The X Factor USA – Recap and Live Blog – Live Show #1 - 10/29/2013
Welcome to the live blog and recap of The X Factor USA "Live Show #1" for October 29, 2013!
The top 16 perform LIVE for the first time! Which acts will advance to the top 12? Which acts will leave the competition? Get caught up on the prediction madness with my Top 16 Power Rankings, and let me know your own predictions in the comments below! And don't forget to refresh the page as the night goes on. In addition to analysis, we'll be adding videos as the night rolls on!
Credit: FOX
My entire SOUL is ready for this show! I'm so stoked I could dance! What about you, Mario?
Image: http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/webdr01/2013/3/4/14/anigif_enhanced-buzz-7381-1362425312-8.gif Mario Lopez shows the world the meaning of rhythm
Whoa, dude. Not even I'm THAT excited.
(Okay, maybe I am)
8:00 PM
-We start with Mario introducing the contestants backstage, all of whom are understandably stoked for the show. Mario also reiterates that each judge will be eliminating one of their own acts before the night is through. As Mario ends his backstage stroll, a production assistant hands him a microphone, and our host hits the stage.
-Simon says he's seen all his acts in rehearsal and he feels they all deserve to be there, and he really doesn't want to eliminate any of his acts. Of course, he isn't the first one up. It's Demi and the girls.
-We get a video package of how Demi has been preparing the girls for the first live show. Rion is nervous to be singing one of Demi's songs, while Ellona is struggling to balance both singing and dancing. Meanwhile, Khaya is having trouble with a vocal run in her song, and Danie is facing trouble with her nerves. However, Demi is confident that none of the other acts in the competition can hold a candle to her girls.
-Mario explains the Fifth Judge aspect, in which viewers can possibly help influence the judges' decisions by hitting up social media to offer their opinions.
-We go right into our first act, and you'd think that, given the fact that it's been two weeks, they'd offer some sort of pre-performance video package to remind viewers who all these people are. But nope.
ELLONA SANTIAGO kicks off the show!
-Ellona sings "Til the World Ends," and her dancing is INSANE. While this isn't the kind of performance I'd have given her for the first week, she totally brought it . Her dancing was crazy, and her singing was more than capable of keeping up. The makeover is a bit over the top, but Ellona is so beautiful that it doesn't really matter.
-The judges are effusive in their praise, with Kelly saying that Demi can't let her go, no matter what happens. Simon says that Ellona is clearly here to not just win the competition, but to sell records.
-You can watch and discuss Ellona's performance here: Ellona Santiago, "Till the World Ends"
-And after a few humble words from Ellona, we move on to our next act...
DANIE GEIMER is up next!
-Danie sings "Wrecking Ball" and this is a friggin' mess and I'm so gutted to be saying that, because I love Danie. Her nerves are clearly getting the better of her here. I actually think Demi would have been better served giving Danie something less contemporary, as she has a more classic kind of sound to her voice that didn't really fit with "Wrecking Ball".
-Simon says that while Danie had some real moments in that song, her biggest obstacle is how boring she is, and he isn't sure if it's something that can be fixed. Demi takes offense and says that Danie can really sing, but then she goes on this awkward tangent about how Danie's performance brought the energy level down, as if the song choice/arrangement was ever going to maintain the same level of vibrancy as Ellona's performance.
-You can watch and discuss Danie's performance here: Danie Geimer, "Wrecking Ball"
-Danie tells the judges that she hopes she can stay, since this is something she wants to do for the rest of her life.
8:16 PM
-We're back from break with Mario talking about how the singers are singing the songs that could be released as their first single if they win, which I guess is a step up from the show's previous strategy of not releasing anything at all.
RION PAIGE is up next!
-Rion has the best hair in the competition. Let's just get that out of the way first. She sings "Skyscraper," and she's doing this really weird high school theater faces in an attempt to sell the song, and it's more awkward than compelling. But once the song picks up, and Rion gets into the lyrics for real, the performance becomes pretty damn good, overcoming the shakiness of the start. Ellona is the only act so far who hasn't been dominated by her nerves, and it makes sense. She's been here once already.
