Reality Rocks‘X Factor’ Top 4 Results: So, Did Marcus Survive?
Tonight, the suspense was at an all-time high as nail-nibbling, hyperventilating "X Factor" viewers watched host Steve Jones announce which three finalists--as voted entirely by America--were through to next week's big finale. Fan favorites Chris Rene and Melanie Amaro sailed through first, but then it all came down to soulful rocker Josh Krajcik and soulful "three-time save-me-song champion" Marcus Canty. As the two very different singers stood onstage awaiting their fate, viewers trembled in their armchairs, wondering who it might be...
Oh, come on. Who am I kidding here? After two weeks of "shocker" eliminations, this week's top four results show was possibly THE least shocking in "X Factor" history. Viewers could breathe easy this week. It was in fact Marcus who went home. Of course it was.
Let's face it, it was Marcus's time to go. Actually, it was probably his time to go a couple weeks ago, before Astro and Drew Ryniewicz left. And after he outlasted America's sweetheart, Rachel Crow, there surely was a backlash against him in place. But "X Factor" producers still didn't take any chances this week, making sure Marcus sang first in the kiss-of-death spot; that he was assigned corny Vegas numbers with silly props (white roses?) and "zombie dancers"; and that he received an especially vicious tongue-lashing from Simon Cowell (who called him "horrific" and a "joke"). So Marcus really didn't have much of a chance this week. He was a dead man walking. Or a dead man singing, as it were.
Still, I have to give the guy a little credit. Marcus was always one of the best PERFORMERS on this show. His charisma was undeniable and off-the-charts (Astro could've taken likability lessons from Marcus), and after years of "American Idol" failing to produce a relevant, modern-day male R&B star in the Usher/Jason Derulo/Ne-Yo mold, Marcus's presence on this show was welcome indeed--at least at first. But there is an art to singing and dancing live at the same time--something most pop stars nowadays actually avoid by just lip-synching or singing to track--and Marcus never quite perfected that art. Sure, it was all very thrilling to watch him do backflips or crawl between dancing vixens' legs or hand out white roses to the laydeez, but sometimes his vocals were compromised as a result.
But hey, I'd go see Marcus in concert any day--even if he were lip-synching! The kid's got some moves. He certainly has raw talent, so I hope his mother will extended her make-it-in-showbiz-by-age-20 deadline, or that Marcus will (gasp!) defy his mama's orders, so he can keep on performing. Just not on this show.
I must say, Marcus was likable to the very end, taking his elimination in stride this Thursday; his smiling, shrug-it-off attitude was the polar opposite of last week's dramatic Rachel Crow knee-drop. (I am guessing he was just as unsurprised as the rest of America by this week's results.) "Why you look sad, Steve?" he quipped as Steve Jones pretended to console him at the end of the show, before he sassed to his family in the audience, "Stop crying! It's all right!" Then he humbly announced, "God blessed me so much by putting me in this competition. I gave my all, and that's all I can do." Yes, Marcus was a class act all season long, under some very rough conditions, and I commend him for that.
So now it all comes down to a recovering drug addict with a dream, a quiet little lady with a BIG singing voice, and a shaggy-haired burrito cook. All of them have been frontrunners since their first auditions, all of them are talented, and all of them are extremely different genre-wise, so really, any of them could win the $5 million record deal this season. So while this week's results show wasn't very suspenseful, next week's finale undoubtedly will be.
[Side note: Perhaps trying to redeem herself after last Thursday's "Crowgate" controversy, newly unpopular judge Nicole Scherzinger performed on this week's results show, premiering her somewhat forgettable song "Pretty," during which she rather unconvincing claimed that she "don't wanna be pretty no more." The audience reception to her performance was positive overall--no boos this time--but the best part was Simon's reaction, when he sat in Nicole's center seat and babbled a bunch of Scherzinger-esque compliments about the universe and unicorns as he mock-critiqued her. Seeing the three judges--Simon, Paula Abdul, and L.A. Reid--sitting together on the panel, I have to admit, that looked pretty good to me. Simon might want to consider a reconfiguration for Season 2.]
Related links:
Interviews with the final four
