tate stevens

Hey M Girls,

Last night's epic X Factor finale was full of twists and turns right up until the very end! The three finalists, Fifth Harmony, Carly Rose Sonenclar and Tate Stevens, each took the stage one more time to sing some holiday classics and get special video messages from their loved ones. Then, it was time for business! (And, of course, amazing performances from One Direction and Pitbull -- check back on mmm-mag.com for vids!)

Early in the episode, it was revealed that Fifth Harmony came in third place, leaving Carly Rose and Tate to fight for the coveted top spot! Though we <3 5H, we weren't too shocked by the top two -- they've been on top all season long.

Then came the moment of truth -- and it was announced that Tate Stevens was the winner of X Factor season 2! We're super-happy for Tate, but bummed for adorable 13-year-old powerhouse Carly. Carly tweeted her support for Tate, saying, "You are amazing @Tatestevensctry! You deserve this! Congrats #Tatenation!" What a sweetie.

One thing's for sure -- Ms. Sonenclar will be a major star no matter what!

Let's dish:
-Do you think Carly Rose deserved to win X Factor, or was Tate the right guy? Were you shocked by the results?

Photo courtesy of Fox

Hey M Girls,

Wow, we can't believe it's almost over! After weeks of watching our favorite contestants perform on the X Factor, the final three has finally been chosen! Before you watch tonight's live finals, catch up on everything that happened last week, in our weekly X Factor recap!

The Performances

Just like last week, each contestant was give two chances to take the stage, and prove they have the X Factor. The first song was chosen entirely by the artist, while the second was chosen by both the artist and their mentor as a last effort to secure a spot in the finals.

Check out our fave performances of the night!:

For Emblem 3's contestant-chosen song, the guys picked "Baby, I Love Your Way" by Peter Frampton. We loved the reggae twist E3 put into the tune, and their killer stage presence!:

Can you say country star?! After Tate Stevens' performance of his chosen song Craig Morgan's "Bonfire", we're totes convinced he's the real deal!:

Does Carly Rose Sonenclar ever get a song wrong? We don't think so! We love her choice of Elton John's "Your Song" especially because she dedicated it to her dad (plus it totes reminds us of 1D's X Factor performance of the tune!):

Fifth Harmony gave all they had to their performance of the song they chose, Ellie Goulding's "Anything Could Happen"-- and we think it paid off! They looked like complete pop stars on the stage, and we think it was their best performance of the competition!:

Which performance did you like best?

The Elimination

For the first time, only one act was voted out of the competition during the night's elimination. This elimination was the most important yet, because those who made it through would official move on to the finals! We were so shocked when it was announced that Emblem 3 received the fewest votes, and would be going home!

Just like Simon said, we already know E3 will have a huge career after X Factor--we can't wait to hear their music!

Check back next week for our final X Factor recap, and be sure to watch part one of the X Factor finale tonight at 8/7c on Fox!

Let's dish:
-What was your highlight of last week's X Factor? Do you think the right act went home?

Photos courtesy of Facebook/Twitter