The X Factor USA - Live Show 3 - Movie Week

TEAM NICOLE SCHERZINGER
1. Stacy Francis - Queen of the Night (Whitney Houston, The Bodyguard)
One of the biggest voices in the competition sounded a bit lost in this. Definitely in too high a key for her, and her movement on-stage lacked the funky diva sassiness it required. Hugely disappointing, but not terrible.

TEAM LA REID
2. Marcus Canty - I'm Going Down (Rose Royce, Car Wash)
An odd song choice that I didn't think suited him at all. It was alright, but the singing-"oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah"-while-backup-actually-sings-the-song thing just leaves me cold.

TEAM SIMON COWELL
3. Drew - Fix You (Coldplay, You, Me & Dupree)
OK. This week I kind of got it. The song suited her awkward voice rather nicely. LA Reid proves once more he's Louis Walsh by bringing out the rule book. It's Gummo-gate all over again.

TEAM NICOLE
4. Leroy Bell - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (U2, Runaway Bride)
Another bad fit of voice and song, but his Michael Bolton-esque soulful vocals still stood out, even if they didn't soar as they should.

TEAM PAULA ABDUL
5. Lakoda Rayne - Somebody Like You (Keith Urban, How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days)
At times, they sounded great- but some of the harmonies were a bit off. This is totally within their comfort zone, and I have to say I prefer them when they do their country spin on a more mainstream pop song. This was all a bit Dixie Chicks. Nothing wrong with that, but since we already have the Dixie Chicks, why do we need Lakoda Rayne?

TEAM LA
6. Astro - Lose Yourself (Eminem, 8 Mile)
Proving once and for all he's 100% rapper and 0% singer, he's undeniably talented given he rewrites every "song"(?) he performs. America's Got Talent? Certainly. The X Factor? Certainly not.

TEAM SIMON
7. Melanie Amaro - Man in the Mirror (Michael Jackson, This Is It)
Interesting how lyrics are changed if it might sound like you're being romantic towards someone of the same sex, but it's perfectly fine for Melanie to look in the mirror and see a man? Okay. That aside, it wasn't quite the phenomenal performance it should have been. It's movie week, give her "Listen" again. Her vocals were brilliant, but LA was right, there was nothing inventive about it.

TEAM PAULA
8. The Stereo Hoggzz - Ain't No Other Man (Christina Aguilera, Get Smart)
I quite liked the styling, visually it worked very nicely. Audibly, was patchy at best. Not run-behind-the-sofa bad, but nothing that would make me buy an album. Wow, LA Reid really IS Louis Walsh. "I don't know that song"... WTF?

TEAM NICOLE
9. Josh Krajick - With A Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles/Joe Cocker, Across The Universe)
Exactly what I (and everybody) expected it to be. In both good and bad ways.

TEAM LA
Chris Rene - Gangsta's Paradise/Pastime Paradise (Coolio & LV/Stevie Wonder, Dangerous Minds)
Like Astro, he wrote his own rap around Coolio's, and, like Marcus, opted for the ooh yeahs, rather than the melody (though not as often). However, he hit the right notes, rapped with sincerity, and showed Astro up for the little boy he is.

TEAM SIMON
Rachel Crow - I'd Rather Go Blind (Etta James/Beyoncé, Cadillac Records)
I'll be honest, I'd written this performance off before it had even started. What a mistake-a to make-a. That. Was. Phenomenal. Wow.

RESULTS SHOW

Rather shockingly, Paula's acts make up the bottom two once more, namely Lakoda Rayne and The Stereo Hoggzz. It was fascinating how all acts were big smiles for the first few names, and then every expression gradually turned to absolute horror as they remained on stage. Poor Paula. She was a nightmare on American Idol, but has been surprisingly tolerable on here.

TEAM PAULA
Lakoda Rayne - No Air (Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown)
This is Lakoda Rayne at their best- i.e. taking a pop/RnB song and making it country. Unfortunately, the bottom two scenario caused many of them to over-sing and the harmonies turned from bad to hellish.

The Stereo Hoggzz - You Are Not Alone (Michael Jackson)
Possibly their strongest vocal performance so far, their harmonies were tight, the soloists were excellent, and the ad libs were well-judged. Surprisingly good. I was hoping Lakoda Rayne would go through before the sing-off, now I'm not so sure.

LA Reid sends home The Stereo Hoggzz.
Nicole Scherzinger sends home The Stereo Hoggzz.
Paula Abdul refuses to vote, then, as her abstention would have sent The Stereo Hoggzz home, sends home Lakoda Rayne.
Simon Cowell sends home The Stereo Hoggzz.

The Stereo Hoggzz go home. It'll be interesting to see a different judge's act in the bottom two next week, even if it is alongside one of Paula's.