The X Factor USA - The Four-Chair Challenge Round #2 - Recap and Live Blog - 10/03/2013
Welcome to the live blog and recap of The X Factor USA "The Four-Chair Challenge Round #2" for October 3, 2013!
The contestants continue the cutthroat race to the Top 16! Who will earn seats? Who will lose them? It's the Four-Chair Challenge!
Credit: FOX
Mario Lopez - 4 Chair Challenge
8:00 PM
-We kick off with a summary of the rules of the Four-Chair Challenge, along with a brief recap of last night's show, in which the Over 25s fought for their chairs to the live shows. We also recap the first four of Demi's girls to receive chairs, with a brief preview of what's to come for the rest of her category. I swear, each of these girls look like somebody from Fifth Harmony, with most looking like Ally Brooke and the rest looking like Lauren Jauregui. And then there's Simone Torres, the adorable nerd with the soulful voice.
SIMONE TORRES is up first!
-Simone talks about how hard she's struggled to get to this point, having sung in bars with no one paying attention.
-She sings an upbeat version of "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke, a terrible arrangement that makes it sound like "You Can't Hurry Love." She sings it well, but MAN, whoever thought of that arrangement is getting a sternly-worded letter.
-Paulina enjoyed it, but Simon says he wishes he could have sat with Simone at some point before that performance to tell her that the song just wasn't going to work. Gee, maybe if you had an actual BOOT CAMP before this stage of the competition, instead of giving a bunch of people byes to the semifinals off of ONE audition, this wouldn't be a problem.
-Kelly counters Simon by saying that Simone sang the hell out of it, "don't get it twisted." But Demi agrees that the song choice wasn't her favorite. Demi has made her decision and...
SIMONE TORRES gets a chair!
BREE RANDALL is sent home!
-Eh, I'd have gotten rid of Jamie Pineda, who seemed like an obvious first-boot pick, but to each his own.
-Simone takes her seat while Bree is comforted backstage by her father.
-Discuss Simone's performance: Simone Torres, "A Change Is Gonna Come"
8:12 PM
-We're back from break, and we're keeping things rolling...
DANIELLE GEIMER is up next!
-Danielle talks about how her shyness disappears when she's onstage, as people tend to ignore her in regular life. She says she's always been the quiet girl who sits in a corner with a book while people walk past her without noticing, occasionally tripping over her feet. Danielle hopes that now people will say, "Oh, I tripped over a star." She's certainly a cute one, but it's hard to tell what her potential will be since, once again, we've only seen one performance of hers.
-She sings "Georgia On My Mind" by Ray Charles, and it's my favorite of the Four-Chair Challenge performances of this category so far. Just a gorgeous vocal from front-to-back, with some killer runs at the end. Khaya Cohen, looking like she completely forgot to run a brush through her hair before coming out, registers a look of discomfort and concern over her spot possibly being in jeopardy now that it's all but obvious that Danielle is getting someone's seat.
-Kelly says Danielle sang her face off, and that she needs to get a seat. Simon, meanwhile, says she's very humble and shy, unlike many egotistical pop stars of the era, and he hopes she never changes. Demi says that Danielle is right, people are already tripping over a star.
-Demi makes her decision...
DANIELLE GEIMER gets a chair!
SIMONE TORRES is sent home!
-HOW IS JAMIE PINEDA STILL THERE?!
-Simone is comforted backstage by her father, who tells her that she's still a star in his eyes.
-Discuss Danielle's performance: Danielle Geimer, "Georgia On My Mind"
8:22 PM
-So we're back, and with only an hour tonight, there's no time for filler and stalling like last night's episode. So we keep things moving with our next contestant...
RILEY BROWN is up next!
-The 11th grader talks about her small town upbringing, her pageant life, and her desire to really break through and make a living with singing.
-Riley sings "Angels" by Robbie Williams, and it's not bad. Not bad at all. The only problem is that it sounds like the kind of performance a person gives in the talent portion of a pageant competition.
-Kelly feels that Riley isn't ready for this competition just yet, and it's a sentiment echoed by Simon, who says that it felt like everything, from what Riley is wearing to what she sang, was chosen by her mother. (Her mother gives a weary-eyed stankface)
-We don't hear from Paulina, for the second performance in a row (not that I mind, but hey, it's your money, Simon). Demi agrees that it wasn't Riley's best, although she's a pageant girl herself, so she understands where Riley is coming from.
-Demi makes her decision...
RILEY BROWN does not get a chair!
-This makes her the first singer in the category not to get a chair, although I would argue she delivered a better vocal than at least two of the girls who have.
-Discuss Riley's performance: Riley Brown, "Angels"
8:30 PM
-We're back with Mario reiterating that only the girls in chairs at the end of the night will advance to live shows. We roll on...
PRIMROSE MARTIN is up next!
