The X Factor 2014 continued on Friday with the first round of bootcamp auditions on ITV.
We now know that Cheryl Fernandez-Versini will take the girls , Simon Cowell will take the over 25s, Louis Walsh will handle the groups, while Mel B mentors the boys, but Friday’s episode reveals the judges and contestants finding out their categories.
With the 'six seat challenge' facing the contestants, acts had to face a 'yes' or 'no' decision and were told whether they were through to the next round of auditions.
114 performers succeeded in the arena auditions but bootcamp reduced that number to 57 in the first round of the live bootcamp stage.
The night kicked off with Cheryl Fernandez-Versini choosing which six acts would join her in the South of France at judges’ houses.
With one song to impress the Girls Aloud singer, the pressure was on as the girls took to the stage. First to perform was Lola Saunders, whose performance of Cece Peniston's Finally surprisingly failed to impress the judges after her outstanding previous auditions.
"When you started to push your voice, you were almost screaming at us in the end," said Simon, following her song. Despite her shaky performance, Cheryl saved the South Shields singer from elimination and gave her the first seat of the night, meaning that only five places remained for judges’ houses. Model, Chloe Jasmine, then took the second seat of the night, following her performance of the Backstreet Boys’ I Want It That Way.
"There’s something mesmerising about you. I’m giving you a shot," praised Cheryl. However, with the option to swap acts throughout the day, nobody's place was safe. The acts continued to impress as Shanay Holmes received a standing ovation with her rendition of Professor Green’s Read All About It, before Stephanie Nala and Orla Keough filled the next two spots.
"You’re making my life harder and harder, you girls," joked Cheryl as the pressure mounted for her to fill her sixth and final seat. With the crowd of edge at Wembley Arena, Cheryl’s next decision proved crucial for the remaining acts. When Monica Michael finished her performance of Troublemaker by Olly Murs, the crowd booed Cheryl after she said that the singer wouldn’t make it to bootcamp.
As the tension in the arena was rising, when 15-year-old student, Emily Middlemas, took to the stage, people waited with bated breath as she began to perform.
The adorable singer wowed the judges with her performance of Ellie Goulding's Anything Could Happen, even making Louis Walsh dance in his seat.However, before making a decision on Emily's performance, it is revealed to Cheryl by a producer that if she chose to put a 14 or 15-year-old through to judges’ houses, she would not be able to swap the act for another contestant. Shocked by this news, the newly-married judge decided to take the student to judges' houses to fill the sixth seat on the stage. The night then took a turn when Cheryl then swapped Chloe O'Gorman for Chloe-Jasmin, causing uproar from the Wembley crowd and Simon Cowell.Later in the night, Lauren Platt's performance of Michael Jackson's Man In the Mirror meant that she was swapped in, meaning that Chloe O’Gorman was out of the line-up again.
As booing from the crowd filled Wembley Arena, Cheryl was concerned that she had made the wrong decision.
“I do appreciate your help but honestly I feel like I want to throw up right now,” she revealed to the crowd. The final act of the evening wasKerianne Colvill who brought Mel B to tears with her rendition of Sara Bareilles’ Gravity which saw her swapped in to take Shanay's spot.
With the final six seats filled, Simon intervened in Cheryl’s decision making and begged her to bring back Chloe-Jasmin to the stage as she reconsidered her vote.
"I want versatility in my group. If I had six girls in my group who can all do the same thing, it would be boring. That's why I want you in my top six," revealed the Crazy Stupid Love singer, shocking the audience and her fellow judges.
The mentor then proceeded to swap Chloe-Jasmin for Orla Keogh. Unhappy with Cheryl’s decision, Mel B admitted: “I think that was a big mistake. I told Cheryl that. BIG MISTAKE.” Tune in tomorrow at 8pm as the drama continues at the second round of bootcamp auditions.
