X Factor UK 2012: Bootcamp!
24 September, 2012 5:40 PM
So with auditions over, the UK X Factor rolls on as the contestants hit Bootcamp which was not held in London for once due to the 2012 Olympics. With countless contestants making it through auditions, Bootcamp is really the point where the judges seperate the serious contenders from the also-rans. So expect tears, tantrums and shock exits!
Recap and videos after the JUMP ...
Day 1
And true to form, the second stage of the competition begins with more shocks for the competitors as they're still recovering from their boozy 'Welcime' party when all contestants are called to the arena for a chat with the Judges. Overnight, the panel have been looking back over all audition tapes for the successful contestants and have decided to cull some of the contestants they believe do not stand a chance of making it through bootcamp. All viewers with good memories may remember that the panel did the exact same thing last year to much controversy because many of the contestants were dumped out of bootcamp and left to make their own way home.
I can't deny that I'm not exactly thrilled at the idea again this year but if it means we don't have to see the likes of Rylan who I believe only got through because of the 'novelty factor' any further, I'm all for it. Unfortunately, as the names begin to be called, the perma-tanned Essex competitor manages to make it through. However, a third of the contestants aren't quite as lucky and are sent packing. From what I can see, none of those rejected were even shown on the programme so it's not like it's a massive loss.
Right, all that done with, the contestants are ready to get on with it as they're informed that they will be put in groups within their categories where they will be forced to battle it out with each other on a song from a limited list. Boys are paired with Boys, Girls are paired with Girls, Groups are paired with Groups and Overs are paired with Overs. And just as they've been paired, there's already drama courtesy of my favourite Essex contestants (no, not Amy Mottram) RYLAN!! The loud and outgoing contestant is already bickering with fellow group members Gathan and Ottavio over the parts of the song they are singing. They have chosen to perform 'Respect' but Ottavio is annoyed at Gathan because he believes that he thinks that he is better than him and Rylan. To be fair, from what I can hear, he's right to think that. And whilst many of the groups have decided to go to bed in order to get some sleep for the performances in the morning including Gathan's team members Rylan and Ottavio, he is still up rehearsing. We'll see how they get on later!
Up first are Tasha Leigh, Amy Mottram and Maisie Berry who are performing 'Stronger' by Kelly Clarkson. Tasha is singing pretty well, it's not as nice as her audition but she's coping pretty well with what is a tough song to sing. Similarly, Amy is doing a pretty good job, she has a fantastic voice and she really stands out with her rendition of the song. However, unfortunately Maisie does not impress with her rendition of the song and the judges aren't impressed as the performance goes downhill from there. With the group failing to deliver, the judges take time to deliberate before asking Maisie and Tasha to step forward. Both girls are sent home which I believe is very harsh on Tasha who delivered a pretty good vocal. The good news is that Amy Mottram is put through and proceeds on to the next stage of the competition. (Video)
With Amy the only act managing to go through to the next round from her group, we see a montage of girls who impress the judges with their respective renditions of Aretha Franklin's 'Respect'. Amongst them are Melanie McCabe and Jade Ellis who both deliver solid performances although Melanie's voice goes a bit shrill at the end when she is singing it however it's Leanne Robinson and Mia Sylvester who really impress me. Leanne has a really powerful, soulful voice and if she can perform to that standard in her solo, I will be really surprised if she misses out on Judge's Houses whilst Mia's bluesy tone reminds me a bit of Sophie Habibis. Harriet Marsland, Eli Cripps and Carla Jaye also make it through. (Video)
