The X Factor Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: Providence, Greensboro and San Francisco Auditions
Sep 26 2012 11:32 pm ET
In the penultimate auditions episode of The X Factor, we see more footage from Providence, Greensboro and San Francisco. Simon Cowell and LA Reid get a blast from the past, Britney Spears has the best reaction, and Demi Lovato knows the brother of a contestant.
Providence Audtions
Adonis & John: Also known as 'The Original Greeks,' this mid-30's duo operate a diner. Adonis compares their art to art found in Michelangelo's basement. Yeah, I don't know either. Anyway, they audition with "Hello" by Lionel Richie. John's contributions are a bunch of "Yeah" and "uh huh" inserts as Adonis does a slow jam karaoke version of the track. "The good news is that you have a day job," Simon Cowell says. So the first audition of the night is a dud, followed by a montage of bad auditions. This is going to be a long night.
Dinah Jane Hansen: This 15-year-old student is from Santa Ana, California and lives in a house with 20 of her relatives. Jeez. I'm the youngest of seven and somehow we all fit in a bungalow, but I could not imagine the stacking involved with Dinah Jane's living arrangement. She takes on "If I Were a Boy" by Beyoncé. The sound mixing is not great in this episode, so she doesn't sound as good as she probably sounded live. Dinah Jane's lower register was a little too rumbly, but she hit the power notes solidly. "It's so tough to take a song from Beyoncé and do it justice," LA Reid says, "you took it to places Beyoncé wouldn't take it." Demi Lovato adds, "I got the chills several times." LA predicts Dinah Jane will make it to the finals, before casting the first of four yes votes.
Arin Ray: If this 16-year-old from Cincinnati looks familiar, it's because he was on the show last year. Not just in the auditions, not just at Boot Camp, and not just at Judges' Houses: Arin made it to the finals as 1/10th of the supergroup InTENsity. I still think about that act from time to time and what a HORRIBLE idea that was. Ah, memories. Anyway, Arin has been working on his craft since getting the boot last November. He performs an original song that tried to emulate the styles of Usher and Ne-Yo. I thought the song was bland and unlistenable, but the Arin worked the crowd like a pro. The judges were impressed as well. "I feel like you're a true star," Britney Spears tells him. "Your confidence is really, really hot," Demi adds. All four judges vote yes, then we get a montage of other youngsters getting raves from the judges. Will there be an InTENsity 2.0? WILL IT BE INTWENTYSITY?!?!
Changyi Li: This 52-year-old Chinese woman who has lived in the US for 12 years has shown up to the audition wearing a sailor dress. She says she wants to be a superstar, but the circus music playing in the background means some bad mojo is about to go down. In fairness, Changyi could have stood a chance if she was at the Kansas City auditions with Louis Walsh. Alas, Changyi sings "My Heart Will Go On" and it doesn't go well. She's not as good as Wing. "I just don't think singing is for you," Britney tells her. Changyi takes her four no votes in stride.
Greensboro Auditons
Austin Corini: This 16-year-old is allegedly a cutie, but his bleach blond hair is done up in a faux-hawk and he comes across as trying WAYYYY too hard. He sings "Wanted" by Hunter Hayes, a country ballad I'm not familiar with nor interested in exploring further after this audition. There's nothing wrong with Austin's voice, but there's nothing ear-catching or interesting. Demi highlights his cuteness, but says "I don't think I was jumping out of my seat excited." LA agrees, saying "I think I've seen a kid like this 25 times." Simon also agrees, saying this audition was about 80% of what he thinks Austin can offer. Britney and Demi vote yes, but Simon and LA both give cautionary yes votes before sending Austin to Boot Camp.
Jaime: This engaged couple want to use their $5 million prize to pay for their wedding, which Simon will officiate. They're super-shmoopy to the point that they start to gross out other contestants in the waiting room. In their on-stage interview, they mention they are engaged and Britney looks at them the way one would watch a dog and its owner sharing an ice cream cone. It's her best reaction shot to date. The couple performs an original song called "Will You Be My Baby." It sounds like a track from a High School Musical knock-off where the lyrics is a narration of their day. The audience and the judges are not fans and Jaime gets sent home.
David Correy: This 26-year-old musician from Maryland reveals he is adopted and would like to use this as an opportunity to find his birth mother. The narrative potential this season is significantly higher than last season. He takes on "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. The song starts a little pitchy, but overall David gives a solid rendition of the track. The judges love his stage presence and LA is particularly fond of David's upper register. He'll be one to watch at Boot Camp.
San Francisco auditions
Sophie Tweed-Simmons: The Simmons in this 19-year-old's name comes from her dad Gene Simmons. Yeah, the guy from Kiss. She interviews that this is her first real audition and she hasn't pursued this because she didn't want to get help from dad. When Sophie gets on stage, it takes Demi a moment to remember where she has seen Sophie before: she knows her brother. Simon asks what the parents think of this and Sophie says they didn't know until yesterday. That's probably for the best. Sophie sings "Make You Feel My Love" by Adele. I don't think Sophie's version is bad, but there have been so many better versions. Her voice is a good match for the song, so maybe a Norah Jones or Brandi Carlile song would have been a better choice. Demi, Britney and Simon like Sophie's voice, but LA was underwhelmed. He wanted "chill bumps" and didn't get them. LA votes no, but the other three say yes, so Sophie gets to go to Boot Camp.
Tara Simon: Tara is a 27-year-old vocal coach from Atlanta. She says she has been a wedding singer, church singer, Broadway singer and a backup singer. She just needs cabaret and she'll get Yahtzee. Tara is super-intense, rolling her eyes throughout Sophie's audition and doing pushups backstage to get her blood flowing. When she gets on stage, LA asks her who she wants to overtake in the music industry. Tara says Christina Aguilera, then blathers on about her five-year plan of taking over one of the judges' chairs on the X Factor Panel. After Simon tells Sophie to take off her stupid looking fedora, he advises her to "shut up and sing." I don't know what song Tara sings: her voice is too low and rumbly during the lyrics and then moves into a whole bunch of runs and vocal gymnastics. What the hell, show? Oddly, the judges are all supportive of Tara and she gets four yes votes. She's going to be a nightmare at Boot Camp, so that's something to look forward to, I guess.
Daryl Black: Daryl is a 37-year-old musician from Sacramento. He has a wife and five kids and a delightfully pleasant disposition. "I've been working on my dream my entire life," he says, "and I want The X Factor to be part of the journey." Daryl sings "Stereo Hearts" by Gym Class Heroes. He's arranged the song as an R&B slow jam. It's a little bit on the smooth jazz side at first, but I really dig Daryl's style. The judges love the smoothness of his voice, but Simon kicks the praise up a notch comparing Daryl to Nat King Cole. I can see that. Daryl is going to be one to keep an eye on.
Trevor Moran: Trevor is a 13-year-old who enjoys making videos, singing and dancing. He seems harmless, but I can see Trevor's schtick becoming divisive. He makes a "Call Me Maybe" video with a new friend in line. An hour passes and Trevor is not in the wings for his turn. We see him laying on the ground, his head on his mom's lap. He's not alert and takes a while to respond to the paramedics. To be continued…
Thursday on
The X Factor: It's the end of the auditions! Finally! Did Trevor die? (Probably not – I'm fairly certain something about that by now.) Who will get the final tickets to Boot Camp?
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