Watching Simon Cowell fight for spirited singer Tiah Tolliver has been one of the more memorable moments on The X-Factor.  Singing sans background music during the audition rounds, Tolliver immediately captivated Mr. Cowell, but  Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger highly doubted her abilities.  After surviving boot camp, Tolliver was fortunate to receive Cowell as her mentor (he’s overseeing the Girls Group), and she’s now one of the 17 performers set for the live competitions.

“I would describe (Simon) as an awesome, awesome, awesome,” says Tolliver.  “He knows the industry.  He knows what sells.  He knows what to do and I’m really excited I got him and also because he fought for me so hard.  And I can never repay him for that.”

Do you think Tolliver deserves to be in the live rounds, or were Abdul and Scherzinger correct in their initial critiques?  Or has Cowell championed another star in the making, like he did with Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood?  Tell us what you think!

Tolliver also adds she never expected to make it to the top 17:

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