Up next is another stand-out from the auditions, it's Jahmene Douglas who is performing with Craig Colley and Jae Walters, neither of which have been shown on the main show before. They're singing 'Moves Like Jagger' by Maroon 5, a song choice which Jahmene feels a little unsure of. Unfortunately it seems as if his fears were right as all three boys deliver a frankly abysmal rendition of the song. Fair enough, like 'Stronger', the pace of the song makes it difficult to perform but I'm really disappointed with Jahmene in particular who after a really good, if generous in vibrato audition has just delivered a shoddy bootcamp performance. The judges are shocked and disappointed in him also but put him through alongside Jae, rejecting Craig in the process. I'm sort of in two minds about their decision to give Jahmene a second chance, yes, his audition was great but if someone can mess up that badly and still get through on the basis of their first audition then where will it stop? Will Jahmene be saved every week in the lives if gets there even if he sings out of tune because his audition was great? I just feel like it's a bit unfair on the likes of Tasha who performed better than he did but were rejected. (Video)
It's over to the Groups now as male trio's GMD3 and Triple J are against each other with their respective renditions of 'Moves Like Jagger'. I liked Triple J in their audition but really wasn't impressed by GMD3 who delivered flat harmonies and poor individual vocals. Will my opinions change on these performances however? To be honest, I think Triple J are good but not as good as their audition in this performance however my opinion of GMD3 stands, I just don't think they're as good as the judges make out and feel like their looks and the appeal they would have to the teen market are all that is keeping them in the competition. Both groups make it through though I really don't know if GMD3 deserved to though I suppose considering that Jahmene got through after his performance, it's not that big a deal. (Video)
It's a battle of the girlbands now as Voxe go head to head with From Above, Matthew Knowles aka Papa Beyoncé's pet project. Both bands do really impressive renditions of 'Stronger' with tight harmonies and good charisma as well. It's surprising that neither of these two groups have been shown if they're this good. The latter get through but the other girlband are sent home, not managing to stand out in the shadow of the other band. (Video)
Beatboxing bands are next as Times Red and Duke battle on 'Crazy In Love' by Beyoncé. I must be the only person who really doesn't rate beatboxing so I sort of don't enjoy either performances although Times Red sound much better than their competitors who just sound out of tune and sort of like a malfunctioning computer although to their credit are very good at what they do. Both go through. (Video)
Another face-off from the Groups follows as MK1 who reduced their members from 3 to 2 at their audition are singing with The Lightbulb Thieves, let's hope their singing is as good as their name. Their performance of 'She Says' is interesting to say the least. MK1 do great, the rapping side of things is very controlled and well rehearsed whilst I'm just in awe of singer Charlie's quite frankly incredible vocals. They sort of steal the limelight from The Lightbulb Thieves which definitely does not go down well with the trio when they are rejected whilst MK1 make it through. Well nobody said the competition promoted fair sportsmanship did it? (Video)
It's back to the Girls now as Farrah, Jessica Beckett and initial favourite Lucy Spraggan hope to impress the judges with their rendition of 'Moves Like Jagger'. This song really is a killer, none of the girls perform particularly well in my opinion, Lucy is probably the best of a bad bunch even when she messes up her lyrics. I would honestly be tempted to reject all three acts but the judges are a little more forgiving and give Lucy Spraggan another chance by sending her through but send home Jessica and Farrah. (Video)
Collagen Westwood, Mini Viva's Britt Love and Irish singer Diedre Lawlor are up next performing 'Use Somebody' by Kings Of Leon but trouble is brewing much like the beer as eccentric Collagen has been drinking much to the disgust of Britt and Diedre who fear that she may stuff up their chances of getting through. And true enough, her part in the performance is disastrous though I personally believe that Britt and Diedre were able to salvage the performance with their solo renditions. Obviously the judges aren't in agreement however as Gary calls it the worst of the day, sorry did you see Jahmene and co? Britt is the only one from her group to go through as Collagen fumes about Gary's harsh words. (Video)
