The X Factor USA – The Four Chair Challenge #4 – Recap and Live Blog – 10/10/2013
Welcome to the live blog and recap of The X Factor USA "The Four-Chair Challenge Round #4" for October 10, 2013!
Credit: FOX
The top 16 are set, as the last of the groups compete for the final spots in the Four Chair Challenge!
My body is ready, but how about you, Kelly?
Good to know! Let's get this show on the road!
8:00 PM
-We start off with a recap of the entire Four Chair Challenge so far! Oh PauCharo, I want to be on your tim!
-The groups in chairs so far include Glamour, Girls United, Restless Road, and Wild Thingz! Simon says he might have been a little drunk last night with some of the decisions he made, although we all knew which act he was referring to in that case. Come on, Simon! You KNOW Wild Thingz are money incarnate!
SWEET SUSPENSE is up first!
-Not crazy about the name. At all. But the girls, put together in boot camp, seem to be really getting along.
-They sing "Wishing On A Star" by Beyonce, and immediately blow Glamour out of the water, so much so that Simon stars applauding 20 seconds into the performance.
-Kelly loves the group, and Paulina adds they look like superstars. Demi, meanwhile, gushes about how proud she is of this group, noting that their blend is fantastic for a group that's only been together for a month.
-Simon says it's incredible that two of the group members are 17 and the youngest is 14, adding that there's even more to be gotten out of them. Simon makes his decision...
SWEET SUSPENSE gets a chair!
WILD THINGZ loses their chair and are sent home from The X Factor USA!
BOOOOOOOO!!!
Simon CLEARLY has no idea what he's doing, letting go of a surefire platinum act like Wild Thingz. #SarcasmButReallyHeShouldHavePutThemThroughAnyway
Discuss: Sweet Suspense, "Wishing On A Star"
8:14 PM
-Back from break with our next act...
YELLOW HOUSE CANYON is up next!
-This act is basically Sister C with two members instead of three, right down to their song choice: "Hell on Heels" by Pistol Annies. That said, they have great energy, and they're super bubbly and endearing. And hey, they can sing too. It's a little cheesy though.
-Kelly loves their energy, while Demi (a fellow Texas girl) feels that only one of the girls has what it takes to be sitting in those four chairs. We don't hear from Paulina at all, of course, while Simon says that although they aren't the best singers in the world, they DO bring a certain energy, and they're "made in America."
-Simon makes his decision and...
YELLOW HOUSE CANYON does not get a chair!
-Backstage, one of the girls tearfully says, "I just want to go home now." Well, maybe if Simon had shown some kind of originality in his song choice instead of giving the girls the EXACT same song he gave Sister C at this point last year, they'd have had a better chance. Simon is peculiar in how hard he sticks to certain songs. I wholeheartedly expect him to give "Rich Girl" by Hall and Oates to the boy band they put together, just to make it three years in a row where a boy group is inexplicably given that song.
Discuss: Yellow House Canyon, "Hell on Heels"
8:24 PM
-Back from break with our next act...
FOREVER IN YOUR MIND is up next!
-The boys talk about getting cut, and how devastating the decision was. However, after being put together, their chemistry is so good they feel like they've always been together. They trust in Simon, saying that he's put together One Direction. Although, to be fair, he also put together Playback...
-The group sings "Love Bug" by The Jonas Brothers, and unlike the trio whose song they're singing, these guys don't seem to have any problem getting along. I actually really enjoyed the performance, and found it endearing at the end when they were hugging and telling each other "YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!"
-Kelly thinks they're cute, but feels it was too much cuteness. Again, like Playback last year.
-Paulina didn't really care for it, and Demi thought it was the wrong song choice, saying if you're going to sing a group's song, you need to sing it better than they do (um...huh?).
-Simon admits that it was probably the wrong song, and Kelly adds that she feels the group is missing a lead singer (I can't help but agree). He says, however, that it's more a matter of time than getting it wrong, as Simon feels they can work on the vocals.
-One of the singers says the judges put them together for a reason, and argues they're here to win. Simon says he's willing to take a chance...
FOREVER IN YOUR MIND gets a chair!
GLAMOUR loses their chair and are sent home from The X Factor USA!
-I don't have any qualms with the cut. Forever In Your Mind deserve a shot, I think.
