The camera circles dramatically over an X-shaped stage, each leg of which has four chairs (or couches) at the end. Subtitles remind us of which judge got which category: Paulina and the Boys, Kelly and the Over 25s, Simon and the Groups and Demi and the Girls. And then, the full-screen titles lay it out one word at a time: "10. ACTS. 4 CHAIRS. BUT. WHO. WILL. BE. LEFT. AT. THE. END?" The fewer words onscreen at a time, the more drama. Mario VOs that this is the long-threatened Four-Chair Challenge. "Category by category, one by one, the acts will perform." Oh, good, so we only went from 218 to 40 without getting to hear anyone sing again. As each performer sings, their mentor -- yes, they're mentors now, so prepare to be disappointed in Demi again -- will decide whether they get one of the four chairs. But if someone beats them later, they can be switched out. "No one is safe until all ten acts in their category have sung," he says. "It's never been so dramatic, so emotional or so intense," he adds dramatically, emotionally and intensely.
After the credits, everyone's in position; the groups standing in front of the seats at their ends of the X, the judges at the table behind signs indicating their categories as though this is the UN, and Mario at the center of the X. After some remarks for Simon, we're starting with Kelly's category, the Over 25s. They are Victoria Carriger, Kristine Mirelle, Jeff Gutt, Rachel Potter, Lorie Moore, Allison Davis, Jeff Brinkman, Denny Smith, James Kenney and Lillie McCloud. Don't feel bad if you don't remember them all right now. You won't remember them all by this time tomorrow, either.
Victoria Carriger is kicking it off. She's the 41-year-old single mother of eight, and we get to visit her crowded home in Missouri and revisit her first audition last week. Apparently she wears those tiny little loose pigtails all the time. Tonight she sings a short, churchy and somewhat hectoring version of "Make You Feel My Love." And short, too. Did I mention that it was short? I guess they have a lot of people to get through tonight. Demi liked the fire and the rasp, but thought it was a little low-energy. Paulina also liked her raspy voice. Simon says her first audition was great, but he wouldn't put her through based on what he just saw. Kelly points out that she's the one running this category, so after giving Victoria credit for holding the room, Kelly gives Mario her decision: Victoria gets a seat. Of course it means nothing at that point, with nine singers yet to go. Not getting a seat at this point would be quite the kick in the tits.
Kristine Mirelle is following Victoria. She's a 27-year-old from Los Angeles who sells chips and salsa in a grocery store. But what if people want to buy other food? We see part of her initial audition for the first time, at which point Simon wasn't "mental" about her voice, but Kelly wanted to be in on her development process. So we'll see how strongly she feels about that shortly. She trots out a minor-key version of "Oops! ... I Did it Again" that starts out slow and builds to a hot mess. Kelly's looking around like she knows that it's going to sting not to give someone a chair when three of them are still empty, but that she's going to do just that anyway. Demi starts by complimenting Kristine's stage presence, which is a bad sign, and finishes by saying it was "very, very pitchy," which is just bad. Paulina agrees with her, saying she's not sure Kristine is ready. Simon says the vocal wasn't perfect and the arrangement was confusing, but he disagrees because they're supposed to judge on potential. Or, more likely, he's trying to sabotage Kelly by tricking her into picking someone sucky. Kelly seems uncertain, and when Mario asks for her decision, she waits a long time before saying that Kristine's in her final four… for now. She admits that this is harder than she thought it would be. Mario says it's going to get harder yet. Because, you know, there are still more chairs than people who have sung and eventually that's going to change. Eventually.
