Last week's $2,000 unicorn cake was bad enough, but Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" are never content to sit on their lavish laurels. This week, we got Paul Nassif's "Night of Beauty," including Botox, fillers and some kind of lasers that zap fat cells. For free! Lisa Vanderpump was the only one smart enough to show up and not take any of the services from Adrienne Maloof's plastic surgeon husband. Kyle Richards flashed her muffin-top at us, Taylor Armstrong tried a little too hard to convince us she has a genetically thin face and needed fillers, not food, and Kim Richards blew up her lips, despite insulting someone last year by calling the person a "blow fish."

 

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But the undercurrent in this week's episode -- and frankly for the entire season -- is Taylor's relationship with her husband, Russell. During the beauty night, Lisa gets an email from Russell, telling her his relationship with Taylor is in a good place and they are very much in love. Lisa is confused, unaware that the Armstrongs believe she has been leaking stories about their marriage to the tabloids. Lisa asks Taylor about the email, but Taylor avoids the question. Later, she complains to Kyle that Lisa keeps telling people Taylor doesn't have friends. Kyle suggests Taylor stand up to Lisa, and from the looks of previews, we've got some good, all-out cast drama next week.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Kyle invites a psychic to her house for a seance. She invites Brandi Glanville despite their feud, and that felt awfully nice of her even though we know it was for television. The psychic gets a few things right about each person, bringing Adrienne to tears as she remembered her father. Other spirits arrive, including one that tells Kyle in a past life that she was mother to sister Kim's spirit. Frankly, we just think she's bossy. Kim doesn't make things easier, deciding that after one year of secretly dating her mailman, she is ready to tell her family about her boyfriend. When Kyle visits Kim, packing up to move in with a boyfriend Kyle didn't even know existed, Kyle is understandably floored. "If you’re in love with someone you’re going to be proud and happy to share it with everyone," Kyle says. "Why has she been hiding this from me?" She worries her sister chose her boyfriend out of loneliness, rather than love.

Next week, we get to find out more about the mysterious wedding band on Ken's hand. We also learn that Taylor's husband Russell is physically abusive.

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.

 

This may have been the most exciting round of competition to date. J.R. Martinez danced a perfect waltz and a fabulous jive to take the top spot on the leaderboard. Hope Solo gave two outstanding performances and tied with Ricki for second place. After many weeks of so-so showings on the floor, this is an achievement that deserves some attention. In fact, almost all of the stars were at the top of their game this week, though Nancy Grace is the exception. She had a rough time out there!

 

Last Night on TV: Watch recaps | Photos: Check out the hopefuls

 

This week also marked the return of "instant" dances – each star chose a song from a shiny mirror ball bowl and had less than an hour to work on a routine with his or her partner. Most – but not all – of our stars pulled this feat off in style.

 

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Here's a look at everyone's performances this week:

Rob Kardashian

Rob and Cheryl's quickstep was flirty and fun, and really showed off their chemistry. Rob was confident out on the floor even though the routine got off to a slightly rocky start. His kicks were fantastic and he managed to stay in sync with Cheryl. Len said it was his best dance yet, and Bruno praised both his frame and his lines.

Rob's "instant" jive was similarly impressive! Rob admitted that he's a Hall & Oates fan, so it was lucky that he drew the song "Maneater." The routine was fast, sharp and a lot of fun. Rob did a good job of keeping up with Cheryl. Bruno praised his arm work, and Carrie Ann was a big fan of Rob's transitions. All three judges think Rob needs to work on the precision of his flicks and kicks.

Overall a great round for Rob. He seems like a shoo-in for next week's Semifinals at this point.

Quickstep: 27/30

Jive: 24/30

Score: 51/60

Hope Solo

Hope and Maks' quickstep was a lot of fun. Hope was extremely light on her feet and pulled off some great spins. The judges were thrilled with her sudden improvement – maybe too much so. Hugging, Carrie Ann? Really?

Hope officially became the Comeback Queen with her supercharged jive. Her last jive was unfortunate, but on this show you're as good as your last dance, so Hope is golden now. Her kicks, spins, and jumps were nothing short of amazing. All three judges were thrilled with the routine. Len even stood up and pointed at Hope to tell her she was "bloody brilliant!" That had Maks giving the notoriously cranky head judge a kiss on the cheek.

Ladies and gentleman, Hope is still in it to win it.

