On Thursday night, Alex and Sierra were crowned The X Factor 2013 champions and so it seems appropriate that we take a look back at some of their top moments that got them the win.

I’ll include my original reviews of the performances.

Alex & Sierra’s Top Moments

5. Alex & Sierra: “Best Song Ever”

Yeah. Here’s your One Direction song. I hate thesong choice. British Invasion does not mean One Direction to me, but this is the X Factor, so I’ll stop gritting my teeth and say that Alex & Sierra sounded great. They were soft and sweet. They were also incredibly corny. I’m starting to find them very corny.

4. Alex & Sierra: “Say My Name”

Well that was not the song choice I expected, but it worked. And for the first time this season, Sierra was stronger than Alex. And I think that was important for their continued success. Alex has been outshining her, so it was good to see her step up.

3. Alex & Sierra: “Blurred Lines”

They delivered a unique, unplugged version of Robin Thicke’s popular hit “Blurred Lines.” The vocals were good and their chemistry is fantastic. Of course this is The X Factor and there was some really silly production going on in the background. I’m not sure why the production wasn’t as stripped as thesong. But this show has a really hard time editing itself.

Regardless of the production, Alex & Sierra’s “Blurred Lines” was one of the best of the night. And Simon Cowell did not hesitate putting them into his Final 3 when the time came.

2. Alex & Sierra: “Toxic” (their audition)

They’re a boyfriend and girlfriend group and when they said they were going to sing Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” the audience and judges were all, whaaaaaat. But then they pulled out a modern, trendy, guitar version and it was very interesting. Actually, I’m not even sure if he was singing until later. I could only hear her. But then he sang and he was pretty good as well. I was convinced they’d want her and not him. But he proved himself as well. They got four yeses and are moving on tothe next round.

1. Alex & Sierra: “Say Something”

That was actually better than their first performance. That has been rare this second round. But this makes two in a row. Great job. Emotional. Them both playing instruments. Great.

This is it, folks. The X Factor 2013 grand finale. One of the three finalists will be walking away with a recording contract and the title of The X Factor champion.

So either Alex & Sierra, Jeff Gutt or Carlito Olivero will be our season 3 winner. Who will it be? I’m going to go ahead and place my bets on Alex & Sierra, even though I’d prefer the winner be Jeff Gutt. We’ll find out soon enough!

Finale mini recap

The Top 13 are back to perform “One” by U2, but something tells me Mary J. Blige might be popping up. This is actually not a bad group number. I’m usually not a fan, but this was pretty solid. And I guess Mary J. will be showing up a little later.

It’s time for Carlito to do a mediocre job on my favorite holiday song “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” I wish Jeff was singing this instead.

There’s Mary J. And with a really fun version of “Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer.” That was a lot of fun.

Jeff Gutt’s version of “O Holy Night” was amazing. I think that’s the best version I’ve ever heard of this song. Now Alex & Sierra’s “All I Want For Christmas is You” … not so much. Their harmonies were off and Sierra sounded pretty irrupting on this song. Oh well, the results are already final and I’m pretty sure they’ve won so, they don’t need to sound good anymore. The studios will fix all their flaws.

It’s time to find out which act finishes the season in 3rd place … and that placement goes to Carlito Olivero.

The results

• 3rd place: Carlito Olivero
• 2nd place: Jeff Gutt
• The winner of The X Factor 2013 is …. Alex & Sierra

What do you think of the results? Did you know Alex & Sierra were going to win The X Factor 2013?

Tonight on The X Factor 2013 we’ll find our which of the three finalists America decided has the X Factor this season.

Last night Alex & Sierra, Jeff Gutt and Carlito Olivero put all their cards on the table and each delivered three fantastic performances. But only one can be the winner and we’ll know that result in a few hours.

Also tonight, there’ll be guest performances by One Direction, Mary J. Blige, Lea Michele and more. You can expect a lot of  surprises, drama and maybe an announcement about next season. Or maybe not.

Be sure to check back in with us here tonight as we’ll be live-blogging the finale and will have the winner announcement only seconds after host Mario Lopez reads off the name.

Who do you think will walk away with the title of X Factor 2013 champion tonight? I’m a Jeff Gutt fan, but I think Alex & Sierra might just be taking this one home.

We’ll see you back here tonight!

The X Factor 2013 finale kicked off Wednesday night with some crazy-good performances. Alex & Sierra and Jeff Gutt had some winning performances while I think Carlito Olivero sealed his fate as 3rd place finisher.

But that’s not to say his performances weren’t solid. I just think America will be leaning more toward his competitors. What do you think?