Mario introduces the contender from last year, Jeff Gutt. He's still a musician and single dad, much as he was last year when he was cut during Boot Camp. We get to see him losing last year and hanging out with his son this year and talking about how he doesn't want to blow it again. Then he bellows a version of "Amazing Grace" that suggests he'd much rather be doing "Hallelujah" if it weren't so played out and if he didn't have to sing part of it quietly. Paulina says something about the power of his voice and his will. Demi says he's come so far since last year. Simon says he "would never do a talent show where you have an upper age limit." I assume he means "again." In any case, he calls Jeff's the best performance of the night so far. Kelly says he's so talented and raises the stakes, and tells Mario to go ahead and ask her, because she has no problem sending Jeff over to one of the two vacant chairs. "I have one more chair!" she then complains to her fellow judges. But one of the others is occupied by Kristin so it doesn't really count.
Rachel Potter, the 29-year-old bartender from Nashville, is up . She's still going on about her advanced age and chasing her dream in her intro reel, then sings a country version of a pop hit like she did at her first audition. This time it's "Irreplaceable," and while it starts off solid if a bit lackluster, she goes completely off the rails when she tries to throw the big high notes at the end. Good enough for an empty seat? Demi asks how she feels about the performance. Rachel pleads sickness, which earns her some boos from the audience. She admits that it wasn't her best, and Demi agrees that it was "…kinda rough." Simon thinks it was a brave song choice and represents a tough decision for Kelly. As for Kelly herself, she expected better. Mario asks for the decision, and Kelly says Rachel's making it hard for her. Demi tells Kelly not to send her home, and Kelly doesn't… yet. So that's all four of Kelly's chairs filled, with six left. So either the rest have to suck or steal a chair from Kristine.
is Lorie Moore, the former women's NFL MVP and Rookie of the Year, now 34 and retired. Her first audition with "I Have Nothing "went well, and now she's chasing her dream from her Los Angeles studio apartment. For tonight, she's ditched the football jersey, but is bringing a too-similar song, "I'll Make Love to You" by Boys II Men. Demi says she felt the fight, "But I don't know if I'm looking at a superstar." Paulina agrees that she doesn't know where Lorie fits. Does she mean we already have a Mary J. Blige? Again, Simon disagrees, saying that's irrelevant, but he didn't like the arrangement that much. Kelly loves her voice, but doesn't know if Lorie's ready. Mario reminds Kelly that if she wants to keep Lorie, someone else will have to get the boot. Lorie gets a chance to speak for herself, making an impassioned, crowd-pleasing, Senate-floor speech about hard work that has some pointed criticisms of Kelly's current final four but earns her a standing ovation from Simon and a high-five from Mario. Kelly says she respects that, "And while I hear you loud and clear… I'm gonna have you take a seat in one of those chairs over there." See what she did there? Most of the house goes apeshit with excitement, except of course the four singers occupying those chairs. Mario draws out the suspense, asking Kelly which of those she's sending home. And it's Kristine, shocker. Lorie hugs Kristine as she takes her chair, and Kristine totters down to the judges' table on her heels to thank them. Five to go, and still no empty chairs. I'd kind of like to see Kelly take someone and send home two at some point, just because.
Allison Davis is the Jessica Simpson lookalike we barely saw last week, and as she tells us she's a 26-year-old waitress in Los Angeles, the resemblance appears that it might be more than skin-deep. She had a pretty rough first audition, as we now see for the first time, with Simon as the one no vote. Now she sings a Ke$ha song, and while I have to give her credit for picking a song by someone who sings even worse than she does, her performance is still pretty embarrassing. Demi can't take her seriously. Simon can't even make himself concern-troll this one and calls Allison a "wannabe." He says it was "obvious," "lazy," "predictable" and "annoying" until Kelly cuts him off and says that artists have to be authentic. Since that obviously isn't the case for Allison, Kelly's about to cut her loose. Even when Allison pleads her case, saying she's here to work and learn, Kelly makes Allison the first person in her category who never got to have a chair at all.