Clearly not impressed with the standard of the performances he has seen so far, Gary heads backstage to talk to the remaining contestants about really bucking up their ideas but will his harsh words get through to the next performers? (Video) After Gary's home truths, hoping to impress him are the every annoying Rough Copy and mixed trio Mitsotu who are also performing 'She Said' by Plan B. The judges are blown away by both groups though I maintain that Rough Copy's harmonies are nothing to write home about and they really don't impress me on the chorus. I'm also not that impressed by Mitsotu who have average rapping skills and are nowhere near as good at the song as MK1 were. The judges must have heard something else to myself however as they are mega-impressed. (Video)
Two of my favourite Boys and one who hasn't been shown now as James Arthur, Curtis Golden and unknown James Vickery tackle 'How To Save A Life' by The Fray. This is one of my all-time favourite songs and I'm really pleased to say that all three guys' intense performance styles really pay off on this song. I must admit that I think James Arthur was probably much better than the other two but all three impressed me and I'm so excited for the Boys category if this is the standard we can expect tomorrow and at Judges' Houses and Lives. What a performance, all three sail through! (Video)
So with a great performance over, the morning is really taking off and up next are the trio nobody has been waiting for, it's Rylan Clark, Gathan Cheema and Ottavio Columbro who spent most of last night arguing about their performance to the extent where Rylan says he has lost his voice and Ottavio is complaining about a swollen larynx, oh what an absolute disaster, they may not be able to sing now (note my distress). Gathan is basically in another league compared to these two, he's not brilliant but he can at least sing in-tune. In contrast, Ottavio makes Rylan sound like bloody Mariah Carey, his voice reminds me a little of if a turkey is being strangled. For some bizarre reason however, all three end up going through despite the clear lack of chemistry between them and the half-rate vocals from Ottavio and Rylan. What are these judges basing their strange decisions on? Who is most likely to be willing to sing 'Stand By Your Man' in drag? (Video)
Meanwhile, for the Overs, the stress is beginning to show as Hayley Evetts and Nicola Marie grow anxious when they notice that their team member Tammy Cartwright is nowhere to be seen. It turns out that the singer has decided to quit the show in order to look after her brother who has an addiction to drugs. It's sad that she's had to leave the competition. However, the show must go on and Hayley and Nicola must sing as a duo which presents a problem when they decide to dance during the part that Tammy had been supposed to sing her solo rather than to do her solo between themselves. However, Nicole stops the performance and advises them to try and improvise as it would sound better than them dancing for twenty seconds. And thankfully, they appear to manage it as their vocals are good, I'm particularly impressed by Nicola who had been shaping up to be a bit of a novelty act in her audition but actually delivers a surprisingly good rendition of 'Stronger' by Kelly Clarkson. Both of the Overs go through and deservedly so!
Carolynne Poole who I have tipped for big success also impresses in her group rendition as do LaTanza Meabon Whiteside, Christopher Maloney, Colin Malcolm, Kye Sones and Melanie Masson. With the Overs impressing, it's the Boys who finish the night as Jake Quickenden, Adam Burridge and Robbie Hance take to the stage. Robbie impressed at the auditions as the audience were moved by his story of how he is currently homeless and were impressed by his rendition of Damien Rice's 'Coconut Skins'. However, it appears that he has struggled at bootcamp, choosing to be on his own during the party and choosing to go for a sleep preventing the three of them from rehearsing, to the fears of Adam and Jake. Robbie messes up his lines in 'How To Save A Life' and sets his microphone down before walking off stage and out of bootcamp, favouring to walk away than to be rejected by the judges. Jake and Adam manage to carry on without him and both are put through but it's a shame that it had to end like this for Robbie especially given his circumstances but it seems like he hit self-destruct. With that, Day 1 of bootcamp is over! (Video)
Day 2
So with around 70 acts still remaining in the competition, the judges must now select 24 acts to proceed to Judge's Houses where only the best 3 acts from each category will be selected to make the live shows. However, before they decide, the acts have one more chance to show why they deserve a place at Judge's Houses as they each perform individually or within their group in the case of the Groups category from a limited selection of songs. Up first is Lucy Spraggan!