-After grilling Demi about the obviousness of giving Rion her song, Simon declares it was a brilliant choice, saying that the performance was really, really good. Oh, and Paulina spoke, but I don't think there's enough money in the world that could compel me to remember anything she said.
-You can watch and discuss Rion's performance here: Rion Paige, "Skyscraper"
8:25 PM
-And we're back with the last of the girls...
KHAYA COHEN is up next!
-Someone give the hair and makeup team a gold medal, because this girl looks like a friggin' STAR. Seriously. No more crazy hair!
-Khaya sings "Mercy" and immediately makes me feel like a complete moron (more so than usual) for placing her at #13 in my top 16 rankings. I even suspected I'd end up being a fool for placing her there, but I'm downright ambitious about my idiocy these days. Best performance in the category. No lie. She even got her dance on!
-Kelly liked the performance but not the dancing, while Simon loved all of it. He thinks she has the most commercial voice in the competition, but worries the one thing holding her back is the wall separating her from the audience, as he feels she needs to lighten up if people are going to like her. Simon asks her if she likes animals for some reason, and then just tells her to lie when she fails to come up with a simple yes or no answer. It's a really weird bit, made all the weirder by Demi actually agreeing with Simon by saying that the actual performance aspect was clumsy and awkward, and she needs to let her wall down.
-Khaya says that she loves singing and she loves performing, and I don't really care if America doesn't like this girl. She's awesome.
-You can watch and discuss Khaya's performance here: Khaya Cohen, "Mercy"
8:34 PM
-So we're back from break with Demi's decision.
-The first girl in Demi's top three is ELLONA SANTIAGO!
-The second girl in Demi's top three is RION PAIGE!
-The third and final girl in Demi's top three is KHAYA COHEN!
DANIE GEIMER is eliminated from The X Factor USA!
-Demi's final three is set:
The X Factor 2013 Final Girls
-And like that, we move on to the next category...
-We see a video package of Paulina mentoring her boys. She worries about Carlos' lack of control, while Carlito struggles with his emotions, as he really wants this for his family. Paulina is worried about Tim's ability to rein his voice in, while she fears Josh will have trouble bottling all his energy. We get the introduction of our first act.
JOSH LEVI is up first!
-Josh sings "Only Girl In the World" and much like Ellona, the category kicks off with a "total package" performance. Not only does Josh sing his butt off, the kid has some slick dance moves. It's like he's not even a contestant, but a guest performer on a results show.
-Of course, the judges aren't nearly as crazy about it. Demi thinks he has potential but didn't like the song choice, and Simon adds that he thinks Josh spent too much time focusing on his dance moves instead of his vocals, which were pitchy in the second half. He tells Josh if he wants to be great like Michael Jackson, he'll need to balance both aspects of his performance.
-Paulina agrees that it maybe wasn't the best song choice, but she thinks Josh is a great singer and a great dancer. Well, looks like she and I can finally agree on something.
-Josh says he'll work hard for Paulina if he makes it through, since this is what he wants to do for the rest of his life.
-You can watch and discuss Josh's performance here: Josh Levi, "Only Girl in the World"
8:47 PM
-Back from break with our next act...
CARLOS GUEVARA is up next!
-Carlos sings "Don't You Worry Child," and I like it a lot, but I think he may have overcooked it in places. His voice really strains from overexertion, and he falls out of key in some spots. But he has such awesome tone, and he's a really likable guy. I dug this.
-Kelly likes Carlos, but worries about his pitch. However, she says she loves his spirit.
-Simon says he wasn't expecting Carlos to be as good as he was. It started out like something he'd hear on a subway, but once it picked up, he immediately bought the emotion of the performance, feeling all the connection he felt was lacking from Josh's performance. Demi says she had trouble hearing the vocals for some reason, but liked what she did hear.
-Mario informs Carlos that he's currently the leading boy in the polls, although I get the feeling the leading boy at any given moment is the one that just went.
