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"The X Factor USA&amp;#039;s second season ended last night (December 20) when one of Tate Stevens, Carly Rose Sonenclar and Fifth Harmony took home a $5 million (\u00A33.1 million) recording contract. As the tickertape settles on another season, it&amp;#039;s time for Digital Spy to take a look back at the show and decide what we liked most this year. 5 - Mario Lopez  Mario Lopez was one of two new hosts this year, replacing Steve Jones and joined by Khloe Kardashian. We were a little sceptical at the thought of two hosts at first, but it actually works. Of the two? Mario wins every time.  Where Khloe seemed nervous and often lost, former Saved By The Bell star Mario kept calm and collected. If both are to return next year, we hope their dynamic as a duo is worked upon.  4 - Panda Ross       Panda Ross was last seen auditioning during episode three where Simon Cowell said she &amp;quot;sounded like a legend&amp;quot;. Despite never being seen again and seemingly not making it past Boot Camp, we still have fond memories of Panda, and think that the producers missed a trick by losing her so early in the competition.  We&amp;#039;ll probably never find out what happened to Panda or why she was edited out of Boot Camp, but we hope we&amp;#039;ll see her gracing our television screens again soon. Her loveable personality, powerhouse vocals and somewhat dramatic audition would have given the rest of the finalists a run for their money.  3 - The Teens   The most consistent group this year has undoubtedly been the teens. For the majority of the live shows, Britney Spears was the only mentor to keep hold of all her acts - Diamond White, Arin Ray, Beatrice Miller and Carly Rose Sonenclar - before finally losing two of her acts in week four.  Sonenclar has remained a firm favourite with Digital Spy readers since week one. Topping the reader polls and the public vote on several occasions during the live shows, she was named DS users&amp;#039; hot favourite to take the title earlier this week. 2 - The Rank Order      For the first time in a singing competition show&amp;#039;s history, the votes were revealed and became a regular fixture in the live shows. While the top spot has been a battle between Tate Stevens and Carly Rose Sonenclar, seeing who is at the bottom each week has made the show interesting as well as shocking.  Vino Alan&amp;#039;s shock exit in week five after a last-minute change in song choice caused controversy on the Digital Spy forums - especially after Vino had consistently been a favourite for voters at home, coming third for every live show.  1 - Britney Spears&amp;#039;s facial expressions      She may not say much in terms of critiques, but you can generally tell how well your performance is going by looking at Britney Spears. Her facial expressions have kept us entertained from day one up through the live shows.  Who can forget her look of complete bewilderment when Patrick Ford butchered her song &amp;#039;Circus&amp;#039;, or her look of utmost disgust when Fifth Harmony were announced as the first act through to the finals?  &amp;gt; &amp;#039;X Factor&amp;#039; USA retrospective: Britney Spears and Demi Lovato Do you agree with our choices? What were your highlights of The X Factor USA this year? Let us know below! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/the-x-factor-us/news/a445532/x-factor-usa-five-things-we-liked-most-about-season-two/>