America and 'The X Factor' completely defied my expectations on Thursday night. When Steve Jones announced that the first two acts safe this week were the aggressively mediocre Lakoda Rayne and LeRoy Bell, it became apparent that there would be no predicting the week's results.Still, with so many fan-favorite acts apparently in danger of elimination, the episode provided far more tension than I was anticipating this early in the game, when it seemed that all of the groups would be wiped out before the solo artists would have their turn on the chopping block.
The third act to be eliminated by America and the judges was ...
Stacy Francis.
Simon Cowell said it best on Wednesday night: Stacy has been backsliding since the audition rounds, and after last week's lackluster Whitney and this week's painful Meat Loaf, there was no way she could measure up against Astro's confident, polished performances. Her "save me" song, 'Amazing Grace,' started out nasal and wobbly, suffering from too many of the extraneous runs she's always been guilty of tossing into her renditions. Her upper register was undeniably stronger, and the song evened out as she hit the middle, but I still wouldn't describe it as an enjoyable performance to listen to.
Astro took things in a strange direction when he returned to the stage, announcing that he didn't think he should perform because he deemed it unnecessary at this point of the competition, but he deigned to grace us with his lyrics after psyching the audience up and making them cheer to convince him. The kid is certainly an entertainer, but for those who think he has an attitude problem, the showboating was unlikely to do him any favors with voters. With his own lyrics to 'Never Can Say Goodbye,' he praised L.A. Reid as being "like an older brother" to him and called Paula "a lady" instead of "crazy," which was entertaining, but his stage presence was sorely lacking, and he already seemed defeated.
Picking up on that vibe, L.A. chided Astro for coming out and acting like a quitter after all of his spectacular performances to date, telling his contestant that he was disappointed in his attitude. He ultimately voted to save him though, since he's still "his guy."
Similarly, Nicole stood by her girl, choosing to eliminate Astro over Stacy.
"It's not how you start, but it's how you finish -- be grateful you're on that stage," Paula told the two contestants -- both of whom have struggled with their egos this week -- but she eventually chose to send home Stacy.
Simon was even more unimpressed with Astro than L.A. was, telling him to uncross his arms and look Simon in the eye as he talked to the sullen 15-year-old. "You're showing disrespect to your mum and you're showing disrespect to the audience," he remarked.
Astro defended his attitude by telling Simon, "If you're gonna put me in the bottom two, I don't want to perform for people who don't want me here."
"Part of doing this is being a grown-up, you know what the rules are," Simon shot back, though he seemed to be torn over his decision on who to send home, even when Astro silently started crying. Still, Simon chose to save the performer whom he believed had the best chance of becoming a successful recording artist, and that was Astro, sealing Stacy's fate.
"I want to take a serious moment to thank the judges," Stacy said before her exit. "I wasn't always happy with the song choices, but I have to suck up my pride and take responsibility for my performance." She thanked the mentors for taking a chance on her, especially Simon, for giving a 42-year-old woman the chance to sing to the world.
'The X Factor' airs next Tuesday and Wednesday at 8PM ET on Fox.
Do you think Astro will wind up right back in the bottom two after his behavior this week? Was Stacy the right act to go home? Share your thoughts below.
Follow Laura on Twitter: @LauinLA
'The X Factor' Sneak Peek
- 'The X Factor' Cast
- 'The X Factor' Cast
- 'The X Factor' Judges
- Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell
- Host Steve Jones Backstage
- 'The X Factor' Judges
- Simon Cowell, Judge
- Steve Jones, Host of 'The X Factor'
- L.A. Reid, Judge
- Paula Abdul, Judge
- Nicole Scherzinger, Judge
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