I will admit that I was pretty dramatic last Wednesday when Astro was voted off and then Drew was given the boot by Paula and Nicole.

Here’s what I wrote to end the show on Sonic Clash:

Nicole is deaf. Paula is blind. They’re both dumb. Game over. Simon and LA should be ashamed of themselves, but so should Paula and Nicole. The vote was in their hands.

It’s not that I don’t like Marcus Canty. In fact, I like him a lot. But if Paula and Nicole believe wailing and voice cracking equals passion, then we’re in for the Marcus Canty show from here on out. I think he’s entertaining, but he doesn’t sing well and it’s quite apparent now that we’re down to the top five. He and Chris Rene are the worst singers by as far as Da Band had to walk to get Puff Daddy some cheesecake.

Drew was caught in the Simon/LA Reid crossfire. She didn’t deserve to leave and probably would’ve been in the top 3 if all things were equal. But alas, that’s what makes this different from American Idol. The mentors compete with each other and thus, they knock down each other’s artists and only vote for their own. It’s going to be a cold day when Paula and Nicole fawn over Marcus and Chris when Melanie sings both of them under the table.

Hotlist Week 5
1. Melanie Amaro
2. Josh Krajcik
3. Rachel Crow
4. Marcus Canty
5. Chris Rene

The Defeated
1. InTENsity
2. The Stereo Hogzz
3. Stacy Francis
4. Lakoda Rayne
5. LeRoy Bell
6. Astro
7. Drew

I expect Simon to be extra edgy tonight. He’s taking Drew’s dismissal personally.

Two songs for each tonight and the theme is dance. Um. Are Paula and Nicole singing tonight?

Aaron is also back with us tonight and here are his thoughts on last week:

Apparently my X Factor theory for the UK version holds true in the US version. That being if something controversial happens that may get a contestant booted or voted off, it takes a one week time fuse to occur. Was true for Misha B in the UK version as unfair as that was, and it was true for Astro this past week when he finally ended up in the final two.

Melanie Amaro is up first and she’s performing the dance version of Adele’s Someone Like You. It’s totally fine, but somewhat predictable. I would’ve loved for her to sing something different and less trendy, but oh well. Aaron thinks Melanie is projecting like a star and loved that the song built up and ended on a high. LA says it was really good. Nicole says it was a big risk and she looked and sounded like a rock star diva. Paula says it was a great way to open up the show. Simon says she could have a hit record with her version.

Marcus Canty is performing some Chaka Khan (technically Rufus and Chaka Khan) with Ain’t Nobody. This is more so what I wanted Melanie to do. Take an actual dance song and bring that energy into the performance. Marcus’ voice bothers me now because of how lacking it is, but my man put on a nice show with this one. Aaron says the song was too big for Marcus, but for the majority of it he filled that song completely. Nicole says he took us to church and a club at the same time. Um, I never felt like we were at church. Paula says it’s an even playing field and he performed like it was the first time. Simon says it was a very good performance. LA is playing for voters.

Rachel Crow is singing the Bruno Mars portion of B.O.B.’s Nothin’ On You. It’s a very fun and spirited performance from her. I’m glad they didn’t put a wig on her and make her do something Motown-ish quite yet. Aaron says that for someone he thought was more gimmick than real singer, Rachel probably has the third best vocals in the contest. LA says she’s such a little star. Nicole says it was fun and youthful. Paula says she’s beautifully fearless. Simon says it was well done.

Josh Krajcik is up next and he’s doing some, uh, Rihanna? In order to make We Found Love work, he needs to come out in some ripped jeans. Okay, maybe not. He sung it very well, but his performance left a lot to be desired. He seemed very uncomfortable. Aaron says he seemed to sing around the music and never immersed himself in it. LA says he didn’t buy it because he could never see him singing it. Paula says he nailed it. Simon says the song was inappropriate. Nicole says he showed how versatile he is and he killed it. It’s now boys against girls. Nicole is trying to force Josh to believe he did a good job. He doesn’t believe it himself just based on his body language.

