'The X Factor': Watch the Finale Performances from Josh, Melanie and Chris

Last night the three finalists took the "X Factor" stage to perform one duet and one solo, all for the chance to win a $5 million recording contract. So who proved to be worthy?

Ultimately, it may have been too close to call. Each performer (Josh Krajcik, Melanie Amaro and Chris Rene) has his or her own strengths and weaknesses, each of which shone through last night. One thing is certain, though: all of them are better than Avril Lavigne.

Read on for analysis of all three finalists' performances, plus video of each duet and solo...

Josh Krajcik

Josh performed first, which may have been a disadvantage... Josh is very talented but not particularly flashy, so Melanie and all her crazy runs and embellishments might have upstaged him simply by performing later in the show and being fresher in people's minds.

But Josh was still very impressive, even after a shaky start: his duet with Alanis Morissette (they sang her hit "Uninvited") seemed a bit underrehearsed, but his solo performance later on of "At Last" was simple, understated, and very nice to listen to. This was the song that Josh sang at his first audition (the other contestants followed suit) and it worked to his advantage.

Chris Rene

Chris' vocals have never been his strong suit. He has a soft, pleasant tone that's nice to listen to, but he's not always on pitch and he certainly doesn't have the technical expertise that Josh and Melanie possess.

But Chris doesn't rely too heavily on his vocals. Rather, he has gotten to this point on his energy on stage and his charm off stage... and his heartwarming backstory about being a recovering addict who wants to do right by his son is certainly helping him get some votes, too.

Chris' first performance with Avril Lavigne was a mess. But then, that may have been more Avril's fault than Chris': it was her own song ("Complicated"), but she seemed to always be just a little bit behind on it. Chris' second performance, however, was his third time bringing his original song "Young Homie" to the stage, and it nearly brought the house down.

Melanie Amaro

I have a feeling that if the entire voting audience was made up of teenage girls, Melanie would win this thing hands down. Of course, that might actually be true, so Melanie's chances are pretty good.

Melanie's performances tonight certainly helped her chances: she started off with a very strong duet with R Kelly, and even though (as LA Reid said) she might have been upstaged a bit, it was still a blast to watch. Her solo performance, "Listen" (which she auditioned with months back), was even better, as Melanie has only improved since day one.

There are some questions about Melanie's charisma as far as the audience is concerned. She can't quite connect with people in the way that Josh or especially Chris can. But in terms of technique, she might have everyone beat.