Team Paula Loses Its Weakest Link

Thursday's The X Factor elimination show disproved the phrase that strength comes in numbers. Two of the groups assigned to mentor Paula Abdul were voted as the bottom acts by viewers at home. Singers in all of the other categories were safe.

Voters narrowed the elimination field down to Stereo Hogzz versus InTENsity, a group of soloists the judges assembled after the initial audition round. It was then up to the judging panel to determine whose young dreams were going to get crushed. The two acts were given one last chance to wow the judges.

Simon Cowell evaluated, "If I'm gonna judge it based on the two performances I've just seen, which I think I should, the act I'm going to send home, because I thought they were the weakest on the night, is Stereo Hogzz."

It was a very tough position for Paula to have two of her groups go head-to-head. Forced to make a decision under tight time constraints, she said, "Based on everything in my experience with everyone…the act I'm sending home is InTENsity."

MORE: 'The X Factor' Axes 5 Acts Down to the Final 12

Nicole Scherzinger nailed a second nail in inTENsity's coffin. Things could have gotten interesting at this point if L.A. Reid cast his vote against Stereo Hogzz because it would then have been a 2-2 tie. In the event of a deadlock, the viewers’ votes come back into play. The act with the lowest amount of America's votes would be sent home. That was not the case in this instance. L.A. Reid concurred with the majority of his colleagues and sent InTENsity home.

The X Factor returns to Fox next Wednesday night.