The first season of X Factor is full of surprises.
One week after Drew Ryniewicz's shocking elimination, standout singer Rachel Crow was voted off the FOX talent competition Thursday. The distressed 13-year-old fell to the ground and burst into tears upon hearing the news.
Crow's position in the competition was put in jeopardy when judge Nicole Scherzinger, 33, threw the vote to a tie, forcing viewers to choose between the young singer and Marcus Canty, who was in the bottom two for the third week in a row.
In a surprising twist, viewers decided to give Canty another shot, sending Crow home after just seven weeks in the competition.
Judge Simon Cowell, 52, later defended Scherzinger's actions, telling Us Weekly: "I think ironically what she was trying to do was let Marcus go with some dignity because she was attached to both of them. But there's no question about it, if she thought Rachel would have been out she would have gone the other way."
Post-show, Crow admitted she wasn't "feeling the greatest" but she'll "be fine."
Crow doesn't hold a grudge against Scherzinger, either. "She's the nicest, sweetest, most beautiful person, inside and out. She was crying and she was so sad," she said. "It's nobody's fault. It's just what God had in store for me and it'll be okay."
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