Here’s what I had to say about his performances during our live recap Wednesday night:

Carlito Olivero, “Impossible.”  Well this was horrible. Carlito has had  a few good weeks but he’s lost his stride. This was probably one of his word performances. It was all over the place.

Carlito Olivero, “Maria, Maria.” This was his best song from the season? I don’t think so. And that entrance was so self-indulgent and obnoxious. And I have nothing good to say about his vocals. This performance is doing him no favors.

What do you think of Carlito? Am I wrong? Does he actually have what it takes to win The X Factor? Check out his performances below and let us know what you think.

Carlito Olivero performs “Impossible” on The X Factor 2013

Carlito Olivero performs “Maria Maria” on The X Factor 2013

The X Factor 2013 Final Three finalists pulled out some fantastic performances Wednesday night like it was their last chance. Because it was. The three acts were on fire and Jeff Gutt delivered only winning performances.

His versions of Aerosmith’s “Dream On” and Radiohead’s “Creep” were fantastic enough for me to award him the win. If it were up to just me. I hope America gives him the win because he deserves it.

Here’s what I had to say about Jeff’s performances during our live recap from the finale performance show:

Jeff Gutt, “Dream On.” Now that was a finale performance. Are you kidding? That was fantastic. And that ending? Yes, please. Perfect.

Jeff Gutt, “Creep.” Good call on reprising this song. I think I liked it better the first time, but this time was still fantastic. I think Jeff is the one who deserves to win after tonight’s performances, but I doubt he will. I think he had the best overall performances.

What do you think of Jeff Gutt? Does he have what it takes to win? Check out his performance videos below and let us know what you think.

Jeff Gutt performs “Dream On” on The X Factor 2013

Jeff Gutt performs “Creep” on The X Factor 2013

The X Factor 20213 Final Three took on three songs each Wednesday night and they meant business. All three delivered some of their best performances of the season. They all showed up to win, that’s for sure.

Among the best of the night were Alex & Sierra’s versions of “Give Me Love” and “Say Something.”

Here’s what I had to say about the performances during our live recap of the show:

Alex & Sierra, “Give Me Love.” That was probably one of their best performances ever. So that definitely puts them in a good place in this competition. They might just win it. I liked that a lot. It was sweet and tender and romantic. Great job.

Alex & Sierra,”Say Something.” I feel like I’ve heard them perform this song 100 times. Maybe it’s just because most of their stuff sounds the same. I mean it’s a good performance and they’re probably going to win the show, but I want to see something different from them.

What do you think of Alex & Sierra? Do they have what it takes to win? Check out their performances below and let us know what you think.

Alex & Sierra perform “Give Me More” on The X Factor 2013

Alex & Sierra perform “Say Something” on The X Factor 2013

The X Factor 2013 Final Three are ready to take to the X Factor stage one last time to convince America they have what it takes to win season 3.

Each of the acts will be taking on three songs each and we’ll be live-blogging the main event so don’t go anywhere! I’ll be reviewing each episode and assigning letter grades, as always. I’ll also be sharing with you how to vote for your favorite acts.

So who’s going to shine the brightest tonight? Alex & Sierra, Jeff Gutt or Carlito Olivero? Let’s find out!

The X Factor 2013 Finale Performances

Round one 

Carlito Olivero, “Impossible.”  Well this was horrible. Carlito has had  a few good weeks but he’s lost his stride. This was probably one of his word performances. It was all over the place.

• Performance Grade: C-
• How to Vote for Carlito: 1-855-843-9302

 Alex & Sierra, “Give Me Love.” That was probably one of their best performances ever. So that definitely puts them in a good place in this competition. They might just win it. I liked that a lot. It was sweet and tender and romantic. Great job.

• Performance Grade: A+
• How to Vote for Alex & Sierra: 1-855-843-9301

 Jeff Gutt, “Dream On.” Now that was a finale performance. Are you kidding? That was fantastic. And that ending? Yes, please. Perfect.

• Performance Grade: A+
• How to Vote for Jeff: 1-855-843-9305

Round one

Carlito Olivero and Prince Royce, “Stand By Me.” This was a smart song to reprise. It was one of Carltio’s best. And this time around it was even better. He needed this to make up for that first song.

• Performance Grade: A-
• How to Vote for Carlito: 1-855-843-9302

Alex & Sierra and Leona Lewis, “Bleeding Love.” The vocals were solid, but that was a pretty boring performance. I think they’ll be OK, but this performance did nothing for me.

