The X Factor: A Musical Cornucopia Of Thanks

Once again, ‘The X Factor’s’ schedule is thrown off by something going on Thursday. This time, it’s a little holiday we in America like to call Thanksgiving. So I guess it’s acceptable to not have ‘The X Factor’ on Thursday night to make room for ‘A Very Taylor Swift Christmas Special: Back To December’ instead. (Note: ‘A Very Taylor Swift Christmas Special: Back To December’ is not a real program.) So, Steve Jones opened the show and informed everyone that this week’s theme would be about giving thanks to those who deserve it. Which also meant I went to grab the Kleenex. Then the judges walked out to Diana Ross’ “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Obviously, Nicole Scherzinger was giving thanks for turtleneck dresses because she was wearing one with no pants. And Paula Abdul was giving thanks to push up bras and tiny dresses. Then Steve threw out the zinger! He announced that this week would be a DOUBLE ELIMINATION WEEK! What?!?! DOUBLE ELIMINATION? Oh. The excitement in my apartment about hit the roof. Then Steve talked about last week’s Astrogate (see The X Factor: Astro’s Attitude Adjustment), and Simon Cowell talked about how this will be his first Thanksgiving in America.

The first act to take the stage on the Thanksgiving show was little Rachel Crow. She said she was dedicating her song to her parents. Then we learned about Rachel’s past, where her parents adopted her as a crack baby and basically saved her from a life of abuse. Then there were pictures and video of Rachel as a baby. And she was SO cute. I was sobbing during her story before she even started to sing. Then Rachel came out and sang a powerful and emotional version of Yolanda Adams’ “I Believe.” And let me tell you: it was near perfection. My tears did not stop until Rachel stopped singing. I’m tearing up a little now just remembering it. It was the BEST PERFORMANCE Rachel has given so far on the show. The judges rightfully praised Rachel and the audience went wild. Then Rachel dropped the quote of the night: “You really can do anything because I did.” She is 14. And she’s already an inspiration to many people. The night started off with a bang and wouldn’t subside until the end of the show.

So who had the bad luck of following Rachel? LA Reid’s mentee, Marcus Canty. Marcus dedicated his song to his Mother. In his story, we learned about Marcus’ Mom sacrificing basically everything so that he could attend private school. Then his senior year, she lost her job and had to work several jobs just so Marcus could finish school. Marcus’ song choice for his Mom was the fitting “A Song For Mama,” originally performed by Boyz II Men. This week, Marcus was much better than last week’s train wreck. The whole song was smooth and heartfelt, and you could tell he was singing it directly to his mother. Some of his high notes were a little off, but I’m going to give Marcus a free pass because he sounded like he was battling a cold. And from experience, high notes are not easy to sing when you are sick. Especially when you’re singing “Man! I Feel Like A Woman” at karaoke. Anyway, the judges all loved it and so did Marcus’ Mom. So after that, we were two for two on the night.

Next up was my current choice to win the whole show, Melanie Amaro. Melanie dedicated her song to God and talked about how everyone had let her down at some point in her life except for God. That statement made me kind of sad. It just hit me as something a 19-year-old shouldn’t be saying. She hasn’t been out in the real world enough to know that. It really made me feel for her, as I feel the same way sometimes. Also, I really hadn’t heard Melanie’s British Virgin Islands accent until this week, so it was cool to hear that, too. Melanie’s song choice for the week was R. Kelly’s “The World’s Greatest.” First of all, Melanie looked more radiant than she has in any other week. Then, there was the song and singing, which was powerful and emotional. It was the best she’s done because it showed her vulnerability and really showcased exactly how talented she is. Yet again, the Kleenex box came into play. Then when the judges started talking about how wonderful she was, Melanie spoke up and talked about how thankful she was for all the opportunities she had been given. She cried, I cried, Nicole cried, then I got a text message and got all confused as to what I was supposed to be doing. Melanie and Rachel are definitely the two to beat on this show. If you aren’t voting for one of them, please cancel your phone plan until the season is over.