Has the world gone mad over this year’s X-Factor contestants? Or are this year’s X-Factor contestants just a little crazy? Between Katie’s suggestion that she and Matt were as item (as if), Wagner’s decision to move out of the house because of the other contestants’ personal habits, Mary’s melt-down over her song choice, and even reports that Belle Amie are at war over who is allocated the main lyrics (very early on for this malark) - it appears that this series is the most tension-filled to date!
As most X-Factor fanatics know by now, the third live performance is when the real competition begins (and of course contestants’ true colours start to show). However, this year it seems like certain contestants are more concerned with causing trouble and fighting with each other, than for a place in the competition (yes I mean you Cher and Katie).
Paije Richardson went ahead with his performance this Saturday, despite missing rehearsals following the death of his grandmother. Although I wasn’t keen on the song choice (Aint Nobody) or the vintage Vivienne Westwood blazer, I agreed with Cheryl and Louis when they said "it was his best and most comfortable performance to date."
How funny was Simon’s face when the two dancers fluttered about during John Adeleye’s performance? To be honest I was more distracted by the hairband that John was sporting, teamed with a metallic silver blazer and some sparkly diamond earrings. Has John’s new look finally given him some personality?
Speaking of make-overs what has Cheryl done to the naturally beautiful Rebecca Ferguson? Was there really a need to dye her hair red? I couldn’t agree with Dannii more when she said "I didn’t love the dress and all the make-up. I love your style but it aged you a bit tonight." Bring back the real Rebecca!
If this week’s media frenzy about Cher and her teenage strops and diva-like behavior is anything to go by, I can definitely see why viewers (and contestants) have found it difficult to warm to her. That aside, it must be said her staging, styling and even her attitude in performing this week appeared to tick all the right boxes with the judges. Do we believe Cheryl when she says that "Cher will wow the audience in the coming weeks?" Or will we just continue to hear mash-ups of well-known songs?
I was amazed to see Matt Cardle perform a Britney song. All that was going through my mind was when Darius auditioned for Pop Idol with 'Hit me baby one more time'. Just like Mickey Harte, Travis, Simple Plan and the cast of Glee, Matt wasn’t exactly original with his song choice (your fault Dannii). It pains me to say it but Matt didn’t do it for me at all this week. Did he really take a risk?
Thankfully, my second favorite in the competition One Direction managed to pull it out of the bag with 'Nobody Knows'. Changing the song at the last minute can be problematic for most acts, and with five of them needing to learn new words and routines it could have been a disaster. However, as always their performance was flawless and reminded me of the Backstreet Boys back in the day. If the latest Facebook application is anything to go by forget 'Bieber Fever', I have 'One Direction Infection'. These pop tweens are strong contenders for the finals.
I thoroughly enjoyed Treyc’s rock n’ roll performance this week. Is it just me or is she starting to look more and more like Alexandra Burke each week? Could this be the way forward for this "Kitten who turned into a tiger?" However, poor Mary seemed to crack under the pressure during rehearsals this week forcing Louis to change the song to her original audition choice 'I who have nothing'. As much as we are all rooting for the lovely Mary, could her nerves and playing it safe be her downfall? Please take Dannii’s advice and throw some new songs in.
The gorgeous Aidan Grimshaw is back! His rendition of the Artic Monkey’s version of the Shirley Bassey classic 'Diamonds are forever' was outstanding. I love Aidan’s intensity!
I absolutely hated Belle Amie’s song choice! Warning: Never try to imitate another girl band’s version of a song. It sounded like the girls were more concerned with who got Nadine Coyle’s solo in 'I’ll stand by you' instead of how they performed as a group. On a positive note though, their dress sense has improved dramatically.
Ah Wagner, Wagner, Wagner, what can we even say about him at this stage? Clearly 'Livin la vida loca', he certainly didn’t 'spice up my life'. Who is voting for him?
Finally saving the best until last (yeah right) was silly Katie with her silly song 'King of the Swingers' from 'The Jungle Book'. Perhaps if Katie stopped 'monkeying' around and stopped acting like a drama queen, people might have some respect for her.
After a not so live performance from Cheryl (that girl can dance), and a flawless performance from the man himself Mr Michael Buble the dreaded results were announced and it was a shocker. Surprisingly, it was soulful John and wildcard Treyc in the bottom two (neither one deserved to be in the sing-off). Unfortunately, John’s performance of Kelly Clarkson’s 'Because of you' failed to impress Dannii, Cheryl and Simon (ouch).
What a crazy week it has been in the X-Factor bubble. Who will be next to go? Who will be the special performers next week? But more importantly who will be next to have a blow-up?
Don’t forget to tune in Saturdays at 7.45 and Sundays at 8.00 on ITV1.
Laura Delaney
