Paige Thomas, Vino Alan Eliminated on ‘X Factor’
Hallelujah! Paige Thomas was finally sent packing during this week’s X Factor eliminations. But it was a double-edged sword, as we also lost Vino Alan in the process. Wah!
While Paige has been hanging by a thread for a while now (Rickrolling America Wednesday night probably didn’t help), it was a shocking turn for tatted-up teddy bear Vino, who’d stood solid at Number Three for three weeks in a row. His performance wasn’t his best last night, but it certainly didn’t warrant a pink slip. Call it the curse of the last-minute song change, which also contributed to Lyric 145’s early demise.
‘X Factor’: Rolling Stone’s Complete Coverage
As soon as Vino found out he was going up against 13-year-old Diamond White in a sing-off, he must have known he was in trouble. After last week’s heart-wrenching elimination of a sobbing Beatrice Miller, there was no way the judges were going to crush another little girl’s hopes and dreams. Plus, they’re probably not ready to admit they were wrong about Diamond’s star potential after making a big deal of bringing her back into the fold after initially cutting her loose before the live shows began. And then there are the V-man’s face and neck tattoos, which don’t exactly scream “mass appeal” the way a cutesy mega-watt teen does.
All those factors aside, it was still the wrong choice. Diamond has yet to crack the top three, and while she’s good, Vino’s better. This was even proven in the sing-off, when he delivered a soulful, nearly pitch-perfect rendition of Ray LaMontagne’s “Trouble” (you know, that song in that insurance ad about a dog worried about a bone). But, in the end, everyone but Vino’s mentor L.A. Reid picked him to go home. To his credit, Simon Cowell was torn up enough about the decision that he got bleeped when he said something out of frustration.
In case you’re sitting there scratching your head, this indeed means that polarizing CeCe Frey and her reappearing leopard spots lived to fight another day, hanging on in fifth place on the leaderboard. And now, the new top three consists of Carly Rose Sonenclar, Tate Stevens and Emblem3, who have been slowly creeping up the chart.
It also means that both L.A. and Demi Lovato are down to one contestant each. While we’re guessing L.A. isn’t sweating it too much, considering his man Tate has been top dog a few times, we’re pretty sure CeCe, Demi’s last woman standing, will be knocked out before the big finale. Although, she’s managed to defy the odds so far. Thanks, Vote for the Worst!
Previously: Paige Thomas Rickrolls America on ‘X Factor’