List of The X Factor finalists (American season 1)
The first season of The X Factor was being broadcast on Fox. The series started airing on September 21, 2011, with the live shows starting on October 25, 2011 and ended on December 22, 2011, with Melanie Amaro winning.
Boys[edit]
The "Boys" category was mentored by L.A. Reid. Contestants in this category were males aged 12 to 29. The eight candidates were Skyelor Anderson, Brian Bradley, Marcus Canty, Tim Cifers, Brennin Hunt, Phillip Lomax, Chris Rene and Nick Voss. Reid chose the following:[1]
Chris Rene[edit]
Christopher "Chris" Rene (born December 25, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and producer from Santa Cruz, California. He had been in a band called Diversion and also had a solo career, including the album Soul'd Out. He finished third overall in the competition, behind winner Melanie Amaro and runner-up Josh Krajcik. He is most popular in New Zealand, with his single "Young Homie" reaching number one in the New Zealand charts.[2]
Marcus Canty[edit]
Marcus Canty (born January 22, 1991) is from Bowie, Maryland, where he lives. During his audition, he sang "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder. His musical influences include Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Boyz II Men, Mary J. Blige, Monica, Bobby Brown, and Whitney Houston. At judges' houses, he performed "All My Life" by K-Ci & JoJo. On the November 23 results show, he landed in the bottom three with Lakoda Rayne and LeRoy Bell, and had to sing off against Bell. He was saved after the result went to deadlock. The following week, on December 1, he landed in the bottom three again along with Drew and Astro, and had to sing off against Drew. Simon Cowell voted to send Drew through to the quarter-final, but Reid, Scherzinger and Abdul voted to send Canty through to the quarter-final. However Drew received more votes than Canty meaning if Abdul sent the result to deadlock, Drew would’ve been sent through to the quarter-final and Canty would’ve been eliminated. In the quarter-final, he ended up in the bottom two yet again, along with Rachel Crow. Cowell and Abdul voted to send Crow to the semi-final, but Reid and Scherzinger voted to send Canty to the semi-final. This meant Scherzinger sent the result to deadlock and Canty advanced to the semi-final after receiving more votes than Crow. In the semi-final, Canty was eliminated by receiving the fewest votes, taking fourth place overall.
Astro[edit]
Brian Bradley (born August 26, 1996), known by his stage name Astro, is from Brownsville, New York, where he lives. He has said that "Astro" is short for "the astronomical kid".[3] He impressed the judges at his audition in Newark, New Jersey by performing his original composition "Stop Looking at My Mom". It was described as 'Brilliant' because he made the rap himself and he performed like an actual rapper.[4] He landed in the bottom two on November 17 with Stacy Francis, but was kept by L.A. Reid, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. However, Francis received more votes than Astro meaning if Cowell sent the result to deadlock, Astro would’ve been eliminated. He was eliminated on December 1, along with Drew, after landing in the bottom three with Drew and Marcus Canty and receiving the fewest votes. He came in seventh place overall. Later on, however, 50 Cent came on to rap and Astro came out and started rapping with the rapper.
Weeks after being eliminated, Astro was featured on the UK single version of Cher Lloyd's "Want U Back" and also signed a record deal with Epic Records who he is expected to release his debut album through. He then also starred in an episode of CBS's hit show Person of Interest. On 29 October, Astro released his first song called "Deadbeat" which talks about what his dad had told him about life. He starred in the film Earth to Echo and the FOX show Red Band Society.
Phillip Lomax[edit]
Phillip Lomax (born August 8, 1989) age 23, an actor from Seattle. He performed "Don't Stop the Music" in front of Rihanna during judges' houses. He was eliminated by Reid after singing "I'm a Believer" on the first live show.
Girls[edit]
The "Girls" category was mentored by Simon Cowell. Contestants in this category are females aged 12 to 29. The eight candidates were: Melanie Amaro, Simone Battle, Rachel Crow, Caitlin Koch, Jazzlyn Little, Drew Ryniewicz, Tiah Tolliver, and Tora Woloshin. Cowell chose five as follows:
Melanie Amaro[edit]
Melanie Ann Amaro (born June 26, 1992 in Florida) was sent along with her two brothers to Tortola, British Virgin Islands to live with her grandparents when she was only three years old. She lives in Sunrise, Florida with her family.[5] Amaro was initially not chosen to be part of the Top 16, but Cowell surprised her at her Florida home[6] and revealed that she would be added to the finals to form a Top 17. She was announced as the winner during the final on December 22, beating Josh Krajck and Chris Rene, and making Simon Cowell the winning mentor.
