'X Factor' Just the Beginning for Montville Teen

With four performances on Fox's singing competition "The X Factor," the 10 kids in the group InTENsity won the hearts of of fans.

Those fans were crushed Thursday night when the group, which includes Montville Township resident Emily Michalak, was the act that got sent home. (A gallery of their heartbroken messages on Twitter is attached to the article—"I've never cried so hard in my life," one fan wrote.)

They didn't audition as a group, but a group they became. First, Emily, a eighth-grader, by . Then—in an "X Factor" twist—judges combined her and other stand-out singers ages 12 to 17 in a 10-member group called InTENsity.

The group impressed their mentor, Paula Abdul, at her home. And they made the cut again during last week's show, the first episode to feature live performances.

But InTENsity was one of the lowest two vote getters after viewers electronically cast ballots for their favorite acts following Wednesday night's show. Abdul and two other judges, L.A. Reid and Nicole Scherzinger, let the other group, the Stereo Hoggz, move on. Simon Cowell said InTENsity was his pick to stay.

After the show, Emily tweeted a thank you to her fans and said the journey was just getting started:

thank you all sooooo much for supporting @its_inTENsity and we know that this is only the beginning (: We Love You <3