The X Factor 2018 continued tonight with more Six Chair Challenge drama as Simon Cowell and Ayda Williams chose their top 6 acts – while Louis Tomlinson gave one of the Boys his Golden X.
Episode ten picked up where last night left off, as Simon held a last-minute sing-off to determine once and for all which Girls he’d take to Judges’ Houses.
Meanwhile, Ayda’s Overs round ended with two of her rejects getting an unexpected lifeline from a rival judge.
Viewers also got to see the first of the Boys fight for the coveted chairs – with one performance ending in disaster when an unlucky hopeful FELL off the stage.
Meanwhile, another act got a ‘safe seat’ thanks to the Golden X, which prevents them from being swapped out at a later stage.
Read on to catch up with all of the latest results…
Simon Cowell & The Girls
Sing-Off (Jennifer Owens sent home) – Last night’s tense episode ended with Simon deciding to give Scarlett a seat, but struggling to decide which one. To settle the matter, he asked Georgia Burgess – who had already narrowly escaped the axe – and Maria Laroco to compete again in a sing-off, as Scarlett took one of their vacated chairs. Both Girls opted to repeat their original audition tracks (‘Who’s Lovin’ You’ and ‘Purple Rain’ respectively), and both delivered flawless vocals, making Simon’s dilemma even harder. “These girls both deserve a spot,” commented Ayda.
In a shock final twist, Simon concluded that he would keep both Georgia and Maria – but with only one empty chair remaining, he had to send Jennifer Owens home to make that happen. “That was just an impossible decision,” observed Louis. “The worst time to go out as well.”
Therefore, Simon’s final six Girls are Bella Penfold, Georgia Burgess, Maria Laroco, Molly Scott, Scarlett Lee and Shan.
Ayda Field & The Overs
Giovanni Spano (Seat, replaced Claire Angel) – Wannabe rockstar Giovanni wanted a chair “more than anything else in the world”, and performed Led Zeppelin favourite ‘Whole Lotta Love’ in a bid to “give everybody that feeling that they feel like a superhero”. Ayda admitted that Gio would need an “overhaul” if they were to work together, and the West End performer instantly got an image refresh when he pulled his hair back and Robbie lent him a flashy jacket. Realising that he “brings something different” to the competition, Ayda decided to give Claire Angel’s seat to Gio.
Janice Robinson (Seat, replaced Cezar Ouatu) – Janice had one of the most memorable auditions, performing her former dance act Livin Joy’s chart-topping anthem ‘Dreamer’ – but for the Six Chair Challenge, she stripped it back with a piano version of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Natural Woman’. It was the right move, with her biggest fan Robbie commenting: “I’ve just had another moment with you that transcended being here. You’re incredible.” With Ayda saying she “bows down” to Janice and branding her the “real deal”, it’s no surprise she was given a seat, at Cezar Ouatu’s expense.
Danny Tetley (Seat, replaced Burgandy Williams) – As the last of the Overs to appear, Danny faced a mammoth task, with Ayda telling him it’s “the hardest seat to win” – but he vowed to do “whatever it takes” to secure his place. The Benidorm entertainer proclaimed that the “show must go on”, and tried to prove that literally by singing Queen’s ‘The Show Must Go On’ – but Ayda wasn’t feeling it and interrupted him.
Wanting him to show Wembley why the judges originally fell in love with him, Ayda gave him a second shot, asking him to repeat his audition track, ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’ – a move that earned him a standing ovation. “You gave me a moment, the fact that you came out swinging when all the chips were down was exactly what I needed to see… and there’s no way I’m leaving without you,” Ayda responded, instructing him to take Burgandy’s place.
Burgandy Williams and Panda Ross (Move to Groups category) – However, it turned out there was no way Burgandy was leaving either. When she got up to walk off, she lifted the chair and took it with her, much to the delight of the arena. The American star’s hilarious moment gave Robbie a brainwave. Noting that “I don’t wanna see this talent leave this country,” he asked Burgandy to remain on stage – and astonished a long-gone Panda by inviting her back up too.
“Ladies, this year, I am the mentor of the groups, and I want you two as a group with me,” he announced – and they proved he’d made the right decision with an ipromptu rendition of The Greatest Showman track ‘Never Enough’. “Magic happens when you don’t expect it, that was amazing,” smiled Simon.
Robbie’s lifeline means Burgandy and Panda will get another chance to make Judges’ Houses when the Groups face the Six Chair Challenge next Saturday. Meanwhile, Ayda’s final six overs are Danny Tetley, Giovanni Spano, Janice Robinson, Louise Setara, Ricky John and Olatunji Yearwood.
