The X Factor USA – Recap and Live Blog – Top 13 Redux – 11/07/2013
Welcome to the live blog and recap of The X Factor USA Top 13 Redux for November 7, 2013!
Credit: FOX
So due to a voting graphics error, the Top 13 will be performing again tonight! Each act will sing their "Save Me" song, and then America will re-vote, with the results being revealed at the top of next Wednesday's show. I have no idea how they're going to fit thirteen performances into a one hour show, since they only just barely fit 16 performances in two hours last Tuesday. Maybe we'll just skip the judges comments altogether? I think that'd be aces. What do you think, Simon?
Credit: FOX
Oh good, we're on the same page then.
Of course, what I don't get about all of this is how there could be a snafu at all if every act is going to have the same voting number throughout the entire competition. But that's a whole other rant I don't even want to get into. It's like this show is Ramón Sampedro, fighting for the right to die.
Let's do this!
8:00 PM ET
-Mario explains the situation with the voting error, and we get things going right away, since this show is only an hour long and all. The acts will be performing in the same order as they did last night.
JOSH LEVI opens the show!
-Josh sings "Stay" by Rihanna, and he's apparently Jaden Smith now. The resemblance is terrifyingly uncanny. As for the performance itself, it's alright. I'm hardly jumping on the couch or anything, but I'm not exactly ready to proclaim his demise either. With that said, I could very easily see this performance getting lost in the shuffle. Of course, it's not like they could do a whole big production though, since they're singing their "Save Me" song, which wouldn't be a big production number even if they'd had more than 24 hours to prepare.
-So apparently we are getting judges' comments after all, as Simon tells Josh that he turned in a winning performance, and Paulina adds that she's proud of him.
-And we immediately move on to our next performer...
RACHEL POTTER is up next!
-Rachel sings "Anyway" by Martina McBride, and I can already tell that this is going to be a long night. Since "Save Me" songs are meant to showcase their vocals, they tend to be ballads and slow tempo songs by their very nature. But does anyone really want to see a full night of slow tempo performances? Granted, it's not like we're being tortured or anything, but I have two other shows to cover after this, so I'd prefer not to be fighting to stay awake before 8:30.
-As for the performance, it's my favorite vocal from Rachel so far. A vocally rich performance that really showcased the pleasantness in her tone.
-Simon asks Rachel if she has a twin sister, since the girl who performed last night was horrible ("No she wasn't," says Kelly, to which Simon responds, "Yes, she was"), yet the girl who just performed tonight was fantastic. The crowd isn't sure whether to cheer or boo, so we just keep moving along.
8:10 PM
-We're back with no mention of the voting graphic error in the previous performance, so I guess they're just going to keep rolling with this.
CARLOS GUEVARA is up next!
-Carlos sings "Cannonball" by Damien Rice, although it sounds closer to Little Mix's version. Much like with Rachel, this is my favorite performance of his so far. It's strange how survival songs have a way of bringing out the best in a contestant. If nothing else, it's an argument for why contestants should have more of a say in their song choices.
-Paulina tells Carlos that this is one of her favorites from him.
-And on we go...
RESTLESS ROAD is up next!
-The boys sing "Don't You Wanna Stay" by Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson, and everyone is really bringing it tonight. Is it perfect? No, but I think this is the best these guys have sounded since the Four Chair Challenge. Again, it's all in song choice.
-Simon asks if something went wrong with the track, saying that this is the first time he's seen the boys look nervous. He's about to say more, but realizes they're low on time so he just tells Restless Road they were great.
8:20 PM
-So we're back and Mario throws to a video package about the contestants getting makeovers and OH MY GOD WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS, PEOPLE. Do they seriously not realize how many acts they still need to get through in the next forty minutes? I swear, it's like the people running this thing have never seen a watch before.
-With that said, the package is kind of cute, as Sierra talks about never putting on makeup even for school dances. The contestants talk about feeling like superstars thanks to CoverGirl, and I guess agreements with the advertiser forced their hand here, as they couldn't afford to skip it altogether.
ELLONA SANTIAGO is up next!
-Ellona sings "Titanium" by David Guetta and Sia, and it's exactly as good as you'd expect it to be from Ellona. I get that she wants to be more of a complete package artist, but I really think she'd be better served by going the "big voice in a small package" route, instead of the dancing, hip-grinding, booty-poppin' youngster route. Because this is pretty fantastic. That said, I'm sure there's some kind of middle ground they can find in terms of presentation.
-Kelly begins to talk but Demi cuts her off (I guess Kelly was mistaken about the order) to praise Ellona for delivering under pressure. Simon adds that it was her best performance.
-Time for another Over...
JEFF GUTT is up next!
-Jeff sings "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins, and this was easily his best vocal. Seriously, nearly everyone has been tearing it up on that stage tonight, for the most part.
-Kelly loved the performance while Simon warned Jeff that he needs to work on his phrasing. Kelly tries to argue the point, but Demi cuts in to agree with Simon. Awkward.