Discuss: Forever In Your Mind, "Love Bug"
8:34 PM
-Back from break, with Mario revealing that the first live show IS TWO WEEKS AWAY, on October 29. Damn baseball!
GOOD NEWS is up next!
-This duo is adorable. They talk about being best friends and as close as sisters, and then discuss hugging Simon and feeling the luxurious material of his shirt, before saying their dream is to sell out Madison Square Garden.
-They sing "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac, once again using a song given to a past country group on The X Factor USA, this time Lakoda Rayne. The lack of variance in song choice is sad. Their performance is okay, but the nerves clearly get to them.
-Paulina thinks the girls are beautiful, but they're just not ready. Kelly and Demi both agree. As does Simon, who says this just didn't work. He then tells Mario we don't even need the dramatic music, he's made his decision straight away...
GOOD NEWS does not get a chair!
-The girls break down backstage, talking about how this was something they couldn't imagine not having in their lives, and it's a bummer not to get it. So the lesson here is -- Simon Cowell: Makes Bad Song Choice, Blames Act For It.
Discuss: Good News, "Landslide"
8:43 PM
-Back from break with the next group ...
ALEX & SIERRA are up next!
-They talk about meeting, locking eyes on the beach while Alex sang "I'm Yours" and locked eyes with her on the chorus. Adorable.
-Less adorable is the lack of a boot camp, which Alex notes, saying that the judges have only seen them perform once. Ladies and gentleman, The X Factor USA: Where Auditions Are The Quarterfinals!
-They Sing "You're The One That I Want" from Grease, but a completely smoky, haunting version that sounds like The Civil Wars. I WANT TO MARRY THIS GROUP!
-Kelly loves the duo's "sexiness," while Paulina says she believes in the group as a couple and as artists.
-Demi says Alex & Sierra are one of her favorite acts in the competition, but hates having to ask what would happen, from a business perspective, if they were to ever break up. Sierra says she would never break up with Alex, and Alex says he would never break up with Sierra, while Simon says he thinks Demi's question was stupid. He says there's no one in the market like them, and he can't imagine the couple ever splitting up. When Demi attempts to interject, he tells her to shush, and adds that "Grown ups are talking now."
-Simon's decision is easy...
ALEX & SIERRA get a chair!
GIRLS UNITED loses their chair and are sent home from The X Factor USA!
-I can't argue with the choice there. Girls United just didn't do enough to make it to live shows, in my opinion.
Discuss: Alex & Sierra, "You're the One That I Want"
8:52 PM
-We're back from break with the last group standing between the current seatwarmers and the live shows!
ROXXY MONTANA closes the show!
The girls' family discusses how they are "determination" incarnate, and the girls themselves talk about doing everything they can to make it to live shows. Hopefully, their harmonies are tighter than they were in the audition.
-They sing "Man In The Mirror" by Michael Jackson, and immediately it's apparent that their iffy harmonies from the audition were just an aberration, as these girls really have their stuff together. In particular, their closing note is pretty much perfectly synced with the harmonies. Loved it.
-Kelly says these girls didn't come to play around, while PauCharo says she didn't expect the song to be "SHO TIGHT!" Demi agrees with the positive critiques. Simon, meanwhile, tells the girls, "We could make you three INCREDIBLE!"
-The girls argue for their seat, talking about how their parents have sacrificed for them, and God has given them a gift. Simon has made a decision, calling it "the easy part"...
ROXXY MONTANA gets a chair!
-And now comes the hard part...
-Simon starts out by saying who he ISN'T going to send home, stating he will not send home Alex & Sierra, nor will he send home Restless Road. That leaves it between Forever In Your Mind and Sweet Surrender. Simon makes his decision...
FOREVER IN YOUR MIND loses their chair and is sent home from The X Factor USA!
-He apologizes for having to send them home, and gives the boys hugs on the way out.
Discuss: Roxxy Montana, "Man In the Mirror"
-And with that, we have our final 16! They are...
OVERS
James Kenney
Jeff Gutt
Lillie McCloud
Rachel Potter
BOYS
Carlos Guevara
Tim Olstad
Josh Levi
Carlito Olivero
GIRLS
Rion Paige
Khaya Cohen
Danielle Geimer
Ellona Santiago
GROUPS
Sweet Suspense
Roxxy Montana
Restless Road
Alex & Sierra
So what do you think of the final 16? Who will be the first cuts? And which acts will go all the way? Sound off in the comments!