"X Factor" Predictions and Picks

"X Factor" predictions and picks at this point in the show aren't going to be easy. But I'm going to step up and throw out a bold prediction for the FOX reality singing competition after watching just two episodes.
What are my predictions and picks?

When I first saw Melanie Amaro sing "Listen" from Beyonce on the second night of the show I was thinking "game over." In other words, "thanks for coming out and playing" but this show belongs to Amaro.
Who is Melanie Amaro? If you missed her "X Factor" debut, you can watch it on Youtube. At least one of the videos of her now infamous "X Factor" debut has over 100,000 page views. It was that good and seemed to move at least one judge to tears. It's a safe bet her "X Factor" audition will hover around or over 1 million page views as word spreads of her incredible opening night performance.

So how will Melanie Amaro finish? Barring some amazing and spectacular performances, I can't see Amaro finishing outside the top 3. In fact, she will be my favorite regardless of who steps up in the next few audition rounds as the competition progresses. And that says a whole lot-considering Chris Rene was incredible with his original song "Young Homie" just the night before. I believe Chris Rene, if he continues to improve, is a top five choice on "X Factor" but we don't have enough information on how he will sing other songs yet to make the call.

I know it's hard to make predictions without seeing the majority of the auditions-so I'll continue to update my predictions and picks as the competition moves along. If I were an odds-maker, I would put Melanie Amaro at 2-1 or 3-1 to win the entire competition based on her moving rendition of "Listen." She hit every note and the strength of her voice is usually reserved for vocalists with years of experience.

Can anyone catch her and more importantly catch the eyes and ears of the judges? It seemed as if Amaro had a lock on the front-runner spot just halfway into her first audition. For my money, the Amaro audition was the best first audition I've ever witnessed on a reality singing competition show. She has the Mariah Carey/Whitney Houston/Beyonce vocals with such an innocent and caring face. She may be the complete package and my guess is she'll get a recording contract regardless of whether she wins "X Factor" or not.
The 100,000 hits on her "X Factor" audition are proof that there's already a huge following. I don't think people are probably asking the question, "who is Melanie Amaro" anymore. The answer to that question is Melanie Amaro has jumped Chris Rene as an early heavy favorite to win "X Factor". Perhaps someone will prove me wrong in the next few weeks-but I seriously doubt it. Amaro is the real deal and if anyone has the so-called "X Factor", it has to be her.