Carly Rose Sonenclar makes final four on 'X Factor'

Thursday December 6, 2012 9:17 PM By Anne Machalinski

Photo credit: Fox | Carly Rose Sonenclar of Mamaroneck performs live on "The X Factor." In the final six-performance night, Carly Rose sang Justin Bieber's "As Long As You Love Me" and Beyonce's "If I Were A Boy." (Dec. 5, 2012)

Carly Rose Sonenclar remains a front-runner heading into the final two weeks of the hit TV show "X Factor." The Mamaroneck teen easily made the final four in Thursday's episode. But this time around, country crooner Tate Stevens reclaimed the top spot on the leaderboard that Carly Rose had occupied the previous two weeks. After Stevens and Carly Rose, two acts from Simon Cowell's groups team -- Emblem3 and Fifth Harmony -- made the cut.

Two acts were axed tonight, too, and the stakes have been raised again with the Dec. 20 finale right around the corner. CeCe Frey was the first to go, leaving judge Demi Lovato without any acts to mentor. After a high-energy performance by Kesha, Diamond White and Fifth Harmony found themselves in the weekly sing-off. Carly Rose's teen teammate, Diamond White, was eliminated.

On Wednesday night's performance episode, Carly Rose showed great poise as she commanded the stage for two powerhouse performances. The 13-year-old first sang an unplugged version of Justin Bieber’s “As Long As You Love Me,” which Britney Spears chose for her protege to cover.

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At an “X Factor” viewing party Wednesday at Chat 19 in Larchmont, Carly Rose’s friend Claire Julian, a 13-year-old from Rye, cheered her on with other local fans. “I think it was amazing,” Claire said of her friend's Bieber cover. “What she changed about the song made it more interesting and unique and it really showed off her talents.”

The judges had similarly positive comments. L.A. Reid said he liked how she “showed restraint” and how the song was “not filled with vocal acrobatics,” and Demi Lovato said that she preferred Carly Rose's unplugged version to the original.

Next up, “X Factor” viewers voted for Carly Rose to sing Beyonce’s “If I Were A Boy” for the Pepsi Challenge.

The judges were also wowed by her take on the Beyonce hit. Simon Cowell said, "You have had a phenomenal night tonight,” and Spears added, “You’re the definition of ‘X factor.’ It was stunning.”

If you missed either of those performances, you can watch them below. And then vote in our poll: Do you think she'll win the whole thing?

Check back here next week for another recap of Wednesday's show and more on Carly Rose.

Tags: Mamaroneck , Carly Rose Sonenclar , X Factor , Rye , Larchmont , TV , reality TV