Up is Jeff Brinkman, who we see running his dog-walking business and showing off photos of his baby daughter. He had a decent first audition with "You Are So Beautiful," and tonight he does a slow version of "Without You" by David Guetta and Usher, though his arrangement makes it sound more like a Coldplay cover. He sounds pretty good and Jeff Gutt looks nervous for the first time since he sat down, but Brinkman needs to lose the bun in his hair yesterday because it somehow makes his face look like that of Sully from Monsters Inc.. Demi doesn't think this was the right song (seconded), and Simon more than agrees. "That was literally ridiculous for you." He does allow that Brinkman has a great voice. Kelly reminds the others to remember how impressed they were at his first audition, and Mario asks her what she's going to do. Before she answers, Brinkman promises to give his all. Kelly takes a while making her decision, which is ultimately to give him a seat. Mario reminds Kelly and everyone else that one of the others is going to have to go now. Mario gives her the commercial break to ponder it, but I don't think anyone should make that first decision unless they've already made the second one.
After the ads, Kelly drops the hammer on Victoria Carriger. "What?" Simon bleats. Brinkman takes Victoria's seat while Kelly looks pained and Simon tells Victoria, "I wouldn't have done that." That'll look good on her resume.
Denny "Santa Claus" Smith is up, the oldest contestant at 68. He's also the guy who played up his white hair and beard with a red suit and hat at his first audition. He's a pastor from Carson, California who's been trying to do this for 55 years. He rolls out "Midnight Hour," which he's doing in way too low a key to live up to his first audition. The audience is kind enough to indulge him, however. And so are the judges, actually. Paulina speaks for the first time in several contestants, saying she believes in Santa again. Now I see why we didn't hear from her for a while. Simon says that Kelly has another tough decision, and wonders if she's going to send Santa Claus home. Mario asks her if she's going to be naughty or nice. So Kelly sends him home, probably just to put an end to all the lame Santa jokes. The other judges act like that was such a shocking move, but Mario's already moving on. Still two singers to go, and Kelly half-jokes that she's quitting. But she can't quit now, she's 80% done!
After the break, Mario is on the sidelines with Lillie McCloud and James Kenney, the two Over 25s who have yet to try and steal one of those chairs. Lillie says she's ready to go out and fight, and James compares it to the Hunger Games. If only. James is going and we have to rewatch last week's clip about his being an apartment manager. The fact that he's back for his second try doesn't get much play, though. He's going with "Lean on Me" for his song tonight. His tone's good, but there are a few pitch missteps. And it's a nice build, especially given that he's got about sixty seconds to execute it. All Demi says is, "James… you killed it." Paulina loved it, and Simon says that while he's heard that song a million times he's never heard it like that before and that James has earned his respect. Kelly says she's having a hell of a night, and that James took a leap of faith. James talks about what a hard worker he is -- on call 24/7 -- and promises that to Kelly. Demi tells Kelly she can't send him home, and Kelly does tell him yes. Now she's got to pick one of her current four to cut loose. And she loses Jeff Brinkman. Which is fine with me, because I don't need two Jeffs in this competition any more, let alone in the same category.
Lillie McCloud is the last of Kelly's Over 25s. At 54, she's now the oldest contestant since Denny Smith's departure, and a grandmother of seven. Now that her kids are grown she's chasing her dream. A lot of dream-chasing going on tonight; I would advise all these dreams to stop suddenly and make your escape while your pursuers are recovering from crashing into you from behind. Lillie sings "A House Is Not a Home" and it's fairly clear early on that she's going to get someone's chair; it's just a question of whose. She shows off some major chops and range over a totally spare arrangement, and ends up earning herself a standing ovation from the judges. The four people in the Over 25s chairs stay seated, though. In fact, they pretty much all look they're ready for the Four-Bucket Challenge. Demi, Paulina and even Simon all gush all over her, Simon saying she has the X Factor. Kelly says she knows how special she is, and Mario asks Kelly for her decision, like it's not a foregone conclusion. Kelly pauses just long enough to give a cursory glance at her current final four before adding Lillie to it. And the one who gives up her chair to Lillie is Lorie Moore. So that's Kelly's final final four: James Kenney, Jeff Gutt, Rachel Potter and Lillie McCloud. Though I think we can tell who her final one will be.
