Now it's Simon's turn with the groups, most of which we really don't seem to have seen a great deal of so far.
Afro Swagg are first. No idea who they are. OK, some fun and they're got some appeal but I can't see them going very far.
Beau Road - another virtual unknown, although I do vaguely remember the very first audition. The first vocal was not good and they go off key afterwards several times. Not good.
The Cutkelvins - we do know them and they have been good, helped by an experienced girl lead. They're really good this time, streets ahead of the first two acts. A good length audition too. I don't understand why the auditions are such different lengths. Are they being cut back for the TV show?
Lemonade - another group we have seen almost nothing of. In fact I wondered whether they were a made-up group from entrants in other categories! They're very good and seem young and current too. The audience love them. Pretty clear that they'll be retained.
Easy Life - and another I haven't remembered, if, indeed, we've seen them before anyway. This is a replay of XFactor USA's Alex & Sierra's Say Something. Very nice but too short. Signs of talent there but they are a few years late.
Jack & Joel are in competition with the other brothers coming up. there's not really room for both, although they are different. A pretty professional performance was surprising with beat boxing and stuff which will have limited appeal. That gets stopped and they do a second song.That goes down well too and difficult not to give them a seat after that.
NQ - another new one on us viewers, competing with Beau Road and Lemonade. This is a bit boring, though. they're OK but not going anywhere. Nicole doesn't seem to be a fan and they don't get a second chance.
Rak Su - these guys we do know and they have also done well so far with very good reviews. They're doing an original track which is modern and maybe a bit boring but the crowd love them and the panel definitely want them. They get Beau Road's seat.
JBK is the Filipino group that we saw a couple of times. They're not for the UK market, though, just a cruise ship band. They could be good but they're something from the 1990s and the accents and style are not good in 2017. They get worse as they go on and end up being pretty poor. Louis, Sharon and Nicole seem to love them. Eh? Not sure why. Louis says they're the 'best vocal group'!! My God, Louis, what are you listening to? Odd indeed. They still get Afro Swagg's place.
Sean & Conor Price have been my own favourite act in the Groups category since they started. I find them an impressive talent. Louis says they're his favourite too. They do an original song. Nicole says they're her tip for the competition too. They get stopped. It seemed OK to me and far too early to know how the track might have developed anyway. They get a second song. It's a bit of a mess but I still want to see them through. They get the seat and the Easy Life pair go. Pity.
Now, Simon has formed a new girl group. Apparently they only got together at 10pm the night before so what they produce is all the more impressive. Hey Mama a Nicky Minaj track is great and really suites them well. The girls all come across as professional. It's pretty clear that they'll get a seat but there's some playing around with the viewers to come. Simon decides that they need another singer and brings in someone called Ash who was in one of the other groups. Not sure which. This is odd TV as well as you get the feeling it is not all as unplanned as it might appear.
The new girl gets to demonstrate how she can fit in at a moment's notice and they get a seat, of course. JBK are sent home. Good, although everyone shouts about that. there's a sing-off between lemonade and JBK and it's even more clear that sending JBK back to the Philippines is a good idea. Nicole is not at all happy and walks off. Louis wanted JBK too. Heaven help us.
Next we have the Overs and that is Nicole's category.
Danny Lambo is first up and I hadn't even realised that he was still in the competition. Goodness knows how that could be. They must be very short of talent. The crowd actually boo him. He's very poor but gets a seat. This is not a good start.
Talia Deane is next. She's nervous but really very good, an excellent performance, mostly, just loses track at the end a bit. The crowd like her a lot. The panel gives us their views - we didn't get that for the previous act. She gets a seat.
Bill Downs sings Songbird through his nose mostly. A very, very short track - just two lines! Better than Danny but no point putting him on a seat, although he does get one for now.
Klavko. Oh dear. Whilst he is better than many of previous years' 'Louis Acts' it seems pretty mad to keep him. The crowd are not that impressed either.
So far this is a pathetic category.
Gary Barker is average. He has a good voice but is really not here as a winner.
Berget Lewis puts the others in the shade vocally but she is still not a winner. She can sing but she is unattractive when she is singing and not someone that seems to appeal much. She has come from Holland where she couldn't make it and sees the UK as a better market. She could get a West End part from this maybe.
Leroy is an old bloke, 70+. An enjoyable act but really?? Crazy Nicole gives him a seat. At least that sends Danny Lambo home.
Loverine is another Filipino act. There are several this year doing well. She was good in auditions and is better than all we've seen so far but is she really current or just a big club singer? Now we get the weird stuff for TV. Nicole gives Loverine Talia Deane's seat while the old man and the boring other guys stay. That is quite wrong. Surely even she can see that. This has to be for TV. Talia does, indeed, get called back and the Bill bloke goes.
