The X Factor USA – Trey & Nick’s Week in Review – Top 6
Credit: FOX
It's time for another installment of Week In Review: The X Factor USA Edition, in which myself and Trey M. will examine all the big happenings of the week, and look ahead to the next show. Which acts soared on top 6 week? Did the right acts go home? Let's get to it!
Credit: FOX
Best performance of the week?
Trey: As much as I don't want to give it to them because of my "Different-genre-covers-sound-better" ideal, Alex & Sierra slayed the competition with their renditions of "Say My Name" and "Say Something." However, this is in no way saying Ellona Santiago didn't sing the heck out of "If I Were A Boy".
Nick: Oh, she definitely did. But I wasn't nearly as high on the performance. As for my best of the week, I keep trying to think of a different act I could say other than Alex & Sierra, simply for variety's sake. But I got nothing, so Alex & Sierra it is. "Say Something" really was magic.
Credit: FOX
Worst performance of the week?
Trey: While not outstandingly bad, Restless Road gave two sleepy, uninspired, and vocally disappointing performances with "Red" and "Wake Me Up".
Nick: Really? I couldn't disagree more. I thought "Wake Me Up" was Restless Road's best performance. It wasn't perfect or anything, but it's the closest the boys have come to delivering on the initial promise they showed during the Four-Chair Challenge. The guy with the deep voice leaves a ton to be desired, but I still found "Wake Me Up" to be a pretty damn good performance. However, I couldn't say the same for "Let's Get Loud" from Carlito Olivero. I like Carlito, I do. Hell, I'm glad he's still around, simply for variety's sake (although I wish Ellona had managed to stick around too), but I just did not enjoy this performance. He did much better with "Stand By Me," but "Let's Get Loud" just didn't do a thing for me.
Credit: FOX
Most disappointing performance of the Week?
Trey: Nothing really disappointed me this week. How about you?
Nick: I hate saying it, but I kind of expected Ellona Santiago to really slay "If I Were A Boy," and while she delivered a really powerful vocal, I just felt like something was missing from it. Whether it was an emotional connection or a more consistent, even tone in the vocal with fewer runs, this performance just never fully got there for me.
Credit: FOX
Most surprising performance of the week?
Trey: I was surprised how thoroughly I enjoyed an Alex & Sierra performance this week. My usual mindset towards them is that I just recognize that they are a force to be reckoned with, but my head was bobbing during "Say My Name." Go them.
Nick: Oh, I'm never surprised by Alex & Sierra. I think they're generally the most consistent act in the competition. They're sort of like pizza, in the sense that even when they're not all that good, they still manage to hit the spot. But I wasn't expecting that same feeling going into Jeff Gutt's performance of "Daniel", yet I felt he totally connected with that performance and delivered one of his best of the entire competition. There's something to be said for the wonders that a restrained vocal and arrangement can work for a contestant, and Jeff benefited greatly from a less over-the-top approach this week. I loved it.
Credit: FOX
Did the judges make the right call in the sing-off?
Trey: I'm not going to say they did because since Josh and Ellona are gone I am pretty ambivalent, but I did like Sweet Rion. However, she would not have had a chance of winning so I'm sure the judges thought this sing-off would maximize the drama.
Nick: Yeah, this was kind of a toss-up for me. They were basically fighting for the right to fourth place, barring any crazy surprises next week. I think Rion plateaued pretty early in the competition while Carlito kept growing throughout. He's still far from being the artist they want him to be, but I feel he has a bit more to offer in terms of sheer variety than Rion does, even though Rion arguably won that sing-off. I'm not sure if it was the right call, but I'm not exactly mad with the decision, since neither act was really in the hunt to win this thing anymore.
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Is there anything Demi could have done to avoid being the first judge knocked out of the competition?
Trey: Tell Simon and the producers not to rig the show - and I'm not kidding. There is no way that the supreme talent on the show this season -- Lillie, Josh and Ellona -- would have been targeted to exit before the semi finals (the latter two should have earned a spot in the finale alongside Alex & Sierra). Heck, I'll go as far as to say Sweet Suspense should still be here. It makes no sense that any combination of the remaining three acts will be in the finale alongside Alex & Sierra. I need Simon to realize that quality acts are going to trump high drama in the end. I don't know what he thinks this is.
Nick: I'm not as convinced that there's necessarily been tampering, although this show has never really been subtle about its drama. Who didn't know Simon would send it to deadlock last week the minute that bottom 2 was announced? Who didn't know at least one Four Chair Challenge decision would inevitably be reversed? And seriously, who didn't know that one act would be brought back to make a top 13? So it's hard for me to get all that upset since Simon isn't really doing anything I don't expect him to. With that said, I don't think he made it hard on Demi by giving her the Girls category, nor do I think Demi necessarily had to be the first judge knocked out of the competition. She had a fairly strong category, yet she neutralized the strength of her category with weird song choices and productions that were needlessly complicated. It even goes back to the Four Chair Challenge, as I think Demi really could have strengthened her team by putting Simone Torres through instead of Danie Geimer.
So ultimately, there was plenty Demi could have done to avoid being the first judge knocked out of the competition. She could have set aside the dance numbers and just let Ellona sing more often than she did, and she could have reinforced Rion's country identity from the start instead of having her dip a toe in a bunch of different genres before circling back around to country music. But having said all that, I'm not sure there's anything Demi could have done with her category that would have gotten her the win, as talented as her girls were.
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Why are Alex and Sierra capturing the public imagination more so than any other X Factor USA act during a single season? Is it anything they're actually doing, or is it largely the boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic?
Trey: I don't even know how to answer this question because I'm still even mind-boggled that they soared on iTunes and still don't quite get them. So it's even harder to explain why they are capturing public intrigue more than any XF act. Is it the songs they are singing, particularly, A Great Big World shouting them out and making their fans more aware of them, which spread like wildfire? All I know is they may have single-handedly saved the show for at least another season.
Nick: I know a lot of people were calling this a “showmance” when the season first started, but I never bought that this was a relationship for the cameras, since they have the sort of chemistry that is nearly impossible to fake. And I would argue that it's that chemistry, more so than just being a boyfriend/girlfriend duo, or even just being a very talented pair of musicians, that has gained them the following it has. Just the way they were looking at each other during "Say Something", and the conversational tone of "Say My Name", as if they were really finding the meaning of the song and giving it life onstage, made those performances infinitely more compelling. It's not all that surprising that they're popular, although I admit I'm floored at just how popular they've become. But I don't begrudge them that popularity one bit, because this season would have been as dire as American Idol 12 without them.
Credit: FOX
Which three acts will make the final?
Trey: I'm going to go with Alex & Sierra for the first spot. Simon's going to make sure that the intolerable Restless Road gets through for the second, and I'm feeling a surprise in which Carlito Olivero, who has been floating in and out of the bottom 2, will snag a spot over Jeff Gutt.
Nick: I agree that Alex & Sierra and Restless Road are virtually locks, at this point, but I have far less confidence in Carlito's ability to pull off the upset over Jeff Gutt, who's yet to make a bottom 2 appearance. With that said, Emblem3 never hit the bottom 2, yet they still went home in fourth place last season, so this week should be interesting. However, I feel like Carlito making the finale will rely on Jeff stumbling, Restless Road fans falling asleep at the dial, and Carlito himself delivering the performances of his life. It's not impossible though. As Fifth Harmony taught us about The X Factor USA semifinals, Anything Could Happen.
So what do you think? Did the right acts go home? Who has the best shot of making the finale? Sound off in the comments!