Author: Cortney Wills

Ray Mickshaw / FOX

The X Factor sent home two more hopefuls on Thursday and showcased a killer performance from its most successful act to date, One Direction.

Simon Cowell was still salty about the girls tough talk on Wednesday night and he was adamant that none of his groups would be going home. Paulina Rubio seemed a little on edge after the boys failed to impress and Kelly Rowland and Demi Lovato anxiously awaited the results of America’s vote. 

Khaya Cohenwas the first contestant to be sent home and the judges were shocked when Mario Lopez read her name. The ever-composed teenager took the news in stride and didn’t shed any tears onstage. Her mentor, Lovato, was disappointed by the decision and told the teen she had “one of the best voices I’ve ever heard.”

PHOTOS: ‘X Factor’ Season 3: Meet the Top 16

One Direction returned to the stage that made them famous when they performed their latest hit, “Story Of My Life” to a pumped up crowd. 

Next, it was time to make the final cut and it came down to Carlito Olivero and Tim Olstad in the bottom two. Neither of these were much of a surprise considering they have each received tough criticism from the judges in past weeks. 

Olstad reminded the crowd that he has “put up with a lot” in recent weeks and Olivero noted that he “came from nothing, came from dirt” before they sang their final songs. 

PHOTOS:  ‘X Factor’ Season 3 Premiere Hits Hollywood

Olstad chose Josh Groban‘s “You Lift me Up,” but there was nothing uplifting about it. Olivero picked “Beneath Your Beautiful” by Labrinth and he made sure to turn on the charm one more time in a final attempt to win over the mostly female panel. 

His lip-licking antics paid off in the end and Olstad got ousted by all three of the female judges, although Rubio struggled with her decision for a few moments before giving him the boot. Cowell didn’t even have to render his vote but he admitted after the show that he was in agreement with the ladies on this one. 

Now that the show is down to it’s Top 9 contestants, who will prove victorious in next week’s Big Band challenge?

Ray Mickshaw / FOX

The X Factor continued its week of mega-cuts on Thursday night when the show sent two contestants packing in a double elimination episode.

But even with the drama of soon-to-crushed dreams and two guest performances, the results show still dragged on and on and on… until the last few minutes left host Mario Lopez and judges Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato, Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio scrambling make the final call before the clock ran out.

[Warning: spoilers ahead…]

Fittingly — at least in name — Sweet Suspense got the first ax of the night and no one seemed more surprised than the group’s mentor, Simon Cowell. “Without being rude, there were worse people than you last night,” he said. The second to be sent home was 29-year-old Rachel Potter, who was joined in the bottom two by 16-year-old Khaya Cohen.

Both girls were forced to sing for the last spot in the Final 10. Cohen gave her all on “Don’t Give Up On,” following a strong Wednesday night showing with a soulful spin on Madonna‘s, “Borderline.” Indeed, Cohen seemed confident when the music stopped.

PHOTOS: ‘X Factor’s’ Emblem3 Performs at L.A.’s Roxy Theatre

Potter probably should have stuck to her country roots on Wednesday instead of attempting to morph into a rocker chick like she did for Heart’s “Alone.” So it was no surprise that she returned to her sweet spot with Shania Twain‘s “From This Moment.” But it wasn’t enough to keep her in the game. 

Kelly Rowland was admittedly annoyed at America’s choices and struggled to make her decision when Lopez pushed for her verdict.

“There is no reason in the world why two of the best vocalists in this competition are in the bottom two — I’m still beating my head against the wall over this,” she lamented before getting snippy with the host. “You don’t have to rush me, Mario! Don’t be rushing me!” 

After some serious pressure from Lopez, she decided to stick with her team member, and send Cohen home.

STORY: ‘X Factor’ Celebrates Top 12 Finalists With Lavish Affair

Paulina Rubio made a quicker call when she sent Potter packing and Demi Lovato had a hard time before she too opted to send the country cutie home. She shared Rowland’s frustration and took time to remind viewers that they needed to vote for contestants even if they think they’re the strongest despite. Lopez’s frantic requests for her to speed things up. 

Cowell was scowling by the time it was his turn to render a vote; he said he based his choice on “potential” and opted to keep Cohen around.

Other highlights of the 45-minutes-too-long episode: a pre-taped performance of “Slow Down This Song” by Selena Gomez, and season two’s standouts, Fifth Harmony, who took the stage wearing really cute pajamas while they sang their latest single, “Me and My Girls” to an ecstatic audience. 

Let’s hope there’s more action, and less dragged out drama during next week’s show.

Twitter: @TheLiveFeed

Ray Mickshaw / FOX

Lillie McCloud

Thursday’s X Factor was a do-over thanks to a graphics glitch from the previous night. That meant another round of solos from the remaining 13 contestants, all ballads with no bells, whistles or backup dancers.  
 
The final contestants each delivered their “Save Me” song to level the playing field while fans got another chance to vote and send the lowest scoring singer packing next week.  
 
Judge Simon Cowell confirmed the news via Twitter on Thursday and seemed a bit tickled by the challenge presented by the turn of events. 
 
“It’s live TV,” he wrote. “You have to deal with it, tough for the contestants though. But you have to dig deep and deliver.”
 
The hopefuls had only 24 hours to prepare their picks and host Mario Lopez repeatedly reminded the crowd that this was the toughest night of the competition.

PHOTOS: ‘X Factor’ Season 3 Premiere Hits Hollywood 

Squeezing 13 live performances into the hour-long show resulted in a much quicker pace for the night so fans got the goods without the usual banter while the judges’ comments were short and sweet.  
 
Recently rescued castoff Josh Levi, 15, kicked off the show for a second night in a row and had a solid showing with Rihanna‘s “Stay.”  
 
Rachel Potter, 29, redeemed herself from Wednesday’s shaky showing with Martina McBride‘s “Anyway.” It earned her a backhanded compliment from Cowell, who suggested she snuck in a secret twin. “The girl who sang yesterday was horrible and then the girl who sang tonight was fantastic,” he said. “The inconsistency is unbelievable but it’s all about song choice because that was really really good… compared to last night.” 
 
Potter’s mentor, Kelly Rowland, said she is the one to watch. “Right now, she is my favorite in the competition,” she admitted after the show.  
 
Rowland also praised Jeff Gutt‘s rocky rendition of Phil Collins‘ “In The Air Tonight” as one of the night’s best, even though Lovato and Cowell disagreed at the judge’s table, calling it “corny.”

STORY: ‘X Factor’ Recap: The Top 12 Is Revealed 

Ellona Santiago, 15, impressed the judges with “Titanium” and proved she doesn’t need sparkly outfits and backup dancers to get the job done. Her mentor, Demi Lovato, called it “incredible,” and Cowell exclaimed, “That was your best performance you’ve ever done.”  
 
Paulina Rubio offered little to the show and she’s making a habit of telling the contenders she loves them, no matter how they do onstage.  
 
Favorite Lillie McCloud, 53, really blossomed during her slow, soulful delivery of Queen’s “Who Wants To Live Forever?”  
 
“That’s what you’re supposed to do when you perform,” said Rowland. “You’re supposed to shut it down like that!” 
 
Rion Paige,13, remained a crowd pleaser and her choice of “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga was perhaps the perfect pick. The stripped-down arrangement gave room for her voice to shine and the song’s lyrics effortlessly captured the underlying strength that adds to her appeal as someone overcoming a handicap.  
 
So now that America has seen this bunch perform live three times, the elimination should be a no-brainer, right? Who do you think should go home next week?

Twitter: @TheLiveFeed