-Is it just me, or does Jeff look angry all the time? I'm sure he's a cool guy and all, but he just seems to have a very sour face for some reason. Granted, some people just look like that, but Jeff just seems so intense and serious all the time, and it kind of puts me off of him, even though I like him as a contestant. It's like how Vino Alan's intensity got him into hot water with some people.
8:31 PM
-Back from break, and OH MY GOD ALEX AND SIERRA ARE SINGING A SONG I'VE WANTED THEM TO SING SINCE THEIR AUDITION!
ALEX & SIERRA are up next!
-They sing "Give Me Love" by Ed Sheeran, and call me biased, but this is my favorite performance of the night so far. The crowd is going nuts as well. Insane. This is my favorite group act in ages, although I admit that I'm easily swayed by people who do Ed Sheeran songs. Then again, Joelle did this as her Save Me song on The X Factor Australia, and I wasn't that wild about it. You really have to nail it if you're going to do an Ed Sheeran track.
-Simon calls the performance "immaculate," and says that from here on out, they're going to be allowed to choose every one of their songs. I can't argue with that at all.
-We keep things rolling along.
KHAYA COHEN is up next!
-Khaya sings "Distant Dreamer" by Duffy, and she seems on the verge of tears, as if she really were in the Bottom 2 and singing for her life. The performance gets very raw in places, and very sharp and screechy in others, but it's mostly a powerful vocal that makes a great case for why Khaya deserves to escape elimination next week. I'm not entirely sure she will, but I'd argue she deserves another week.
-Demi says she thinks America would be stupid if they didn't vote for her, and I don't think it's the smartest idea in the world to tell America they're stupid if they somehow don't care for Khaya.
8:39 PM
-Back from a commercial break so short that they might as well have just kept the show going and run a ticker at the bottom reading "Buy Armor Hot Dogs and Go see Thor!" or whatever the ad breaks are advertising this week.
CARLITO OLIVERO is up next!
-Carlito sings "If You're Not the One" by Daniel Beddingfield, and while the verses are okay, the rest is just...no. It's the first performance tonight I'd call "bad". The falsetto just wasn't there.
-Paulina starts to talk and Simon butts in to ask if Carlito was sick, and Paulina basically rolls with it and says "...He was...sick...but...he nail it." It was a total face-saving move. Mario asks Carlito if he was sick and he says, "A little bit, but I didn't want any excuses." In this case, I'd have taken the excuse.
-And so we move on to our last Over...
LILLIE MCCLOUD is up next!
-She sings "Who Wants to Live Forever" by Queen, and this is a perfect song choice for her, far better than her pick last night. It's full of notes that soar, and Lillie really sings the hell out of me. Just a beautiful vocal that built to the crescendo wonderfully.
-Simon says "Now that's what you call a diva," and Kelly adds, "That's what you're supposed to do!" Glad to hear it.
8:48 PM
-Back with the last of Simon's groups...
SWEET SUSPENSE is up next!
-The girls sing "That Should Be Me" by Justin Bieber, and this is a pretty great song choice for them. They each get their own moments to shine, and their harmonies are on point for the first time in the competition so far. I really enjoyed this.
-Simon says that was a very difficult song, and wants everyone voting to remember their performances over the last two weeks, saying he wishes they weren't in this position (implying he thought it wasn't as good as their performance the night before, and he's worried about their safety if that's the performance America has to vote on. Might be a lot to extrapolate from a few short words, but that's just how it came across to me).
-We keep rolling with the last of the girls...
RION PAIGE is up next!
-Rion sings "Born This Way," and she SERIOUSLY impressed me with this. She even gets her body moving! It's her best vocal in the competition, and the best of the night. This was really something. If you haven't seen it, seek it out. I thought this was damn near close to perfect.
-All four judges give her a standing ovation, with Demi adding that the only reason she's sitting back down is to tell Rion how incredible her vocal was. Simon adds that Demi should let Rion pick her own songs from now on. I agree completely. In fact, let everyone pick their own songs, dammit. Just scrap themes and let these people do whatever the hell they want, because this show alone has given me more confidence in the show than all the previous episodes put together.
8:56 PM
-We're back with our final contestant of the night, and we just might get through this thing in time after all...
TIM OLSTAD closes the show!
-Tim sings "I Believe I Can Fly," and while I'm above and beyond tired of this song, Tim really nails it. It's his best performance. Just crazy how everyone is bringing it tonight. And it's not just a good vocal, but he's actually performing it as well, getting into it and everything.
-Paulina talks about how his voice continues to impress her and impress America, while Simon jokingly gets on Tim's case for the "woo" he did in the middle of the song.
-In lieu of a show-closing performance recap, Mario redirects viewers to the official website, saying the numbers are up there. If nothing else, this allows them to avoid another voting graphics disaster.
-Mario asks Simon about tonight's show, and he says it was like going to McDonald's, with how quickly they burned through every performance. If you ask me (which no one really was, but whatever), it was a much better show for its brevity.
So what did you think of tonight's show? Who is safe? Who will be in danger? Should everyone just be allowed to pick their own songs from now on? Sound off in the comments!