Quickstep: 27/30

Jive: 25/30

Score: 52/60

Ricki Lake

Rick and Derek's sweeping, romantic waltz was a real crowd pleaser. Ricki's lines were beautiful, and she did a great job capturing the emotion of the routine. She did stumble slightly at the end of the routine, and Len took exception to her footwork in general. This wasn't Ricki's best routine by any means, but it was certainly memorable.

Ricki's jive had a lot of energy and she pulled off some great spins. As in her waltz, her footwork wasn't quite perfect, and the routine wasn't quite as polished as most of Ricki's dances. Carrie Ann pointed out that the routine had a few stops and starts – probably a result of matching difficult choreography with a brand-new song.

All in all, a good round for Ricki. It wasn't her best week ever, but it was pretty darn good.

Waltz: 28/30

Jive: 24/30

Score: 52/60

Nancy Grace

Although Nancy and Tristan's tango wasn't a typical moody, broody routine, it was fluid and had a good amount of give and take. Nancy did lose her balance a bit at the end of the dance, which is a shame. Overall, it was a good performance. Len was certainly impressed and Carrie Ann called the routine "clean and sharp," though pointed out that Nancy needs to point her toes more.

Nancy's jive was a bit disjointed, though her hip work was pretty inspiring. The cartwheel at the end was odd, but also adorable. Len bluntly told Nancy that she's come as far as she can in the competition. Bruno and Carrie Ann weren't any less critical.

Nancy did her best this week, but it's hard to imagine her making it to the semifinals at this point.

Tango: 24/30

Jive: 20/30

Score: 44/60

J.R. Martinez

J.R. and Karina's waltz was absolutely gorgeous. As usual, J.R.'s presence was fantastic. He seems as comfortable out on the floor as the professional dancers. His movements were totally fluid, and he and Karina moved through the routine seamlessly. The choreography was tough, but J.R. never faltered. Bruno called the dance "a musical Valentine's card" and praised J.R.'s dedication to the routine. The other judges were just as excited, and so it was no surprise at all to see J.R. walk away with a perfect score.

J.R.'s jive was nothing short of amazing. He and Karina owned the floor! J.R. has such great natural rhythm that the "instant"-ness of this jive was probably no sweat for him. His kicks, spins, jumps and slides were awe-inspiring. Bruno was so excited that his critique was largely inarticulate, and Carrie Ann said that J.R. was in a class by himself. Len, too, was overcome. Even if this routine hadn't been the last of the week, it would have been a showstopper.

J.R. had a perfect week. It just doesn't get any better than that!

Waltz: 30/30

Jive: 30/30

Score: 60/60

Who won the judges over: J.R.

Who dazzled the audience: J.R.

Who needs to step it up: Nancy

 

"Dancing With the Stars" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

 

By Diane Vadino

Special to MSN TV

 

Previously: A last-minute reshuffling gave Andy and Tommy another first-place finish, while stragglers Amani and Marcus were saved by the whims of the non-elimination gods

 

Photos: See the teams | Video: Watch clips and more

 

Tonight: We're traveling on a "crowded two-hour bus ride" to a town named Salima. Andy and Tommy are off first, at 5:28 a.m. Tommy can see his breath in the morning chill, so hopefully he's revising his understanding of the continent's ability to produce snow. Eleven minutes later, Justin and Jennifer set off -- the timing helps us figure out that the dash back to pay the cabs, at the end of last week's episode, only took about 10 minutes. Perhaps the more interesting piece of information being shared is Justin's discussion of coming out to his sister: "I knew she was someone I could count on," he says. "We may bump heads, but I think he's amazing and strong," Jennifer says. They're so great when they're not squabbling! I hope they chill out on that front. Of course, this personal information suggests that they’re on the chopping block tonight.

 

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They're followed by Jeremy and Sandy; Zac and Laurence (who hopefully won't reprise his creepy old guy shtick from last week); Ernie and Cindy; Bill and Cathi; and Amani and Marcus, who seem to just squeak on the crowded bus, into the last available seats. On the bus, teams discuss the upcoming double U-Turn and the travel conditions: "It's crowded, aggressive -- I guess this is Africa," says Cindy. I wonder if there's an African edition of "The Amazing Race" with contestants climbing onto a rush-hour 4 train at Grand Central saying, "It's crowded, it's aggressive -- I guess this is America." 

