FOX’s The X Factor performers gave thanks for each and every vote that has gotten them to this point in the competition. But, two performers will be haunted by the memory that Thanksgiving marked the end of the run for them on this competition.

Wednesday’s show had the Top 10 dedicating their performances to people who made a mark on their lives. It was emotional and tear-filled evening with Carly Rose Sonenclar, Vino Alan, and Tate Stevens earning the most praise from the coaches.

On Thanksgiving Thursday, The X Factor UK alum Cher Lloyd performed “Oath” with rapper Becky G. I’m thinking the sexy and fun performance won her some new American fans.

The show also made the announcement that judge Britney Spears would premiere her new music video next week – presumably for her new single with Will.I.Am, “Scream & Shout.”

So, who earned the highest votes from the viewers and the chance to sing again next week?

Before announcing the results, The X Factor highlighted the Bancroft Middle School music program in Long Beach, Calif., which has been hit hard by state budget cuts. Best Buy gave the music room a technology makeover. Then, the show made another big announcement: The class would perform with the contestants. Cut to the contenders and the school choir’s very touching, if not on the nose, performance of Coldplay’s “Fix You.”

It’s jarring to switch from this week’s emotional performances to instantly booting the first contestant with the lowest amount of votes off the show. But, that’s how The X Factor rolls… The first person to go home without the benefit of a sing-off is… Arin Ray.

That’s too bad. He’s got a lot of potential for pop stardom and I don’t think his mentor, Britney, was able to create the right song choice mix to highlight his talents. Her advice to Arin? He should take this as a learning experience. That wasn’t very warm, right?

It’s now time to see who moves into the Top 8. They’re announced as follows: Diamond White, Vino Alan, Carly Rose Sonenclar, Fifth Harmony, Tate Stevens, Paige Thomas and Emblem3. That leaves CeCe Frey (who’s a veteran at this) and Beatrice Miller, who finds herself in the sing-off for the first time.

CeCe takes the stage first and unleashes Kelly Clarkson’s “Because Of You.” She’s a warrior and she definitely attacks the song. Beatrice, who likes to project a very strong front, was very emotional during the announcement and barely held it together during her performance. You have to appreciate that she even got through her take on Dido’s“White Flag.”

Supporting their own team members, Demi Lovato votes to send Beatrice home, Britney votes against CeCe. L.A. Reid then opts to eliminate Beatrice. It’s up to Simon and he decides to send Beatrice home, reasoning that he doesn’t think this is her time. I know I’m going to miss talking to her after the show every week. She’s opinionated, spunky and brutally honest.

Time to find out the lay of the land. Here are this week’s rankings:

8. CeCe Frey
7. Fifth Harmony
6. Paige Thomas
5. Diamond White
4. Emblem3
3. Vino Alan
2. Tate Stevens
1. Carly Rose Sonenclar

That makes Britney very happy. Carly Rose has finally moved up a notch and snagged the No. 1 spot from Tate. Otherwise, there isn’t a lot of movement in the rankings, though L.A. felt that Vino should have taken the top spot.

What are your thoughts on Arin and Beatrice going home? Do you think Carly Rose deserves the lead right now? Sound off in the comments section below.

Arin Ray wants to make his second stint on FOX’s The X Factor way more successful than his time on Season 1 as a member in a group. But, he has hit a roadblock on the judges’ panel. The 17-year-old has had a very hard time winning over Demi Lovato.

“Literally, if Demi keeps saying she’s bored, literally I will go up on the judges’ table and dance right in front of her face,” Ray told reporters after Wednesday’s show.

“I will do back flips if I have to,” he continued. “I will make her not be bored, because she seems like she’s bored when I do ballads.”

Lovato’s criticism has definitely earned Ray’s attention. Not only has the “Give Your Heart A Break” singer said the contender has bored her, she has also told him that he lacks soul. And after Wednesday’s performance of Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero,” she said that if she were from a record company, she wouldn’t sign the young singer.

When prompted by judge Simon Cowell to explain what style he’d like to present on-stage, the Cincinnati resident said he wanted to do “me.”

“I was hoping they’d say, ‘What do you think?’ And I was like, ‘Yes, this is my opportunity,’” Ray explained. “I want to do more upbeat [songs]. I love getting the crowd hyped. I love running across the stage.”

The singer thinks that his performance during Week 2 in which he did Estelle’s “American Boy” with rap lyrics he wrote himself was closer to what he wants to be doing. “Ballads aren’t really my thing,” he said.

“[During ‘American Boy’], I felt me,” the later added. “And when I feel me, I feel like I’ve had my best performance.”

And although his mentor, Britney Spears, is supposed to be guiding Ray in the right direction, the singer avoids sending any blame her way.

“It’s not a knock on Britney, because Britney is doing the best she can with me,” he assured us. “She’s doing all that she can with me.”

Watch Arin’s Top 10 performance again above.

Two contenders will be eliminated on The X Factor airing Thanksgiving Thursday at 8 PM on FOX.

Do you think Ray should get another week to win Demi over? Sound off in the comments section below.

Imagine you’re about to perform an emotional song live in front of millions of people and you’re totally in the zone when the wrong thumping beat blares from the speakers and ruins your concentration. That’s what happened to Arin Ray on Tuesday’s The X Factor on FOX.

“That really threw me off, them playing that track,” a very down Ray tells reporters after the show about the incident in which fellow contenders Lyric145’s song began playing instead of his, Madonna’s “Crazy For You.”

“My intro, I couldn’t even figure out when I was supposed to come in,” he continues. “So, it was really hard for me. It threw me all the way off and my mindset for the song really wasn’t there anymore.”

Ray ended up receiving some disappointing remarks from the judges. While his mentor, Britney Spears, thought he nailed it, L.A. Reid said he expected Ray to fight harder at this point. Demi Lovato actually said, “I think you also lack soul.” Ouch. Simon Cowell plainly said that Ray seemed as if he hated the song. But, the performer says that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“My song choice was perfect,” The Cincinnati native refutes. “Literally, if [the false start] wouldn’t have happened, everything would have fallen into place. I would’ve gotten great comments. I know it.”

While Lyric145 felt badly for the singer, group member Lyric Da Queen, 23, joked, “We thought it was an encore.”

“I went up to him,” Julien “Jewlz” Joseph, 19, says sincerely. “I told him, ‘I know it sucks. But, it’s a technical difficulty and it’s out of your control.’”

But the group also thinks he shouldn’t dwell on the incident. “When something happens, you have to figure out a way to overcome it and keep on pushing,” Lyric Da Queen explains.

For the 17-year-old who found himself in the dubious position of being ranked No. 11 out of 12 last week, it isn’t that cut and dry. Regardless, he’s preparing for a possible sing off on Thursday’s double elimination episode.

“If I’m in the bottom two tomorrow, I really hope whomever is in the bottom two is ready, because I’m going to kill it.” he says.

Watch Ray’s performance again above.

The X Factor airs at 8 PM on Wednesdays and Thursdays on FOX.

How did you feel about the technical mistake? Do you think Arin will be in the bottom two this week? Tell us in the comments section below.