X Factor US Season 3: Top 6 Perform: Divas & Unplugged
06 December, 2013 9:52 PM
We didn't only say goodbye to Lillie McCloud last week but also to the awesome Josh Levi, again. This time, the remaining 6 contestants will be performing twice, a Diva hit and an Unplugged performance, just them and a microphone, nothing to hide behind. Who'll make it to next week's semi-final? ... It's time to face the music!
Restless Road
"Red" - 2/10
- They believe their performance last week went as well as they could've ever hoped. Seriously? They talk about their small towns. Colton's parents are both teachers so they don't make a lot of money so people come to his dad and give them checks so he can come see his son. Ugh, this is so awful. They just don't work together and Simon pushing them down our throats isn't gonna make us like them either. "You are so cute. Little Elvis Presley, I just love when you sing. I know Simon chose this song under the influence of alcohol because that was amazing" (Paulina)
Rion Paige
"See You Again" - 3/10 - Being in the B2 last week was really heartbreaking for her. She didn't want to cry because she didn't know if she could stop. She wants to show America she belongs in this competition. "I'm a fighter and I can do anything I set my mind to" she says. The problem is, she's not a good singer. The fact that she's 13 has a lot to do with that. Maybe in a few years, the girl will finally be ready but right now, she's obviously not. Her pitch is all over the place, as usual, and the performance is simply bad karaoke. She's no identity, maybe in 5 years time she'll find it, but she won't in this competition. "Every time I watch you perform, it's always genuine. Standing up there and being a diva, you commanded presence the way a diva would" (Kelly)
Jeff Gutt
"Without You" - 5/10
- After he didn't make it last season he felt like he had failed. His proud to be from Detroit and the support he's been getting from them is amazing. He's pretending this is a diva song when in fact, it was originally performed by a rock group, Badfinger. On top of that, this song has been done a thousand times on singing competitions. Jeff's version won't be remembered, he didn't bring nothing to it. Competent karaoke at best. When the lighting is more interesting than the actual performance, you've got a problem. "I'm not being rude, you are quite boring as a person but when you come on stage, you completely transform. What I love about you is you are someone how actually wants to win this competition" (Simon)
"Applause" - 8,5/10 - No one loves her as much as her little niece Adele, who Ellona believes is a mini Ellona. She's her inspiration this week. Demi gave her a Gaga song. She wants her not only to show confidence but also to nail the vocals. To be honest, this was damn good. Ellona's got so much potential, her vocals may not always be perfect, but there's no denying she could be a pop star. The girl just gives it her all when she enters the stage. Tonight she sounded stronger than usual, her voice was truly great on this track, but one more time, that outfit! Simon also has a point, she's gotta lose the circus. "Wow. This was truly one of your best performances. When you got to the end you went somewhere else and it was incredible. I need you to be able to control those big notes that divas do at the end" (Kelly)
Ellona Santiago
Alex & Sierra
"Say My Name" - 10/10 - They take a break from the competition and go out on a date. Sierra's mom was born and raised in Vietnam. She's escaped when it was getting bombed, getting separated from her mom in the chaos. She misses her mom, since the show didn't brought their families for the Thanksgiving special. Wow! This is by far my fave from them, mainly because it wasn't what I was expecting. The song choice was so damn cool and that arrangement was simply wonderful. It's way more upbeat from what we're used to see from them but they totally nailed it. Best of the season? You bet it was. "I must admit I was not ready for that. It was a couple of moments in there were I was like 'Is this my song?'. I was really shocked but you guys actually really pulled that off. Sierra, you had all the sass" (Kelly)
Carlito Olivero
"Let's Get Loud" - 5/10 - He grew up in the same neighbourhood his parents grew up in. Paulina invited him to her house. Her biggest diva is Celia Cruz. She then realizes it wasn't a strong song for Carlito at all. So she changes it to this awful Jennifer Lopez number. Since the Latino thing worked last week, Carlito isn't stepping away from it. The problem is his voice has no personality so his performance are not compelling at all. He had some charisma this week but again, it was only competent. "Last week was really hard to top and I don't think that you topped it. You need to be that hot Latin singer that girls fall all over" (Demi)
Ranking
- Alex & Sierra
- Ellona Santiago
- Jeff Gutt
- Carlito Olivero
- Rion Paige
- Restless Road
Round 2 - Unplugged
Restless Road
Restless Road
"Wake Me Up" - 5/10
