"The X Factor" USA 2013 finals kicked off on Wednesday with the remaining three finalists - Carlito Olivero, Alex & Sierra and Jeff Gutt - performing live for the last time this season, before the winner is announced on Thursday.
The show began with the finalists singing Queen's "We Will Rock You". It's no doubt a great song but sounded a little cliched. Additonally, Alex & Sierra seemed uncomfortable, while Carlito was out of place in the song. Being a rock song, Jeff stood out.
VIDEO: The Finalists Pump Up With "We Will Rock You"
Carlito Olivero, who sang "Boyfriend" by Justin Bieber, "I Need To Know" by Marc Anthony, and "Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard last week, opened the individual show with Shontelle's "Impossible". He got praises from the mentors but it was in fact a decent performance - could have been bigger considering it was the final one.
VIDEO: Carlito Olivero Performs "Impossible"
After singing Men's "Little Talks" and "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles last week, lovebirds Alex & Sierra took the stage on the final live performance night. They started off their first solo performance of the night with Ed Sheeran's "Give Me Love". The rendition was fine but it would have been better if they sang a new song, instead of repeating one from an earlier episode.
VIDEO: Alex & Sierra Perform "Give Me Love"
Jeff Gutt, who stole the hearts of the viewers with the rendition of "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley and "Demons" by Imagine Dragons last week, opened the final night with Aerosmith's "Dream On". A couple of mentors said that they couldn't hear him due to technical snag but audience could hear his voice. It was not better than the semi-finals performance but was good.
VIDEO: Jeff Gutt Performs "Dream On"
Mentor Paulina Rubio performed the song, "Boys Will Be Boys" before the remaining contestants took up duets. It was autotuned yet an entertaining one.
Carlito Olivero joined Prince Royce to sing Ben E. King's "Stand by Me". It was a decent performance; but nothing great, despite the presence of Prince Royce.
VIDEO: Carlito Olivero Sings "Stand By Me" with Prince Royce
Alex & Sierra sang Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" with the singer herself. It was just a decent performance. The lovebirds looked uncomfortable and didn't look into each other's eyes as often as they did in the earlier episodes.
VIDEO: Alex & Sierra Sing "Bleeding Love" with Leona Lewis
Jeff Gutt joined John Rzeznik to sing Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris". Usually, contestants are completely outperformed by the stars they perform with but Jeff doesn't let that happen. He manages to make his presence felt and it was good performance.
VIDEO: Jeff Gutt Sings "Iris" with John Rzeznik
Carlito Olivero's last song of the night was Santana's "Maria Maria" with a bevy of background dancers. It was a decent performance but he could have chosen a song that suits his voice a little more.
VIDEO: Carlito Olivero Performs "Maria Maria"
Jeff Gutt
VIDEO: Jeff Gutt Performs "Dream On"
Carlito Olivero: Shontelle's "Impossible"
Alex & Sierra: Ed Sheeran's "Give Me Love"
Jeff Gutt: Aerosmith's "Dream On"
Carlito Olivero (with Prince Royce): Ben E. King's "Stand by Me"
Alex & Sierra (with Leona Lewis): Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love"
Jeff Gutt (with John Rzeznik): Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris"
Carlito Olivero: Santana featuring The Product G&B's "Maria Maria"
Alex & Sierra: A Great Big World (featuring Christina Aguilera)'s "Say Something"
Jeff Gutt: Radiohead's "Creep"
Top 3 Acts: Queen's "We Will Rock You"
Paulina Rubio's "Boys Will Be Boys"
Alex & Sierra sang A Great Big World's "Say Something" once again. They sang the song well like in the earlier episode. However, they could have dared to walk out of their comfort zone and sing a different song rather than picking an old song.
VIDEO: Alex & Sierra Perform "Say Something"
Jeff Gutt's final song of the competition was Radiohead's "Creep". The rockstar lived up to the expectations once again. He nailed it with perfect pitch and beautiful falsetto. It was the perfect song for the finals and mentors loved it as much as the audience. He has once again proved that he means business.
VIDEO: Jeff Gutt Performs "Creep"
The night seems to belong to Jeff, as he was more consistent than the others, while Carlito failed to take his act to the next level. Even though Alex & Sierra performed well, they sounded old for choosing songs that they had already sung in earlier episodes.