The X Factor NZ has eliminated its youngest contestant, Cassie Henderson, on Monday. The 14-year-old aspiring singer from Christchurch was voted out at the elimination episode of the TV3 talent competition show, leaving four finalists to continue to the next round.

The teen was in the bottom two once again. This time, she went against Whenua Patuwai to sing for the last time on stage for their survival on the show.

Both their performances the night before weren’t their best, with Whenua’s rendition of Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone” sounding a bit off-key. Cassie was sweet as usual when she belted out Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn,” but still it was not what would help her win the competition.

For their bid for survival on Monday night, Whenua chose R. Kelly’s 1996 hit “I Believe I Can Fly,” while Cassie went for Demi Lovato’s “Skyscraper.”

During the elimination voting segment, judges Daniel Bedingfield and Ruby Frost both backed their own act, Whenua and Cassie, respectively, and Melanie Blatt voted to eliminate Whenua because she thought the music industry would be too harmful for him.

The votes reached a deadlock when Stan Walker opted to eliminate Cassie, leaving the two contestants with two votes each.

And in case of ties, the decision would be referred to the fan votes, and Cassie had the lowest number of votes garnered, so she was sent home.

Although obviously downbeat, the teen graciously accepted her defeat, saying, “Thank you for all your support and for believing in me. I’m so grateful.”

Her mentor, Daniel, praised the young singer just because.

“Cassie was the one that made me excited about judging this competition. She connected in a way I’ve never seen before and I can’t wait to see what she does next.”

Cassie’s elimination leaves Whenua, Jackie Thomas, Benny Tipene, and the group Moorhouse in the top four. They will take the stage on Sunday, July 14, yet again to court public votes. Two of them with the lowest votes would have to sing in the next live performance show the next day.