Simone Battle[edit]
Simone Battle (June 17, 1989 - September 5, 2014) was from Los Angeles, California. In the first live show, she performed "Just Be Good to Me"[7] and was one of two acts eliminated by decision of her mentor Simon Cowell, the other being Tiah Tolliver. The same night, her debut music video "He Likes Boys" premiered online. In 2013 Battle became a member of G.R.L.. Battle was found dead at her Los Angeles home on September 5, 2014.[8]
Rachel Crow[edit]
Rachel Crow (born January 23, 1998) is from Mead, Colorado, and lives in Burbank, California. She performed "Mercy" by Duffy at her audition,[9] "If I Were a Boy" by Beyoncé at bootcamp[10] and her own rendition of "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys at judges' houses.[11] On the December 8 results show, Crow landed in the bottom two for the first time with Marcus Canty, who had appeared in the bottom three in the two previous weeks. This meant Scherzinger sent the result to deadlock and Crow was eliminated after she had fewer votes than Canty and finished in 5th place. Immediately after the results were revealed, Crow collapsed on stage and cried convulsively. She cried for her mother who went up on stage and tried to console her. Nicole Scherzinger, the judge responsible for sending the result to deadlock, was also visibly upset by the result. When Steve Jones asked Scherzinger whether she had anything to say, she turned away from Jones and was booed by the audience for inadvertently sending Crow home. Crow released a five-song EP on June 26, 2012.
Drew[edit]
Drew Ryniewicz (born January 7, 1997), better known as Drew, is from Chino Valley, Arizona, where she currently resides. Performing "Baby" for her first audition, she made her way through the initial stages of the competition to become a finalist. Beginning with the live shows of The X Factor, she announced that she was going to go by the mononymous name Drew. One memorable moment in her X Factor journey was when she dedicated "Skyscraper" by Demi Lovato to her friend Shelby Forshey. She was eliminated on the results show on December 1, along with Astro, after landing in the final showdown against Marcus Canty, with only her mentor, Simon Cowell, voted to send Drew through to the quarter-final while L.A. Reid, Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul voted to send Canty through to the quarter-final. Therefore, she took 6th place overall. However, Drew received more votes than Canty meaning if Abdul sent the result to deadlock, Drew would've advanced to the quarter-final and Canty would've been eliminated. On December 17, 2012, she released a live EP titled "Hello It's Me", which reached #8 on the iTunes Pop Albums Chart. After the show was over it was revealed in Week 2, Drew came in 1st with the most votes. She released her debut single, "Ugly" on August 24, 2015, followed by the release of single "High" and her debut EP "180" on January 29, 2016. Also featured in single "Rise Again" by Wasback and released 18 March 2018.[12]
Tiah Tolliver[edit]
Tiah Tolliver (born July 23, 1991) is from Chula Vista, California, and lives in Chula Vista, California. In the first live show, she performed "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"[13] and was one of two acts eliminated by decision of her mentor Simon Cowell the other being Simone Battle. There was reportedly drama between Tiah Tolliver and the winner of season one Melanie Amaro. Tolliver is of Afro-Jamaican and Japanese descent. Tiah Tolliver is currently working on her first single "I", "Cup Caken" and the music video. A sneak preview of "I" was released March 18, 2012 and a sneak preview of "Cup Caken" May 26, 2012 on her YouTube channel "SFCS21".
Over 30s[edit]
The "Over 30s" category was mentored by Nicole Scherzinger.[14] Contestants in this category are of either sex, aged 30 or over. There is no upper age limit. The eight candidates were: LeRoy Bell, Tiger Budbill, Christa Collins, Stacy Francis, Elaine Gibbs, Dexter Haygood, James Kenney, and Josh Krajcik. Scherzinger chose the following:
LeRoy Bell[edit]
LeRoy Bell (born September 13, 1951) is a former postman from Tacoma, Washington, lives in Edmonds, Washington. He got through auditions with his performance of "Lean On Me" by Ben E. King.[15] Playing music since his teens, LeRoy Bell and his band have opened for and toured with Sheryl Crow, Joan Osborne, and B.B King, the late Etta James, Joe Cocker, Michael McDonald, Van Morrison, Mavis Staples, The Temptations, The O'jays and more. LeRoy has also written songs for Elton John, Teddy Pendergrass, Johnny Mathis, The Spinners, The O'jays, and Lou Rawls. As part of the duo Bell & James, had his own Top 20 hit on A&M records in 1979, called "Livin' It Up (Friday Night)". Bell landed for the bottom two for the first time on Week 5, November 23 against Marcus Canty, he was eliminated after the result went to deadlock, with his mentor Nicole and Paula voting to save him and Reid and Simon voting to eliminate him. He finished in 8th place.
