The X Factor eliminated Stacy Francis and determined its Top 9 acts Thursday night during the new Fox reality singing competition's third live results show.
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"I just want to say -- wait, wait, wait, hold on you guys, please. Let me say this," Francis said following her ouster, attempting to quiet down the audience who generally seemed to disagree with the judges' decision to eliminate her.
"I want to take a serious moment to thank the judges because I had an amazing journey. I wasn't always happy with my song choices. I don't believe that I did great last night. I'll go with that and I have to suck up my pride and take responsibility for the performance that I gave. This journey has been really great and I honestly, I can't believe I'm going home, but somebody has to go home. I just want to thank Simon Cowell for giving me a chance because I'm 42-years-old and he allowed me to sing for the world week to week."
Francis, who was being mentored in the "Over 30" acts category by Scherzinger, ended up in the bottom two alongside "Astro" Brian Bradley -- one of the three "Boys Under 30" category acts Reid had been mentoring.
"My heart goes out to Stacy right now. I know how much this truly means to her and how long she's been waiting and working for this moment, but I'm proud of her and I'm happy to be up here with her," Scherzinger said once the bottom two acts were revealed.
"I'm happy for all the contestants who have made it through and I feel very strongly about this young man's future," Reid said of Astro.
Jones revealed Francis and Astro had received the lowest amount of votes after announcing that LeRoy Bell, Lakoda Rayne, Chris Rene, Melanie Amaro, Josh Krajcik, Marcus Canty, Drew Ryniewicz, and Rachel Crow had all advanced in the competition. According to Jones, the names of the eight acts who had survived another week were called out in no particular order.
Lakoda Rayne was the only act remaining in Abdul's "Group" category. Rene and Canty were the other two acts in Reid's "Boys Under 30" category. Cowell mentored Drew, Amaro and Crow in the "Girls Under 30" category, and Scherzinger's two other "Over 30" acts consisted of Krajcik and Bell.
As the bottom two acts, Francis and Astro were then required to "sing for their survival" in the hopes The X Factor judges would vote to keep them on the show. After the acts performed, the judges offered them feedback and then cast their votes for who they believed should remain in the competition.
In the event of a 2-2 tie, Jones explained it would be a deadlock in which the act who had received the lowest amount of home viewer votes would automatically be eliminated.
Astro was initially reluctant to sing his "song for survival" because he felt there was no point in convincing America he deserved to stay in the competition and to vote for him when they "didn't want him" there to begin with. He didn't think he had to prove himself again, but after he was forced to rap and clearly did so with much less energy than his prior performances, the judges were displeased with his attitude.
"Well, listen. First of all, this is all about attitude. You guys have come a long way. Both of you have come a long way and I've spoken to both of you separately just about attitude, right? I thought that tonight, Stacy, you did a really good job. Astro, I thought you came out and you act a little bit like a quitter and it upset me, because you're too talented, and you've come too far to come out and give a lack-luster performance after all the great performances you've given. Is that fair?" Reid explained.
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"I respect both of you. I really respect both of you, but I have to stick with my guy. So, Stacy Francis, I'm going to have to send you home."
"Stacy, I just have so much admiration for you as an artist and as a woman. Week after week you open yourself up, you make yourself vulnerable and you give us everything you've got and you leave it out there on the floor every night. I couldn't ask for anything more. Astro, I don't know. You blow me away with what you do. I know that you are meant for the stars, so I'm just going to have to go and stand by my girl because I believe in her, and the act I'm sending home is Astro," Scherzinger said.
"I have tremendous respect for the two of you. You both are in the same boat as far as tonight for me. You have to always walk with gratitude. It's not how you start, but it's how you finish and both of you always need to walk with that gratitude and be grateful you're on this stage. You're both talented, but I'm going to be sending home Stacy Francis," Abdul explained.
"Can I just ask you a question, Astro? I don't like your attitude right now. So just do me a favor. Stop folding your arms, look at me and think about your mom watching this show, because you are showing disrespect to your mom, you're showing disrespect to the audience at home, and I don't like it," Cowell said.
"No, not really," Astro interjected.
"Yes you are, Astro," Cowell said.
"Not really sir. No disrespect to you or this show, but I just feel like if you're going to put me in the bottom two, I don't want to perform for people who don't want me here, you know what I'm saying? That's it," Astro explained.
"Astro, part of doing this is being a grownup, okay? You know what the rules are. Stacy, you know I've always been a huge fan of yours. The last two weeks haven't gone well. Astro, if you were in this position again, are you going to take the same attitude where you're not going to come out and sing? Look me in the eyes," Cowell asked.
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"Based on who I believe has got the best chance of winning, and I really don't want to do this, I'm going to send home Stacy," Cowell said.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
