Stacy Francis Eliminated on ‘X Factor’

Stacy Francis and Astro were camped out at the very bottom of the 'X Factor' voting tally this week, but it was the rap dynamo Astro who prevailed while Francis was eliminated.

Francis, 42, is in possession of a gorgeous voice. There is no question there. But she didn't fare so well during Rock Week thanks to her disconnected cover of a Meat Loaf song. The single mother did not come out of the gates swinging the previous week, either.

Part of the problem is the fact that she ping-ponged back and forth between two polar opposite styles. One week she was a hybrid of gospel and soul, and the next a pop starlet wannabe. Her voice, style and age are more fitting for the former, but Francis' pipes are nothing short of stunning. She hasn't committed to a style, and it was always in question whether or not she could sell records to the American music fan. That was likely the cause of her demise on the show.

Astro, aka Brian Bradley, was all bravado and 'tude when he learned his fate. He struggled as someone who solely raps, as he was asked to perform a rock song. Tonight, though, he had to audacity to ask his mentor L.A. Reid if he should even perform for his 'X Factor' life, to which Reid replied that he's come too far not to. That was not a wise move, but he's just a kid. So Astro launched into one of his signature, swagger-fueled raps set to the Jackson 5's 'Never Can Say Goodbye.'

Astro included references to the judges in his original rap, and like Paula Abdul asked last night, we were left to wonder: Can Astro suck just once? The answer is no, he can't. He has a lot of pressure on him to write his own raps and come up with original material every week, so of course he earns bonus points with PopCrush.

While Astro rapped to save himself, we weren't too concerned about his future. As we've said each week, there's no way this hip-hop firecracker has not popped up on rap mogul Jay-Z's radar. It's just not possible for the Hova to be unaware of Astro; plus, with L.A. Reid -- a close Jay-Z colleague -- as his mentor, Astro's got friends in the loftiest of places in the urban world. We knew the kid was gonna be all right. Turns out he was.

However, L.A. was really miffed that his charge gave a "lackluster" performance and acted like a quitter, but he still got his boy's back in the voting. Nicole Scherzinger said she respects Francis as a woman and performer, and of course she voted for her team member to stay. Abdul thumbed the scale in Astro's favor, so it was once again up to Simon Cowell to cast the deciding vote and choose someone's fate.

Cowell said Astro was being disrespectful with his snottiness, and then the kid got teary-eyed. Still, Simon chose to send Stacy Francis home, since he believes Astro has a better chance of winning the whole enchilada.

In her exit speech, Francis thanked the judges -- and she didn't cry, which shocked us, since she is known for the water works. Good luck, Stacy. There is a place for you in music. You just have to find it.

Watch the 'X Factor' Judges Make Their Final Decisions