2016 Six Chair Challenge

[Kromm]

Episode 1 of this?  

So much horrible oversinging. And disgusting tacked on runs. And that crowd of lemmings clapped and screamed "seat" for even the worst of them.

Edited September 25, 2016 by Kromm

[Kromm]

Ep2: I'll let someone else say it rather than me.

The X Factor 2016: Six Chair Challenge descends into CHAOS as Louis Walsh loses the plot

[CloudySky]

Ugh this challenge is always great at reminding me why I hate Louis as a judge. I was so happy when they finally got rid of him. Alas.

[Snarkette]

It helps if you remember they're casting a show, not picking the best talent. They already have an idea of who they want to be in the top few, the rest is for entertainment.  Jedward? Same Difference? Chico? 

[Kaoteek]

Ugh, I hate the Wildcards stuff.  Ivy Grace couldn't get a visa to to go the Judge's House in LA, so she's out, replaced by... Honey G.

Also, Samantha Slavery, Ryan Lawrie, Finnish girl, and Yes LAd are back. Yay.

Edited September 26, 2016 by Kaoteek

[aradia22]

The Girls

Soheila Clifford: She's not exactly... pageant-y but she's very... practiced. I think pageant-y girls come off a little nicer and more diplomatic. Soheila doesn't have the charm of those naturally open and honest contestants. The eye makeup was very intense and not flattering. Not a bad voice. Not a great voice. Same as the other rounds. She's one of those contestants that needs an angle. Personality, dancing, costumes... something. 

Kayleigh Marie Morgan: I like her voice. I mean her speaking voice. It's adorable. The vocals were pretty but a bit random. She didn't sell me on who she would be on the show because she would never be this girl on the show.

Luena Martinez: Who is this? Not a perfect vocal but better than Soheila and Kayleigh. I'm still waiting for someone with stage presence.

Faye Horne: Her vocals are really old-fashioned. I know there's no guarantees that X Factor will be back in two years but I think she should have waited to be an Over. Also, they're not as powerful as her style of singing implies if you really listen. That said, I also liked it better than Soheila and Kayleigh. She makes up for her vocal weaknesses with her performance. She knows how to do an X Factor song. Even if that song isn't really about your struggle...

Samantha Lavery: I do not understand her look at all. Can someone explain it to me? Is she going for Amy Winehouse? She just looks... rumpled. OOF. This vocal. Don't step to Jessie J if you can't do it. This just exposed all her weaknesses. It was all growling without that grounded soulfulness. It didn't fit her range and she couldn't do the runs either. She just kept yelping. Boo. I will say that she's not bad on stage.

Caitlyn Vanbeck: Is Andra Day not popular in the UK? Just curious. GREAT. Finally someone is bringing it. Not perfect but so much closer than the others. I do think that she needs to work on where those power notes are coming from. Honestly, just so many people don't understand what their range is and what they're going to sound best singing.

Jordina Miller: Also, not fully grounded but better. Smooth, rounded notes. Some breaks in her voice but she has a better idea of how to ground those low notes. I was into it. Though like Kayleigh, this was not an X Factor performance.

Ellie Rose: Ooh, smoky low notes. But also, who is she? I don't think it was really there with performance or power vocals or all those kinds of X Factor tricks. She's got a good voice but she didn't have that vibe that says "this is how you sell me." I wish she were a Corinne Bailey Rae or a Rebecca Ferguson. What is your thing?

Gifty Louise: They played Sax for her VT. They're sowing the seeds of the Fleur East comparison. Hallelujah! Someone who knows how to ground their low notes. Plus a power vocal. Not a perfect, clean vocal. But interesting.

Emily Middlemas: Not an exceptional vocal but solid. But importantly, she confidently went for a particular vibe.

Olivia Garcia: Kind of sloppy. Not terrible but not as polished as Gifty or Caitlyn or Emily.

Based on this performance, my picks would have been Gifty, Caitlyn, Emily, Olivia, Jordina, Kayleigh, in that order. I have to imagine Gifty, Caitlyn, and Emily are the ones who Simon wants to take through to the live shows. 

[aradia22]

The Boys

Mike Hough: Have we seen him before? Also, ew, what is he doing to this song? I'm giving it a "meh." And that's being really generous. One nice riff at the end.

