The Kleene-X Factor! Louis Walsh breaks down in tears as he sends groups home while selecting his final three acts
He's long been known as the pleasant and agreeable judge, constantly putting smiles on the faces of contestants with his positive assessments.
But on Friday night, Louis Walsh laid his emotions bare as he faced the tough task of whittling down his six acts to a final three ahead of The X Factor's live shows.
The jovial Irishman eventually selected Blonde Electric, Only The Young, and the newly-formed eight-piece boy band, who have yet to select a name - but getting to his decision wasn't easy.
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Decisions, decisions: Louis Walsh faced a tough time picking his final three acts on The X Factor on Friday
Joined by guest judge Tulisa Contostavlos, Louis sat through a range of performances on a large and luxuriously-decorated balcony overlooking the sea at Bermuda's Fairmont Southampton before making his choice.
After emerging from the sea in a stunning white bikini - much to the delight of the X Factor hopefuls - Tulisa, who steered Little Mix to victory in 2011, told the contestants: 'I'm the only judge to win a group, so I know exactly what [Louis] is looking for.'
First up to perform was Only The Young. Before stepping out to attempt to impress Louis and Tulisa, the friends of 12 years spoke of their devotion to one another - and their singing careers.
Reunited: He was joined by guest judge Tulisa Contostavlos, who served as a judge on the show until 2012
Making a splash: Tulisa made something of a sexy return to the show, emerging from the sea in a bikini
They then performed a stripped-down version of Ella Henderson's hit Ghost.
While Louis rocked away in his seat, Tulisa held back on showing any reaction, only smiling as they sung their rendition of the chart-topping classic.
After their performance, Tulisa said to Louis of the band: 'They have a very good energy, but they seem like the kind of band that needs an edge... You don't want them to be too cutesy... Those guys there are going to be one of your toughest decisions.'
Life's a beach: The Irishman greeted his hopefuls at Bermuda's Fairmont Southampton
American duo Blonde Electra spoke of their desire to leave behind their lives as a nanny and waitress before performing their unconventional song of choice - Kanye West's Gold Digger.
The sisters took turns between singing the distinctive hook performed by Jamie Foxx and Kanye's rapping.
Once their enegetic performance came to an end, a stunned Louis turned to Tulisa and asked: 'What happened? What was that about?'
Winner: Tulisa pointed out that she's the only judge to have won with a group - Little Mix in 2011
Tulisa laughed: 'When she was getting down, I didn't know where to look.'
However, when asked by Louis if she liked them, she said, 'Yeah, I loved them,' before laughing as she agreed with Louis on finding them 'annoying'
Teen brothers Josh and Kyle, members of singing duo The Brooks shared that, at the age of 15, they'd taken their first plane ride and taken their first trip out of the UK to attend the Judges' Houses stage of the competition.
Eight's a crowd: The newly-formed eight-piece boy band were among the three acts selected
Made it! Only The Young were victorious in their pursuit of advancing, despite fears they weren't edgy enough
'It's just a dream for us to make our nan proud,' said Josh, before he and Kyle broke into their rendition of CHristina Perri's Jar Of Hearts.
'They're so cute, Louis,' gushed Tulia after their performance. 'I think people will really warm to them and love them.'
However, Louis pondered: 'I just want to make sure it's the right time for them. Do they need another year?'
Something different: Blonde Electric were a surprising choice, given their unconventional performance style
Tears of joy: Sisters Jazzy and Ruby King hugged and cried as the reality of Louis' words finally sunk in
The New Girl Band and Concept were the next groups up, singing A Great Big World's Say Something and Beyonce's XO, respectively.
Tulisa appeared to be unmoved by what she saw, asking Louis: 'Compared to some of the talent that we've seen today, can they stand up against that?'
The New Boy Band, freshly formed at the boot camp stage of the competition, opted to perform Justin Timberlake's hit Mirrors, which won Louis' immediate approval.
Tough choices: The need to whittle his six acts down to three took a visible toll on Louis' emotions
Teary-eyed: The judge was seen weeping as he explained how difficult it was to send the acts home
On their departure, Tulisa said to Louis: 'Performance wise, they completely gripped me. I love it. I could watch them every week.'
But when it came to crunch time, Louis began to show early signs of emotion as he said to Tulisa: 'The problem is, I love all six acts in different ways.'
But after sharing the good news and bad with the emotional singers, Louis became wrought with emotion as he ended the X factor journey for The Brooks, The New Girl band and Concept.
End of the road: Concept were among those who learned that their X Factor journey had come to an end
Time to develop: Teen brothers The Brooks were told that, at the age of 15, they were too young
He sputtered through his tears: 'This is the hardest for me because I know I've broken their hearts. But I can't put everyone through.'
While there was sadness, there was also celebration, as Louis hugged members of each of the acts he put through for the live rounds.
And, in true wild style, Electric Blonde jumped into an indoor swimming pool on receiving their good news.
Going home: Members of the New Girl Band wept as they learned that they were no longer in the competition
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2780116/Louis-Walsh-breaks-tears-sends-groups-home-selecting-final-three-acts.html#ixzz3F80eqx47
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