Steve comes back and reads a couple of "#GlovesAreOff" Tweets, including one asking him to show off his 19-pack ("Thanks, mum," Steve cracks) and one from some Tweeter who wants Paula to punch Simon. "That's not very nice, but it's funny," Steve lies. He then invites L.A. to introduce the second of the boys when in fact it's the first of the boys for the second time, but counting never seems to be Steve's strong suit.

There's an intro reel about Marcus having to sing for survival twice in a row. Now he's got to sing a save-me song for the third week in a row, and he's feeling the pressure. He sings a slow ballad called "A Song for You," which my research tells me has been covered an awful lot for a song I've never heard before. You can really tell it's a save-me song, as he belts it out desperately from the middle of the stage without moving. He sounds awfully good, though.

When he's done, Nicole tells Marcus he reminds her of young Al Green, and Paula natters on about his honesty and how he's a storyteller. Simon is less impressed, saying he would have liked some kind of twist, but this was a bit boring. "I appreciate it," Marcus chants to calm down the resultant boos. L.A. compares Marcus to Muhammad Ali for getting up after being knocked down twice, and tells him not to let Simon get in his head. Voting instructions, during which Marcus looks no less desperate.

Simon perfunctorily introduces Rachel, whose intro reel is all about how she was freaked out when she heard about the song change. We see her trying to learn a new song from the start at 7:54 the previous night. Simon and Nicole both interview about how tough and fearless Rachel is, and then we see her on a red-lit stage singing another song I don't know and not quite nailing the notes like she usually does. [Note: It's "Music and Me" by Michael Jackson. -- RS.] Also, Simon seems to have her singing from on top of a coffee table. Always with the risers for Rachel's performances, have you noticed that? He just needs to make his peace already with the fact that she's short. She finishes up and tries to wave away some of the stage fog.