The second week of X Factor auditions kicked off with Jamie Benkert, 24, an Olly Murs tribute act that Simon Cowell didn’t think was good enough as a singer - but he did think Jamie had scary potential as an Olly Murs stalker.
After Jamie’s performance of his own song called “Dance All Night” (not Olly’s “Dance With Me Tonight”), Simon told him: “It’s like you’ve been watching Olly for years. Have you ever seen the [stalker horror] film Single White Female?”
And then, to the real Olly, Simon said: “Get yourself some new locks.”
Jamie got through with three yeses - from Rita Ora, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Nick Grimshaw.
“You did well. It’s just scarily Olly,” Cheryl told Jamie.
“It’s very, very Olly,” Nick agreed.
“He’s going to take my job!” X Factor presenter Olly laughed in the wings.
Simon felt differently about 23-year-old Simon Lynch from the Isle of Man, who sang Beyonce’s “If I Were A Boy”.
“That was fantastic,” said Simon. “You just reminded that singing’s about taking risks, not doing something I’ve heard a million times.”
Girl group Alien had all the judges on their feet at the end of their performance of Black Eyes Peas’ “Pump It”.
“You are ready-made to go out there right now,” Cheryl told the girls.
“It didn’t feel like you were thinking about any of it,” added Nick. “It just happened. “I can’t wait to see you again.
“They’re like the Spice Girls from Mars,” Nick added, speaking to the other judges.
But the act that put a big smile on Simon’s face was Bupsi, a 37-year-old singer from Leeds.
Bupsi starts her audition with The Beatles’ “All My Loving” but Simon doesn’t like it.
“That song choice is horrific,” he tells Bupsi. “You haven’t come prepared to kill this audition. I think you’re too nice.”
“You know what?” Bupsi answered. “If you want nasty I’ll do nasty right now. Let’s stop the talking. “I’m going to get nasty now.”
“But I want it really nasty,” Simon told her.
And what Bupsi did next stunned Rita and Cheryl. See the pictures here.
“You just got Cowelled,” Cheryl told Bupsi, after she had performed Tina Turner’s Rock Me Baby. “He sees the potential in people and brings it out in them. You’ve got some serious performance skills. Don’t ever just stand there and sing again. Every time we want what you just did.”
“Now I can’t stop thinking about you,” Simon smiled at Bupsi. “Come out really nasty and be remembered every time.”
Click here for our picture special on all the acts from this show going through to Boot Camp.
The X Factor continues on ITV, Sunday, September 6, 7.45pm.
