Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Anyone who follows this blog knows I’ve checked out on The X Factor.

I blogged about the show for two seasons.

Alex & Sierra turned in an X Factor performance worth watching Thursday night. (FOX Photo)

And that was more than enough.

In terms of the big three among singing shows — The Voice, American Idol and The X Factor — Simon Cowell and company ranked a very distant third on the enjoyment scale.

Call it a combination of too much flash, too little talent, too much phony drama between judges and too much over-hype of contestants undeserving of the hype (insert the names Chris Rene, Astro and, worst of all, Emblem 3, here).

But I caught a tiny bit of this year’s audition episodes and remember thinking one couple was particularly adorable.

They were boyfriend-girlfriend college students Alex Kinsey and Sierra Deaton of Orlando, Fla., and they auditioned, oddly, with Britney Spears’ “Toxic.”

Both sounded great. Sierra seemed absolutely awestruck by the experience, breaking down into tears at the positive reaction they got from the crowd.

Turns out, many weeks later, they’re still around.

Heck, more than that. Today finds them at number one on the iTunes singles download chart.

And that’s something that hasn’t happened a single time this year for any artist on The Voice.

Last night, Alex & Sierra performed “Say Something.” She took to the piano, he took to his guitar. Magic ensued.

It will surely go down as one of the best performances in the show’s three-year history.

Sierra’s reaction: “WE’RE NUMBER ONE ON ITUNES,” she tweeted. “I’M DONE. I’M DONE. STICK A FORK IN ME. I’M DONE.”

And, unlike nearly everything X Factor, it’s worth watching.

So here it is.

In a bit of irony, the original is by A Great Big World and … drum roll, please … Voice coach Christina Aguilera.

That version has been lifted to number three on iTunes following last night’s performance.

Their audition