It may have taken them six weeks, but it seems X Factor twins John and Edward have finally won over Simon Cowell.
When faced with the choice between the Irish brothers or Welsh songbird Lucie on Sunday night's show, the music mogul found it too tough to call. So the decision was left to the public, who voted to save the twins and send 18-year-old Lucie home. "I was actually surprised by the result…but it's not my fault that these two acts were in the bottom two," Simon said in response to angry viewers after the show.
Some claim that the 50-year-old – who previously labelled the twins' performances as "horrific" and said he "would leave the country" if they win – is striking out the strongest competition to make room for his own protégés, Olly, Jamie and Danyl. "I'm gutted, but I'm not surprised I'm out," said Lucie graciously. "Those boys deserve to be here, and they work harder than anyone else here."
It was a heated weekend in general for the X Factor team. When host Dermot O'Leary stepped in to defend Newcastle contestant Joe McElderry against Louis Walsh's criticisms, his point of view wasn't taken too kindly by the fiery judge. "I'm the judge Dermot, you're just the presenter," Louis said. "Well I think the public are the real judges," Dermot hit back. Thankfully all was quickly resolved. "Dermot and I are good friends and we like to have a laugh," Louis later said. The action-packed show also featured an acclaimed performance from home-grown talent Leona Lewis, who sang her new single Happy. "That was incredible. You remind us what this show is all about," said judge Simon.