Louis Tomlinson & The Boys
Josh!e Cotton (Seat) – With the chaos of Simon and Ayda’s rounds over, it was finally time for Louis to whittle down the Boys. First up was Joshie, a secondary school cleaner who went all-out to prove he has the X Factor by performing an original song. He got the Wembley crowd going, but the judges weren’t convinced. “I like you, I like the song, I didn’t like your voice,” summed up Simon. “I loved your first audition, but vocally, I’m not sure it was good enough,” mused Louis, who told him to take seat number one “for now”.
Nathan Grisdale (Seat) – Nathan divided the panel with his audition, but fortunately he has a fan in Louis, who reckons the sound of his voice is “really cool”. Vowing to “give everything” to Louis at the Six Chair Challenge, he performed ‘Say Something’ by A Great Big World. “I wanted fight from you, and that’s exactly what you gave me,” said the One Direction member. “This one’s an easy one, go and take a seat.” Nathan even appeared to win over Simon, who simply said: “I like him.”
Tommy Ludford (Seat) – Ed Sheeran-esque guitar man Tommy told the judges he’d “go back to washing dishes in the kitchens” if he failed to make it on The X Factor – but no-one predicted he’d end up going backwards off the X-shaped stage. The 20-year-old got lost in the moment while performing his original track, ‘Dipping Biscuits’, and fell to the ground below with a thud. Production staff ran to Tommy’s aid, but the crowd’s shrieks turned to cheers when he got up unscathed and fist-pumped the air.
Fortunately, Louis gave him a chair, allowing him to sit down and recover. “Would you believe that? That’s just me in a nutshell!” he laughed.
Corey Sean (Seat) – “I love to entertain, I love to bring high energy, and I love to bring a bit of S-A-double-S,” explained Corey, when asked why he deserved to take a seat. The 26-year-old also brought a bit of B-A-double-S for a performance of Meghan Trainor’s breakout hit ‘All About That Bass’, complete with backing dancers. “I do believe in you and I do think you’re really fun,” said Louis, who gave him the fourth spot.
Armstrong Martins (Seat) – Armstrong took to the stage vowing to “sing like my life depends on it” – and not only that, he surprised the judges by performing his own version of the Westlife classic ‘Flying Without Wings’. “That was unexpected,” remarked Simon. “We’ve said a couple of times that we’re not looking for safe and we’re certainly not looking for average, you did neither there,” said Louis. “Go on, just go and sit down.”
Anthony Russell (Seat) – Next up was Anthony, who has become something of a protégé for Louis amid his labourer’s personal struggles. Perhaps a nod to their friendship, Anthony performed Joe Cocker’s version of ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’. “I think you and your story are very important to a lot of people who go through their own problems,” said Louis. “You’re a good example of someone who can come through the other end fighting.” Anthony unsurprisingly got to fill the last remaining empty chair – although chants of “safe seat” went unheeded.
Felix Shepherd (No Seat) – There was a huge shock when Felix became the first act in this year’s competition to be declined a seat. The 20-year-old music student was a favourite at the auditions after revealing his inspiring life story – but he wasn’t able to replicate that success a second time, with his cover of ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ failing to deliver. Both Robbie and Louis held up their hands to stop the performance. “For whatever reason, it just didn’t work,” sighed the latter. “I can’t give you a chair, but I want you to come back, because I see so much potential in you.”
Aeo (Seat, replaced Josh!e Cotton) – Aeo pledged to give the judges a show, not only bringing his own backing singers but his own original track, about “fighting for what you want” – although Louis wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. “Ooh, it’s a difficult one,” he pondered. “The atmosphere and energy you brought to us, completely infectious, but I’m looking at everyone still to come… it makes this different.” Despite his uncertainty, Louis decided to give Joshie’s place to Aeo.
Ollie Swain (Seat, replaced Aeo) – Aeo barely got to sit down before he had to vacate his chair for Ollie, who picked up his guitar to deliver an acoustic version of TLC’s ‘No Scrubs’. It was a big hit with the audience, who sang along with every word. “I really like you, and I think your song choices are clever,” said Louis.
Brendan Murray (Golden X) – The last hopeful to appear tonight was Brendan, who only just scraped past the auditions after he took not one, not two, but three chances to win over the judges. “I know that I can’t mess up this time, and if I get one bad note I’m going home,” said the former Eurovision entrant. With the pressure on, he gave a rousing performance of ‘Everybody Hurts’ by R.E.M. – which left Simon gushing: “In my opinion, you are in a completely different league to everyone we’ve seen so far. You don’t even know how good you are.”
The moment that proved Brendan had well and truly arrived came when Louis went over to give him a hug – and pressed the Golden X button on the way. This meant Brendan would be guaranteed a place at Judges’ Houses – but the episode ended with another cliffhanger, forcing us to wait to find out who will be booted out to give the Irish plumber his safe seat.
The X Factor continues next Saturday at 8.35pm on ITV, when Louis will confirm his final six Boys and Robbie will take on the Groups.
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