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Cheryl lost two of her acts after 80's week last Sunday when Stephanie Nala and Chloe Jasmine were sent packing after Stereo Kicks were saved in favour of the latter in the sing-off with Steph receiving the fewest votes and being sent home automatically. Tonight, the remaining twelve acts are singing songs from movies, who will deliver a blockbuster performance and who will be a box office flop?

Recap and videos after the JUMP...

Jake Quickenden


'She's Like The Wind' by Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing) - 3.5/10 - Jake had a lucky escape last week after a really poor performance. He says that he didn't think he was terrible last week, I beg to differ. He hopes that he can turn it around this week as he feels the pressure to deliver a good performance now. The first like twenty seconds or so of this performance are probably the best he has sung in the competition but then the bum notes kick in again and the rest of the performance is very inconsistent with some pitching issues and some alright parts. Until the end, when he tries to hit the high notes, and fails, badly. What is uncomfortable to watch is how little passion he gives the performance, it's almost as if he doesn't want to be up there, he's half sleeping when he sings the song. 

Only The Young


'Boom Clap' by Charli XCX (The Fault In Our Stars) - 6.5/10 - After a standout performance last week, the pressure is on Only The Young to live up to their standards this week and as Charlie reveals, they've been struggling, having rehearsed four different songs this week. With Charlie being the most vocal of the group, criticizing every song they were given, they eventually settle for this Charli XCX song. I love that they're doing current stuff and on paper, this should be fantastic but it's actually a bit of a let down. The brunette is sort of out of tune and then when the blonde girl does her solo, it's a note too high and doesn't sound right either. Their harmonies are pretty good once again and once they get into the performance, it definitely picks up but this definitely wasn't their best performance, I worry they might be in trouble as they're on early and lukewarm praise is sometimes dangerous.

Jay James


'Skyfall' by Adele (Skyfall) - 5.5/10 - After last week's (in my opinion, dreadful) cover of 500 Miles which garnered rave reviews from most of the judges, Jay wants to nail this Adele classic this week. This is probably a better vocal performance than last week in my opinion but it's still pretty dire. What annoys me about Jay is that Simon correctly pointed out his habit of singing through his nose to him at Judge's Houses yet he still does it. Vocally, he tends to start off okay but then as the performance goes on, he begins to shout, a lot. It was really shouty and sort of sloppy towards the end. Cheryl tells him that the production saved him and told him that his performance lacked him down. I tend to agree to be honest, vocally it was average and a bit shouty. Jay still hasn't found the original spark from his audition.

Andrea Faustini


'Listen' by Beyoncé (Dreamgirls) - 8/10 - If the bookies took bettings on song choice, I would be a rich man after this week because this was the most predictable song choice ever for Andrea. Putting aside from my personal feelings towards the song selection, Andrea's talent is undeniable. Based on technicality alone, Andrea is the best in the competition but of course it's not just about who is technically the best. This is a lot better than last week, he doesn't lose the melody and sings with passion and heart, the only reason that it doesn't get higher from me is because I feel like it's a bit of the same old same old from Andrea. Three weeks on the trot, he has sang a ballad, I'm holding out for him to do something different, technically bar one minor mistake, it was pretty flawless but he won't win if he isn't capable of doing anything else.

Lola Saunders


'When You Believe' by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston (The Prince Of Egypt) - 5.5/10 - Lola has had a haircut this week, she says that it's a change from her usual hairstyle but she likes it. This a really nervy performance, she starts off well but as the backing track kicks in at the chorus, her voice sort of falls apart a little bit. I don't think ability is Lola's problem, she most definitely has the talent but I think it's lack of belief holding her back. After the performance, she stands very nervously on stage before the judges tell her to have more belief in herself. Vocally, this was disappointing but I think she let nerves get the better of her.