Will Rush: Meh on the vocals. Slightly better than Mike. Less unpleasant. But that song was... definitely a choice. It felt like a first draft full of "oo-aye" placeholders.

James Hughes: He's just a little cutie pie. He doesn't want to be too precocious though. I think he needs to carefully manage the boundaries of what he's capable of. I found his voice a little irritating this time.

Niall Sexton: I'm never going to be a fan of his little baby voice. For him though this was a decent vocal. He tried to bring a little more strength.

Conor McGinty: Oh, OK. Someone's going to actually sing.

Matt Terry: That was a weird shenanigan. I think even after he adjusted, it wasn't great. I mean, I've heard him be better. But I still like him. When they had him do his sing off it was better but still off. Why don't people just sing in their range? 

Luca Valenti: Where did you come from? What is with them hiding contestants until the 6 chair challenge? Decent at first but shaky. Some nice depth though. Then it got very rough and just sounded like vocal damage. I think he's a better singer than Will or Mike though.

Freddy Parker: Wow, Dermot. That was a terrible pep talk. Sloppy. He just slid into a lot of those notes. But I think he sounded better than he has in the past. And then the piano? What? Repeat your first audition? Did they know he would be bad? Why was a piano on stage?

Nate Simpson: Good vocal. But I don't see anything remarkable in him right now. Like, he's a better singer than most of the people on that stage but is he Marcus Collins? Is he Jahmene? No. The boys are a really weak category this year.

Christian Burrows: Powerfully average. If he came in for his first audition and sang like this and if he wasn't conventionally attractive, he would have been a joke act. And then the "rap" section. Maybe he's the Cher Lloyd of the season ;). I will say that he can perform and he wants it. 

I would have picked James and Matt because of what I've seen in the past. And Niall, Nate, and Conor for today's performances. Throw Freddy and Christian in there too on potential I guess (potential cannon fodder). 

[aradia22]

The Overs: Powering through... I can do this.

Samantha Atkinson: Why are you crying? You need to prove you can put up with the BS every week. Lovely vocal though. Not Whitney but a nice easy listening version. Good control. Pleasant tone. Some nice heady riffs.

Melissa Pedro: I've been mixed on her so far. They cut out a good chunk of this. Good control, good power. I kind of like the raspy, rock edge. But I agreed with Simon.

Irina Dedyuk: Jessie J again. She was a little better than the other person but it still wasn't close to Jessie J. It was like a lesser Fourth Impact. All style, no substance. Dermot and the crowd were cracking me up.

Honey G: Oh, lord. I can't believe I have to keep talking about her. Put aside the awkwardness and the obvious joke act. She's not even good. I'm glad Sharon sent her away.

James Wilson: A bit on the nose but a good song choice. I almost wish he would have done something else though because his version was so much softer. James is a chill dude and this is an intense song.

Sada Vidoo: "Pray to the god of dolls." Ooh, you're naughty, Dermot. Like I listen to Linkin Park. That said, I still didn't think it was a great vocal.

Relley C: It was by no means horrible but there was something off about it. My brain is a little melted right now. I think it was going flat or like a half step off every so often.

James Craise: Not a perfect vocal. Also a little dreary as a song choice. Disappointing because I liked him in boot camp.

Janet Grogan: Also a little off but after Samantha, I'd say she was the closest.

Rebekah Ryan: Still very dated but I think this is one of my favorite vocals from her and it was definitely better than a lot of the others today.

Saara Aalto: Why has she sprouted feathers? She has a pretty voice but it's very... particular.

Christopher Peyton: Also an abbreviated audition. Shady. Look, he has a good voice. But I'm not sure I want to hear him growl his way through every song.

Marianna Zappi: Great voice.

Ivy Grace: Ivy's great. 

Anelisa Lamola: Great.

I would have picked Samantha and Ivy with full confidence. I'd add Janet and Marianna and Anelisa too. As for the others, Saara, Christopher, Melissa, James Wilson, James Craise, Rebekah, and Relly C were OK today but I wasn't that excited about any of them. The Overs are a really tough category because there's more talent that a category like the Boys but so much of it was middling. You don't know if they'll be able to deliver each week and they need a lot of coaching to develop their identities as performers.

