The X Factor USA – Results, Recap and Live Blog – Top 10 - 11/21/2013
Welcome to the results, recap and live blog of The X Factor USA Top 10 Results for November 21, 2013!
This week, two acts will be eliminated! Also, One Direction will perform live!
Credit: FOX
Rickey.org readers predict that Tim Olstad will be eliminated with 25.92% of the vote. Category-mate Carlito Olivero is next in line with 25.64% of the vote, which basically makes this a statistical tie. Of course, Rickey.org readers predicted these same two singers last week, and they were among the first sent to safety. Will this week be different?
In the event that it's not, let's look to the third and fourth highest vote-getters in the elimination poll. In third is last week's bottom 2 sing-off survivor Khaya Cohen with 9.77% of the vote, while Jeff Gutt is close behind with 8.78% of the vote. Who will go home? There's still time to vote in the poll, so head on over and add your predictions!
Credit: FOX
8:00 PM
-And we're off to the races with a recap of last night's show, with backstage scenes: Jeff Gutt is glad to have the support of the judges, and reiterates he's living for both himself and his son (whom I assume he plans on putting on the Iron Throne when he comes of age). Tim Olstad is happy with his performance, but he's more than a bit confused about Simon's "singing hamster" comment. Khaya Cohen really doesn't want to be in the bottom 2 again, and hopes she did enough to stay in the competition, while Josh Levi disagrees with Simon's assessment that Paulina is crazy. He says he loves her, which I guess makes at least one person.
-Sierra cries backstage after being called the weak link in the performance, and Alex comforts her, telling the camera that he doesn't think Sierra is the weak link at all. Rion Paige is rendered speechless by the judges' comments ("Just...wow!"). Carlito Olivero feels good about his performance, and gushes to his family about Simon finally liking one of his performances. Lillie McCloud is also happy that Simon likes her again, and confesses how nervous she was to her fiance (who looks like a Reagan-era white collar businessman). Ellona is teary-eyed backstage after Simon called her a puppet, and he walks by and comforts her by assuring her that she's really talented. Restless Road, meanwhile, take the bad comments from last night in stride, saying that there will be good comments and bad comments. Sage wisdom.
-Back in the studio, Simon feels the girls were rough on Restless Road and Alex and Sierra, particularly after watching last night's show back.
8:10 PM
-Back from break with a video about the pressure of performing, as the contestants read mostly scripted lines about how they live for the stage, and how they have no back-up plan. They then talk about their pre-performance rituals. Ellona puts her fist in a "magic pocket", while Tim sleeps with his lyrics under his pillow at night. Sierra writes "ANDY" on the bottom of her shoe as a shoutout to Toy Story, to remind her to have fun onstage. Well, it's better than my pre-open mic ritual, which basically amounts to drinking two pints of lager and clutching my guitar pick like grim death.
-And it's time for results! One act will leave the competition immediately. Mario reveals the act with the lowest number of votes.
KHAYA COHEN is eliminated from The X Factor USA!
Image: khaya cohen eliminated
-Okay, it isn't THAT surprising. To me or, apparently, to Khaya, who doesn't seem all that upset. She says she's going to keep doing what she's doing, and Demi adds that she hopes Khaya continues singing, since she's immensely talented. No argument from me there.
8:19 PM
-Back from break, and it's time for the band that has sold 35 million records worldwide, and is the first British act since The Beatles to have two number one albums in the same year. We get a video package detailing their global fame, and their humble beginnings on The X Factor UK, before any of them had stylists keeping their follicles in check. Of course, I say that, yet here's Harry Styles with his lovably chaotic, "whatever, I'm famous" locks.
-One Direction performs "Story of My Life," and I really like this. Harry, in particular, sounds great. And these guys have far better harmonies than they get any credit for, although I will say Louis needs to do something about the facial hair situation. Dude looks like he's auditioning for D'Artagnan's spot in the Three Musketeers.
-The fans are, of course, losing their minds through the entire performance, including singing along with the song. The judges are on their feet by the end, with Paulina making a heart with her hands, although it looks more like a misshapen pumpkin.
-Mario asks if being on The X Factor again brings back any memories, and I could have sworn he asked them this last year. They admit that, yes, it does bring back memories, and Mario quickly segues into hyping the Midnight Memories album as well as 1D Day. Hopefully this quickened pace means we won't have a complete timing fiasco like last week.
Results
-We're back from break with the results, revealing which acts are safely through to next week, and which acts will sing for their lives in the bottom 2 sing-off.
-The first act through is...RION PAiGE!
-The second act through is...JOSH LEVI!
-The third act advancing to the final eight is...ALEX AND SIERRA!
-The fourth act through on the public vote is...LILLIE MCCLOUD!
-Also coming back next week is...JEFF GUTT!
-The next act to advance is...ELLONA SANTIAGO!
-The seventh and final act to advance to the top eight is...RESTLESS ROAD!
TIM OLSTAD and CARLITO OLIVERO are the bottom 2!
-Paulina is understandably upset, and both Carlito and Tim look terrified. Carlito says he loves his team and he loves his mentor, but his God is Almighty and he's going hard tonight. Tim says he's endured the negative comments before, and is going to keep fighting.
Final Showdown
-Tim Olstad is singing "You Raise Me Up," because of course he is. It's a damn good vocal, but he's not doing anything to convince anyone that he's a charismatic, compelling performer by coming across as lifeless as he does here. The only really compelling moment in this performance is when he fights tears at the end. A good performance, but I still feel like Nicholas McDonald has the last word on this song. And that performance was only 50 seconds.
-Carlito Olivero sings "Beneath Your Beautiful," and while it's far from perfect, I think this is easily Carlito's best vocal of the competition. The entire performance is suffused with passion. He even walks over to the judges' table to sing directly to them, like a desperate plea to be saved (or a smirking attempt at currying favor with the majority female panel). I really liked this, and I'm kind of surprised to be saying I actually want Carlito to stay. He's infinitely more interesting to me than Tim, even if he isn't as good a singer.
Credit: FOX
Results
-We waste tons more time as Mario asks the contestants to talk to the judges and say why they should stay in the competition. Tim gets really passionate about staying in the competition, so much so that he takes the microphone from Mario and campaigns for his spot in the competition. Carlito says he's a fighter and you could put him in the bottom 2 every week and he'll still fight for what he wants because he's not a quitter. That was a hell of a speech. Dammit, am I starting to like Carlito? I think I really am.
Judges' Vote
Kelly Rowland sends home Tim Olstad
Demi Lovato sends home Tim Olstad
Paulina Rubio breaks down and struggles to decide on which act to send home.
She doesn't want to send either home, but abstaining means Tim goes home anyway. She can't make up her mind, but Mario pleads with her to give him a name "por favor". I give Paulina tons of credit though. She doesn't cop out here, and becomes one of the only judges in X Factor history to vote against her own act (with Simon being the other on The X Factor UK, although it was more shocking there since he voted to send home his own act over a rival judges' act). Paulina makes her decision and...
TIM OLSTAD is eliminated from The X Factor USA!
Well, I can't really argue with this result. Carlito is really growing on me, and while Carlito has worked on overcoming his weaknesses (the inconsistent vocals), Tim hasn't really done anything about his own weaknesses (his stage presence). Granted, Tim isn't really a big stage presence singer, and was never presented as such. But I truly believe he needed more than just a good vocal to keep his place.
So what do you think? Was this the right result? If not, who do you think should have been in danger? Sound off in the comments!
That's it for me, guys! Thanks for hanging out! It's always a good time with ya'll.