Scotty Sonyae Nick: The song is called "Reign," and it is about what you give up and what you get in return, and it's very pretty. Vocally, they don't really have it together and it comes off really unpolished as a performance, but the song seems pretty good. Colby shakes her head, but I don't know if it's because she's feeling it or because she isn't. Then all of sudden Nick is rapping and Scotty is Voguing and whatever you thought gay was, you realize you were only in the living room of gay and there's this whole second floor that only Scotty knew about.

Brian and Jes: "The Last Candle" involves teasing your hair out to look like a crazy substitute drama teacher and then singing these intense lyrics while Brian rocks out on guitar in the background. The verse is really pretty and the whole thing is like they said it would be: a P!nk song. Jes gets more comfortable as she goes, which helps sell it, but mostly it's just a pretty song with a seriously catchy chorus that fits the "empowerment" recipe to a T. Whatever the producers were imagining when they made up this challenge is what it sounds like.

Remember that week of It Gets Better after that boy died, and it was all "We R Who We R" and "Firework" and "Raise Your Glass" and then Gaga squeaked in with "Born This Way"? That's what it sounds like. Which is funny, because that was Team Reign's actual subject matter, while Team Candle's themes are pretty much unbearable to think about, and they managed to cover both team's things, in a smart and powerful way. I just wish Jes had a point, because she's got stuff to say.

BACKSTAGE

Jes: "Team Reign, I just wanted you to know that you wrote the worst song imaginable."
Reign: "Well, your song sucked too."
Jes: "Well, no it didn't."

I see we've entered the part of the competition where You Suck has become an acceptable critique. They made it further than, say, Project Runway people, but just barely.

JUDGING

Jewel: "Brian and Jes, tell us about your sad song."
Kara: "Sorry about the breast cancer."
Jes: "I got roofied and assaulted, also."
Judges: "Oh shit."
Jes: "That's why the lyrics were so intense."
Kara: "I am proud of you both."
Keith: "You should have been growlier because the lyrics were so hardcore, but that's it."