-You can watch and discuss Carlos' performance here: Carlos Guevera, "Don't You Worry Child"
-Paulina says she loves Carlos, and no sooner do those words come out than we're on to introducing the next contestant...
CARLITO OLIVERO is up next!
-Carlito sings "Maria, Maria," complete with dancers and come hither stares. This is the most I've liked Carlito since the competition started. I'm still not exactly crazy about him or anything, but I'm finally starting to see a bit of what people are seeing in him.
-Demi is excited because she feels like she's seeing something that has a place in the market, adding that she likes the Latin flavor he brings to the performance.
-Simon said he had slight reservations about Carlito going in, but says that of all the people he's seen so far, Carlito would be the one to sign to his label. He tells Carlito he was fantastic (oh Simon, I wouldn't go that far).
-Paulina felt Carlito was on tonight, and Carlito thanks Paulina for all her notes, saying that he'll continue to take her notes and work hard to make this happen.
-You can watch and discuss Carlito's performance here: Carlito Olivero, "Maria Maria"
-After an enthusiastic, jumbled introduction from Paulina, we go to our last performer in the category...
TIM OLSTAD is up next!
-Tim sings "Always" (the Bon Jovi song) and it's pretty easily the best vocal of the category. But I'm still not getting any star vibes from Tim. With that said, I didn't get any star vibes from Tate Stevens, and he pretty much wiped the floor with the entire competition last season.
-Kelly loved the vocal and praises Tim's crazy good voice.
-Simon, however, feels that it was like a funeral director deciding to take the mic and start singing. Demi agrees, feeling that the energy went down.
-Tim tells Paulina that she told him in his audition that he was born to do this, and he wants the chance to prove to her that he was born for exactly that reason.
-You can watch and discuss Tim's performance here: Tim Olstad, "Always"
-And so it's time for results, and I fear it may be curtains for Josh Levi. Mario goes to the polls and reveals that Carlos remains in the lead, but hilariously reiterates that this poll doesn't actually have any bearing on the results whatsoever.
-The first boy in Paulina's top three is CARLITO OLIVERO!
-The second boy in Paulina's top three is CARLOS GUEVARA!
-The third and final boy in Paulina's top three is TIM OLSTAD!
JOSH LEVI is eliminated from The X Factor USA!
-Paulina is outside her damn mind, letting Josh go. But then, every top 16 show features at least one ridiculous decision. Hopefully, this is the only one.
9:07 PM
-Back from break with the Over 25s, because there was no doubt that Simon's category would close this thing.
-We get a video package detailing Kelly's mentoring with her category. She takes an unconventional approach by having them meet her at the gym, telling her category that they need to show the young'uns how it's done. And so we see the contestants working out on treadmills and jogging in place while singing, as a method of building breath control. Kelly is worried about Rachel's voice tightening up while Jeff is concerned about his breath control. Meanwhile, Lillie wonders if being the oldest contestant in the competition will be a handicap against her, and James Kenney is nervous about proving himself.
-Mario reveals the poll numbers, showing that Rachel has a clear lead of over 40%. Time for the first act of the category...
LILLIE MCCLOUD is up next!
-Lillie sings "When A Man Loves A Woman" and it's the best vocal of the night so far. Could have done without the dancers, since all this performance needed was Lillie. That woman can sell a song like nobody's business.
-Paulina loved Lillie's vocals, and Simon thinks she's a remarkable singer. However, Simon says she needs to ditch the theatrics if she wants to last in the competition.
-Kelly thinks Lillie is "the best vocalist here" and warns the audience that there's even more to come from her category.
-Lillie tells Kelly she'll fight to stay here, and will work with Kelly to grow in the competition, and do so "fearlessly".
-You can watch and discuss Lillie's performance here: Lillie McCloud, "When A Man Loves A Woman"
9:18 PM
-Back from break with the next Over 25...
JEFF GUTT is up next!
-Jeff sings "Try" by Pink, and I really dig it. This competition needs a rocker, and Jeff definitely brings serious rocker cred to the table. Just loved this performance, even if the Breakfast Club fist at the end was a bit much.