• Performance Grade: B
  
• How to Vote for Alex & Sierra: 1-855-843-9301

Jeff Gutt and John Rzeznik, “Iris.” This wasn’t Jeff’s best performance, but it’s a good song and it was a nice duet with the Goo Goo Dolls frontman. So I’ll give it a solid rating.

• Performance Grade: B+
• How to Vote for Jeff: 1-855-843-9305

Round three

Carlito Olivero, “Maria, Maria.” This was his best song from the season? I don’t think so. And that entrance was so self-indulgent and obnoxious. And I have nothing good to say about his vocals. This performance is doing him no favors.

• Performance Grade: B-
  
• How to Vote for Carlito: 1-855-843-9302

Alex & Sierra,”Say Something.” I feel like I’ve heard them perform this song 100 times. Maybe it’s just because most of their stuff sounds the same. I mean it’s a good performance and they’re probably going to win the show, but I want to see something different from them.

• Performance Grade: A
  
• How to Vote for Alex & Sierra: 1-855-843-9301

Jeff Gutt, “Creep.” Good call on reprising this song. I think I liked it better the first time, but this time was still fantastic. I think Jeff is the one who deserves to win after tonight’s performances, but I doubt he will. I think he had the best overall performances.

• Performance Grade: A+
• How to Vote for Jeff: 1-855-843-9305

The X Factor 2013 two-night season finale kicks off tonight as the final three acts sing for America’s votes one final time.

Alex & Sierra, Carlito Olviero and Jeff Gutt will give it their all tonight for that chance in the spotlight tomorrow night as the winner of season 3 of The X Factor.

We’ll be here tonight to live-blog the main event and you can expect a night filled with drama and lots of music as the three acts will be taking on a number of songs each. I’ll be reviewing each performance and reminding you how to vote for your favorite acts. It is, after all, the most important voting night of the season!

And then we’ll be back again tomorrow night to live blog the grand finale and announce the season 3 winner. Before we get to the winner tomorrow night, there’s a line-up of guest performances planned. You can expect to hear from One Direction, Mary J. Blige, Leona Lewis and Lea Michele.

We’ll see you  back here tonight! Happy finale day!

The X Factor 2013 season finale is this week and even though the season is almost over, there’s been no word from Fox if the lackluster singing show will be back for a fourth season.

Despite poor ratings, Simon Cowell told reporters on a conference call Monday that he has a good feeling about another season.

“I think the show will be coming back next year,” Simon said. “As to my role on it, I might have a different kind of role, we haven’t discussed that yet.”

And he’s quite happy with this season, he says.

“I think the show started off OK; I thought the four-chair challenge was terrific and the early live shows were OK and the last two weeks have been amazing,” Simon said. “As a series, particularly because of the talent, because of what Alex & Sierra have achieved on iTunes over the last couple of weeks is phenomenal.  I’m really happy that the show has achieved what it sets out to achieve which is to find a star.”

If the show does return next season, Simon hints at some obviously needed changes.

“What we have with X Factor is a huge core fan base that loves the show but we have got to be more than that,” Simon said. “We’re in the middle of a conversation about this is what we think the show should look like,  what the fans would like, so my role may change but I can’t say any more than that.”

Simon also mentioned the show going to just one night a week. Fox did that with So You Think You Can Dance this past season, so its likely The X Factor could follow.

“The thing about these shows over the years is they started off as one-hour shows and now it’s two hours or two and a half hours and then an hour show the next day,” Simon said. “That’s like watching a movie. It’s getting to be probably too much”

I agree Simon. One night a week is PLENTY.

What do you think? Do you think The  X Factor should return next season?

Restless Road was booted from The X Factor 2013 last week, just missing the finale, but the group promises it’s not the end of them.

Zach Beeken, Colton Pack and Andrew Scholz were assembled by X Factor judges after not making it past their solo auditions. So it was up in the air if they would try to continue their careers as a trio. And it sounds like Restless Road will live on.

“We want to get right to work and hopefully get signed to a record label and get started on an album and working on singles. I think that’s kind of what our game plan is for the future,” Colton told reporters.

Zach echoed Colton’s sentiments.

“We’re just like a family,”  Zach said. ”We’re like brothers. We know that we all want to succeed, and if we want to do that, we all have to support each other. It can’t just be one person that runs the show. We’re all in the group. We’re all important.”

The guys are also happy with their time on the X Factor, even if they did fall short of the finale.

“We’re just happy to make it as far as we did because we almost didn’t make it anywhere past the second round,” Andrew Scholz told Zap2it .”We got nos in the boys category, then we got put in this group which was just a blessing. We’re so happy to be where we are.”

The guys also say they’re rooting for Alex & Sierra to take the title.