- I'd rather have Alex & Sierra singing this song, anyone but them to be honest. They are atrocious singers and this unplugged song exposed that. That said, this is probably the best they've sounded all season, which isn' hard since they've mostly been shit. Zach's fake deep voice feels so forced, it's off putting. And Andrew's vocals are so damn weak. They are crying, even Demi. WTF? Crocodile tears anyone? "You guys are our boys. I want him to let you sing a little bit more between each other. I'm just proud to be here" (Paulina)
Rion Paige
"Glass" - 4,5/10 - The lyrics in this song really describe her as a person. She says she's been underestimated her whole life because of her hands. She still has pitch issues here. Actually, it's even more pitchy than what she did before. I liked that she was a little more restrained here This was indeed one of her best performances but when you set the bar so low it ain't hard topping it. "I felt every word, I thought you sang it better, it suited you better, it had more depth. You could've just saved yourself on that second song" (Simon)
Jeff Gutt
"Daniel" - 5/10 -When he thinks about the lyrics of this song he pictures his brother, who is a Senior Chief in the US Navy. "Fighting for America and our freedom is something he believes in". Freedom? By the way, how many family members does this guy have? It's like every week there's a story about one of them. I guess my issue with Jeff is that he comes across as desperate, as if his life depended on winning this show. He's not the greatest musician, he's not original nor interesting enough. This performance was mostly super boring, different from what he's given us before, but so sleepy. Demi was spot on with her comment. "I have to be honest. I feel like it was good but it was a bit stale and it was anti-climatic" (Demi)
"If I Were A Boy" - 6,5/10 - She's worried about being able to pull off this song. "Is my voice strong enough to win this competition?" she wonders. It's nice to see her without 20 dancers around her. Her vocals are really good but my issue with Ellona is that her voice seems to have no identity, it's not rich enough. Her tone is so generic, as if it has no personality. The performance had several other problems besides that, like her run at the end. "I feel I'm watching a superstar. I love how you command, I love how you deliver, I love how passionate you are" (Paulina)
Ellona Santiago
Alex & Sierra
"Say Something" - 10/10 - Since every week they take songs and strip them back, they want to do it differently this week. Sierra's gonna be playing the piano this week, something she's never done for anyone. Gosh, this two are on fire tonight! Simon better stop pimping the crappy Restless Road and start giving this amazing duo some merits. So it wasn't exactly different from the original but the singing was so beautifully captivating that I don't think it mattered. "The two of you playing instruments is so magical. What I notice when you guys sing that song, you never took your eyes off of each other, and it brought tears to my eyes because it's really beautiful" (Demi)
Carlito Olivero
"Stand By Me" - 3/10 - I could already tell this was gonna be bad but I could never anticipate how terrible it was gonna be. The transition from English to Spanish was almost psychotic and completely random. Also, the instrumentation was so horrible, way too fast, which made Carlito's take seem frenetic. And that whiny tone of his? Ugh. Unbearable. "It was better than the first song, I'd really be upset if we lost you" (Simon) Apparently, every time Simon talks he opens his nose. Oh Paulina, never change.
Ranking
- Alex & Sierra
- Ellona Santiago
- Restless Road
- Jeff Gutt
- Rion Paige
- Carlito Olivero
Results
Alex & Sierra's "Say Something" charted at #1 on iTunes. "Say My Name" is at #10. Good for them. They are by far the best this season and the only reason to keep watching.
Eliminated:
Ellona Santiago
Damn. This show never fails to impress me. How is it possible that the atrocious Restless Road or a singer that can hardly stay on pitch like Rion Paige got more votes than this girl? She may not the most accomplished performer but her potential is insane. This is crazy.
Emblem 3
"Just For One Day"
Bottom 3:
Rion Paige
Carlito Olivero
Little Mix
"Move"
Rion Paige - "The House That Built Me" - Honestly, this wasn't as atrocious as she's been in the past. The song worked well enough for her voice and even if her pitch was all over the place, it was still kind of a sweet performance.
Carlito Olivero - "You Make Me Wanna..." - Much better than Rion which is not hard to achieve. I don't really care about it though. He sings to a random woman, apparently Demi's sister. I'm not impressed. I actually want him to go home, only because I believe Rion won't make it to the final if she advances.
Demi sends Carlito home.
Paulina sends Rion home.
Kelly sends Rion home.
Simon sends Rion home.
Eliminated:
Rion Paige
And just like that, Demi is out of acts. I just couldn't wait to see one of this two eliminated. Both of them gone would've been better but I guess you can't have it all. Rion needed to leave this competition. She just wasn't ready. Her voice needs a lot of work, maybe then she can audition for The Voice.
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