17 acts – not the 16 we’d been expecting – were chosen by judges Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger to continue on in the The X Factor competition. The contestants will begin battling it out on October 25, 2011 on a two and a half hour special episode, with the top finalists performing for votes on Wednesday, November 2nd.
The competition was bumped up from 16 to 17 after Simon Cowell said he’d made a mistake during the eliminations by getting rid of Melanie Amaro. After discussing the issue with his fellow judges, it was decided the ‘Girl’ category would be expanded from four to five to accommodate the return of Amaro.
According to Fox, the 17 remaining contestants are working with choreographers, vocal producers and style teams in order to prepare for the next step in the competition. On the October 25th episode, the judges will narrow the field down even further. November 2nd will mark the first time the finalists actually compete against each other.
The Girls:
Melanie Amaro Age: 19
Hometown: Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Currently Resides: Coral Springs, FL/Sunrise, FL
Keep up with Melanie at:
www.twitter.com/itsmelanieamaro (@ItsMelanieAmaro)
www.facebook.com/pages/Melanie-Amaro/117865004985741
“It was really big, as well as shocking, because the many years I’ve watched Simon, he has never done something like that. I feel very honored that he came to my home to ask me to come back on the show. The whole process is just mind boggling. It’s so amazing.” – Melanie Amaro
Simone Battle Age: 22
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Currently Resides: Los Angeles, CA
Keep up with Simone at:
www.twitter.com/simonebattle (@simonebattle)
www.facebook.com/simonebattleonfb
“I am blown away by how much talent there is in the girls’ category. At this point, it’s not about impressing the judges, it’s about impressing the world and everyone who is watching.” – Simone Battle
Rachel Crow Age: 13
Hometown: Longmont, CO/Mead, CO
Currently Resides: Burbank, CA
Keep up with Rachel at:
www.twitter.com/IamRachelCrow (@IamRachelCrow)
www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Crow
“This whole experience has been a dream come true and I can’t believe I made it this far because I went into the competition with no expectations. I can’t believe this is happening to me. I think what I am really trying to work on is finding out who I am as a singer. I am trying to find my style and my edge.” – Rachel Crow
Drew Ryniewicz Age: 14
Hometown: Chino Valley, AZ
Currently Resides: Chino Valley, AZ
Keep up with Drew at:
www.twitter.com/drewryniewicz1(@drewryniewicz1)
www.facebook.com/pages/Drew-Ryniewicz/251573518221876
“The girls in my category are nothing but amazing, every single one. From the start I have loved them all. We are almost like a big family. I mean, we are competing, but we spend so much time with each other and it is nice to be around so many people you can relate to.” – Drew Ryniewicz
Tiah Tolliver Age: 20
Hometown: Chula Vista, CA
Currently Resides: Bremerton, WA
Keep up with Tiah at:
www.twitter.com/TiahTolliver(@TiahTolliver)
www.facebook.com/pages/Tiah-Tolliver/204902059581635
“I am extremely happy to have him [Simon Cowell] as my mentor because he fought for me. I feel like he is going to lead me in the right direction and I sincerely believe him when he tells me stuff.” – Tiah Tolliver
The Boys:
Astro Age: 15
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Currently Resides: Brooklyn, NY
Keep up with Astro at:
www.twitter.com/Astronomicalkid (@Astronomicalkid)
www.facebook.com/theastronomicalkid
“So far The X Factor experience has been amazing and pretty fun. It definitely makes me feel like a star. Coming here and being the only MC in this competition, I believe in myself and that is going to bring me through.” – Astro
Marcus Canty Age: 20
Hometown: Bowie, MD
Currently Resides: Bowie, MD
Keep up with Marcus at:
www.twitter.com/IamMarcusCanty(@iammarcuscanty)
www.facebook.com/officialmarcuscanty
“I think this experience has nurtured me and made me realize that life is too short and to live through the moment. These are once-in-a-lifetime experiences you can’t get back. I am going to keep having fun and bringing who I am.” – Marcus Canty
Phillip Lomax Age: 22
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Currently Resides: Seattle, WA
Keep up with Phillip at:
www.twitter.com/@philliplomax(@philliplomax)
www.facebook.com/PhillipLomaxMusic
“The X Factor experience has been incredible. The thing that has resonated the most with me is that it is important to find my own voice and to be true within my music. I don’t want to be anyone but me.” – Phillip Lomax
Chris Rene Age: 28
Hometown: Santa Cruz, CA
Currently Resides: Santa Cruz, CA
