Boot Camp: Six Chair Challenge Edition

[aradia22]

Technically they're still auditioning but I thought I'd start a new thread as this is a different phase of the audition process and I've heard there's some drama to do with the six chair challenges. Share your thoughts.

[aradia22]

Stephanie Nala: Don't care if she's pretty. She's singing the wrong notes. 

Shanay Holmes: She was bringing it with the face and the hand gestures but not the voice. It was fine but not exceptional. Not "professional singer." There was no power and not a lot of control.

Lola Saunders: What color blush is she wearing? It makes her face look dirty. Again, it wasn't up to a professional standard. I did like her more than Stephanie and Shanay. When they started to edit in the judges' skeptical looks to me her affectations sounded a little like Jessie J so I'd like to see her try one of her songs though I don't think Lola is anywhere near Jessie's vocal ability.

Chloe O'Gorman: Lots of problems. No breath control. X Factor editors you can't trick me by just editing in the judges smiling.

Lauren Platt: I can still hear how young she is when she sings and I'm biased against child singers but compared to the other girls I've seen so far she definitely deserves to get through.

Orla Keogh: They showed a ridiculously short but I liked what I saw. She's not a great singer either but she's not trying to be. I don't get the girls who go in with big songs or perform like they're impressive singers and then nothing comes out. With a little training, she could be a good little pop singer.

Kerrianne Covell: I love this song. I don't think she did a great job and some of those vowels were rough but again, compared to the others, sure. I prefer Lauren and Orla though based on this performance. She's closing off notes that should soar because of her vowels and she doesn't have that warm, soulful tone.

Emily Middlemas: This is surprisingly difficult to sing. You need a lot of breath. I don't think she knocked it out of the park but she held her own. She was cracking a bit but she made it through and kept her energy up.

Monica Michael: Finally, someone who can sing.

Chloe Jasmine: What. The. Hell? Guys, you cannot just change the melody of the song. How do I know if you can hit the notes if you're singing whatever pops into your head? It was a little ridiculous at the end but I didn't mind the breathy part in the beginning. I think that can work with the right song. She's totally Katie Waissel though.

 

My rankings from best to worst (not counting those who shouldn't make it through) are: 1. Lauren 2. Monica 3. Orla 4. Emily 5. Lola/Kerrianne 

 

God, the girls are in bad shape this year.

[aradia22]

Joe Slater: Can you list "actor" as your occupation at 18? He doesn't have real grit or gruffness. It's an affectation. And then those E vowels were really painful.

Jake Quickenden: Really shaky. It would have been nice to hear more control. He's not awful. Just not great. And I find him unpleasant to listen to. But I think with a bit of training they could make him into a perfectly mediocre heartthrob.

Helen Fulthorpe: She's doing what Shanay did yesterday. She's acting like there's this amazing voice coming out of her and there's not. There's just not. I'm not saying everyone has to shake the rafters or sing to the back of the house. You don't need to be the loudest singer. That's what microphones are for. But you need some fullness, some body to a voice... particularly if it's not that unique. This was perfectly... meh. Better than the hot messes we got from the girls yesterday but nothing impressive. I don't think she's awful but she doesn't know what she's good at.

Jay James: God, I find his voice irritating.

Lizzy Pattinson: Very short clip online but I liked her. Good control. Nice tone. Performed fairly well. Nice and competent.

Ben Haenow: There are a million guys like Ben with their scruff and their guitars playing on streets corners and subway platforms. But, I like him. I think his grit is a bit more authentic and he can easily be worked with to fix the small issues.

Scarlett Quinn: It was good until she forgot the words. That was disappointing.

Paul Akister: I wish he had those gorgeous low notes in him but that's just my personal preference for male vocalists. He's great.

Andrea Faustini: I still think there are issues. He doesn't hold notes where he should. He doesn't really have power in places, just affectation. But he's OK. I kind of want to see what he'll be like with coaching and time but I'm also kind of bored. Also, the way they've edited it, they're really over hyping him. Calm down, guys. 

Hayden Leeman: He didn't quite make it to rock singer level but he could be an interesting indie artist. I definitely like the song choice. I just don't know if he has a really special voice. But if he can make choices like this, I'm interested.

Jack Walton: Breathy and strained. I didn't think this was an interesting choice like Hayden's choice to do the gender flip. This was just a less good version of Ain't Nobody. I think he has a good voice but this song didn't do him any favors.

Charlie Brown: Meh. I have Ben and Paul. I don't need you.

 

I'd rank 'em like yesterday but I can't remember which category they're all in. I will say I liked Lizzy, Ben, Scarlett, Paul, and Hayden.

[aradia22]

According to wikipedia these are the results after two nights. 

 

Boys: Paul Akister, Danny Dearden, Andrea Faustini, Jordan Morris, Jake Quickenden, Jack Walton
Girls: Kerrianne Covell, Chloe Jasmine, Emily Middlemas, Stephanie Nala, Lauren Platt, Lola Saunders

 

How the hell did Monica not make it through? I liked Orla and I think she's gorgeous but I'm not heartbroken she didn't get through. She seems like a good one to throw into a group if they're going to do that again this year.

As for the boys, why didn't Ben Haenow make it through and who the hell are Danny and Jordan? I looked it up and they haven't posted a video from Danny yet and we only got one arena audition from Jordan. I went back to listen to it. I'm fine with him getting through based on that. 

