It’s the first night of live performances as the Top 16 takes the stage.

What’s that? Simon Cowell pulled a dunce of a move last week by first cutting Melanie Amaro and then shockingly going “I think I made a mistake” before inviting her back on the show, making it a Top 17 tonight?

As Leigh from our sister show, Dirty Boxers, would say, “that cheeky git.”

Tonight’s marathon of a show (REMINDER: the show is two-and-a-half hours long) will see the contestants fully perform on stage for the first time this season. But it doesn’t come without a hitch.

By the end of the night, only 12 acts will remain. That means the judges will each have to eliminate one of their acts, two in the case of Simon. No America voting. No do overs. No second chances.

Unless, that is, Simon does another “cheeky git” move that requires correcting a mistake.

With that type of pressure, those who really want to win this competition will rise to the type. Those with butterflies eating out the lining in their stomachs, however, may find themselves using those same butterflies to fly home.

Join me after the jump as I live blog the show.

Sent Home: Phillip Lomax, The Brewer Boys, Dexter Haygood, Tiah Tolliver, and Simone Battle.

The first live performance show starts with an odd voiceover saying that “thousands auditioned, but only 17 remain.” No clue who is doing the voiceover, but it sounds very over the top, fake, and trying too hard. In other words, much like many of the performances will likely be tonight.

Host Steve Jones is welcomed to the stage. Tonight will be the first time we’ll have seen the British host on the show. For all the audition, Boot Camp, and Judges’ Homes shows, Steve was barely seen. He welcomes the judges, and lights all over the auditorium start flashing like crazy. The doors on the stage part ways and the judges walk out. Seem familiar, anyone?

Simon Cowell says he thought it was a good idea when he first came up with it to get rid of an act each tonight, but now that he has to get rid of two acts, he’s changed his mind. Well, tough, Simon. You are sending to people home.

First up is an L.A. Reid act, Brian “The Astronaut Kid” Bradley. I refuse to call him simply “The Astro.” Except for that last sentence to say that I refuse to call him “The Astro.” Brian is wearing the glasses that I desperately want to reach through the TV to slap off. He’s also extremely out of his element as he is immediately overpowered by the music. His rapping is also off-beat. Brian has a bad attitude that shows through his performance, which means it will serve him well as a rapper. The other three judges say L.A. will have an easy decision with this performance. Unfortunately, that decision won’t be to send this whiny-baby kid home. Paula asks L.A. why he has entered his son into the competition. I’m going to barf.

Next up for L.A. is Chris Rene. If Brian is going to be an easy decision for L.A., this should be an even easier decision. Frankly, we don’t even need to see this guy sing to know he belongs in the Top 12. Maybe I shouldn’t have typed that previous sentence, because something is wrong with Chris’ performance. He is off-key, and not by a little. Also, it seems like a bad song choice for him. It just did not fit Chris’ style. And Nicole Scherzinger agrees with me on that. Paula Abuld loves him in her “not really giving you a positive comment” way. Simon says he doesn’t think Chris is the best singer in the competition but is the best recording artist. I still say Chris deserves going into the Top 12. He has a great voice and I think will nail it next week.

Next up in the Boys category is Phillip Lomax. In the pre-performance video, Phillip talks about being a crooner but also needing to show that he is a pop star. I hate the fact that crooners in this competition struggle as they often have the best voices. Phillip is overpowered at the beginning of The Monkees “I’m A Believer.” Just singing this song makes me love the guy and want him to go on to the Top 12. The fact that, once he elevates his voice above the music, he is doing a great job singing is just more proof that he deserves to move on. A lot of confetti falling down on stage during his performance. Simon tells L.A. that he failed on this guy, saying he likes Phillip but doesn’t like the song. L.A., naturally, completely disagrees.

Unless the final singer in this group really balls things up, my guess is that Phillip will go home. I would, of course, prefer Brian to go home, but that’s just not gonna happen.