Paul Akister 


'Try A Little Tenderness' by Otis Redding (The Commitments) - 7/10 - Paul is stepping out of his comfort zone a little bit this week, singing something slightly more upbeat than he usually does. Vocally, Paul is pretty strong as ever although the start was a little off. That said, whilst I think it's up to the usual standard with him on a vocal level, I actually think the performance aspect lets him down. Simon criticized him for not having any personality last week and I don't think he has really brought any more personality into his performances. He looks a little awkward on stage with the dancers dancing around him and when you look at the likes of Fleur who can really work the stage, it highlights how poor his stage presence is in comparison.

Lauren Platt


'Let It Go' by Demi Lovato (Frozen) - 8.5/10 - Living out every young girl's dream this week is 17-year-old Lauren, singing some song from some Disney film, it's no big deal really. To begin with, it sounds a little, off, to be perfectly honest, not the normal standard you'd expect from Lauren but as the song continues, it gets a lot better. As soon as the chorus kicks in, and we hear the backing from the other singers, I love it, it sounds brilliant actually. Vocally, Lauren is one of the strongest in the competition, the only thing I have against her is that I feel we've lost a bit of that old school soul vibe that Cheryl in particular used to talk about in the earlier stages. The song choices haven't really allowed for that so hopefully we hear that amazing soulful tone sometime soon.

Jack Walton


'Eye Of The Tiger' by Survivor (Rocky III) - 5.5/10 - Jack has an interesting song choice this week, I say interesting because it does sound like it could be a bit of a car crash on paper. And I'm not far wrong, it's probably slightly better than I expected it but, a bit like last week, he starts off quite well then the backing kicks in and he gets swallowed up by the backing track. I don't like this arrangement of the the song, it sounds odd and disjointed. In my opinion, you shouldn't fiddle around with songs that are this memorable. Again, another one who looks really uncomfortable on stage, the dancers are dancing around but he has very little performance ability and it just looks weird. Jack's going to really have to work on his stage presence as his performance is leaving a lot to be desired.

Fleur East


'Lady Marmalade' by Pink, Christina Aguilera, Mya, Lil' Kim (Moulin Rouge) - 9/10 - Fleur was disappointed by Mel B's comments last week after she told her she couldn't hear her on the chorus and calling it a bit 'cheaty'. Fearing the comments could have an impact on her votes, Fleur wants to address it this week but making sure she can be heard on the chorus. She works with the vocal coaches and the choreographer even suggesting having backing singers rather than backing vocals just so it's clear that she's singing too and they devise for the backing singers to stop towards the end so she can deliver the final note on her own. To be honest, whilst Fleur isn't the best singer in the competition, this performance is like CPR on the show tonight, finally someone who knows how to work the stage. Vocally, there are one or two bum notes but I can kind of overlook that if the performance makes up for it and it certainly does. She's the only one who actually looks comfortable up on the stage performing and this is a superb performance. Fleur ought to sail through tonight, I'm hoping we can see a softer side to her soon though, something stripped back but not necessarily a Whitney ballad. I would love to hear her singing 'Same Love' by Macklemore.

Stevi Ritchie


'Footloose' by Kenny Loggins (Footloose) - 1/10 - Well big surprise here, Stevi sounds awful once again. For once, the judges are actually critical of him but it's a bit late saying it now, he's obviously going to be voted through by those rebels who want to stick it to the man, by lining the producers' pockets and giving them even more media exposure which is what they want. Vocally, this is just horrendous, I think he seemingly makes even Overload Generation sound decent in comparison. On the plus side, he at least seems to enjoy himself up there but I wouldn't go as far to say that he puts on a good performance. Gyrating to some female dancers and doing a bit of dad dancing does not a performance make. When Stevi's time is up (probably after he has been guaranteed a spot on the tour), he will be given a serious song and given faint praise.