Keep up with Chris at:
www.twitter.com/MrChrisRene (@mrchrisrene)
www.facebook.com/ChrisReneMusic831
“The advice I have been getting is to stay original, stay yourself and do my thing and also go out of the box and do things that are difficult. The way I prepare is to stay in the moment, relax and practice as much as I can. Staying in the here-and-now is what is best for me.” – Chris Rene
The Over 30s:
LeRoy Bell Age: 60
Hometown: Tacoma, WA
Currently Resides: Edmonds, WA/Seattle, WA
Keep up with LeRoy at:
www.twitter.com/LeRoyBell (@LeRoyBell)
www.facebook.com/LeRoyBellMusic
“The experience has been wild and exciting, at the same time a little bit scary…One of the things I’ve learned is you can teach an old dog new tricks. I can still learn something. The show has taught me that I am more flexible than I thought I was.” – LeRoy Bell
Stacy Francis Age: 42
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Currently Resides: Los Angeles, CA
Keep up with Stacy at:
www.twitter.com/StacyFrancis (@StacyFrancis)
www.facebook.com/officialStacyFrancis
“Being a part of the show so far has been an emotional rollercoaster. Every feeling I could feel, I have felt during this journey…I am happy and so excited. The momentum is just incredible. It’s like I’m a 10-year-old and it’s Christmas and I’m so excited.” – Stacy Francis
Dexter Haygood Age: 49
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Currently Resides: Chicago, IL
Keep up with Dexter at:
www.twitter.com/DexterHaygood (@dexterhaygood)
www.facebook.com/officialDexterHaygood
“It is going to be exciting; I’m gonna set the place on fire, but not literally. There is nothing like The X Factor. I have never experienced anything like this.” – Dexter Haygood
Josh Krajcik Age: 30
Hometown: Wooster, OH
Currently Resides: Columbus, OH
Keep up with Josh at:
www.twitter.com/theJoshKrajcik (@theJoshKrajcik)
www.facebook.com/joshkrajcikmusic
“The X Factor experience has been really great. It has been a serious challenge and any time you challenge yourself it is a good thing. The experience on The X Factor has given me a lot of insight into who I am and a lot of things that I didn’t know.” – Josh Krajcik
The Groups:
The Brewer Boys
Justin Brewer Age: 17 Hometown: Temecula, CA
Nathan Brewer Age: 14 Hometown: Temecula, CA
Keep up with the Brewer Boys at:
www.twitter.com/theBrewerBoys (@theBrewerBoys)
http://www.facebook.com/thebrewerboysmusic
“We never really thought about going this far. It has been pretty shocking. This has been an incredible experience. I’ve learned a lot about the industry. I love it.” – Nathan Brewer
InTENsity
Nick Dean Age: 15 Hometown: Rochester, NY
Francesca Duncan Age: 17 Hometown: Orange Co., NY
John Lindahl Age: 15 Hometown: Travuco Canyon, CA
Emily Michalak Age: 13 Hometown: Pine Brook, NJ
Austin Percario Age: 15 Hometown: Warren, NJ
Arin Ray Age: 16 Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Lauren Ashley Redmond Age: 17 Hometown: Houston, TX
Ellona Santiago Age: 15 Hometown: San Lorenzo, CA
Ma’at Bingham Shango Age: 12 Hometown: Houston, TX
Emily Wilson Age: 15 Hometown: Warren, NJ
Keep up with InTENsity at:
www.twitter.com/its_inTENsity (@its_inTENsity)
www.facebook.com/itsInTENsity
“Being in a group is amazing. When you are a solo artist, you only have yourself to rely on. But when you are in a group you have however many other people who have your back. So it is better to be in a group of ten, plus it is more fun and we have more people to hang out with and it’s just not as stressful.” – John Lindahl
Lakoda Rayne
Cari Fletcher Age: 17 Hometown: Wall Township, NJ
Dani Knights Age: 22 Hometown: Santa Clarita, CA
Paige Ogle Age: 18 Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Hayley Orrantia Age: 17 Hometown: Highland Village, TX
Keep up with Lakoda Rayne at:
www.twitter.com/Lakoda_Rayne (@lakoda_rayne)
www.facebook.com/lakodarayne
“Starting out as four solo artists, it was a shocker that we were going to be in the group category together but it has been an incredible experience. They’ve taken four strong solo artists and made this super group.” – Hayley Orrantia
The Stereo Hogzz
Kregg Gibson (aka KG) Age: 25 Hometown: Houston, TX
Jonathan Glenn (aka Jon Glenn) Age: 25 Hometown: Houston, TX
George Jenkins III (aka Trae Badd) Age: 25 Hometown: Houston, TX
Leeland Stephenson (aka Trace Kennedy) Age: 24 Hometown: Houston, TX
Justin Williams (aka Just’n) Age: 25 Hometown: Houston, TX
Keep up with Stereo Hogzz at:
www.twitter.com/theStereoHogzz (@thestereohogzz)
www.facebook.com/thestereohogzz
“This X Factor experience has been something that we have been dreaming of for a long time. You can’t ask for more, and they provided this platform for us and we are running with it, taking it all the way.” – Trace Kennedy
Source: Fox – October 18, 2011