[Kromm]

Wow, it's like this 6 chair thing brings out the worst in all of the contestants.  People who were okay in the previous rounds, or even great, suddenly totally sucking.

[Kromm]

And Chloe Jasmine?  She's like The Reality Show Thing That Can't Be Killed.

[aradia22]

Update on the other two teams. Whew. So Ben did make it through. He was just in the Overs. 

 

Over 25s: Fleur East, Helen Fulthorpe, Ben Haenow, Jay James, Lizzy Pattinson, Stevi Ritchie
Groups: Blonde Electric, Concept, New Boy Band, New Girl Group, Only the Young, The Brooks

[aradia22]

Fleur East: Good stage presence but this was a really weak vocal. It was like someone going up for karaoke. Really sloppy.

Helen Fulthorpe: Watched it again. Super underwhelming. If you're not underwhelmed, close your eyes. See? Exactly.

You know from yesterday that I like Ben and Lizzy and find Jay's voice irritating. Apparently we're not getting a 6 chair audition for Stevi but I'm fine with letting him through as the fun contestant. The Overs seemed like a better category in the first auditions. Not sure why Simon wants them. It might have helped if Monica (24) was in the category. Of the overs, I think Ben and Lizzy are the two who can sing, Stevi is fun, and the others are just pale imitations of better singers.

 

Blonde Electric: Weren't they eliminated? I'd taken Hayden over them. This was very karaoke.

The Brooks: When the first one started by himself he was a little flat. I like them together though they're a little whiny. I can't see them surviving much longer without more stage presence. They're not a very exciting act and how often do duos that aren't male-female succeed?

New Boy Band: The first one to step up had a few issues. A little... croaky and flat. He has some annoying pop vocal habits. The second one to step up reminds me a little of Jaymi from Union J. I really like him. He sounds like he's had training. He's singing properly. The third one wasn't bad either. The fourth one was sweet. He managed to sing in that higher register without going whiny and irritating. The fifth one verged on the whiny/irritating but he held back and once he opens up you can tell that he can sing as well. The sixth one isn't bad. Some annoying pop tendencies but like the fifth one, he can clearly sing. BUT WHY ARE THERE SO MANY OF THEM? It's a boy band. Not a (insert appropriate name of sport) team. The seventh one... WHY ARE THERE SEVEN? ...is really good. He could have made it on his own. THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS BOY BAND. Surely 2 and 7 could have just gone on as solo artists. It's not like the Boys category is super strong. Whatever, they'll probably have more luck making it to lives as a group.

Concept: They sounded ok but after listening to the new boy band first I was missing the rich warmth of some of their voices. I don't see Concept getting past judges houses unless they bring it in their next audition.

Pow Pow Girls: I liked them. There were one or two throwing off the blend a little but it would have been easy to clean up their vocals with some coaching.

Overload: They're cute. Was 9 to 5 on a list of songs for them to sing? Also, WHY was 9 to 5 on a list of songs for them to sing? They're a much better unit than the new boy band the judges created. Maybe they ditched them to get rid of the competition.

Only the Young: They're cute. Again, really not sure why they made them sing 9 to 5. I think there's some talent there but not really remarkable voices. They seem nice and bubbly for the tweens. The best thing about them is their energy. 

New Girl Group: Fine. Not great. The two that had solos don't have really distinct voices. I've come to like Little Mix a lot and I've learned to pick out their voices. Well, except Jade. I'm never totally sure when she's singing. 

 

In the sing off, the new girl group was stronger the second time. I can see why they beat out the Pow Pow Girls. The Pow Pow Girls have higher voices and while I love my sopranos, for a group you want people who can hold that alto line. Even all of them together couldn't produce the full, rich sound that makes so many girl groups sound good. I think I'd have kept the Pow Pow Girls or Overload over Blonde Electric, Concept, or The Brooks. Overload definitely deserved to stay. Then again, they probably need cannon fodder because unless there's some massive catastrophe, the new boy band is 100% getting through to lives. 

[aradia22]

Going into Judges Houses this is who I'm rooting for.

 

Boys: Paul, Jordan, Jake (Though I really don't care that much.)

Girls: Emily, Lauren, Lola (Knowing Cheryl and the show, Chloe's going to get in there or take a wildcard spot.)

Overs: Ben, Lizzy, Stevi (My guess is that Lizzy will be dropped and maybe even Ben and I'll have to deal with Helen and Jay.)

Groups: New Boy Band, New Girl Group, Only the Young (Though really if they wanted a fair fight, Overload would be in here and two of them would be allowed to compete as soloists.)

[kdm07]

This 6 chair thing is absurd and absolutely nerve-shredding for the contestants. I'm surprised none of them have had complete meltdowns yet.

 

Glad Raign is gone though.

[Kromm]

Clearly the key to the Six Chair Jokeage is.... come on in the last half.  The crowd will scream for EVERYBODY (especially any Boy Band) and coming later means someone earlier will get kicked, because the crowd screamed for both of you, but the screaming for you was the last one the judge heard and bent to.

[Kromm]

BTW: does anything REALLY think it's a COINCIDENCE that those groups in the "impromptu" sing-off had second songs prepped?  Even the groups that had been formed the evening before?  Doesn't pass any sniff test of any kind.

[aradia22]

How are the rest of you feeling about all the categories heading into judges houses? Do you agree/disagree with my choices?