 

In Salima, teams quickly move on to the Roadblock: Bike Taxi, which has them pedaling to a shop to drop off a delivery, collecting money for it, and returning the funds to the beginning. Cindy crushes this, while Andy handily contends with a broken "crank system," rallying onlookers to repair it sufficiently to allow him to pedal on. Cathi also finishes quickly, for third place. Laurence and Sandy team up, appearing to burn some time but otherwise getting along well -- which is notable considering his weird sewing comments to her last week. (Perhaps they sounded less randomly misogynistic in context.) Amani and Marcus finish their Speed Bump penalty quickly enough so that it appears that Marcus sets off on the Roadblock while all but Ernie and Cindy and Andy and Tommy are still there. Marcus says he practiced for the race by biking around "with an 80-pound sandbag in the kid carrier [of my bike], so I was just zooming." They're soon off to the Detour: "Like your momma's in the hospital and you gotta get there," Amani says to the driver. "We need to be thinking our time is now," Marcus says. "Just lay on that horn," he tells the cab driver as goats clog the road. "Get out of the way, Miami Dolphins  -- I'm coming through!" On hearing this, Amani -- who's been 100-yard-staring into the ether -- breaks out in laughter. It's great that between them and Bill and Cathi we have two examples of highly functioning married couples this season.

 

The only person who has trouble with the Roadblock is Jennifer, who failed to hold on to her clue. She turns the fish delivery in for money, but doesn't know where to go next. "I don't have my clue," she says. She knows it says something about a bike master. "I don't know where that is. Hmm. Interesting." She decides to wait and see if another team shows up with a clue, not knowing she's bringing up the rear. "Have you seen any other Americans?" she asks a villager. "The only thing i can do is watch the entrance to the village and wait." 

 

The other teams move on to the Detour: Dugout or Lugout. Dugout has teams paddling a traditional canoe out to a spot on beautiful Lake Malawi and back; Lugout has them unpacking a cargo (and passenger) boat including "two boxes of cabbage, sugar cane, brooms, a fan, and eight passengers who expect to stay dry." Ernie and Cindy and Andy and Tommy are first to the lake ("Monkeys everywhere!" someone says) and opt for Dugout, but the former team are so bad at it that they (literally) bail and make use of their Express Pass -- skipping the task and moving on to the Pitstop. Andy and Tommy must have been creaming the Dugout challenge, though, because they're hot on Ernie and Cindy's heels as they check in at the U Turn booth. (Both teams decline: "I don't like being mean spirited," Ernie says.) Bill and Cathi continue their solid streak: "Having been together almost 50 years, we kind of understand each other's modus operandi," Bill says. By contrast, Jeremy and Sandy are still bickering -- because they haven't been together as long, or because they're not meant to be together at all? "Once again, Bill and Cathi are cool and calm, and we're not -- once again they put us to shame," Sandy says. Ernie and Cindy -- who have completely wasted their Express Pass -- and Andy and Tommy find themselves in a footrace for the lead. I'm pretty sure at one point Cindy says something like, "Really, guys? Please let us win!" The snowboarders refuse to let up -- and end up first at this week's Pitstop at the Sunbird Livingstonia Beach, winning a $15,000 gift card from Discover. Bill and Cathi are third, and Phil praises their winning ways. They credit "communication and patience." 

 

Laurence and Zac are out of the water before Marcus and Amani, but the latter pair beat them to the U Turn -- choosing not to U Turn anyone. They seem to meet Laurence and Zac going in the opposite direction. When Laurence and Zac hit the U Turn mat, they opt to U Turn ... Marcus and Amani. This seems to make absolutely no sense, but Laurence decides "they were going the wrong way." Oh, but they weren't -- they had just beaten Laurence and Zac, ultimately finishing fourth. 

 

Laurence and Zac's error ultimately affects Justin and Jennifer much more significantly. If they'd U Turned their second choice, Jeremy and Sandy would have been saddled with the much harder-looking Lugout task -- and Justin and Jennifer might have had time to catch up. That's not how it works out, though: The U Turn is wasted (much like the Express Pass), Jeremy and Sandy finish in sixth, and Jennifer and Justin are out. And for the record, show, anyone could have guessed this ending as soon as we heard Justin's opening comments about coming out to his sister: We get to know them, and you take them from us. Typical!

 

Next week: Bunny racing in Denmark!

"The Amazing Race" airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

 

By Meghan Carlson

BuddyTV

 

Last night, the final 12 sang live for our votes ... and did you? Vote, that is? If you didn't, I hope you have a good excuse ready, because not having enough methods to cast your votes definitely isn't an option.

