The judges narrowed down their picks to the top 100 in The X Factor Season 1 Episode 5. Tonight boot camp continues. 5 more groups are left to perform.
What I do is not going on is this performance of What’s Going On.
The country boys get a perfect song for them, I Won’t Let Go by Rascal Flatts. Good opportunity for Tim Cifers, Mathew Slovacek, Kingston, Hannah Bethel, and Thomas Wells. Simon thinks Tim, who takes center stage first, is a star.
With the group performances done, 1/3 of the remaining acts will be sent home. Do we get names tonight? Will they be people we actually know, even a little? Not really.
The next challenge is to choose and sing a song in front of a full studio audience (like they did during their audition). One by one they perform again without comments from the judges.
The first group of singers just play it straight and mostly successfully. Then we get into the people who try to make the songs their own, mostly badly. Simone Battle doesn’t remember the words and just makes them up. 4Shore follows with a rendition of a song that Simon hates. Little Ladiez are accused of not listening by being the opposite of modern. Makenna & Brock do Billie Jean, which at least Nicole likes. Siameze Floyd sings painfully. Brennin Hunt still bugs me, and he bugs Simon as well by changing his song too much.
Stacy Francis tells the story about how her father died on the day boot camp began. She stuck around anyway because her father would have wanted her to pursue her dream. Unlike that first performance, this time she manages to get a standing ovation.
Then we get the battle of the pretty young blonde girls.
Half of the 64 remaining acts will make it to the last stage of the competition and head to the judges’ homes where some of them will get to swim in Simon’s vault of money.
Neither Simon nor LA seem particularly impressed by the groups category. I’m not either.
Top 8 Girls
Caitlin Koch
Drew Ryniewicz
Jazzlyn Little
Melanie Amaro
Rachel Crow
Simone Battle
Tiah Tolliver
Tora Woloshin
A couple of questionable picks while better singers fall by the wayside, but a good lineup on the whole.
Top 8 Boys
Brennin Hunt
Brian Bradley
Chris Rene
Marcus Canty
Nick Voss
Phillip Lomax
Skyelor Anderson
Tim Cifer
Not nearly as impressed by the boys as the girls, but there’s one or two there with a shot.
Top 8 6 Groups
2Squared
4Shore
The Anser
The Brewer Boys
Illusion Confusion
Stereo Hogzz
Not seeing much from this category either.
Top 8 Over 30s
Christa Collins
Dexter Haygood
Elaine Gibbs
James Kenney
Josh Krajcik
Leroy Bell
Stacy Francis
Tiger Budbill
This group should be able to give the young girls a run for their money.
Since the groups category was such a disappointment, the judges have asked 14 people from the girls and boys categories to return to the stage. They form two new groups, which softens the blow over what seemed to be bad picks earlier. It also makes the groups potentially interesting.
InTENsity: Arin Ray, Austin Percario, Ellona Santiago, Emily Michalak, Emily Wilson, Francesca Duncan, John Lindahl, Lauren Ashley, Ma’at Bingham Shango, Nick Dean
Lakoda Rayne: Cari Fletcher, Dani Knights, Paige Ogle, Hayley Orrantia
Now that the decisions have been made, one decision remains. Who does each judge mentor? They await word from the producers. LA is in New York, Paula and Nicole are in LA, and Simon, he’s on his yacht in the south of France. LA thinks the strongest category is the over 30s. Paula would like to work with the boys. Nicole would love the girls. Nobody wants the groups.
Nicole gets the over 30s. She’s one of them after all, barely. She clarifies: they didn’t say girls, did they? LA gets the the boys. He thinks he just won, but he thought that anyway. Paula gets the groups. She’s feeling overwhelmed already. That leaves Simon with the girls and the sole decision whether to keep Tiah around.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The X Factor Season 1 Episode 7, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on Fox.