X Factor hopefuls freeze on the big stage as judges' decisions and 'Double Auditions' take their toll
By JIM SHELLEY
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The second part of The X Factor’s new ‘double audition’ format showed why the only way you can really judge any singer's talent is from their performance live on stage.
Saturday night’s opener – in which acts sang to the panel in an intimate rehearsal room – indicated we were in for a good night, and that the first selection to have made it through had set a strong standard for the rest of the series.
In fact, most of them flattered to deceive, cracked under pressure, or outright flunked their big night.
After forgetting her lines and an interminable ad break, Tamera Foster smiles with relief that she has made it through - the song and the round
After all the plaudits that the judges gave him on Saturday, Luke Brindell was like a glorified busker, performing a ‘pitchy’ version of Get Lucky.
Without the context of her moving back-story, Hannah Barrett’s version of One Night Only was decidedly shaky, despite the over-eager applause of the annoying audience who actually drowned her out her trembly vocals almost straight away.
‘You seem really nervous up there,’ Louis said – which was obviously true, but hardly helpful.
'You seem really nervous up there,' Louis Walsh told Hannah Barrett, which was true but hardly helpful
Fil Henley was, predictably, hopeless, although he did inspire the best comment of the night, with Nicole Scherzinger admiring ‘the way your hair freely dances to the music.’
Most of all, your heart went out to the two novices from the duo Silver Rock who the judges had forced to separate into solo acts.
Her harmonies and range had seemed impressive alongside her co-singer, but Jerrie Bafundila said she had never performed on her own and was so awful, we could tell.
‘Ahh, she lost her partner,’ sympathised Sharon Osbourne, sentiments which will have been of little consolation to Jerrie and a bit rich given that - as Osbourne was one of the judges who insisted that the duo didn't work - it was partly her fault.
Jerrie Bafundila, who had sounded so good as part of Silver Rock, had never sung solo before - and it showed
Equally, Silver Rock's other singer, 16 year-old bombshell Tamera Foster said her only experience singing in public was in school assemblies.
Things boded badly when she played the Christopher Maloney 'Lovely Gran' card.
After one line, she forgot the lyrics and walked off stage, returning after an interminable ad break to deliver a powerful rendition of Whitney’s I Have Nothing.
It was a relief to see the teenager survive such a traumatic introduction to showbusiness but she still seemed lacking the necessary confidence to make you think she can win the competition.
Diva of the future ? Tamera Foster freezes, forgets her lines and walks off stage
Gary Barlow watches Tamera Foster walk off and wonders which idiot was responsible for breaking up Silver Rock and forcing her to go solo, before remembering it was him
At 35, prison guard Sam Bailey has the opposite problem.
She certainly has a show-stopping voice, reducing Scherzinger to tears, receiving a standing ovation and four ‘it’s a massive ‘yes’ from me' verdicts from the judges.
But she will need a huge make-over to stand a chance of joining such stellar vocalists as Olly Murs and One Direction on Simon Cowell's roster.
Her leopardskin cave-woman look and alarming squatting actions will definitely have to go for a start.
Nicole Scherzinger loved prison guard Sam Bailey's performance but is understandably aghast at her cave-woman look
'You're like a little Andy Murray': Alejandro Fernandez-Holt's vocals may not have been the strongest of the round but his looks and confidence made him the best contender to win it
All of which left Alejandro Fernandez-Holt, in theory the least convincing candidate after 'Fil', having received only three ‘yes’ votes on Saturday with Gary Barlow declaring Alejandro had ‘one foot in theatreland.’
His version of Enrique Iglesias' I Can Be Your Hero Baby was the cheesiest performance of the night, sprinkled with Spanish, and addressed mostly to Nicole, but was also the most confident.
Although his voice was not a patch on Bailey's or Foster's, at only 17 with his looks, he was probably the only one you can imagine making it all the way to the final and even Cowell's next victim.
I mean, star.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2408539/X-Factor-hopefuls-freeze-big-stage-judges-decisions-Double-Auditions-toll.html#ixzz2dgamIEpp
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