Only three acts will move on to the X Factor season 3 finale, so it’s the end of the road for one. After a great night of performances, the one with the lowest votes will go home. There’s no Final Showdown, no sing-off, no painfully drawn out decisions from the judges, just one elimination.

Recap: The Top 4 Perform>>

Which two acts will move on to lose to Alex and Sierra next week? Let’s take a look.

Who’s Safe?

Alex and Sierra have been running circles around everyone else in this competition. I’m putting together my list of the best performances of the year, and it’s basically Alex and Sierra’s entire catalog with a few others thrown in. They did it again this week and should be on their way to victory.

Jeff Gutt should also be safe as the judges have basically set it up to be Jeff vs. Alex and Sierra for the win. They raved about his performances and the whole sensitive rocker dad angle is definitely working for him.

Who’s in Danger?

Carlito Olivero and Restless Road are, therefore, the two acts in trouble. However, both had arguably their best nights ever, so picking one to go home is hard.

Demographically, Restless Road has country fans, tween girls and three different hometown fanbases. But, as the Republican Party has learned, you should never underestimate the Hispanic vote.

Based on performances, Carlito had his best vocals yet. Restless Road, on the other hand, stumbled with their first song but delivered their best harmonies ever with Hunter Hayes’ “Wanted.” Kelly Rowland even praised the singing of Zach and Andrew, something no one has done all season.

There’s also the fact that Carlito had been in the bottom twice before while none of the other acts have ever been in danger. That bodes poorly for him.

And to round things out, there’s an evolving personal theory for my own performance rankings. For the last three weeks, the singer who had my second favorite performance has gone home. Last week Ellona Santiago was second in my rankings, the week before it was Josh Levi and before that it was Khaya Cohen. Being my second place is a curse, and this week that curse is on Restless Road’s “Wanted.”

My Prediction

Despite my curse, I’m not egotistical enough to think the world of The X Factor revolves around me (I’m not Simon Cowell). So I’ll stick with history and say Carlito Olivero will deservedly be eliminated. He may have had his best night, but that’s still not too great and having Paulina Rubio as his mentor is a giant albatross. Can you imagine if that trainwreck mentored the winner of this season?

Who do you think will go home this week? And can anything stop Alex and Sierra’s eminent victory?

(Image courtesy of FOX)

John Kubicek

Senior Writer, BuddyTV

John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire DiariesSupernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.