The X Factor USA 2011 - The Finals

The plural is theirs, not mine. And Worcester spelled as Wooster? Really?

TEAM NICOLE SCHERZINGER
1. Josh Krajick & Alanis Morissette - Uninvited
Josh should have sounded amazing in this song, but somehow didn't. It didn't really work as a duet either, their voices didn't blend very well and there was zero chemistry. Disappointing. It's odd how one of my early favourites has slipped away gradually week after week.

TEAM L.A. REID
2. Chris Rene & Avril Lavigne - Complicated
WTF was L.A. thinking? Completely out of his vocal range, not to mention genre, his rap is what saved him. That alone speaks volumes.

TEAM SIMON COWELL
3. Melanie Amaro & R. Kelly - I Believe I Can Fly
When you have a vocalist like Melanie, why stick her with one of the big audition clichés? Her voice, however, did blend very nicely with R's, so why not take over Celine Dion's role on I'm Your Angel? It's a minor quibble, as she did a decent job. But I was expecting a phenomenal job.

TEAM NICOLE
4. Josh Krajick - At Last (Etta James)
Back to their audition songs, and Josh stripped this down nicely giving it his own acoustic vibe to match his growly vocals.

TEAM LA
5. Chris Rene - Young Homie
Proving himself to be the weakest vocalist left, Chris brings out his own song for the third time. And, I have to say, it's proving itself to be a somewhat tedious song, rather than some modern urban masterpiece.

TEAM SIMON
6. Melanie Amaro - Listen (Beyoncé)
Given that everybody (with the sole exception of her own eventual mentor Simon Cowell) spotted this performance as the one that would win the show, it's the perfect time for her to perform it again, and sealed the deal she did. And no, I don't know why I went all Yoda then.

RESULTS SHOW
"This stage is our gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to us." Nicely said, Paula Abdul.

TEAM SIMON
7. Melanie Amaro - All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey)
Yes, Simon went with the obvious. But it was a perfect fit with a perfect vocal. Her stage performance left a lot to be desired, but fear not, she's no Rebecca Ferguson.

TEAM LA
8. Chris Rene - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland/Frank Sinatra)
Sticking to a simple piano vocal, his vocals' limits were exposed, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. Just.

TEAM NICOLE
9. Josh Krajick - Please Come Home For Christmas (Charles Brown)
Another good fit for Josh's bluesy voice, he played it relatively straight, avoiding both bum notes and wow moments.

RESULTS
In third place is... Chris Rene! I honestly expected it to be Josh, so am happy.

RESULTS
The winner is... Melanie Amaro!