THE X FACTOR: The Top 10 Compete Live!

Are you ready to rock? Yeah, you guessed it- tonight is rock night! We are now down to the top 10 contestants who will be rocking out live tonight. The competition is heating up as they continue to fight for your votes and prove that they have what it takes to win it all!

Rock week was announced, and then we got right into the competition. The performances got off to a rough start. First up was Leroy Bell. He sang "We've Got Tonight." His vocals were strong, but his performance was lacking. He didn't seem to connect with the audience and was almost boring. The judges weren't impressed by his performance. Simon said, "Basically we've heard the same songs now four weeks in a row. Right now you can't win this competition."

Rachel Crow was next to perform. She took on the Rolling Stones and nailed it with an outstanding rendition of "Satisfaction." This girl never fails to impress. She did a great job and gave a real rock performance. Her performance was a lot of fun and she really worked the crowd. She again proved that she is a star. It was definitely one of my favorite performances of the night. The judges loved her performance. L.A. said, "You brought energy to the room," and Nicole announced this was her favorite performance from Rachel. Simon told her that he could see her winning the competition.

Chris Rene sang "No Woman No Cry." His performance wasn't as strong as some of his past performance. It was good to see him try something different and though he did well outside of his comfort zone, I wouldn't exactly consider it a rock song. The judges weren't crazy about his performance. Simon argued that the song is reggae and not appropriate for rock week. L.A. argued that it is rock, since Bob Marley was inducted into The Rock Hall of Fame. Nicole said, "Its not my favorite performance from you."

Next up was Stacey Francis who sang "It's All Coming Back to me Now." Her performance was good, but not her best. Her vocals were powerful but the performance seemed to try a bit too hard to be rock (Feathers on the microphone and wind machine included!) and fell flat. The judges didn't love her performance. Paula said, "That was my least favorite song that you've performed," and Simon said, "I wanted rock, that was a pebble!"

Melanie Amaro sang "Everybody Hurts." Her performance was great, once again! Her vocals were beautiful and her performance was solid. The judges enjoyed her performance, but L.A. commented that it was not rock and Paula said she would like to see her "cut loose" more.

Next to perform was Josh Krajcik and pressure was on since his genre is the theme of tonight. He sang "The Pretender" and did not disappoint! His performance was amazing and was truly a rock performance. He was full of energy and very entertaining. This was definitely my favorite performance of the night! The judges loved his performance. L.A. said, "You are the only person who really rocked the house tonight," and Paula said, "Not only is this my favorite performance you've done but by far my favorite performance of the evening" (I completely agree!).

Astro sang "I'll be missing You." Although I don't know if I would really consider his performance a rock performance, it was very strong. He was entertaining as always and did very well. His performance was one of the stronger ones tonight. The judges enjoyed his performance. Paula said, "You are phenomenal!" Simon praised him and said, "You know who you want to be you don't compromise."

Up next was LaKoda Rayne. They have a lot riding on this performance since they were in the bottom two last week and are the last group left in the competition. They sang "Go Your Own Way." Their performance was much better than their previous performances, but I'm not sure that it was enough of a comeback. It was cute and full of energy. The judges had mixed reactions. Simon told them, "I thought tonight was a complete mess." Paula said, "These girls have earned their place."

Drew sang "With or Without You." Her performance was good, but not her best. Her vocals were beautiful, but the performance was nothing special. I am beginning to agree with L.A.'s comment last week about all her performances being the same. Although I think she is a great performer, I do believe that she needs to take more risks. The judges agreed that she should have chosen a song that was more up-tempo this week. Nicole said, "I was waiting for the tempo to pick up and waiting for more. I'm a little frustrated."

The night ended on a high note as Marcus Canty sang "Piece of my Heart." His performance was very strong. He had a lot of fun and was incredibly entertaining. He was one of the few performers that stayed true to the night's theme. It was one of my favorite performances of the night. The judges liked his performance. Nicole said, "You lit that stage on fire," and L.A. said, "You rocked!" (He really did!).

Tonight was a bumpy ride as contestants took on some of the greatest rock musicians around. Some delivered, while others failed to impress. Be sure to vote so that the best can move on to next week!

Tune in to THE X FACTOR tomorrow at 8pm for the Results Show. Check back in to BroadwayWorld for another recap!
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THE X FACTOR is produced by Syco Television and FremantleMedia North America. Rob Wade and Siobhan Greene are executive producers for Syco Television. Cecile Frot-Coutaz, Richard Holloway and Andrew Llinares serve as executive producers for FremantleMedia North America.

Photo Credit: Ray Mickshaw / FOX