Stereo Kicks


'Let It Be/Hey Jude' by The Beatles (Across The Universe) - 8.5/10 - I'm so glad someone is singing a song from my favourite film 'Across The Universe', I was wondering when we'd hear a song from that blockbuster. After landing in the bottom two last week, Stereo Kicks were upset to hear Louis' comments on Xtra Factor about never wanting an eight piece and decide to take control of this week's performance themselves. Later in the week, feeling a bit guilty, Louis comes with his tail between his legs and apologizes for how that may have came across, saying that he doesn't want to get rid of anyone. The performance starts off terribly to be perfectly honest, Barclay's solo opening is flat and Tom and earlobe guy (whose name I still don't know)'s harmonies are equally underwhelming. However, much like most performances these guys give, James swoops in and saves the performance with his solo vocals. He's such a strong singer, I don;'t know why he didn't get into Judge's Houses in the Boys category, he should really be in the lives instead of Jake. This performance is actually fantastic once they get into it, their harmonies sound great and bar awkwardly standing in a line AGAIN, there's little for me to criticize in this performance, it was pretty great. Just don't give Barclay a solo part because his voice isn't strong enough, leave the solos to James mainly.

Ben Haenow


'I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing' by Aerosmith - 6.5/10 - Another act who gets a weird VT that has an oddly negative undertone. Vocally, I really like Ben although he does sometimes have a habit of forcing his rasp. Oh dear, did we really have to hear this song again? I've grown to despise this track, it's so clichéd now, why could he not have done something a little different? This performance feels a little, flat, the vocals aren't so much a big problem, a tiny bit under at times maybe but pretty good overall. The big problem is that there's absolutely no passion in his performance, he may as well have been singing his shopping list for Tesco, it sort of feels like there's a connection missing. Agree with Mel B tonight, the emotion was totally lacking. And I do agree with Simon, his mentor that he picked the wrong song, it was a bit of a soundalike vocal performance. 

Rankings

1. Fleur East
2. Stereo Kicks
3. Lauren Platt
4. Andrea Faustini
5. Paul Akister
6. Ben Haenow
7. Only The Young
8. Lola Saunders
9. Jay James
10. Jack Walton
11. Jake Quickenden
11. Stevi Ritchie

Bottom Two Prediction

Bottom Two:

Jack Walton
Jake Quickenden

Eliminated:

Jake Quickenden 

Results


Bottom Two



Jake Quickenden

Only The Young

Whilst I predicted an all boy bottom two, to say that this bottom two configuration is surprising would be a lie. Jake had a narrow escape for the last two weeks so it was inevitable that he would land in the bottom two. Only The Young meanwhile were clearly destined to be here with an early performance slot, bad VT and lackluster performance.

Jake sings first, taking on 'Red' by Daniel Merriweather. Vocally, it's pretty dire, I'm not sure what is going on with the sing-offs these days, for some reason the contestants seem to be underperforming in them. In fairness to Jake, he sings with more passion in this performance than he has for the entire series, it's the first time I actually feel like he gives anything to the performance. With his vocals being under though, is showing passion enough at this stage?


If you were underwhelmed by Jake's sing off, Only The Young sound even worse, mostly destroying their rendition of 'The Winner Takes It All' by Abba. Maybe the emotion is kicking in hence the poor performances but as soon as this song takes the chorus, it sounds awful. Their harmonies are bad and Charlie kind of butchers the song, even seeming to mess the melody up. Not a good sing-off performance at all but these guys have more to give than Jake.


Louis chooses to send Jake Quickenden home and Mel B sends Only The Young home. A blunt Simon tells both acts they were bad in the sing-off but chooses to save who he believes to have more potential, sending Jake home. It's all down to Cheryl who says that Jake sang with a lot of passion but sides with Simon on who has more potential, also sending Jake home. 


This was inevitable really, Jake was in quite a strong Boys category with two really strong male vocalists in Paul and Andrea and in comparison, he was really poor. His attitude probably didn't help either as I don't think he acknowledged the issues the judges pointed out to him. It is a pity that he was sent home when he finally sang with passion but vocally, it still left a lot to desire and I'm afraid Only The Young have more to give.
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