Tonight, The X Factor goes live!

And, unfortunately for the Top 17 acts, that means, by the end of the two-and-a-half-hour performance episode, five of their dreams will be dead.

(Hey, the show established those super-dramatic high stakes, not me.)

Once again, this week it’s all up to the judges as to which acts will make the Top 12. (Starting next Wednesday, November 2, America will get to vote.) And that means, especially in light of last week’s perplexing cuts from the Top 32 to the Top 17, we may be in for some major upsets tonight.

Tonight’s performances will be huge in the judges’ decision-making at the end of the episode, but we all know the judges already have their favorites, and we’ve seen what happens when one of Simon’s favorites is in danger, even if the performance doesn’t cut it.

Take a look at the X Factor USA Top 17, and then vote in each category — Boys, Girls, Over 30s and Groups — for which act you think SHOULD get eliminated tonight. (Barring an absolutely life-changing, mind-blowing performance, of course.)

Don’t forget to tune in to FOX for the epically long episode TONIGHT (8-10:30pm), and then head back here to BuddyTV for our recap, where we’ll be discussing all the performances and eliminations. May talent prevail!

(Image courtesy of FOX)

Meghan Carlson

Senior Writer, BuddyTV

Meghan hails from Walla Walla, WA, the proud home of the world’s best sweet onions and Adam West, the original Batman. An avid grammarian and over-analyzer, you can usually find her thinking too hard about plot devices in favorites like The OfficeIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and How I Met Your Mother. In her spare time, Meghan enjoys drawing, shopping, trying to be funny (and often failing), and not understanding the whole Twilight thing. She’s got a BA in English and Studio Art from Whitman College, which makes her a professional arguer, daydreamer, and doodler.