something more country, because that’s where she fits. I love her bad-ass attitude, but it’s not my favorite vocal of hers.
O! M! G! Mario asks Paulina to introduce her contestant, and she introduces Carlito Olivero instead of Josh Levi! If that isn’t reason to fire her right now on live TV, I don’t know what is. She needs to be eliminated instead of one of these singers.
Anyway, Josh sings “When I Was Your Man,” another Bruno Mars song. It’s good, but I can’t focus on it because I’m so obsessed with Paulina’s colossal screw up.
Mario tries to clean up Paulina’s mess by calling it an “innocent mistake.” Rion then talks about why she deserves to stay because she’s here for the Lord to shine her light on country music fans. Josh talks about how hard he works, but it’s hard to compete after Rion invoked the Lord.
The Results, Part 3
Ugh, it’s time for the judges to waste five minutes saying nothing. Why do we even bother asking the mentors of the singers in the showdown?
Demi Lovato votes to send home…Josh Levi!
Paulina Rubio votes to send home Rion Paige! After apologizing for messing up.
Kelly Rowland votes to send home…Rion Paige!
Simon Cowell votes to send home…Josh Levi!
It’s a deadlock! Simon did this on purpose, and this means the decision goes to the audience vote, and whoever got fewer votes goes home.
Josh Levi is eliminated!
This sucks, since he had my second-favorite performance of the week. But it’s fitting that the two contestants who were eliminated and brought back (Tim and Josh) are now gone. And it means the two new judges, Kelly and Paulina, are down to a single artist each.
Maybe if Paulina actually remembered his name, the voters would have as well. And yes, after tonight’s mega mess-up, I think it’s OK to blame Paulina for everything bad that happens on this show. She’s the shark and The X Factor has jumped it.
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
