X Factor Philippines: Top 5

.. and then they're suddenly down to five! Exhausted yet? I am. Haha.

Again, another underwhelming night. This show had so much promise. What happened? The episode was a little flat and thezzZZzzZZz....Huh! What? Sorry. I fell asleep. Haha.

Oh, and what is going on with the themes? I feel like they fired Lito (Lito is the imaginary name for the person who I believe sits in a house made of candy just thinking up themes) and hired a monkey in his place. "Revivals"? Seriously? It's like a cover of a cover. What's next? "Songs That Glee Can't Cover" or "Songs That's Pure Gibberish". You are X Factor Philippines. One of the most talked about reality show on television in the country today. How about this: The 2000s! or maybe this: Apo Hiking Society! How is it I'm doing your job for you, Lito?

Anyway, here we go! Let’s enjoy the review, and let’s not be distracted. Even if Charice looked ridiculous with that gap in her eyebrow. What are you trying to prove? Haha.

DISCLAIMER: I am no expert, but this is my opinion - to each his own - and yours will be in the comments below! Haha.   

05. Daddy's Home

Tell Me
I would NEVER see them singing this song! What depth! What a RISK! What balls must they have! I'm lying, of course, as the performance was annoyingly predictable and safe and I was bored to tears. Yes, the vocals were good, but there was nothing daring or insightful or even revelatory about anything Daddy's Home has done in recent weeks. Powerful lungs do NOT equal brilliant performance. That is all. 5/10

04. Jeric Medina

Do You Believe In Me
He is desperately seeking for a break out moment, but unfortunately, this STILL wasn't it. For me, I think that Jeric had one of the smartest song choices of the evening. As much as the performance was below average, everyone knows the song and people love to vote for songs that they are comfortable with. This was karaoke with a capital 'K'. The vocals were pretty much there, but the song is just not made for singing competitions. A stripped down arrangement of the song would've worked wonders for him, I think. 6/10

03. Allen Sta. Maria

Teenage Dream
To be fair to Allen, it made sense choosing a fast song to lead of the night. She and her mentor, Charice, had the right idea, but for the evening's theme, they picked an awful song for her. Heck, was Katy Perry's Teenage Dream even a revival? I think Allen's voice works best with a little edge and swag and this bubble gum pop performance made it incredibly hard for anyone to take away any substance from her vocal. Plus, the sweetness flooded through her performance like bile. It just didn't seem authentic for her. 6.5/10

02. Gabriel Maturan

Moonlight In Paris
Leather jacket? Really? What I like about Gab's voice is that his tone is pure and subtle and doesn't feel like it needs to be pushed. It just comes out! However, the song didn’t build to any memorable point. It was all rather one dimensional. Plus, there were a few emotional responses that felt forced and shallow, but I chalk those up to age issues. Still, this played to his style and it was a smart choice. 7/10

01. KZ Tandingan

To Make You Feel My Love
You see, it was already a given that a person who chose this song would do a bang up job. It’s just one of those songs that practically sings itself. As long as you respect the melody, you’re fine! Granted that KZ went overboard with the melodic liberties she took and ended up going sharp on a couple of noticeable occasions endangering her pitch, she was the only contestant who was consistently connected with the lyrics and made me look on with interest. But, I'm starting to get worried for her. As I stated before, she's going to have a hard time building a fanbase - relative to what she has now - as the competition moves on because she isn't really growing. And then you have people like Gabriel and Allen who are sneaking up behind her. If she wants to win this, she is going to have to appear as more of an underdog. 8/10