Before the final guy takes the stage, Steve tells us that you can go to TheXFactorUSA.com to download tonight’s songs. No iTunes? Really?

Marcus Canty then takes the stage. He is singing “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me.” It’s an awful arrangement, but Marcus does a great job singing it. He has a smooth voice that really shined. Marcus is also very confident without going overboard into being overbearing. Nicole says Marcus made it look too easy and that he was born to be on that stage. Paula thinks Marcus looked like a veteran up there.

As much as this pains me, L.A. Reid will be sending Phillip home.

Steve welcomes the Boys back on the stage so L.A. can make his decision. The first Boy to go through to the Top 12 is Brian Bradley. The second Boy is Marcus Canty. This leaves Chris Rene and Phillip Lomax standing on the stage.

The final Boy going through to the Top 12 is Chris Renee. Yes! That means Phillip Lomax is going home. Crap.

Paula Abdul’s Groups is up next. And first up for her is Stereo Hogzz. We see Paula working with the group in the pre-performance video, and she’s telling them that they need to clean it up. A lot. I’m not sure how to describe what I’m seeing on the stage. They start by giving us a boyband ballad feel, but it eventually erupts into a rap. Then we see lights flashing off their clothes. The beat of the music changes again, back into a boyband feel, but more uptempo. Paula is on her feet throughout most of the song, which shouldn’t be a shock. L.A. tells the guys that they have come a long way since their auditions, and I agree. The performance was fun and the singing was amazing. Way to go, guys. Simon struggles to tell Paula that she did a really good job with Stereo Hogzz, not because he didn’t like it but because he doesn’t want to compliment Paula. Simon goes on to say that there isn’t a group out there like them right now and there should be.

Before the next act takes the stage, Steve tells us that Verizon and Twitter has gotten together so that America can vote for their favorites on Twitter beginning next week. Interesting.

Time for The Brewer Boys to take the stage. I have liked these two brothers since their audition, though they do need to step it up a notch. The younger brother is the weak link here, and I think their chances for the Top 12 will hinge on him. The guys are unplugged as they sit on boxes playing their guitars. The song, “Gotta Have Faith,” picks up steam and some young girls come out on stage. They first sit in front of the boys enjoying the music, then stands around them clapping and waving their arms. It’s a great performances with amazing singing. L.A. says he thinks it was outside of the boys’ comfort zones, something I don’t agree with. Nicole says that if she was a kid, she would have the guys all over her walls. Simon didn’t like the choreography. While I’m sure everyone would like to have nothing but high octane performances, it can’t always be like that. And I think for the Brewer Boys, this worked.

InTENsity is up next. I’ve made no bones about not liking this group. Ten members in a non-choir group is just too large. In addition, only three or four of the members are talented enough to be there. The kids are all sitting on one of two jungle gyms sitting on stage. Two of the girls have solo vocals that don’t work on any level. The song then turns into “Footloose,” which will likely not set well with Queen Angie. It’s not setting well with me, either. Their voices do not mesh with each other. Again, only three or four of them have enough talent. L.A. says he thinks the group has grown together really well. Simon says that was the “equivalent of a music miracle.” Simon still thinks America is going to take a shine to a group of ten people. It’s just never gonna happen.

Lakoda Rayne is the last act in the Groups category to take the stage. Paula introduces them by saying “guys, you’re gonna want to date ‘em, girls, you’re gonna want to be them.” They are suppose to be a pop country group, at least that’s what Simon formed them to be, but I haven’t really heard that sound from them so far. It’s a little more evident tonight, but not by much. The girls are extremely stiff up there on stage. No real connection to each other, to the audience, or to the song. The performance is a mess, but the girls are good looking enough to call it a hot mess. L.A. says if they walked into his label, he would sign them. No you wouldn’t, L.A., and you know it. Paula is crying, she’s so happy. Simon is head-over-heals for the girls.

My guess is that InTENSity will be the ones to go home. If the Brewer Boys go home, I will be going home as well. Okay, so I’m already at home. I’ll go out, then.

No commercial break for Paula to decide as all four groups take the stage. The first Group safe tonight is Stereo Hogzz. The second group into the Top 12 is Lakoda Rayne. That leaves InTENsity and The Brewer Boys are still on stage.

The final Group safe tonight is InTENsity. That means The Brewer Boys are going home.

And with that, I’m outta here. And I’m also activating the ADRN Emergency Alert System.

Nicole Scherzinger is up next with the Over 30s. Steve throws it over to Nicole, but she sits there like a bump on the wall. Steve manages to get her to realize she needs to introduce her first act, and she introduces Dexter Haygood. Dexter never should have made it to the Top 17, especially over talent like Elaine and others in the category. He is singing a mash-up that includes “Womanizer” and “I Kissed A Girl.” Correction. He’s growing a mash-up of those songs. He is repeatedly drowned out by the music. He has no emotion on his face and, frankly, looks like he is stoned. What little actual singing he is doing is off-key as well. For crying out loud……….. MAKE IT STOP! FOR THE LOVE OF MY SANITY, JUST MAKE IT STOP!

Next up is 60-year-old Leroy Bell. This guy has an amazing voice and one of the ones to beat, in my opinion. Leroy wastes no time wooing the audience with his smooth voice. He’s by himself on the stage, yet all eyes are focused on him. He has great control of his voice and can get it to go up, down, loud, soft, or whatever else he wants to do with it. The live audience loves Leroy, and for good reason. L.A. says he would have given Leroy a better song. What? There was nothing wrong with that song. It showcased his voice just fine. As Paula says, Leroy’s “voice is velvet.” Simon sees a lack of confidence in Leroy. What?????? The guy sang with an amazing confidence. The guy is a 60-year-old superstar that just hasn’t been signed yet.

Stacy Francis takes the stage next. Stacy has a powerful voice, but has a habit to go over the top in her songs. If she goes too far tonight, she’s gone, so her continued singing on the show is completely in her hands. Stacy is given a powerful choir ballad and keeps her performance restrained until just the right time, when she lets loose those powerful vocals of her. It is, without a doubt, and by a very wide margin, the best performance of the night. Restrained. Powerful. Soulful. Great connection. Loved it. Nailed it. Way to go, Stacy. See you in the Top 12.

The final Over 30 to take the stage is Josh Krajcik. I’m hoping he has washed the grease out of his hair, shaved his cheesy beard, and cleaned his hands. Josh has a great voice, but I just can’t get past all that other stuff. While his hands look a little cleaner today and he has trimmed his beard so it’s not as cheesy, it looks like he slathered on an extra helping of Crisco before going out on stage. It’s an extremely simply performance, almost a-capella in nature. He is simply highlighted in the middle of the stage as he sings. He has a great voice, but I feel his energy was nonexistent. Simon tells Josh that he is “the artist I fear because you have it all going on.” It was a great soulful performance, but I need something more from Josh in order to jump on board his bandwagon.

Nicole says she’s just going to wing it when announcing who is going home, and with that, the four Over 30 acts take the stage. The first Over 30 going through is Stracy Francis. Yes! The next Over 30 through is Josh Krajcik. That leaves Dexter Haygood and Leroy Bell on the stage.

The final Over 30 act going through the Top 12 is Leroy Bell. That means Dexter Haygood is going home, and all I can say is IT’S ABOUT FREAKING TIME. Dexter says he’s confused but doesn’t know why. I’m pretty sure the reason I stated earlier would apply here.