 

Last Night on TV: Watch recaps | Photos: See performance pics

Now, in the words of our very un-Welsh voiceover man: It's tiiiiime ... to faaaace ... the music!

 

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Let's get on to the show:

Group Number: "Without You" by David Guetta featuring Usher

Everyone's clad in black and gold to perform their very first group number. And it's no surprise that our strongest soloists (Drew, Josh, Melanie, Rachel … ) make the strongest impressions. Astro also gets to do a little rap interlude. My favorite parts of the song were actually the group choruses, though -- even with so many voices (if I'm counting correctly, there were 28 people on stage? Is that right?) the lyrics were crystal clear. It's a nice way to open the first results show: They're singing to us, America. They'd be nothing without us! Well, our votes.

After some technical difficulties, I was able to tune back in just in time to see the tail end of what looks like an elaborate musical interlude of "Tonight is the Night" by Outasight (yes, the song we've all heard a million times now, thanks to "The X Factor's" ever-present Pepsi commercial) and to hear Steve Jones promise we'll hear our first results after the next break.

We're about to find out which acts are officially safe for another week, and who may need to "SING FOR THEIR SURVIVAL." I can't help it, a term like that just begs for all-caps.

Results

In no particular order, Steve Jones is going to name the Top 10 acts. Those acts will go straight through to next week. That leaves the Bottom 2, who will each perform, and then it's up to the judges to decide who stays and who goes.

Safe:

Marcus Canty: Yay! Good on ya, America. Our generation's Bobby Brown liiives!

 

Drew: Another good choice from the good ol' U.S. of A.

 

And ... that's all we get before the next commercial break. Damn you and your handsome, lying face, Steve Jones! We were promised a list of ten. Not a list of two, followed by five commercials.

We're back, and now, these acts are also safe:

LeRoy Bell: Boom! Love that guy.

 

Astro: Rap can survive in a singing competition. I, for one, am happy to hear it.

 

Lakoda Rayne: Ehhhh. That's what I have to say. Ehhhh.

 

Rachel Crow: Of course! Who could say no to America's sweetheart? Not America!

 

Chris Rene: Wow! I kind of thought either Chris or Lakoda Rayne would be in the bottom two.

 

Josh Krajcik: Obviously.

 

Melanie Amaro: Duh.

That leaves InTENsity, Stereo Hogzz and Stacy Francis waiting on the bubble. Are you kidding me, you guys? The fact that either Stereo Hogzz or Stacy Francis has to sing for survival is hogwash!

Hogwash, I say!

The tenth safe act is:

Stacy Francis: As it should be!

Which means InTENsity and Stereo Hogzz are still "at risk," says Steve. Poor Paula is going to lose one of her groups either way. Let's hope the judges make the right call and choose quality over quantity/cuteness.

Singing for Survival

Stereo Hoggz: The boys perform "Emotions" by the Bee Gees (or by Destiny's Child, depending on your generation), and I honestly don't understand why they're in this precarious position. Their vocals are so strong, and of all the groups, they actually know how to put on a show. Do you actually want to say goodbye to these five gorgeous men, America? Do you?

InTENsity: For their last plea, the United Kids of Benetton go for Simon's jugular: Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You." Ironically, without all their usual bells and whistles, this is my favorite InTENsity performance yet. It just feels less gimmicky. But I still think the judges would be deaf, dumb and blind to eliminate the Stereo Hogzz over this ragtag team of youngsters.

Simon votes to send home: Stereo Hogzz

Boo! Wake up your ears, Simon! I guess the Clarkson Plan worked.

Paula votes to send home: InTENsity

Mentor knows all!

Nicole votes to send home: InTENsity

Good work, Nicole.

It all comes down to L.A., and he votes to send home: InTENsity

Eliminated: InTENsity

Well, it was risky business there for a minute, but the lesser of Paula's groups did indeed get the boot. It's sad to see 10 children's hearts simultaneously shattered, but them's the breaks in showbiz, kids. You may not have won $5 million, but you're building character.

Steve Jones certainly doesn't help matters. "InTENsity are inconsolable," he tells us. "But stay tuned for the premiere of 'Bones!'" Great. Thanks, Steve. A gruesome murder will really lift our spirits.

I'd like to believe that too many people simply tuned in too late and missed Stereo Hogzz' amazing opening performance of "Rhythm Nation" last night, but I may simply be blinded by my personal adoration for their unique stylings. It's certainly not for everybody, but I hope they can redeem themselves and get those crucial votes next week.

 

Well, what did you think of the first "X Factor" results show? Did America -- and the judges -- make the right call?

