'The Four: Battle for Stardom' recap: Stephanie Zelaya and Majeste Pearson lose seats to new challengers

The Four: Battle for Stardom's second season continued with two of "The Four" artists, Stephanie Zelaya and Majeste Pearson, getting dethroned by two musically-talented challengers during Thursday night's broadcast on Fox.


The show kicked off with the following artists representing "The Four": Stephanie from Guatemala City, Guatemala; Majeste, a 21-year-old from Tulsa, OK; James Graham from Chelmsford, Essex, England; and Sharaya J. from Atlanta, GA.

The goal for artists on The Four: Battle for Stardom, which is hosted by Fergie, is to hold onto their seats week to week as new artists attempt to challenge and ultimately replace them.

The winner of the show will have his or her career guided by the panel of hitmakers comprised of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, music producer DJ Khaled, and Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Meghan Trainor.

During the two-hour episode, Stephanie lost her seat to a very talented challenger named Whitney Reign, a 25-year-old from Chicago, IL. And Majeste was defeated in a battle by Jesse Kramer, a 21-year-old from Nashville, TN.


Sharaya was also challenged during the episode by a newcomer, but she managed to win her battle and keep her seat onstage. As for James, he was declared safe by default because no one picked him for a battle.

The episode therefore concluded with Whitney, Jesse, James and Sharaya's seats locked in until the next episode.

The Four: Battle for Stardom format features an artist trying to prove to the panelists he or she deserves to challenge one of "The Four." The artist must convince Diddy, Meghan and DJ Khaled he or she is worthy to potentially dethrone one of "The Four" through an initial performance.

If the panelists all vote "yes" for the challenger to advance, that person gets to select one of The Four members to battle for a seat onstage. But even if one panelist votes "no" following the initial performance, the challenger is sent packing and The Four remain untouched. The winner of each battle is determined by the live, cheering crowd.

The episode kicked off with Whitney singing "Issues" by Julia Michaels for the opportunity to challenge one of The Four.


Meghan said Whitney has "a magical gift" in which she can "entertain the crap" out of people, adding that she has her attitude and look down. But Diddy noted it was just an average performance vocally. However, Whitney was given three yeses so she could have another shot to impress the panel.

Meghan then chose to challenge Stephanie, who performed "On the Floor" by Jennifer Lopez. Whitney followed that up with a performance of "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" by James Brown.

Meghan wanted Whitney to win the battle, and she also touched DJ Khaled's soul, so the audience voted for her to take a seat -- ultimately eliminating Stephanie from the Season 2 competition.

James Farrow, a 25-year-old from Minneapolis, MN, performed "Lean Back" by Terror Squad for his initial audition.

The judges were split, but Diddy saw potential in him, so James was afforded the chance to sing again. After challenging Sharaya to a battle, Sharaya rapped "Plain Jane" by A$AP Ferg. James then performed "Panda" by Designer.


Sharaya couldn't hear the music, so she kind of fumbled through the beginning of her song, but the panelists were very impressed with how she recovered onstage. In Meghan's eyes, Sharaya won the battle.

"If she don't win, I'm out," DJ Khaled agreed, before advising James to be more humble and grateful going forward.

The audience listened to the panelists and voted to keep Sharaya on the show.

In another battle, Jesse first took the stage with "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley, and Diddy called him "a raw talent," comparing the artist to Elvis Presley.

Jesse got to choose between Majeste or James for his battle, and he surprisingly selected Majeste, who then belted out an impressive vocal performance of "Stone Cold" by Demi Lovato.


Jesse performed "All Along the Watchtower" by Jim Hendrix afterwards, which left the panelists torn since the two singers represent completely different genres of music. In the end, the audience voted for Jesse to take a seat, shocking everyone.

Diddy explained to Majeste that although she brought the "vocal tricks," Jesse managed to connect more with the crowd.

Three artists were denied the opportunity to challenge one of The Four last night, and they were De'stani Bryant, a 16-year-old from Odessa, TX, who sang "So Gone" by Monica; Stelle Amor, a 25-year-old from Nashville, TN who performed "Mad World" by Gary Jules; and Skylar Dayne, a 21-year-old from Curacao who sang "Wolves" by Selena Gomez.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski