THE X FACTOR: The Final 9 Perform Live!

Get the tissues ready everyone- its Thanksgiving week and tonight's episode is going to be emotional! The contestants will sing songs that they dedicate to the people who inspire them. We will finally get to see a personal side of the finalists. And after an intense results show last week, we are down to the top 9 who will be competing live tonight for your votes. The stakes have now been raised, as two contestants will be going home tomorrow. The contestants need to be at their best tonight since only 7 will move on to next week and be one step closer to winning The X Factor!

In honor of Thanksgiving, tonight's show began with the contestants saying what they are thankful for. Also, we learned that tomorrow's results show is going to work differently. The contestant with the most votes will be going home automatically. The next two contestants with the lowest votes will sing for their lives. The decision is really going to be in the hands of America this week!

Rachel Crow kicked off the performances and set the bar high for the rest of the night. She sang "I Believe," and dedicated it to her parents. She, once again, gave a very strong performance. Her vocals were powerful and she put her heart into the performance. The judges enjoyed her performance. Nicole said, "You are such an inspiration," and Paula called her "an angel on earth."

Up next was Marcus Canty. He sang "A Song For Mama," and (fittingly) dedicated it to his mom. His vocals were beautiful and his performance was very sentimental. He sang to his mom and at one point, grabbed her hand. He gave a great performance and really showed his sweet side. The judges liked his performance. Nicole said, "It was so honest. You didn't overdo anything, you just sang from your heart." And Simon said, "I believe you put yourself back in the competition."

Melanie Amaro sang "The World's Greatest," and dedicated it to God. Her performance was amazing! Her vocals were strong and her performance was full of soul. She put her all into this performance and it was one of the best of the night. After her performance, she broke down and said how thankful she was for being in the competition. The judges gave her a standing ovation and Nicole and Paula had tears in their eyes (I did too!). The judges loved her performance. L.A. said "I cant criticize that!" Nicole called her "courageous" and went up and gave her a hug.

Next to perform was Chris Rene. He sang "Let it Be," and added some original lyrics. He dedicated his performance to his rehab counselor. He gave a great performance. The judges praised him. Paula said, "You did an amazing job tonight," and L.A. said, "I believe in you."

LaKoda Rayne sang "You Belong With Me," and each member dedicated it to someone special to her. Dani dedicated the performance to her dad, Paige dedicated it to her boyfriend, Hayley dedicated it to her dad, and Madeline dedicated it to her grandma. It was a different song choice than most of the others of the night and stood out in a positive way. It was a lot of fun and they gave a very strong performance. The judges enjoyed their performance. Nicole said, "You sounded amazing! I felt like I was watching you in concert." Simon said, "This was by far your best performance" (I couldn't agree more!).