The X Factor USA – Trey & Nick’s Week in Review – Top 8
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 next week's show. This week is a later edition due to 1) the holiday weekend, and 2) a violent illness which we shall never speak of again. So what were the highlights and lowlights of top 8 week? Did the right acts go home? Let's get to it!
Credit: FOX
Best performance of the week?
Trey: This week was really good as far as performances. I actually liked pretty much all of them! I'm going to stick with my bias and say that Josh Levi had the best performance with "Treasure," but there is no way to ignore that Ellona Santiago single-handedly brought herself not only back to the competition, but possibly into the finals with the fantastic performance of "Mama Knows Best."
Nick: I'm with you on Josh. It was a total tour de force of showmanship that was incredibly difficult for any act to top. Anyone else stick out for you?
Trey: I'll give a shout out to Jeff Gutt's "Feeling Good," and although I pointed out last week that in my opinion acts like Alex & Sierra seem way more artistic when they switch up genres on a song, they did it again this week with "I Knew You Were Trouble." It still annoyed me but I did like the feel and Sierra stepped her vocals up.
Nick: I agree, although I never felt Sierra was all that weak a vocalist in the first place. With that said, while I liked their performance a lot, I couldn't help but think there were about a dozen other contemporary songs that would fit better for a Big Band makeover than "I Knew You Were Trouble". Something like "Suit & Tie" or "Counting Stars".
Worst performance of the week?
Trey: While this was probably their best performance for me (due to the background singers and lack of harmonization), I'm just going to obligatorily give Restless Road the worst performance of the week for "Life Is A Highway."
Nick: I actually like Restless Road far more often than not, and a lot more than other people seem to, but I have no idea what Simon was thinking with this song choice, since this is something they could have done on almost any other week. I mean, he gets points for keeping them in their comfort zone, but there are ways to keep an act in their comfort zone that doesn't come across as poorly thought-out as this did. I'm desperate to see these guys get back to the magic of their "Somebody Like You" performance from the Four Chair Challenge -- if for no other reason than to justify why they keep staying while better acts have gone home.
Credit: FOX
Most surprising performance of the week?
Nick: I don't think any performance in the history of reality singing competitions will ever surprise me as much as Carlito Olivero did with his "La Copa de la Vida/Maria Maria" mashup. I was FLOORED by how much I loved that performance, to the point where I find myself slowly warming to him, if not outright rooting for him to go farther, against my own better judgment. He's far from the best voice in the competition, or even the most entertaining performer, but there's something to be said for just how badly the man wants it -- and it shows onstage. And I'm not sure we're getting that amount of fire from any of the other acts. How about you, Trey?
Trey: For me, I was surprised by how much I liked Jeff Gutt. If I were Kelly, I'd even say ditch the rock and do more performances like that. I was also surprised how Ellona just burst back onto the competition's scene like "I'M HERE!"
Nick: Ellona is a good choice, but her kickass voice isn't that big of a surprise for me, given how desperate I've been for Demi to just let the girl SING. I'm glad America got the chance to see what she could really do before it was too late.
Credit: FOX
Most disappointing performance of the week?
Trey: I wasn't as disappointed with Lillie McCloud's "Summertime" as everyone else, because while the lady can sing her tail off, if you really think about it, her voice is nasally as I don't know what. But I wish she had done something else.
Nick: Yeah, I definitely see what you mean. Lillie is my pick too, although she was kind of fighting an uphill battle from the start, and I'm not sure it's entirely her fault. It's part of my own personal bias that I so strongly associate that version with Fantasia, so very few singers are going to be able to measure up to that standard. But even ignoring Fantasia's version, I thought Lillie overcooked this a bit. It was a good vocal that might have been even better if she maybe hadn't tried quite so hard to have a "moment". Still, it was a shame to lose her this week, I thought.
Credit: FOX
Would this result have been the same if we'd been seeing the vote rankings for each week like last year?
Trey: Definitely. Since fan bases do not know where their acts stand at, they may not vote as much. I feel like this pushed some acts higher last year, like Fifth Harmony when they found out they were in danger. For example, acts like Josh and Rion Paige have been safe week after week, and fans may have been given a false sense of security when they may have been barely spared over the past few weeks. If we had known they were in say, 8 or 9th last week, the outcome may have been different. Sweet Suspense may also still be here if that happened...
Nick: They might be, to be honest. Like you said, a lot of acts received huge voting boosts last season once viewers learned their standing in the competition. I'm thinking of CeCe Frey in particular, who managed to finagle a sixth place finish out of what might have been a top 10-8 run. Knowing the standings has a way of galvanizing the fanbases of underdog/dark horse acts, and lulling the fanbases of frontrunner acts into apathy. Who knows? Emblem 3 might have made the finale last year after all if it hadn't seemed like such a foregone conclusion from the rankings that they would.
Credit: FOX
Although he only lasted three extra weeks, was Josh Levi the right choice to bring back?
Trey: Absolutely. Between Josh and Alex & Sierra, one of those acts should have won the competition. I don't think it was a bad decision at all and I pretty much blame Simon for sending it to deadlock, knowing that Josh not only had a better "Save Me" performance, but is miles more commercial than sweet Rion.