Stacy Francis[edit]
Stacy Francis (born April 16, 1969)[16] is a single mother from Brooklyn, New York, and lives in Los Angeles, California. At the beginning of bootcamp, she revealed that her father had just died.[17] Francis has previous experience on Broadway,[18] performed for Tom Cruise at his 40th birthday party,[19] has had a solo album out and released several albums whilst previously signed by Reprise Records as part of a girl band called Ex-Girlfriend. Francis was eliminated on November 17 after landing in the bottom two with Astro, with only her mentor, Nicole Scherzinger, voting to eliminate Astro and L.A. Reid, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell keeping Astro, therefore taking 11th place. However Francis received more votes than Astro meaning if Cowell send the result to deadlock, Astro would’ve been eliminated. Francis has also made some appearances in some TV series in the past, including the pilot episode of Phil of the Future, Third Watch, The Parkers, and Half & Half. Francis is the daughter of an Italian American father and an African American mother.
Dexter Haygood[edit]
Dexter Haygood is from Portland, Oregon, and lives in Memphis, Tennessee. In the first live show, he performed a mash-up of "Womanizer" and "I Kissed A Girl" and was eliminated by decision of his mentor Nicole Scherzinger. In an interview, Haygood said he wanted to leave the show two days before lives shows because he could not be the "rock artist" he wanted to. He told his mentor Scherzinger, and she went to the producers with the situation. The producers told Haygood that he had to perform on the first live show, then would be eliminated on purpose by Scherzinger. Simon Cowell denied these claims.
Josh Krajcik[edit]
Joshua "Josh" Krajcik (30) is a singer and songwriter from Wooster, Ohio, and lives in Columbus, Ohio. In 2005, he formed the Josh Krajcik Band, along with bassist Mitch Pinkston and drummer Corey Gillen. Josh Krajcik Band has released two CDs released independently, Ghosts 2005 & Atavistic 2011. Josh came in second place overall.
Groups[edit]
The Groups category was mentored by Paula Abdul. Acts in this category are duos or vocal groups. All members must be aged 12 or over. At the Judges' Houses stage of the competition, Abdul was joined by Pharrell Williams to help judge the contestants.[20] The eight candidates were: 2Squar'd, 4Shore, Illusion Confusion, InTENsity, Lakoda Rayne, The Anser, The Brewer Boys, and The Stereo Hogzz. Abdul chose the following:
InTENsity[edit]
Intensity (stylized as InTENsity) consists of 10 members who auditioned solo but were put together in the bootcamp to compete as a group. The members are: Ma'at Bingham Shango (born May 13, 1999 Houston, Texas), Nick Dean (born July 12, 1996 Rochester, New York), Francesca Duncan (born May 25, 1994 Orange County, New York), John Lindahl (born August 10, 1996 Trabuco Canyon, California), Emily Michalak (born September 30, 1998 Pine Brook, Morris County, New Jersey), Austin Percario (born November 18, 1995 Warren, New Jersey), Arin Ray (born September 2, 1995 Cincinnati, Ohio), Ellona Santiago (born August 1, 1996 San Lorenzo, California), Emily Wilson (born May 14, 1996 Warren, New Jersey) and Lauren Ashley (born November 13, 1993 Houston, Texas). They were eliminated on November 3 by the public vote after landing in the bottom two with The Stereo Hogzz, with only Simon Cowell voting to eliminate The Stereo Hogzz and save InTENsity while Paula Abdul (mentor for both The Stereo Hogzz and InTENsity), Nicole Scherzinger and L.A. Reid voted to keep The Stereo Hogzz. However InTENsity received more votes than The Stereo Hogzz meaning if Reid sent the result went to deadlock, The Stereo Hogzz would’ve been eliminated. They took 12th place overall.[21] Arin Ray auditioned for the second season in Providence, Rhode Island to become a solo artist instead of a group member. He made it all the way to the live show and was being mentored by Britney Spears. He was eliminated in week four, with the fewest votes, as double eliminations are the only type of elimination in Season 2, therefore landing in tenth place overall. Ellona Santiago auditioned for the third season to become a soloist. Kelly Rowland described her audition as "unexpected" as she was very shy and modest at first but had put in so much fierceness and passion into her song, "Wings" by Little Mix. Simon Cowell did not recognize her until she told him that she was from InTENsity and that he referred to her as "the girl in the red jacket". Santiago is part of the girls category by mentor Demi Lovato. Austin Percario auditioned for the thirteenth season of American Idol where he was given a golden ticket to Hollywood. On April 4, 2014, Percario came out with his EP called The Me That I Have Known, that was in the Top 50 on the iTunes Pop charts. John Lindahl was signed to Epic Records but is currently signed to Elysium. Francesca Duncan appeared on Are You the One? season 4 and Second Chances.