-We get a recap of her backstory, including her father being a member of Kool & The Gang. Primrose loves her father, but says it's time for her to step out of his shadow and show the world what she has to offer.
-She sings "Blame It On the Boogie" by Michael Jackson, and EVERYTHING about this performance is a no. Her voice is just all over the place, and the arrangement is every bit as bad. On the plus side, her outfit looks great, and she does an interesting dance break in the middle. But it's a complete mess.
-Kelly thought the performance was too different from what they expected, while Paulina is surprised that she didn't deliver.
-Simon thought the performance was absolutely dreadful, which is bad enough for her, but things then get spectacularly awkward as Primrose starts singing "Listen" (and it actually sounds pretty nice) but is quickly cut off by Simon. She then starts singing something else, and now Demi is begging her to stop. She does for a moment, but then starts up again, at which point Simon throws up his hands and declares "I give up." Even her family (helpfully subtitled) is mouthing to themselves for her to stop.
-Primrose begs Demi to keep her in the competition, saying that music is her "entire essence" and vowing that she knows she can do this. But it's too little, too late. Demi makes her decision...
PRIMROSE MARTIN does not get a chair!
-Well, that was some ridiculously cringeworthy TV. I feel awful for the girl, although I suppose the blame is on whoever picked that song for her (and if it was Primrose herself who chose it, well...maybe a proper Boot Camp could have worked these problems out. So many of these girls are just not at all ready for this stage of the competition).
-Discuss Primrose's audition: Primrose Martin, "Blame It On the Boogie"
8:40 PM
-Back from break, and we have just two acts left to sing before Demi's final four is set in stone...
RION PAIGE is up next!
-We get a bit of background on Rion's daily struggles with her condition, as we see her in school and at home with her family. Her mother fights tears talking about her daughter's bravery, and Rion says that she won't let her condition define who she is. "There's a fire inside me that you can't take away." She's certainly likable, and at this rate, I just can't fathom Demi not putting her through.
-Rion sings "I Won't Let Go" by Rascal Flatts, and while I really liked her audition, I actually found this to be a thousand times better. If I have one complaint, it's that the song kept building and building to a big moment that just never came. But as it goes right now, I thought this was easily the best performance of the category.
-Simon loves Rion's voice and thinks they're only just scratching the surface of what Rion is capable of doing. Demi agrees, and says that when she looks at Rion, she doesn't see anything different about her. She just sees Rion herself.
-Demi makes her decision and...
RION PAIGE gets a chair!
ASHLY WILLIAMS is sent home!
-Okay, seriously, can someone explain to me how Jamie Pineda is still there? She's not a bad singer or anything, but I just found her performance last night so painfully bland that I just can't see how other singers are losing their seats while her butt remains comfortably warm.
-Discuss Rion's performance: Rion Paige, "I Won't Give Up"
8:50 PM
-We're back with the last performer of the night and Mario stating that this contestant is the only thing standing between the girls currently sitting and the live shows...
ELLONA SANTIAGO closes the show!
-Ellona talks about being born and living in the Philippines for the first few years of her life until her parents could save the money to come to America. She fights tears as she talks about what her parents sacrificed to give her a chance at her American dream. I like that, unlike with Arin Ray last year, her past in inTENsity isn't really mentioned.
-Ellona sings "Clarity" by Zedd (featuring Foxes), and though it starts off a bit shaky, she finds herself in the big notes.
-Kelly loved it, and Simon agrees, saying that it was one of the best vocals of the Four-Chair Challenge so far.
-Demi, however, says that she isn't sure she sees star quality in Ellona just yet. I don't know, it just sounds like B.S. she's espousing to add a bit of drama so that it's less obvious that Ellona is going through to live shows. Demi says she can't imagine letting go any of the girls already up there (really, Demi?). Simon, for his part, thinks she's crazy if she doesn't think Ellona has what it takes. Ellona, taking a page out of the Primrose Martin playbook, pleads for her spot in the competition, saying that she'll give her all for Demi. Unlike with Primrose, however, it actually works, as Demi makes her decision and...
ELLONA SANTIAGO gets a chair!
-A thrilled Ellona promises that she'll take Demi to the win, as Demi struggles to make her decision on who to send home. She says she's very sorry to have to do this, but...
JAMIE PINEDA is sent home!
-It was the right call, unfortunate as it was for Jamie to come so close to the live shows.
-Discuss Ellona's performance: Ellona Santiago, "Clarity"
And so we have Demi's final four Girls: Danielle Geimer, Khaya Cohen, Rion Paige, and Ellona Santiago.
They join Kelly's final four Over 25s: James Kenney, Jeff Gutt, Lillie McCloud, and Rachel Potter.
That's it for me! Thanks for hanging out, and keep refreshing for new videos as they become available!