Houston has made it to the final showdown.

TV's pair of winter singing shows - "The Voice" and "The X Factor" - crown winners this week, and a local voice is in the mix. Girl group Fifth Harmony, featuring Pearland's Normani Hamilton and San Antonio girl Ally Brooke, advanced to this week's "X Factor" finale, despite harsh critiques from judges L.A. Reid, Demi Lovato and Britney Spears. Even mentor Simon Cowell threw 5H directly under the bus by having them repeat a song from earlier in the season, a ploy designed to ensure the safety of tone-deaf boy band Emblem3 (who insist, despite evidence to the contrary, that they are not a boy band). Despite Cowell's and Reid's aggressive push, E3 was deservedly ousted last week. Viewers don't take kindly to force-fed stars.

Houston was a complete shut-out during the "Voice" blind auditions. And it would be OK - if Amanda Brown and De'Borah were still in the mix. Both are strong, adventurous singers who veered from the show's predictable trappings. And both were prematurely eliminated, making tonight's results a lot less interesting.

Viewers, for the most part, are tuning in to both shows. "The Voice" is averaging 12 million viewers for its panel of A-list judges, who chose everything from pop and rock to country and Latin artists this season. (All will likely fall to Cassadee Pope, who was all-but-crowned the winner weeks ago.)

"All of the artists this year were very strong," says Nakia, the bluesy Austin singer who finished seventh during Season 1 of "The Voice." "The show is an amazing platform, and the connections to fans and coaches you make are priceless. It is truly what you make of it."

Nakia isn't exaggerating. He's since performed alongside coach Cee Lo Green at various events, including a Las Vegas Christmas show. A video duet of the pair singing "Run Rudolph Run" premiered last week. Green also provided feedback on Nakia's upcoming album.

"The X Factor" hovers around 8 million viewers, likely thanks to the addition of Spears. If anything, she's proven surprisingly unsurprising. No outbursts. No wardrobe malfunctions. And her critiques have amounted to one or two sentences that usually include the words "star" and "amazing." (But it's Britney, y'all.)

Aside from country frontrunner Tate Stevens, "The X Factor" has remained aggressively pop-centric in its casting. Cowell knows his way around a Billboard chart and likely has plans for several post-show careers. Don't be surprised to see a Fifth Harmony deal in place soon. (And I wouldn't count out love-to-hate sixth-placer CeCe Frey yet. Even though plenty of folks really, really want to.)

"Emblem3 do not need the win. L.A. Reid has pretty much said he'll sign them no matter what," says Lyndsey Parker, managing editor for Yahoo! Music. "But no one from the U.S. version of either show has really broken through yet, so nothing is guaranteed."

Here is a breakdown of the remaining wannabes who are holding our attention - until the "American Idol" (Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Keith Urban) premiere in January:


'The X Factor'

Tate Stevens

Why he'll win: "The X Factor" releases weekly rankings based on voting, and the country crooner has been atop the board more than once. His everyman persona connects with middle America, buoyed by constant professions of love for his wife. Even Simon Cowell says he "just seems like a nice guy," and viewers often like to reward the good guy.

Why he won't: A Sonenclar surge. He also tends to veer off-key if a song isn't squarely in his comfort zone.

Carly Rose Sonenclar

Why she'll win: She has a preternaturally mature voice that can make almost any song soulful. And it never hurts to have Spears as a mentor. She's also the only other person to take the top spot in weekly voting.

Why she won't: Tate Stevens, who has traded places with her atop the voting totals. Also, Sonenclar can sometimes come off sleepy and much older than 13.

Fifth Harmony

Why they will win: Though they auditioned as soloists, the girls have worked hard to gel as a group since being formed by Cowell on the show. Their momentum seems to be peaking at the right time, and they'll probably pick up Emblem3's votes. "We truly love and support each other likes sisters," Hamilton says. "Each day we learn something new about our voices and how to blend more cohesively in harmony."

Why they won't: It would take a small miracle to get them past a Sonenclar/Stevens showdown. But last week's surprise results proved the judges have been greatly underestimating them.


'The Voice'

Cassadee Pope

Why she'll win: Because all four coaches, despite their respective teams, have treated her like the winner for weeks. Pope isn't the strongest singer, but she has an undeniable spark that's only brightened as the show has progressed. She honed her chops with pop band Hey Monday, who released albums and toured with the likes of Fall Out Boy, All Time Low and Yellowcard.

Why she won't: She will. Anything else would be a huge shock.

Terry McDermott

Why he'll win: The Scottish rocker has been this season's most consistent performer. He's like an '80s power balladeer, minus the spandex.

Why he won't: Cassadee Pope.

Nicholas David

Why he'll win: "No one more truly defines what I believe 'The Voice' is about," says Nakia. "He is a real, down-to-Earth, honest-to-goodness, amazing human being that has an out-of-this-world voice."

Why he won't: Cassadee Pope.


"The Voice" airs at 8 p.m. Tuesday on NBC. "The X Factor" airs at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday on Fox.