"The X Factor" airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.

 

Excuse me, Professor. What's a sloppopotamus, again?

According to this TMZ report, "Jersey Shore" housemate Vinny Guadagnino guest lectured yesterday at New York City's Columbia University.

I'm sorry, did you just read that last sentence without pausing to consider the implications? That's Columbia University!

 

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Guadagnino was invited to address a sociology class about deviance, a subject with which he is rumored to be familiar.

According to TMZ, Prof. Vinny held his own, speaking about being bulled while growing up in Staten Island. Then he opened the floor for questions. (Ruh-roh.)

That's when one of the students queried: "What gives you, as a cast member of 'Jersey Shore,' the right to interrupt this class and then lecture us on setting a good example?"

Hmm, sounds like a zoo creature to me.

Quoth TMZ: "Vinny -- who wasn't big on speech and debate in high school -- was predictably stumped."

Guadagnino came closer to the Ivy League than any of the housemates, though. A 2009 graduate of the State University of New York at New Paltz, he had hoped to attend law school at Harvard or Yale if his LSATs were high enough. (They weren't, so here he is.)

Anyway, class, a sloppopotamus is a person who is beyond sloppy drunk. A good example is the person at Columbia who thought this would be a good idea.

Dismissed.

 

Watching Tom Colicchio and Emeril Lagasse stalk the "Top Chef: Texas" kitchen Wednesday, peering over the shoulders of sweaty, crazed chefs as they attempted to butcher pig parts, suddenly made us giddy. Bravo's reality cooking show is back, and it's bigger and crazier than ever.

 

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In a Texas-style twist, for this season, roughly 30 chefs were led to believe they were contestants on "Top Chef: Texas." They are, but they have to cook to earn one of the 16 spots available in the "Top Chef" house. We can guarantee expletives flew through the heads of all of them.

The chefs were split into three groups, and based on one dish, the judges either added them to the house, rejected them or put them "on the bubble," where they would have to cook again. As they introduced themselves, the chefs bragged about nominations for James Beard awards — the Oscars of the food world — to try to intimidate their competition. We frankly are shocked that the executive chef of Spiaggia, a great, Italian restaurant in Chicago, feels the need to prove herself on a cooking show. But hey, more fun for us right? (And Sarah Grueneberg's pig skin ravioli looked incredible. She easily moved into the Top 16.)

In the first qualifying challenge, the show had the chefs, strangers to each other, to work out who would cook what cut of pork. They then had to rely on other chefs to help butcher the parts, still in big slabs on the table. Cocky Tyler Stone decided to take a saw to his slab of pork. Head judge Tom Colicchio and celebrity chef and judge Emeril Lagasse tsk-ed at what they saw. This is a basic skill, Colicchio chided Tyler. "There’s no way this is going to get through this round." And then — gasp — he sent him home then and there, before Tyler even had a chance to cook. Tom is not playing around. For the second round, the group had to decide on the one protein they would all cook together, which was less dramatic than the awful butchering.

Chefs were cast out left and right, many for basic "Top Chef" mistakes: plating without the sauce, plating without the protein, spilling soup across the plate. Many forgot the basic lesson: Watch the Clock. As soon as Tom and Emeril spotted messy plates or missing proteins, those chefs were out. In the blur of the early episodes of "Top Chef," a few favorites stand out. Nyesha Arrington has the pedigree, having cooked for Joel Robuchon, while Chris Crary not only had the best-cooked rabbit of the night, he also seems to be drama in a chef's coat. We loved Keith Rhodes, who confessed he used to deal drugs and prison turned him around, while we also like Ty-Lor Boring, but mostly because he has the best name ever.

Next week, the eliminations continue, with 11 spots in the house taken and several chefs sitting on the bubble. Was anyone eliminated who you wanted to see go to the house? Who are your early favorites? Sound off!

"Top Chef" airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.

 

By Jilliane Johnson

BuddyTV

 

The heat is finally on! Tonight on "The X Factor," the final 12 acts perform live. We have a full two hours to get through, so let's not waste any time.

 

Last Night on TV: Watch recaps | Photos: Check out the contenders

The Stereo Hogzz -- "Rhythm Nation" by Janet Jackson

OK, so Paula Abdul might be a bit crazy, but she still knows what she's talking about when it comes to a good performance. As their coach, Paula helped these guys put on one hell of a spectacle. Dressed as R&B soldiers (if you will), the Stereo Hogzz bring some great dance moves and lovely harmonies. The judges all love them. They can do no wrong!

