The X Factor USA - Live Show 7 - Dance / own choice

TEAM SIMON COWELL
1. Melanie Amaro - Someone Like You (Adele)
Nothing says "dance anthem" like this. So Simon's basically cheated by putting a beat over a ballad, but hey it's worked for the likes of Cascada and DJ Sammy, so why not? She has one of the strongest voices in the competition, and was more than up to the enormous task. Whilst there was little to fault, I can't help but feel the other judges are quaking a little after Simon's humongous strop last week.

TEAM L.A. REID
2. Marcus Canty - Ain't Nobody (Rufus & Chaka Khan)
Again, Marcus starts off struggling on his lower register, but puts on a bit of a performance with it. It was a little cheesy and wasn't flawless. It's the time of the competition to start jumping on any flaw.

3. Rachel Crow - Nothing On You (B.O.B. feat. Bruno Mars)
There's still something about precocious Rachel that I just can't take to, but her voice is excellent, especially given her age. Bits of it were shaky, though and I still feel she should have waited a few years.

4. Josh Krajick - We Found Love (Calvin Harris & Rihanna)
Josh and dance were never going to be a comfortable fit, and this was a strange choice of song. However, his vocals were more than up to the task, even if the timbre didn't fit the song. He did a phenomenal job with what he was given.

5. Chris Rene - Live Your Life (Jay-Z feat. Rihanna)
It was what it was. He rapped, sang a little, it felt authentic... But, whatever. I've stood up for Chris over the last few weeks, but that felt more a case of going through the motions.

TEAM SIMON
Melanie Amaro - When You Believe (Whitney & Mariah)
A predictable song choice, but again Melanie's voice is up to the task. She had a chance to really go for it in the second half and bottled it, but it's still difficult to find fault. Glad the judges reminded Simon that it was THEY that pointed out his mistake of sending her home before the live shows.

TEAM L.A.
Marcus Canty - A Song For You (Leon Russell)
A superb vocal. Simon has a severe case of sour grapes and completely missed it. Yes it was a version that had been done before, but not as much as Melanie's last performance, and definitely had the emotion every other performance has lacked. Not for the first time Simon might well have missed the winning "moment" that this series has so far lacked. *COUGH Jordin Sparks COUGH Will Young COUGH*

TEAM SIMON
Rachel Crow - Music and Me (Michael Jackson)
I much prefer this side of Rachel, however inappropriately old-fashioned it was. She proved she can deliver emotion and great vocals by just standing and singing, no cutesiness.

TEAM NICOLE
Josh Krajick - Something (The Beatles)
A more obvious choice for Josh, and one of my favourite Beatles songs. He gave it his own twist and certainly proved himself vocally. Karaoke it was not, L.A.

TEAM L.A.
Chris Rene - Where Do We Go From Here?
Singing an original song is always a risk, and this one was a little repetitive and dull, but not terrible- and he sang it well. Unfortunately, once his vocals are stripped down they don't stand up as well as the others'. But it's good to see the more vulnerable side of Chris.

RESULTS SHOW
Bottom two:
TEAM L.A.
Marcus Canty - I'm Going Down (Mary J. Blige)
A very strong vocal, lots of emotion.and yet a bit... meh.

TEAM SIMON
Rachel Crow - I'd Rather Go Blind (Etta James)
A phenomenal performance both vocally and emotionally. Okay, THAT was the "moment".

L.A. saves Marcus (obviously)
Simon saves Rachel (obviously)
Paula saves Marcus
Nicole saves Marcus to take it to deadlock.
The US public save Marcus. Oops. Rachel whines big time, Nicole bursts into tears and Simon, surprisingly, doesn't seem as upset or angry a last week. Nicole can't speak, and the audience boos at the sounding her name. She is soooooo fucking fired.