Simon Cowell’s Girls are the final group tonight. And the first of the five to take the stage is Simone Battle. In the pre-performance video, Simon says he’s liked Simone from the beginning because she has ambition and is a pop star. Simone tries to get the audience pumped up as the opening bars on her song play, but it doesn’t work. Her voice is very underwhelming to start the song, being overpowered by the music, the background vocals, and even the lights on the stage. That’s really surprising because she has an amazing voice. She adds some rap into her song, which doesn’t work on any level. She is repeatedly out of breath on the words and seems to mumble most of them as well. It’s an extremely disappointing performance. It’s like Simone Battle doesn’t even try to put up a battle to make the Top 12. L.A. reinforces what he said in Simone’s audition, stating that he still doesn’t get her.

Next up for Simon is Rachel Crow. I thought Rachel was very precocious in her audition and she has a great voice. But she has lost her shine since then, and her performances have been stale at times. She is singing a mash-up of song that includes Justin Bieber’s “Baby.” I think I’m going to jump off by third-floor balcony. Rachel is giving yet another wooden, stale performance, and her voice is not up to the song. She is flat in several places and even sharp in others. The crowd loves her, though, and so do the judges. I want to like Rachel, I really do. But I think she needs two or three more years.

Drew Ryniewicz is up next, and Simon says she’s only going by Drew now. Probably because no one could pronounce her last name anyway. The pre-performance video makes it seem like Simon no longer likes Drew. Harsh. She is singing “What A Feeling,” and a very slow version at that. It’s taken 20 minutes to get through the first verse, for crying out loud. This song was never meant to be sung this slow. Never, ever, ever. It completely destroys the song. And Drew doesn’t have the talent needed to be able to restrain her voice in the appropriate spots to reflect what is happening with the arrangement. This is absolutely horrendous, and Simon needs to be tarred and feathered repeatedly for thinking this was a good idea. Better yet, just deport him. He can phone his critiques in from now on. That way we can mute him. Figures that all the judges love the song.

Fourth up for Simon’s Girls category is Tiah Tolliver. While I haven’t been the biggest fan of some of the other Girls in the Top 17, Tiah’s presence here is the one that perplexes me the most. The talent just isn’t there. Simon has given her a Halloween theme to play with while singing “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).” it’s another song that was never meant to be sung slow being sung slowly. There is also way too much happening on the stage to pay any attention to Tiah. And yet when I do manage to catch Tiah in this mess, she is off-key. L.A. tries to make a kitchen sink joke, but it doesn’t work. Nicole and Paula both diss Tiah as well, which makes Simon bring out the claws. Cat fight with a guy involved. Interesting.

Melanie Amaro the singer who should never have been cut in the first place, is last up tonight. Melanie looks amazing up there on the stage, and her voice matches that amazingness. No dancers. No over the top special lights. Just a song that allows her to take her amazing voice and knock it out of the park. It was this voice that America fell in love with all those weeks ago at the auditions, and it’s a voice that America is falling in love with again tonight. As much as I loved Stacy Francis’ performance earlier, Mealnie’s night-ending performance was a classic case of saving the best for last. She will be safe. No question.

Simon tells Steve that there are four girls that he genuinely wants to put through and hasn’t made his mind up yet on which of those four will be cut. Steve tells him he’ll have to make a quick decision as he introduces the Girls back on stage.

Five girls, but only three can go through. The first girl going through is Drew. Crap. Next girl through is Rachel Crow. What the hell? That leaves Simone Battle, Tiah Tolliver, and Melanie Amaro are left on stage.

The final Girl going through to the Top 12 is Melanie Amaro. That means Tia Tolliver and Simone Batlte are going home.

Remember that there is no Wednesday and Thursday X Factor this week. However, the show will return to normal next Wednesday and Thursday at 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT each night.

Also, don’t forget to join me for the Idol Radio Show on Wednesday, October 19, at 11 PM ET / 10 PM CT, as I talk about tonight’s X Factor performances, American Idol news, and anything else in the entertainment industry that needs to be discussed. Simply click the “Listen Live” banner in the right column when the show starts at 11 PM ET / 10 PM CT.