On Thursday night's episode of “The X Factor,” Demi Lovato made the tough decision to vote one of her own acts off the show -- and the unexpected goodbye was a tearful one for both the judge and the contestant.
The episode was thin on content until the final showdown between Paige Thomas and Jennel Garcia, who surprisingly fared worst in viewers' votes despite potentially less-talented acts moving onto the next round.
The departure of Lyric 145 from “The X Factor” kicked off the episode, which marked a sad day for pop music innovation, especially since it’s hard to imagine another rap group performing a gritty version of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" as boldly as they did. A performance by Taylor Swift followed, with the debut of her new song, "State of Grace," as well as a rundown of the acts that made the cut filling out the episode.
But at the end of the night, it was the surprising matchup of Demi's divas that ratcheted up the most emotion.
Garcia stepped up first and sang "The Reason," by Hoobastank. It's a song that this reviewer swore long ago never to listen to in its entirety because of its composition -- equal parts recycled musical cliche and melodically corrosive earworm -- but Garcia filled her version with an actual reason worth singing about — her survival in the competition. Her voice grew huskier as she sang to save herself from elimination, and the lyrics sounded almost defiant at points -- "And so I have to say before I go/That I just want you to know” — and maybe a little defeatist to a crowd that’s already voted her into this tenuous position.
Paige Thomas took the stage next, and performed Coldplay's "Paradise." It started off great, and Chris Martin's vocal lilts, often involving two or three different notes in each word, displayed a virtuosity in Thomas' voice. The energy she began with at the beginning didn’t carry through completely to the end of the song, however, and there was a pitch error or two. But it was still a solid performance, one that mentor Demi sat watching with rapt attention, her hands covering her mouth as if she were in a state of perpetual shock.
As per the format, the judges offered only votes, not critiques, at the end. L.A. Reid and Britney Spears voted Garcia off, and it then came down to Lovato and Simon Cowell. Mario Lopez asked Cowell for the third of four votes but he balked, asking if Lovato could go first instead. Lopez caved easily -- "You're the boss," he said cheerily -- and kicked the question to Lovato. The youngest judge tried to send it back to Cowell but failed, even though it seemed the only reason he was allowed his stubbornness is because he is quite literally the boss of “The X Factor.” She visibly agonized over the choice, but finally voted Garcia off.
Lopez and Kourtney Kardashian displayed their finest synthetic sympathy as they offered a look at Garcia's past on the show. Though the audience didn't immediately see it, Garcia started crying onstage; we actually heard it first, audible behind the montage, which was possibly worse. But by the time the producers added a picture-in-picture box at the corner of the screen to clarify the situation and/or allow us to watch a train wreck in slow motion, we saw Lovato embracing Garcia and comforting her.
Once the highlight reel was over, it became obvious that in fact both of them had been crying -- Lovato seemed as if she had warmed to her youthful, rockstar-ish personality over the past episodes. It’s fitting for a judge who just had to eliminate one of the strongest acts in the competition in order to save another. Lovato offered Garcia the kindest words she can muster, telling her that she's talented, that she loves her, and that she has a future in the music industry.
"I'm not worried," Lovato said of the young singer's potential career.
That leaves the final 10, in order: Tate Stevens, Carly Rose Sonenclar, Vino Alan, Emblem3, Cece Frey, Fifth Harmony, Diamond White, Beatrice Miller, Arin Ray and Paige Thomas. A few surprises: Tate’s second appearance at the top, Frey’s jump to fifth place and the fact that Ray and Beatrice can’t seem to escape the bottom rungs of the ladder — suggest that the voters’ tastes aren’t especially consistent and are therefore bound to reduce some of the strongest acts to singing for their own survival.
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