It might have been a sleepy post-Turkey evening for most of America, but there was plenty of action on The X Factor as another double elimination knocked the top eight down to a final six.
Warning: spoilers ahead...
But before the drama began, the contestants were treated to a Thanksgiving dinner with their families along with a performance by judge Demi Lovato, who took to the stage for an electrifying performance of her latest hit, "Neon Lights."
Lillie McCloud, the 50-something soul singer with impressive pipes, was sent home first. Her mentor, Kelly Rowland, looked as stunned as the finalist herself. "This has been a major ride for me and I learned a lot of things and I'm good," said McCloud after getting the boot. "God knows what he's doing."
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Host Mario Lopez was a relief for the fortunate four who were sent to the safe zone -- Carlito Olivero, Ellonna Santiago, Restless Road and Alex & Sierra -- leaving Rion Paige, Jeff Gutt and Josh Levi in the bottom three.The crowd was in for another shock when it came down to Paige and Levi in the bottom two, pitting the teenagers against each other in a battle to save themselves.
Paige hit the stage with a look of fierce determination and chose Pink's "Perfect" as her "save me" song. She nailed it as usual and the lyrics seemed perfectly suited to her inspiring backstory.
Paulina Rubio was noticeably flustered when she accidentally named Carlito Olivero instead of Josh Levi before he made his last attempt to stay in the game. Levi picked Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man" and the vocals were strong. The judges had a tough choice to make between two of their favorite contestants.
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Admittedly torn when it came time to make their decision, it was painfully clear that nobody liked making the tough call on a holiday. But Lovato and Rubio stayed loyal to their mentees, voting to keep Paige and Levi, respectively.
Rowland, who said she admired both contenders and saw growth from each of them, struggled to reach a decision. In the end, she voted to send Paige packing, leaving the final call up to Simon Cowell.
He insisted that both of the teens are ready for the music business and decided to send Levi home, ultimately letting the viewers' votes break the tie. Lopez revealed that Levi earned the least number of votes from fans and would be heading home for the second time this season.
Thank goodness for Michael Buble, who lightened the mood earlier on with his silky smooth rendition of "It's a Beautiful Day." Sadly, for at least two people on Thanksgiving night, it was more like a disappointing one.
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