The X Factor judges said yes to a choir and a one-person duo in the fifth round of arena auditions – while Louis Tomlinson faced another blast from his past.
Louis, Simon Cowell and Robbie and Ayda Williams witnessed some of the ITV show’s cringiest performances so far in the latest episode.
Not one, but two hopefuls were left hanging when they failed to whip the audience in to a frenzy – despite one pledging to take their top off.
Meanwhile, another act shocked the panel when they performed a duet in two different voices.
There were powerful moments among the madness – while a dramatic conclusion saw Louis reunited with one of his former X Factor rivals, who missed out on a place in One Direction.
Catch up with all of tonight’s results right here…
Richard Ryan (3 yeses) – Richard aimed to do his nan Pat proud, performing ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’ by The Darkness in an outfit she’d picked for him. Having said he needs Robbie’s “entertainment factor” to win the show, the wedding singer and firefighter was thrilled to get a compliment from the ‘Rock DJ’ singer: “Straddling the line between cocky and over-confident is something that I’ve struggled with, but I believe you managed it excellently.” However, Simon wasn’t keen on Richard and gave him a ‘no’, saying: “If this is where you wanna go musically, I think that’s a big mistake.”
Giovanni Spano (3 yeses) – Rocker Gio took to the Wembley stage with ‘Gimme Some Lovin’ by The Spencer Davis Group, but suffered the ultimate embarrassment when the audience refused to give him that love, despite his attempts to get them moving. Simon interrupted and asked him to sing his second track, ‘Iris’ by The Goo Goo Dolls, which went down better with the crowd – but still didn’t quite convince the panel. Ayda said he needs to work on his “bad habits”, while Louis felt he was lacking the “danger” of rock’n’roll. Simon stuck up for Gio, however, and he eventually left with three yesses.
Scott Wilkes – Ladies’ man Scott was extremely confident, boasting: “The way I act on stage sends women mad.” However, the flower wholesaley also suffered a cringeworthy moment halfway though his performance of ‘Me and Mrs Jones’ when he invited the audience to cheer for him to take his shirt off – and no-one responded. He stripped off regardless, but the crowd only ended up laughing when his shirt got stuck. ” I think you’ve got a really good voice, and I don’t think you need to do all that,” claimed Louis. “You need knock up a bit of humility, or else your talent will go missing, cause nobody’s gonna like you,” Robbie bluntly put it.
Armstrong Martins (4 yeses) – Even Armstrong’s unusual name had Robbie branding him an “icon”, but his star power was cemented when his acoustic take on High School Musical favourite ‘Breaking Free’ wowed the judges. The youth worker was cheered on from the sidelines by his church pastor. “Not only did I want to listen to that song, I wanted to listen to your album,” gushed Ayda. “There was real honesty and vulnerability when you sang. When you were on the money it was absolutely amazing,” observed Louis. “I think you’re the one I’m gonna remember today,” commented Simon.
LMA Choir (4 yeses) – Choirs are big hits on Simon’s other big show Britain’s Got Talent, and now there’s one aiming for X Factor glory. LMA, a 19 to 40-year-old Liverpool group led by their musical theatre teacher, raised the roof with The Greatest Showman hit ‘This Is Me’. “The chemistry that you guys have is so infectious, I found the whole thing so uplifting,” smiled Louis. “I’m not saying the lead vocals were brilliant, but what made it work was your joy. You brought an energy to the show which we need,” reviewed Simon. “There was love pouring out of you, I wanted to join in,” added Ayda.
Georgia Burgess (4 yeses) – Simon and Robbie were visibly impressed as soon as Georgia began her rendition of The Jackson 5’s ‘Who’s Lovin’ You’. The temporary recruitment worker’s powerful vocals won another standing ovation from the arena. “Absolutely effortless. How comfortable you are in your own skin makes us feel really comfortable too,” noted Robbie. “The power you have is too much for my brain to comprehend,” joked Louis. “Out of everybody that we’ve seen, I’m gonna say it, that was my favourite. Great, great vocals.”
Sephy Francisco (4 yeses) – The Philippines have another representative this year in Sephy, who cites Beyoncé and Mariah Carey as her inspirations. Inspired by her faith, the call centre chose to sing a duet, ‘The Prayer’ – only to shock the judges when she sang Céline Dion and Andrea Bocelli’s verses in different tones. “Well, that was a surprise!” remarked Ayda. “I’ve never judged a duo who’s one person, this is incredible! I save money, you make more money!” quipped Simon. “I loved that!”
Ricky John (4 yeses) – Ricky had a personal reason for picking his audition track, Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’, revealing how he was homeless for eight years. A change did come for the carpenter, who now has a family of his own – and despite claiming the lack of sleep from his newborn child had left his voice hoarse, he won over the panel. “I know you have a problem with your throat, but nobody in this audience knew that, that was unbelievable,” said Louis. “Your voice is so strong, I’d like to see so much more from you,” said Robbie. “This is why we make this show, to find people like you,” claimed Simon.
Tom Richards (3 yeses) – There was another surprise X Factor reunion for Louis tonight when he came face-to-face with Tom, who was one of his fellow contestants on the 2010 series. Tom, then aged just 16, says there was a “slight possibility” he could have joined Louis in One Direction, but he didn’t make the cut, and went back to gigging at weekends while the boyband achieved international success. Now 24, Tom is back on the show to clear up his “unfinished business” – but his try-out didn’t quite go to plan.
Simon halted his performance of James Bay’s ‘Let It Go’, commenting: “Everything about this, I didn’t like.” Ayda offered a second chance, telling him to sing the “most upbeat song” he had, which turned out to be ‘Skin’ by Rag’n’Bone Man. Although he could “sense how much it meant” to Tom, Simon still wasn’t sold, insisting: “I wouldn’t have a clue what to do with you.” However, the other three judges gave him a place in the next round. “I enjoyed the performance, I think it all boils down to song choice for you. I think you have got charisma and energy,” said Robbie.
The X Factor 2018 continues tomorrow night at 9.00pm on ITV.
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