We're shown a montage of Lucy's progress in the competition so far including her impressive first audition where she sang her own song 'Last Night' as well as a video of her disappointing vocals on last night's show when she sang in the groups challenge. Lucy says that she feels like she needs to be at her best today or she will go home. The editing is pretty poor tonight, we suddenly skip from Lucy revealing that she is singing a mash-up of a few songs that she liked the look of from the list to Tulisa asking her to sing an original song. She's singing 'Tea and Toast' which is a very melancholic song which is apparently based on somebody she knew. I don't love the fact that it literally sounds like a character's progress in a soap opera but the song has a nice feel to it and her vocals are beginning to grow on me. I'll be surprised if Lucy doesn't make it through to Judge's Houses! (Video)
Now follows my favourite contestant Rylan Clark (no I haven't went mad in the head, I'm being sarcastic). He says something then laughs then explains his outfit in a bizarre VT which must be aimed at all three of those watching who actually care. Rylan who is 'completely serious about this' is singing 'Don't Cha' by The Pussycat Dolls AKA Nicole Scherzinger and her backing singers. Yep, can totally tell by the song choice that he's all about the music. This is pretty dreadful, his voice is completely lacking originality, character, tone, depth, appeal, however I'll eat my hat if he doesn't go through because the show needs a token Essex contestant and a novelty act and he offers both of these things unfortunately. (Video)
Rylan's best frenemy Gathan Cheema is up next, he tries to get the crowd pumped up to no avail, I don't love Gathan but compared to Rylan he's world-class so it's a shame that the bootcamp audience appear to be taking a dislike to him. His performance of 'Payphone' is okay if a little bit nasally, completely off topic but he reminds me of Danyl Johnson looks wise. Anyway, Gathan was good, can Nathan Fagan Gayle, Rough Copy and Eddy String impress? Nathan also known as Starboy Nathan gives an okay rendition of 'Earthquake' by Labrinth, it's a bit copycat for my liking and I feel like he lacks star quality. Eddy's rendition of 'Sweet Child O' Mine' is interesting, he seems to have added in some notes that I'm sure I don't remember hearing Axl Rose singing before? And finally, Rough Copy may have the confidence, believe me they have that in bucket loads but the singing? It's not so great. (Video)
After four contestants who definitely don't need to work on their self-confidence, we have Jahmene Douglas whose lack of self-confidence is definitely the thing holding him back in the competition. After a terrible group performance yesterday where Gary told him that based on that one performance, he would have unquestionably have been going home, the pressure is on for Jahmene to turn things around with today's performance but before he even walks out on stage, he feels dizzy and has to see the show's paramedic. Louis and Nicole walk backstage to see what is wrong and tell Jahmene that they're 100% behind him and have complete faith that he can perform really well. After a hug from Nicole (lucky bugger), he is ready to go out on stage and sing 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow'. On the bright side, it's easily 100% better than his last performance but it's still not great, you really notice his nerves which slightly detract from the performance and the vocals, especially towards the end of the song end up going a bit off-key. However, knowing what Jahmene is capable of, there is no denying that vocally he is more than ready for the competition, is he mentally ready for it though? (Video)
Boyband Triple J are up next and they hope to impress the judges with their rendition of 'Sweet Child O' Mine'. It's nowhere near as good as their previous performances unfortunately, I don't think they picked the best song for theme as a group and as a result, their harmonies definitely suffered. With that said, the Groups category is pretty weak this year in my opinion so they'll probably still make it through, I just hope they can improve. (Video)
Onto a real rocker of the competition now, it's the incredible Melanie Masson who wowed everyone at Glasgow auditions with her powerful rendition of Janis Joplin's 'Cry Baby'. She's probably the most powerful rock vocalist the show has had since Ruth Lorenzo in Series 5 best known for her famed 'Purple Rain' which she sang in the sing-off. She's performing 'A Change Is Gonna Come' by Sam Cooke and she is absolutely blowing me away yet again, her voice is so powerful and rapsy yet there's a lovely soulful edge to it also, another great performance from Melanie. Her fellow Over 28 Christopher Maloney is up next, I wasn't overly keen on him in his first audition though I think that he's a nice guy and has the likeability. However his rendition of Take