-DEMI LOVATO IS IN MY HEAD! She says she 1) loved the performance, 2) thinks Jeff brings something to the competition that is sorely lacking this season, and 3) thought the rocker fist at the end was a bit much. WHAT IS GOING ON?!
-Simon thought the performance was honest, raw, and "bloody brilliant." Wow, honestly wasn't expecting that reaction from Simon, but I'm glad for Jeff.
-Jeff says there's a five-year-old kid depending on him out there, so he hopes he's able to make it through. Come on, Jeff, your performance was more than good enough without playing on the sympathy card.
-You can watch and discuss Jeff's performance here: Jeff Gutt, "Try"
RACHEL POTTER is up next!
-Rachel sings "I Hope You Dance," which would normally be a kiss of death since it's one of those terminally overdone songs on singing competitions like this. But Rachel does a great job with it, and the arrangement goes a long way in making it feel vaguely new.
-Paulina says the performance was brilliant from beginning to end, while Simon reminds people that the last time we saw Rachel, she was horrible. With that said, he says that it's a credit to both Rachel and Kelly how far she's come along in the competition, and even says she did a better job than Lillie, which is a patently risible falsehood. But that's not to say that Rachel didn't do a damn good job.
-Kelly tells the audience what a pleasure Rachel is to work with, and says how hard she works to deliver performances like she just delivered.
-You can watch and discuss Rachel's performance here: Rachel Potter, "I Hope You Dance"
-Rachel tells Kelly that she really wants to go all the way, and believes they can work together to make it happen. And we roll on to our next contestant...
JAMES KENNEY is up next!
-OH MY GOD, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS! Sorry, I had a slight freakout on the first note there when I realized he was singing "Red" by Daniel Merriweather. He gives a remarkable vocal, and I promise that's not just because of the song choice. His tone is incredible, and it's seriously one of the best vocals of the entire night.
-The judges all praise James and basically echo the same sentiment: they're all glad they're not in Kelly's shoes, because she's in a completely impossible position, having to choose between the four acts. (Although Simon says he thought Jeff was slightly better)
-Kelly talks about how proud she is of her category, saying that each of the acts want to be artists and embody that artistry in everything they do. But enough with the platitudes, time for results!
-Oh, but first, you can watch and discuss James' performance here: James Kenney, "Red"
-The first singer in Kelly's top three is RACHEL POTTER!
-The second singer in Kelly's top three is JEFF GUTT!
-The third and final singer in Kelly's top three is LILLIE MCCLOUD!
JAMES KENNEY is eliminated from The X Factor USA!
-I'm gutted to be losing James, but I'm not entirely sure who I'd have cut to make room for him. Kelly really was put in an impossible situation by the outrageous talent in her category.
9:36 PM
-Back from break with the last category, the Groups!
-We get the video package of Simon preparing the groups for the live shows. Simon says he loves working with groups, and we immediately see the Groups arriving at his house (sweet, we got Judges Houses after all!), and Restless Road flip out over his Bugatti while Sweet Suspense love his house. Things quickly go haywire during rehearsals, as Sierra messes up and worries she'll be responsible for both she and Alex going home. Restless Road is also nervous about their performance, but then, so are the other acts, of course. Let's get to it!
ROXXY MONTANA is up first!
-RoxXy Montana sings "Royals" by Lorde, and it starts out a cappella before shifting into an arrangement that sounds like "It's A Hard Knock Life". But hey, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The girls sing the hell out of the song, and although their harmonies get pitchy at the end, their swag more than makes up for it. This was their best performance (you know, of the two we've actually seen). That said, I just can't imagine one of the other three groups getting cut to make room for them.
-Kelly wasn't expecting that from RoxXy Montana, but she was pleasantly surprised, a sentiment echoed by the other judges. Simon is proud of the girls, who collectively recognized that the singer in the middle (even Simon doesn't seem to know her name) is the clear lead. He doesn't seem that enthusiastic about this act. Couple that with the fact that they're last in the polls, and I think it would take one of the other three groups bombing for RoxXy Montana to stick around.