Lakoda Rayne[edit]
Lakoda Rayne came in the competition as solo artists but were put together after bootcamp. Lakoda Rayne consists of four members: Paige Elizabeth Ogle (born March 17, 1993), Hayley Orrantia (born February 21, 1994), Cari Fletcher (born March 19, 1994) and Dani Knights (born November 28, 1988). At judges' house, they sang the country version of "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga.[22] They were in the bottom two along with The Stereo Hogzz on November 10 and were spared elimination after L.A. Reid, Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell voted to save them. They were eliminated on the November 23 results show after being in the bottom three with Marcus Canty and LeRoy Bell and receiving the fewest public votes, and therefore came in ninth place. Ogle left the group in May 2012. The remaining three members released a music video for a song titled "Emergency Brake". The song released on iTunes on September 18, 2012. In 2013 Hayley Orrantia left the group for a part on the ABC series The Goldbergs. It was announced on June 6, 2014 by Cari Fletcher that the group had split up for good. Since then, she has been a solo artist known as "FLETCHER".
The Brewer Boys[edit]
The Brewer Boys is a duo of Filipino-American brothers, Justin Timothy Brewer, 18, and Nathan A. Brewer, 15.[23] They are from Temecula, California, where they currently live.[24] In the first live show, they performed a medley of "Rich Girl" and "Faith" and were eliminated by their mentor, Paula Abdul.[25]
The Stereo Hogzz[edit]
The Stereo Hogzz consists of five members: Justin Williams (Just'n, 25), Kregg Gibson (KG, 24), Jonathan Glenn (Jon Glenn, 25), George Jenkins III (Trae Badd, 25) and Trace Kennedey (24). They are all from Houston, Texas. Jenkins attended the audition on the same day his child was born. On the November 3 results show, they landed in the bottom two alongside fellow group InTENsity. Simon Cowell voted to eliminate The Stereo Hogzz and save InTENsity, but Paula Abdul (mentor for both groups), Nicole Scherzinger, and L.A. Reid voted to keep The Stereo Hogzz. However InTENsity received more votes than The Stereo Hogzz meaning if Reid sent the result went to deadlock, The Stereo Hogzz would’ve been eliminated. They were eliminated on the November 10 results show, landing in the bottom two with fellow group Lakoda Rayne, with only their mentor voting in their favor.
References[edit]
- ↑ Lamb, Bill. "X Factor USA profile".
- ↑ "Chris Rene in New Zealand Charts". charts.nz. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
- ↑ "Astro (Brian Bradley)".
- ↑ "Astro Biography".
- ↑ "Melanie Amaro: Contestant Wall Bio".
- ↑ Johnson, Chris (October 19, 2011). "We made it! Tears and cheers on X Factor USA as 32 become 17 after judges select their finalists (and Simon gets an extra act)". Daily Mail. London.
- ↑ "Simone Battle - Just Be Good To Me - X Factor USA (Live L.A."
- ↑ "X Factor singer Simone Battle dead at 25". dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ↑ "Rachel Crow - Audition 1".
- ↑ "Rachel Crow - Bootcamp Audition".
- ↑ "Rachel Crow Biography".
- ↑ "Wasback - Rise Again (Single) on iTunes".
- ↑ "Tiah Tolliver - "Sweet Dreams" - X Factor USA 2011 (Top 17 Performance)".
- ↑ Martin, Lara. "'X Factor' USA: Meet Nicole Scherzinger's overs".
- ↑ "LeRoy Bell Biography".
- ↑ "Stacy Francis Birthday".
- ↑ "Stacy Francis Bio".
- ↑ "Stacy Francis Biography".
- ↑ Tom Cruise and Stacy Francis Singing Together on Scientology's Ship Freewinds - New York - News - Runnin' Scared
- ↑ Martin, Lara. "'X Factor' USA: Meet Paula Abdul's groups".
- ↑ "Ellona Santiago's vocal group InTENsity enters Top 17 of The X Factor". Archived from the original on 2013-09-23. Retrieved 2011-11-03. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Lakoda Rayne".
- ↑ Schultz, Craig. "Temecula: Brothers advance in music competition". Archived from the original on 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2011-11-03. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "The Brewer Boys Biography".
- ↑ Schultz, Craig. "Temeluca: Brewer Boys eliminated from 'X Factor'". Archived from the original on 2011-10-28. Retrieved 2011-11-03. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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