That's 'A Million Love Songs' is just completely dull, there's nothing extraordinary about his rendition of the song so it just fades into the background. It's Carolynne Poole time now and yet again, she does a great rendition of 'God Bless The Broken Road', she has a lovely country tone which is powerful but not over the top. Finally for the Overs is Kye Sones who still reminds me a little of Matt Cardle which could well mean that he's destined to win this year especially as he, like Matt is pulling off a stand-out bootcamp performance with his take on Bonnie Raitt's 'I Can't Make You Love Me'. The judges rave about him and I must admit that he was very good but the song choice itself was a little dull for my liking so I don't think it was incredible (Video)
It's time for girlband From Above now, they have become something of a surprise turn-up for the books after a very good group audition yesterday at bootcamp but today they are feeling very nervous, in particular lead singer Daisy who is feeling the pressure today. She strains on the first line and the judges tell the girls to start again with Nicole offering Daisy a drink of her water, she declines and they carry on but it all begins to go downhill and their harmonies really take a tumble near the end of the song. Gary comments that 'there's barely a voice amongst the rest of them'. I think that's slightly harsh, it wasn't good but it wasn't awful, all the same, I doubt From Above will make Judge's Houses. (Video)
Hoping not to suffer the same fate is our next contestant Jade Ellis who is also feeling very nervous especially as she is missing her six-year-old daughter and just wants to do well enough not to let her daughter down, I have really warmed to Jade so far and I hope that she goes through as she has a very good voice. She's singing 'I Won't Give Up' by Jason Mraz, she stumbles over her lyrics but makes a recovery and continues on after the slip-up, personally I don't think that it was much of a problem because many of the contestants have made bigger mistakes than that. (Video)
Joseph Whelan is the next contestant to face the second day of bootcamp, Joseph previously impressed judges with his rendition of Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love' at auditions which I enjoyed but found a little bit verging on karaoke. He's singing 'With Or Without You' today, a song which I love but I find very hard for acts to do justice to. His rendition of the song is technically fine but I find myself failing to connect with him as a performer, I think he lacks star quality which definitely would be a problem come the live shows but I fully expect him to make the lives. (Video)
Another initial favourite from the Boys category is James Arthur who wowed the judges with his emotional arrangement of Tulisa's debut solo single 'Young' on his acoustic guitar and he's whipping the guitar out again this time as he does a unique twist on Gary's song, Take That's 'A Million Love Songs'. As Gary says, it's really refreshing to hear him taking on well known songs and giving them his own unique twist and this was every bit as good as his audition, I really enjoyed the performance, I hope and think that James makes Judge's Houses. (Video)
And another favourite of mine now, she may not have been shown before bootcamp but Leanne Robinson's soulful vocals easily make her a darkhorse of the competition in my books. She wows the judges again with a surprisingly powerful performance. (Video)
Why are they montaging all of my favourites, Adam Burridge is up next with a really unique interpretation of 'Ain't Nobody' by Chaka Khan, I'm really impressed with his vocals, they have a lovely gritty edge to them yet they're also surprisingly smooth, he's a bit like Aidan Grimshaw from a few years ago rolled up with edgy artists such as Bon Iver, I really enjoy listening to his performances, his tone is so different. (Video)
And finally, it's Ella Henderson who is performing for a place at Judge's Houses, she has decided to take a risk with her song choice and is performing a unique take on Cher's 'Believe'. Her vocals are beautiful, so soothing and melodic and I love the emotion she pours into the song, Ella is definitely one of the frontrunners in this competition, her audition song was great, this is great, I honestly don't see any way she won't make the live shows never mind Judge's Houses unless she majorly messes up between now and then, Ella's risk paid off in bucketloads, what an absolutely incredible performance, I loved it, Ella better go through after that! (Video)
Top 25
Boys - Nicole
Girls -Tulisa
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Overs - Gary
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September 25, 2012 at 1:50 AM
This is who i want in the livshows
Groups
TimesRed
Poisonous Twin
MK1
Girls
Ella Henderson
Jade Ellis
Lucy Spraggan
Boys
Nathan Fagan Gayle
James Arthur
Jahmene Douglas
Overs
Carolyne Poole
Kye Sones
Nicola Marie