-You can watch and discuss RoxXy Montana's performance here: RoxXy Montana, "Royals"
9:47 PM
-Back from break with our next act...
SWEET SUSPENSE is up next!
-SUCH a weird arrangement to start, but one that is infinitely better than the original. Of course, they're singing "I Love It" by Icona Pop, and it's going swimmingly...until the original arrangement picks up. I have no idea why Simon didn't keep the more interesting arrangement from the beggining, because this went from a truly unique performance to a copycat vocal. But I do love these girls. I'm getting SUCH a Little Mix vibe from them. The performance itself was better than the vocals, but I think that should be good enough to get them through.
-Simon loved it, saying they're a real pop group.
-You can watch and discuss Sweet Suspense's performance here: Sweet Suspense, "I Love It"
And we move things along because we only have ten minutes left...
ALEX AND SIERRA are up next!
-THEY'RE SINGING "BLURRED LINES"! I love this performance, I love this arrangement, and I love the entire acoustic vibe. I want to take this performance home to meet my mother before asking its hand in marriage.
-Paulina thought it was great, and compares them to Sonny (whom she calls by his last name, "Bono") and Cher. Kelly, however, wishes the performance had been sexier, and felt it came close to being corny in places. Simon thinks this is rubbish, saying that Alex and Sierra are unique, and that there's nobody like them in the current market, although I'd argue they're a lot like a more radio-ready, pop-friendly version of The Civil Wars. So yeah, I guess Simon is technically right that there's no one like them in the market right now.
-You can watch and discuss Alex and Sierra's performance here: Alex and Sierra, "Blurred Lines"
9:56 PM
-And we're back from break with the arguable frontrunners...
RESTLESS ROAD closes the show!
-Restless Road sings "Roar," which is one of the most baffling song choices I think Simon has ever given one of his acts. With that said, the guys manage to make it work, for the most part, although it sounds like the harmonies are mostly from the backing vocals as opposed to the boys themselves. But the guys go on some insane runs during the song, and their chemistry is evident. It's going to be hard for any act to touch these guys as frontrunners for the win.
-The judges are over the moon about the performance: Demi thought it was amazing, Paulina loved the song choice, and Kelly is ready to buy their records RIGHT NOW. Simon, who gave the boys a standing ovation, believes that Restless Road is proof that if you're talented and you work hard, you can really make it.
-The boys make their pitch to Simon to stay in the competition, but really, it's all about the results. Simon says he has two easy decisions, and one hard one.
-You can watch and discuss Restless Road's performance here: Restless Road, "Roar"
-Mario brings the groups back out and goes back to the polls. Surprisingly, Sweet Suspense is currently in the lead!
-The first act in Simon's top three (and the act he feels could win the competition) is RESTLESS ROAD!
-The second act in Simon's top three is ALEX AND SIERRA!
-Mario asks Simon about his thought process, and he says he could find room for both of them in his category, praising both acts for how far they've come. He tells Mario he wants to keep both, but Mario says that wouldn't be fair to the other judges. He then hilariously tells Simon not to look to the audience to make the decision for him. The crowd is chanting for RoxXy Montana, and Simon is losing his mind. He apologizes to the act he has to eliminate, saying that this just feels wrong, but...
-The third and final act in Simon's top three is SWEET SUSPENSE!
-So is there any way RoxXY Montana doesn't get brought back? It would be three seasons in a row that an act "WE JUST COULDN'T LOSE!" will have been brought back, if that's the case.
And so your Top 12 are...
Rion Paige
Khaya Cohen
Ellona Santiago
Tim Olstad
Carlos Guevara
Carlito Olivero
Jeff Gutt
Rachel Potter
Lillie McCloud
Restless Road
Sweet Suspense
Alex and Sierra
So what do you think of this final 12? Will one of the eliminated acts be brought back? Who will be the first acts eliminated, and which acts will go all the way? Sound off in the comments!
And follow the "watch and discuss" links above or the link roll below to find videos of each of tonight's performances! Thanks for hanging out, guys!