[aradia22]

The Groups

Everyday Solution: What kind of a dumb name is this? It sounds like a household cleaning product. They're relatively cute and relatively decent singers. Nothing extraordinary. I agreed with Simon. I do find it a little funny that the groups have to share their seat in the 6 chair challenge. This drama wasn't really designed with them in mind. 

The Brooks: Decent vocals. Baby Biebers. 

Kayleigh & Stefan: They're not great singers. And it's weird. Where is this going?

Ottavio & Bradley: I think their costumes are getting worse (that is, cheaper) over time. The performance wasn't that great and they mostly talked through their song.

5 AM: Whiny. I think they've gotten better though. That's not saying much. I miss JLS.

4 of Diamonds: Decent singers. But compared to the others, they're great. I definitely think this is their best song choice. They need serious work though on the vocals.

Tom & Laura: Fine. Slightly off? Generally pleasant but not a wow either.

Girl Next Door: Rather sloppy. There's talent in their but they're very rough. Were they better than the weakest acts? Yes. With enough potential to get them through? I don't think so.

Yes Lad: This was surprisingly pleasant and lovely. Somehow they turned out to be one of the most solid (and marketable) groups.

No Getaway: Not impressed. I liked Everyday Solution better.

Skarl3t: I think they have good voices but they overestimate their abilities. Way too high. Take it down. I also don't really like their attitudes. 

From this lot, I'd pick Yes Lad, 5AM, and 4 of Diamonds. Then I'm torn between the boring but solid Everyday Solution and the vibrant but sloppy and kind of grating Skarl3t. Throw in Tom & Laura, The Brooks and/or Ottavio & Bradley too to keep Louis happy.

Edited September 27, 2016 by aradia22
Oops! I didn't watch all of the videos.

[aradia22]

Whew. With all that said, I'm rooting for James Hughes and Matt Terry to step it up during Judges Houses. They want Christian Burrows with all his youtube views but I think Niall is more of a lock. Caitlyn and Gifty seem like locks unless they screw up somehow. I'm not too attached to anyone else unless Simon puts through Soheila but I don't think that will happen now that Samantha is back. I cannot figure out the Overs. I just hope Samantha Atkinson stays in it. I can't figure out the Groups either. It's Louis so anything could happen.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/09/26/the-x-factor-2016-who-made-it-to-the-judges-houses-and-who-are-t/

Edited September 27, 2016 by aradia22

[Snarkette]

The ones I particularly like listening to are Scottish Hat girl, Scottish guitar girl, Gifty, and American. I want large-couple to do well but I don't know if they're going to do well in the lives.

[aradia22]

I've been thinking over the decision to bring Honey G back. If not her, then who? Well, there's Melissa, James, Marianna, and Anelisa. The show is about crafting a narrative and it's harder to do that with competing storylines. In their minds, I think Melissa would cancel out Janet. We didn't see much of James Craise but he could have drawn attention from James Wilson and Christopher and would have been cannon fodder before the lives anyway. Then there's Marianna and Anelisa. But personally, I like Anelisa better than Relley C (to be fair, we've barely seen Relley C). I think she has the more interesting, authentic sound and they just went with the more conventionally attractive (I think Anelisa is adorable but singing competitions have never been kind to larger contestants) choice. Anelisa and Marianna would also create confusion over who has the bigger and more polished voice with Janet and Samantha. Really, I think they're trying to head off criticism. People are annoyed at Honey G now, but as long as she doesn't make it to lives, eliminating her is easier than building up resentment for one of the Overs who does make it through if someone prefers them (e.g. Gamu). But if she someone makes it to Lives I'm going to be pissed off, of course.

Edited to add that I think Anelisa also competes with Relley C's and more importantly Janet's stories about returning to the competition. Janet has been a bit whiny about the whole thing and Anelisa waited YEARS to come back. 

Edited September 29, 2016 by aradia22

[Snarkette]

Honey G surpasses the high bar of irritation already set by Jedward, Chico, and Rhyddian. And unlike those shining examples, has no talent even at minimal Jedward/Chico levels, to back up her quirkiness. This isn't Britain loves its eccentrics, it's just mean. See also, William Hung