The X Factor 2018 has started filming its six chair challenge in London.
This year sees new X Factor 2018 judges Ayda Williams, Robbie Williams and Louis Tomlinson join Simon Cowell on the panel.
On Wednesday, they started the six chair challenge after the X Factor judges’ categories were revealed.
This year, bootcamp has been scrapped with acts instead going straight through to the six chair challenge from their audition.
For the six chair challenge, performances will take place at Wembley Arena with six chairs on the stage representing the spots at judges’ houses.
As always, the acts in each category will perform one after the other, for all the judges and a live audience having picked what they hope is a killer song to get them through.
All the judges will comment but it’ll only be the mentor of that category who decides whether to give an act a seat or to send them home there and then.
However, even those given seats aren’t necessarily safe. The mentors can choose to swap those in a seat out for another act if they feel others performed better.
Only those that remain sat down once everyone has performed will be through to judges’ houses.
Speaking backstage at Wembley, Robbie – mentoring the Groups – said: “So we’ve just done six chairs for the first time and everyone thing previous to that has been a walk in the park.
“I honestly didn’t know what we were letting ourselves in for. The motions you feel the vibe from the audience, the ups and downs are incredible. I’m really not looking forward to doing mine because there were some tough choices sending people back to where they come from or they stay on their journey to follow their dream.”
Louis Tomlinson – mentor of the Boys – added: “It was as brutal if not more brutal than as you see on TV. I’m nervous about my category tomorrow and excited. I hope everyone delivers.”
Meanwhile, host Dermot O’Leary said of the “brutal” stage: “My favourite thing about six chair is watching show defining performances.
“I wasn’t a big fan to start with, and I still don’t like how brutal it is, but every now and then you see people step up because of the pressure and they just deliver these stand out performances and that gives them a good leapfrog into the live shows.”
This year’s six chair challenge will see a new Britain’s Got Talent golden buzzer style twist. Each judge can put one act straight through to judges’ houses in a ‘safe seat’.
“This year each of our judges has one Guaranteed Safe Seat to give away in this round,” a source told The Sun newspaper. “If the judge likes an act enough and they definitely want to see them at judges houses they’ll press this golden X and give that act a Safe Seat.
“This means the act cannot be swapped out of their chair and they’ll go straight through to judges houses.”
From judges’ houses, acts will compete to make the live shows.
The X Factor 2018 will start on ITV later this year.
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