Chris Rene is up next and all I’m wondering is if he can turn Young Homie into a dance hit. Nope, he’s doing T.I.’s Live Your Life. He’s very likable and has charisma coming out of his eye balls, but he doesn’t improve any song. He only does one song well, and that’s his own. Aaron didn’t think Chris was synched up with the track, but he played it like a star. Nicole calls him Josh before telling him all good things. Paula says it was one of the most fun performances she’s seen. Paula and Nicole have that thirst for the young dudes. Simon says he’s doing brilliant on the overall package aspect. LA says he loved the song.

Mr. Anti-charisma says there was a snafu for their second song. They were going to sing a “Pepsi challenge” song, but that’s being moved to next week. So instead, they’re going to sing their “save me” songs, and man, the “save me” songs have been terrible so far.

Melanie Amaro is singing When You Believe and she damn near sounds exactly like Whitney Houston. She can do Beyonce better than Beyonce and damn near do Whitney better than Whitney. This girl is amazing. Aaron says for two songs in a row, he got concert quality. LA says it was amazing, but also safe. Nicole says she gave her goosebumps. Paula says it was beautiful. Simon says that people need to vote for Melanie because if she ends up in the bottom two (which he called the piranha pool), she’s out. I think he was insinuating that Paula and Nicole aren’t going to vote for a girl. Interesting.

Marcus Canty is singing A Song For You which I always equate with Donny Hathaway. This isn’t a great song choice for Marcus because again, vocals aren’t his strong point, but I give the kid an A for effort. He really got into it. Aaron says it wasn’t bad, just weak. Nicole says it was honest and he reminds her of a young Al Green. No Nicole. Just no. Paula says his eyes don’t lie and he’s a story teller. Simon says it was good, but he wasn’t jumping out of his chair. LA tries to equate Marcus with Muhammad Ali because Ali was knocked down twice. Marcus looks more like a nice Floyd Mayweather.

Rachel Crow is singing Michael Jackson’s Music And Me. She’s late one week with the MJ love! Unfortunately for Rachel, it didn’t really work. MJ had a hard time making it work. I know why she wouldn’t have performed Ben, but it would’ve worked so much better. Aaron says as much as he loved the first song he’s set on loving Rachel as the serious singer better than as the fun Rachel. LA says he’s glad she chose that song and she’s the star they all thought she was. Nicole says she did a beautiful job. Paula says she’s every little girl’s best friend and every parent’s daydream. Simon says he’s glad she’s choosing her own material.

Josh Krajcik is going Beatles for his needed knockout song. He’s singing Something. He’s trying really hard to have a moment and is straining. This is the first time all season I think that he may be in a bit of trouble. Aaron loved it and says that short of rewriting the music, karaoke could not be further from the truth. LA says he’s thankful Josh had a second chance, but thought it was just a tad karaoke. Paula says he’s so special. Simon says it was a massive improvement from the first song. Nicole says that Josh is the male Adele and that he has Krajcik magic. Nicole is less of a dramatic robot tonight and is much more human. I can deal with this Nicole.

Chris Rene is last for the night. He’s singing his own song called Where Do We Go From Here. I’m pretty indifferent to the song, but I just like the fact that as an underdog, he did his own song, played live guitar, and probably has testicles the size of grapefruits. Aaron says that vocally and musically it was a longshot from a masterpiece, but he stood by the TV in a trance throughout and it was mesmerizing. Nicole says sky’s the limit. Paula says she applauds his originality. Simon says it was a stroke of genius. LA gives him major love.

It’s pretty hard to choose a top two and bottom two considering there are only five left, but Aaron and I give it our best shot.

Top 2
GG: Melanie Amaro and Chris Rene
Aaron: Melanie Amaro and Rachel Crow

Bottom 2
GG: Josh Krajcik and Marcus Canty
Aaron: Chris Rene and Marcus Canty (my heart is probably keeping Josh off of here)

Mr. Anti-charimsa out!