Contestants Jump Unexpected Hurdles on 'X Factor'

By
FOX

With just 24 hours to perfect their songs for tonight's show, The X Factor contestants rose to the occasion as they fought for the chance to compete in the semi-finals.

Due to an error, the remaining five acts had to ditch their viewer-chosen Pepsi songs that they were planning to perform tonight for the songs that they chose themselves.

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Melanie Amaro set the bar extremely high with her rendition of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston's When You Believe. Melanie's performance drew massive applause from the audience which included Clive Davis, the man responsible for signing Whitney.

Marcus Canty, who has been on the chopping block twice this season, gave what Paula called "one of [his] best performances".

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Earlier this week, Marcus and Chris Rene received a call from one of their idols, Stevie Wonder. Chris was left speechless when Stevie admitted that he was inspired after enjoying the young musician's last performance.

These encouraging words may have given Chris the fearlessness to sing an original song, which Simon Cowell believed to be either a mark of stupidity or stroke of genius. Simon accepted a kiss from Paula Abdul when, after a dramatic pause, he finally opted for the latter.

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Nicole Scherzinger gave out a few flattering labels on the night, dubbing Rachel Crow "an old soul in a 13-year-old body" and Josh Krajcik a male version Adele.

Watch an all-new The X Factor tomorrow night of FOX to find out who gets eliminated.