A quick march through Boot Camp and the remaining 57 acts found themselves waiting to be given a mentor in Friday night’s first of three X Factor shows over the weekend of September 26-28.
Simon Cowell got the over-25s, Louis Walsh got the groups, Mel B got the boys and Cheryl got the girls..
And it was Cheryl’s remaining 12 girls, including 15-year-old Emily Middlemass, the youngest girl in the contest, who were up first in the next stage of the competition: the six-chair challenge.
The final six girls sitting in the six chairs on stage would be the six going to Cheryl’s judge’s house.
Cheryl quickly filled the chairs - and quickly found herself in trouble. She still had singers she wanted to keep but no seats left.
So, the swapping began… Girls who thought they were safe, suddenly found themselves without a seat and, after a lot of disagreement from the fifth judge - the audience - Cheryl had her final six…
Emily Middlemass, who sang Ellie Goulding’s “Anything Could Happen” and prompted Simon to tell Cheryl: “I don’t care how old she is, you have to give her a seat.”
Lola Saunders, 20, a fishmonger from South Shields who, Cheryl said, didn’t do her best but did enough with her performance of Cece Peniston’s “Finally”
Chloe Jasmine, the 23-year-old model who Cheryl finds ‘mesmerising’ and who surprised judges with her performance of the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way”
Kerrianne Covell, a 23-year-old shoe shop assistant whose performance of Sara Bareilles” “Gravity” “gave me goosebumps”, Cheryl said
Lauren Platt, 16, whose performance of Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror” prompted Mel B to tell Cheryl, “Wow! I’m super-scared of your category”
Stephanie Nala, 20, who sang Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” and “made the show cool” said Simon.
The X Factor continues on ITV on Saturday, September 27 at 8.00pm when Mel B’s boys will go through the six-chair challenge and Simon will start the process with the over-25s. Louis will choose his final six groups in The X Factor on ITV, Sunday, September 28, at 8.00pm.
Click here for our picture special of Cheryl's final six plus the other six-chair challenges as they happen over the weekend.