Demi's Girls are starting , though there's no way they're going to finish tonight. They're Bree Randall, Khaya Cohen, Jamie Pineda, Ashly Williams, Simone Torres, Danielle Geimer, Rylie Brown, Primrose Martin, Rion Page and Ellona Santiago. Demi's pretty stressed out already just from watching Kelly all evening, but it's time to get into it. Bree Randall from Corona, California is starting off this category. She's 20, a student, an intern and delusional. She's collecting a scrapbook of her career before it's even happened, so of course she's going down soon. She sings "Glad You Came," and it's pretty underwhelming. To the point where I'm not sure if it would be kinder for Demi to lend her one of her empty chairs or just save everyone a lot of time. Kelly says it was pretty much the same as her first audition and it dragged. Paulina is in the process of agreeing when Simon interrupts to compliment Bree's outfit and personality, but not her voice. Demi appreciates Bree's ambition and drive (read: delusion), but doesn't think she's ready to compete against Kelly's final four. Demi looks like she's about to drop the hammer, but Bree gets some support from the audience and makes the case that this is what she's meant to do and her emotions got the better of her. Demi seems to be on the fence, and Simon tells her she can work with her, so she's got a seat for now. Which means she's in the competition until the fifth Girl has finished singing.
After the ads, it's Khaya Cohen's turn to go for one of the remaining three chairs. She's 16 and a student from New York, and did pretty well in the second half of her first audition, as seen last week. Now she's doing a slow torchy version of Bruno Mars's "Locked out of Heaven," and the judges and the audience love her, especially when she hits the big notes. Bree sits there in her chair looking like Demi is about to give Khaya her chair instead of one of the empty ones, which wouldn't be entirely out of line. Kelly talks about Khaya's instincts and how that's part of the X Factor. Simon says she got even better than the first time they saw her, and Demi appreciates how much fun, drive and passion Khaya has. Demi executes a long pause before sending Khaya over to sit to Bree, but I think we all know the producers mandated that pause.
Jamie Pineda is , and before she sings we get to meet her and her giant family, as well as seeing her at her job as a retirement-home singer. She sings a Spanglish version of "Don't Speak" by No Doubt, and going bilingual never hurts in the early going of these competitions. Kelly loves her voice but thinks she seems a bit uncomfortable onstage at times, but mostly loves the Spanish. Simon prefers her Spanish singing to her English, and Demi likes that part too, as well as how Jamie looks like a star. So everyone talks about the Spanish singing except the judge who is famous for singing in Spanish. Interesting. Mario has a few Spanish words for Jamie as well before asking for Demi's decision. And Jamie gets to stay. For now.
Ashly Williams, the 24-year-old clothing retail worker, is the one who blew away the judges with "I Will Always Love You" during her first audition. We see her at home getting support from her family and visiting her mother's grave. So if she doesn't get a chair now, it's going to mean she's truly terrible. For some reason she's singing "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," much better than Jeff Gutt did when he used it as the first song in his second first audition (got that?), but there's only so much one can do with that song. Ashly arguably does it, though. Kelly talks about how talented she is, while Paulina thinks "music is for you." Although Simon loved her first audition, he didn't love this song so much. But it's up to Demi and after a while, she tells Ashly she's in. Mario calls time, so Bree Randall, Khaya Cohen, Jamie Pineda and Ashly Williams are going to have a very long night waiting to see if anyone's going to be better than them tomorrow. Well, Bree already knows, but I feel bad for the other three.
M. Giant is a Minneapolis-based writer with a wife, a son, and a number of cats that seems to have settled at around two. Learn waaaay too much about him at Velcrometer, follow him on Twitter, or just e-mail him at m.giant[at]gmail.com.