Last night on The X Factor the Top 12 performed as part of the Live Shows. Find out more in the Kidzworld Recap of Season 2, Episode 14 which aired November 7th, 2012.
The Teens
Arin Ray opened up the show with a bang performing an energetic, fun version of "American Boy," complete with dance moves, rapping and confident vocals, the judges and audience ate it up!
Last week audiences were stunned when we saw Diamond White sent home, and in a surprise turn of events the judges reconsidered and brought the 13-year-old back to rejoin the competition! Diamond performed one of the best Whitney Houston covers this season has seen to date (and there have been a lot of Whitney covers so far, I think we can all agree) singing "I Have Nothing" in simple stripped down performance that showcased her voice to a tee.
Carly Rose Sonenclar ditched the dancing and got back to being a diva this week with her performance of "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars. As usual her impeccable voice made jaws drop and put her back on top in the judges eyes.
Beatrice Miller suffered a noticeable set-back with her voice this week due to strain, but still managed to connect with audiences performing "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls, just like last week though her outfit seemed to be a mish mash of every piece of clothing they could throw on her - Beatrice was drowning in layers!
The Young Adults
Demi and Simon clashed and argued all through the episode about the direction she had taken her contestants in, and Jennel Garcia was a prime example. She rocked out with Joan Jett's "I Love Rock N' Roll," and got the crowd moving with her saucy moves and vocals, but Simon felt that Demi had taken her style in completely the wrong direction (i.e. he wants the return of her curls) and both he and L.A. felt that the song was too much like the original.
Paige Thomas descended from on high with an angelic version of "Take My Breath Away," that the judges loved, it showcased her star-power although Simon complained that the song wasn't different enough from the original, and would have liked a more creative arrangement.
Cece Frey seemed to be getting back to her old firecracker (borderline unlikeable) self with the return of the animal paint on her face andthe song "Eye of the Tiger," but while she performed like a pop star we have to agree with Simon that the choice of song didn't really suit her voice.
The Over 25s
Vino Alan's performance of "When a Man Love a Woman," showcased his husky, bluesy voice perfectly almost making us all forget the boring choice last week, but Demi still believes that he doesn't seem enough like a pop star, despite his talent.
Tate Stevens went with a classic, singing "Dead or Alive," and while it wasn't the most memorable performance of the night, the judges were on board, giving him high praise.
Jason Brock constantly toes the line between being too flashy for many despite his apparent talent, and Simon and Britney felt that L.A. didn't do him any favors this week and that his act bordered on being too Las Vegas lounge-y, both in the arrangement and in his bright red shiny suit jacket and shirt. Despite all this he sang R. Kelly's "Fly," well.
The Groups
Everyone agreed that 1432 (formerly The Lylas) name wasn't working at all, so X Factor put it to America to choose a new one, and they came up with the Twilight-inspired name Fifth Harmony. The girls performance of Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years," was a reminder of just how great they were in that initial performance back at Simon's house.
Lyric145 burst onto the stage in a completely original take on the Mary Poppins' classic "Supercalifragalisticexpialodocius," and their performance was energetic, unique and inspired. L.A. summed it up by saying he "hated it" because it wasn't his taste, but that they had done an excellent job, and the rest of the judges agreed that it set them apart.
Emblem3 performed a mashup of Katy Perry's "California Girls" and "My Girl," with just a little hint of One Direction thrown in. As always the boys were fun and fresh and audiences loved them, although it wasn't as powerful as some of their past nights.
Tomorrow's results show will feature a live performance by former X Factor UK contestants One Direction!
Check out Diamond's performance below.
Have Your Say
Who do you think had the best performance of the night? let us know in the comments section below.
