The X Factor Season 1 Episode 2 brought us Melanie Amaro and Caitlin Koch. Tonight the auditions continue in Chicago, the windy and raining city, followed by Seattle.
Cheryl Cole, who inexplicably was removed as a judge for no apparent reason, will be returning one last time.
Brock and Makenna are just friends, so they claim, although Brock really has a secret crush on her (that he just told 12 million people about). Like everybody else, Simon asks whether they’re dating, while Paula rudely points out that Brock is turning red. LA Reid’s day has been made. Simon thinks Makenna’s voice is sensational.
Kim Terek says she has never tried pop music before, which is why she hasn’t got a record deal after 10 years of lessons. Well, never try it again. Tim Quinn is told not to sing Kiss from a Rose, but he does anyway, to expectedly bad results. Robyn Royal is the definition of tone deaf.
Charlesia Heard is there to audition to be a judge. The good news is that a position may be opening up once they leave Chicago. The bad news is that her comedy routine does not go over well.
Skyelor Anderson (spelled like that, really?) wants to be a black country singer. Not completely unheard of but different nonetheless. In spite of the technical difficulties with his music, he keeps singing. The judges are mostly impressed that he was able to carry on, but he has a decent voice as well.
J. Mark Inman is a graduate student studying philosophy. Good luck with that. He sings Creep, which Paula calls fitting. Simon asks if he’s dated Paula. The crowd loves this really weird performance, and the judges let him through.
Josh Krajcik’s mom has been wanting him to sing in front of Simon for 10 years so that she can get on camera. The skepticism about him and his song choice (At Last by Etta James) quickly fades. Simon’s surprised and blown away.
Seattle is the next stop, with not much different but less British judge Nicole Scherzinger.
Mother and daughter act Darwin and Sherry Reedy (The Good Girls) claim they believe they can be stars. Simon calls them the worst group he’s ever heard in his life.
Drew Ryniewicz is 14, so she loves Justin Bieber and will be singing Baby. I like her, in spite of her Bieber obsession. Nicole prefers her version of the song to Justin’s, and Simon agrees.
I don’t know who Charity Chapman is, but her song If I Could Fly is quite good.
Peet Montzingo is the only non-dwarf in his family. Simon calls the singing terrible, and the change of lyrics (from billionaire to famous) didn’t work. They think he’ll get famous somehow, just not by singing.
4Shore is a boy band that could be easily dismissed as unoriginal on the basis of their name alone. They sing End of the Road by Boyz II Men, written by LA Reid. LA’s proud. Simon could see them representing America all over the world.
Elaine Gibbs, Francesca Duncan, and even Tiger Budbill are the next ones through.
Phillip Lomax believes hats are coming back into style. They aren’t, but they do go with his old school singing. Simon’s interested, although there’s an issue with his voice when he pushes it. LA says he has the X Factor.
Tiah Tolliver sings a cappella, which is a bit rough with all the key changes. Simon sees potential, but he’s outvoted. Can she change their minds with a second song? I still don’t get it, but Simon’s able to beg enough to get a third yes.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The X Factor Season 1 Episode 4, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on Fox.