Nick: I'm 100% with you on Simon's silly decision to send it to deadlock. I pretty much knew he'd send it to deadlock the minute the bottom two was announced, as he has no particular attachment to either contestant, and wouldn't want the entire season to go by without at least one deadlock decision. So he did it for the drama, like he did with the Jon & Edward/Lucie Jones vote on The X Factor UK.
But beyond the reasons for doing what he did, I actually think Simon and co. made the absolute right call in choosing Josh to bring back. Of the four acts cut from the top 16, I feel Josh had the most potential to go far. I also find him to be the most commercial of those four acts. But supposing Josh had been left at home, I think James Kenney could have really surprised people in this competition. It's kind of crazy how much better he was than some of the acts who got through, but the category-themed nature of the format meant there were only three spots available. It's a huge shame he didn't get through, and one that still burns me up a bit. But I'm happier to have gotten the three extra weeks with Josh Levi, who made the competition far more interesting than it otherwise would have been without him.
Credit: FOX
We're down to six, and it's a tight race! Which acts should go next?
Trey: I feel like Restless Road definitely needs to "get to steppin'." They are the weakest act left in the competition. Carlito can't stay for too much longer either. Sorry *Simon voice*
Nick: I'm probably going to get torched for saying this, but I actually think Jeff Gutt's time should be just about up. I like him a lot, but I don't think there's been much, if any, growth from him at all. And while there's a certain benefit to a "what you see is what you get" artist, I just always feel like there's something missing with Jeff. I should love him, because he's right up my alley, but for whatever reason I just like him. I don't think he necessarily deserves to go, but he just hasn't been doing it for me. I hope that changes this week though. I do like his voice quite a bit.
Credit: FOX
Song suggestions for Divas / Unplugged Week:
Each act gets two songs, one from a Diva theme, and another an Unplugged/Stripped Down theme.
Rion Paige: For Divas, I wonder if Shania Twain counts? I don't see why she wouldn't, within the context of the theme, but I know the definition of "Diva" is sketchy. "Don't!" or "You've Got A Way" would be great for her, even an expected choice like "You're Still the One" would fit like a glove, although the subject matter of each song could be considered a bit mature for her. As for Unplugged, I think she could have a moment with "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry or "On the Side of Angels" by LeAnn Rimes.
Jeff Gutt: Again, this all depends on one's definition of a Diva. If Ann Wilson -- lead singer of Heart -- counts, then "Barracuda" or "Magic Man" could be fantastic choices for Jeff. But if we're looking for a more strict definition, then "If I Could Turn Back Time" by Cher would be a fine fit for his voice, as would "The Best" by Tina Turner. For Unplugged, I would LOVE to hear him do "Glycerine" by Bush, although that might be pitched a bit too low for his voice, so "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd might be the way to go, even if it is a bit obvious. Stripped down, that could be a killer performance.
Alex and Sierra: I might have suggested this during 80s week, but if so, I'm re-suggesting it anyway: Eva Cassidy's version of "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper would be a great song for both the Divas theme and the Unplugged theme. But for now, I'm offering it as my Divas suggestion. For Unplugged, while I often hate going with painfully obvious suggestions, I think "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac could be a moment for them. But it doesn't feel current enough for them. I'm going to defer to you guys for suggestions. Any help?
Ellona Santiago: At the risk of having her retread Jessica Sanchez's territory, I think "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner could be a great pick for the Divas theme. "Wide Awake" could also fit on her pretty well. I just worry if she's given a singer that's too big for her voice, since I don't think Demi would change up the arrangement to make it less of a burden the way the other mentors might. So if she ends up with Celina Dion or Mariah Carey, I'd worry. Although she's shown herself capable of tackling Whitney Houston, so it's not inconceivable to think she would slay this regardless of what Demi gives her. I also think she's good to go for Unplugged as well. Give her the Sophie Habibis version of "Teenage Dream" from The X Factor UK or Lily Allen's version of "Somewhere Only We Know" (which completely wrecks my Earth every time I hear it) and I think this could really be Ellona's week to shine.
Carlito Olivero: I could see Carlito singing "I Could Fall In Love" by Selena, but with the Unplugged theme limiting him to a song with a more subdued production, I think he'll go all-out for the Diva theme. So I suggest Carlito sing something he can really take over-the-top like "Turn the Beat Around" by Gloria Estefan. As for Unplugged, I think he could really nail "Underneath Your Clothes" by Shakira. It could be a rough week for Carlito, but it really doesn't have to be. With the right choices (and not even, necessarily, these choices), he could genuinely surprise some people.
Restless Road: I expect it to be tough for the boys this week, given the Divas theme. But I think Taylor Swift might actually suit them well. It'll be hard since so many of her songs are girl-specific, but I genuinely believe they could have one of the best performances of their entire run if they do "Safe and Sound". But if they really want to do something upbeat, they could do the JTR version of "Everything Has Changed" from The X Factor Australia (which I thought was much better than the judges on that show gave it credit for). As for Unplugged, I think a low-key Keith Urban track could get them back to their golden period during the Four Chair Challenge when they sang his "Somebody Like You". A ballad like "Memories of Us" or "Tonight I Wanna Cry" would do wonders for them, I believe.
So what do you think? Sound off in the comments!