 

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Chris Rene -- "Superstar/Until You Come Back to Me" by Luther Vandross

Chris has been struggling with connecting to other artists' lyrics. This week, I don't see any problems. He has found a way to connect, plus he's added his own touch with a breakdown rap. As Simon says, his "confidence kicks in." A lot better than last week, I must say.

LeRoy Bell -- "I'm Already There" by Lonestar

I'm a fan of LeRoy, and I can admire what he's doing in terms of working for his dreams at an older age. He has a great voice and stage presence about him. Yet this song choice is not the best. Nicole Scherzinger wanted him to "dig deep" and connect to the audience, but I believe she missed the mark here. Hopefully, America votes for the guy anyway.

Rachel Crow -- "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves

Well, I thought it was "Walking on Sunshine," but I suppose on top of costumes, hair and makeup and song choice, Simon Cowell has also opted to change the song lyrics ("You're my Sunshine"). In the end, Rachel still has a good voice and tons of charisma on stage. Should it be a problem that I'm more worried about the lyrics than her performance? Nicole feels the same way, apparently. Wow, I actually agree with Nicole for once.

Lakoda Rayne -- "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac

Each of the girls is taking on a season. Yes, you know -- summer, fall, winter, and spring. Yeah, it's Paula, so I guess we're just supposed to go with it. Aside from that, the artificial wind could definitely be taken away. Someone sounds flat. Sorry, this is just not very good. Maybe I'm missing something, because the judges say it's an improvement. Leave your comments below and help me understand Lakoda Rayne, please? Thanks!

Josh Krajcik -- "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri

Just uttering the first "I can't take one more step towards you ..." gives butterflies. Being sung by a male voice is one thing, but with his power and range, the song is given a new life, I think. This performance makes me wish that the contestants were able to sing the entirety of the songs. Fantastic.

Melanie Amaro -- "Desperado" by the Eagles

Simon and Melanie switch things up with a different song choice, a different approach. Does it work? Flawlessly. Melanie makes the song sound like it was recorded by a female artist such as those that she usually channels. Paula compares her to "fine china," and I have to agree.

Astro -- 'O.P.P." by Naughty by Nature / "Get Ur Freak On" by Missy Elliot

Before we go any further, this little kid has his stage name in larger-than-life letters lit up on stage. I just want to say that I'm a tad jealous. Now for the performance: A blend between Naughty by Nature and Missy Elliot with Astro's original lyrics is genius. Old school meets new school is always a good idea. Once again, the crowd is on their feet. I hate to say it, but the boy is good.

InTENsity -- "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde / "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO

The kids of InTENsity are concerned that they'll be labeled as "Disney kids." Well, that is definitely a possibility, but this performance shows a bit of an edge with the LMFAO mash-up. It leaves out the cheesy and just looks fun and entertaining. This is a group of pretty good voices.

Drew -- "Just a Dream" by Nelly

OK, so I have been harsh on Drew lately, I think. On this night, I have good things to say, so don't fret. I like how she makes R&B songs her own. It starts off a bit slow, and I'm not sure where it's going, yet once the beat kicks in and her personality begins to shine through, I feel the performance. Good song choice.

Marcus Canty -- "Nothing on You" by B.o.B. featuring Bruno Mars / "Every Little Step" by Bobby Brown

Another old school/new school mash-up. L.A. Reid is the man: He knows what to do. Of course, Marcus owns it. It's as if the audience is attending a Marcus Canty concert. The vocals jell so well with the dance moves, it just works.

Stacy Francis -- "Up to the Mountain" by Patty Griffin

The ever-controversial contestant has listened to Simon this week, sticking to a more "church" genre. While the sound does, in fact, fit her voice better, giving her the ability to show range and connect to the audience with feeling, I don't know that she should necessarily stay with this every week. Not everyone who is voting will relate to this little-known song. I believe it was a great moment, yet not the greatest. Does this make sense to anyone else? Let's just try a different song next time, OK? Thanks!

All right, folks, I hope you've voted! While you're here, please leave your comments below about your favorite and least favorite acts of the night. Make sure you check back to find out which of the top 12 will be leaving "The X Factor."

"The X Factor" airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.

 

Last week, two contenders for the "America's Next Top Model: All-Stars" title got their pink slips -- red-headed Kayla Ferrel and resident drama queen Bianca Golden. We caught up with the girls to talk house drama, branding and what's next.