Kevin Davy White is next and he is a really good singer who does deserve a seat. He's a natural, great voice and nice personality. He'll go far. An easy seat decision and Gary B goes. If Nicole really had doubts about Talia then surely she would have sent her home now?
John Lilygreen is next and sings his own song. Good, very professional, although, again, what we see seems much too short and it has to have been edited, surely! I'm not sure how far he'd go but he is better than the old Leroy chap so needs to be kept for now at least. He gets the seat but it is Loverine who Nicole sends away! This is really quite odd. I do not know what is going on.
Matt Linnen comes on and you can see that Nicole is a major fan of this guy. He's a bit like Bruce Springstein used to be. One of the best of her category and a definite contender we could see in the Live Shows. His song was a bit of a mess but he's in and finally old Leroy goes. Fair enough.
Tracy Leanne Jefford is the one with the accent and very black hair. she has a good song in You Don't Own Me but Simon stops her as she gets going. She struggles with high notes. She offers to do it a capella but still doesn't make the notes. Seems that she has chosen the wrong song, key or something. Simon says that she really should still get through, despite all that. I guess they must have seen her in rehearsals or something. Anyway, to everyone's surprise she gets a seat and John Lily green goes home, not looking that pleased about it, either. I suspect that he won't be supporting the X Factor in future.
A very messy set there but eventually the Overs get their six contestants and Talia survives.
The last category to be sorted out is The Boys and it's Louis's turn.
Lloyd Macey is first on. he has a very fine voice but is just a little too old style for this competition with his auditions. Nice chap and gets an initial seat which makes sense.
Leon Mallet is one of a duo that I don't recall. They got split and enter now as individuals. This guy is good and the girls will love him as he has some kind of appeal. He's modern and that went down very well. Louis drags out whether he should or shouldn't have a seat and it's all a bit silly. It's obvious to everyone that he'll get one so let's just get on with the show, Louis. Please.
Leon's brother Alex is not so good and he gets sent home. Fair enough.
Anthony Russell is the Liverpool lad who was always leaping around and seemed a bundle of nervous energy. He's very likeable and now appears in a dark suit! Very smart but not what anyone expected. He says he's £80 overdrawn and shows us the tags are still in the jacket! He's a great character. Not sure how much of that I believe but more than maybe I should! Anyway, he does a nice, calm version of You're Beautiful. Not the best of tracks and he did start wobbling at the end but the crowd love him and he deserves the seat he gets.
Spencer is the guy from Ohio who wished they were still doing X F actor USA. He tries Don't Cha which is Nicole's old group, Pussycat Dolls' track, so risky. He does a great version. very talented. More terrible acting from Louis. Gets the seat eventually.
Enesi is another new one to me. He does Human Nature really quite well. They need a black guy on the show but Louis says no. That's a surprise. Enesi is not going to be a fan of X Factor either.
Benji Matthews has been very good so far. A bit quirky but the guy can write excellent songs and I can them being picked up by SYCO so he'll get a contact one way or another. It's a too short audition for viewers again but seems very good. Nice personality. Simon didn't like the song but Louis gives him a seat after the usual pathetic acting.
Gregor Coleman sings Yellow. Great song but not well performed. Not a good enough singer and this is one of the few times I've disagreed with Simon Cowell who reckoned he was one of the best. He gets a seat.
Aidan Martin plays the piano and songs what I think is also an own song. An emotional performance and he puts a lot into this and we get a decent length track for this one. Big audience response. Now the crazy stuff again. Louis wants to give him Leon's seat. No way. Louis brings Leon back after an age and all sorts of TV nonsense. I can't remember who he sends home instead. All a bit silly.
Russell Jones is on and is distinctly retro and a bit weird. He is a bit embarrassing and gets sent home pretty quickly.
Last up is Jack Mason, the red cheeked slightly chubby chappie that X Factor always seems to find for the grannies. He sings Rise Up which is not an easy song to do. He works hard and maybe goes a bit OTT with this but at least you can see he cares. He gets his pace but silly Louis says it's between Spencer and Benji who should go home. Eh?? What's going on?
Spencer does a few lines of A Change Is Gonna Come and is superb. Benji is much less confident with a few lines from Some people and he struggles with the notes so the decision would be obvious. But now Louis wants Lloyd to sing too. He seems pretty mad. Lloyd is actually extremely good under pressure and is better than both of them in that sing-off! So Louis sends Benji home. Sharon and Nicole are very annoyed but that's the way this crazy show goes at this stage.
A mad time, not helped by some made for TV moments and some weird editing. at the end, the six people going forward seem Ok and not at all bad as a selection with no majot omissions I can think of.
You can see a summary of the Top 24 at the page linked in the menu.
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