This weekend 12 hopefuls were sent through to the Live Act stage of the X-Factor competition and the rest sent home. The bookies’ favourites, Cher Lloyd and Katie Waissel, both went through after disastrous auditions in the Judges’ ‘houses’ sparking accusations of a rigged competition. The Group category was also controversial with Simon putting through his own groups over those originally auditioned.

Cher was suffering from a throat infection and barely managed to rap the first part of her audition before she stopped and broke down. Cheryl comforted the crying 16 year old and asked her if she would like to try again later but Cher, subtitles provided, inaudibly whispered ‘I’m done now, I’m done. Sorry’. Cheryl still put the teenager through despite saying it was one of the ‘hardest decisions’ she had to make. Cher was a clear favourite of Cheryl’s after her first audition and it seems the decision has been made upon her earliest audition. Many have voiced the concern that Cher is too emotionally fragile to continue in the competition and Cheryl has been careless in putting her through. A director of the charity Kidscape, has said: ‘She’s too vulnerable; further exposure seems quite risky and foolhardy.’

This decision to ignore the most recent performance has caused much hue and cry in the ranks of X-Factor fans and such furore was only fanned by Cheryl’s decision to put through Katie Waissel as well. Pottering around the grounds of the Ascot Hotel with a lace parasol and absurd feathered eye-lashes and looking pensively off into the distance seems to be the extent of Wassiel’s talents. With her less than wonderful singing voice the Madonna wannabe appears to have more style than she has substance. Katie was another to break-down after barely beginning her performance, choking out ‘it’s a very emotional song’ before rubbing at a patently tearless eye. One can’t help but think this was a cynical attempt to cover up a cock-up but Waissel was allowed to begin her performance again, this time accompanied by an ill-concealed self-satisfied grin. This was the second time that Katie has had to start again during a performance after forgetting her words in the open audition stages.

Cheryl delicately broached the subject of Katie’s marmite effect by saying if she could be ‘brutally honest’ some may find her ‘a little annoying’. It may be more brutally honest to say that some may find her repellent and Katie has already acquired herself a collection of critics. Cheryl also said ‘when I’m talking to you there’s always something that I don’t believe’, we say you and us both Cheryl as Katie strikes false as easily as Matt Cardle hits falsetto. Cheryl dubbed Katie a ‘drama queen’ but that doesn’t seem the half of it; Katie appears obsessed with becoming a celebrity, appearing on a Youtube show Green Eyed World and there are rumours of a record deal under a different name. Katie has made it clear that she is desperate for fame, saying she wants to be ‘a star’, ‘an icon’, ‘a legend’.

X-Factor fans were outraged that Katie was put through at the expense of Zimbabwean singer Gamu who wowed in all three of her performances. Cheryl told Gamu that she was ‘adorable’ and that she ‘loves [her] style of song and how [she] performs’ but apparently this wasn’t enough and Gamu was given a no. There are reports that next week’s twist is the addition of a wild-card act from each of the judges which could see Gamu back on the stage.

Rebecca Ferguson was the first of the three to be put through into the live act stage of the competition. Cheryl confessed to reservations over her confidence but believed that she could help her and ‘bring [her] confidence out’. Despite her low self-belief Ferguson gave another beautiful performance in front of Will-I-am and Cheryl with her stunning smoky voice and is a favourite to win the overall competition.

The Boys were sent to a luxury villa in Australia where Danni selected her three to move forward. The first to go through was Aiden Grimshaw, followed by Matt Cardle and Nicolo Festa. With Cheryl’s masochistic weakening of the Girls category Danni may have pipped her to the post with this line-up for the Boys. Aiden, Matt and Nicolo are all individual and distinctive with seriously impressive vocal strength. Louis has already tipped Matt as a potential overall winner, saying ‘the winner is going to be the one with the most votes, but I think Matt has got something very special about him.’

Fans will be disappointed at the exclusion of Marlon Mckenzie and Karl Brown. Karl simply said that he was gutted and Marlon appeared to take the answer with good grace, giving Danni a hug. Making his rejection even more bitter, Marlon had told the camera earlier ‘I really want to provide the best for my children…I want to be a singer because I enjoy singing. This is like 21 years of a dream.’ Before delivering Marlon his ‘no’, Danni said he was the full ‘pop package’ but didn’t know if his voice was as strong as some of the acts within the category. We can but hope that Marlon will be returning to the competition if rumours of ‘wild-card’ entries prove true.

Louis delivered the news to his Over 28’s after deliberating with ex-judge Sharon Osbourne. Two of his choices appeared obvious in the run up to the performances at the Judges houses but Mary Byrne hit a stumbling block when she forgot her words during her performance in the Judge’s house. Louis was worried that she would ‘crumble’ under the pressure of the live performances but still gave her a yes. Despite his obnoxious affability Storm Lee was an obvious yes with one of the strongest voices in the competition. If you nip out to make a cup of tea when he begins his pre-performance spiels and then close your eyes when he sings you can pretend it’s not him and get the awesome singing without the cringing.

John Adeleye was the filler for the third spot, a care worker who seems to be the rare breed, on X factor, of a genuinely lovely person. Unfortunately he seems more hotel animator than he does pop star with Louis saying that he needs ‘time’. Thankfully we said goodbye to some of the more terrifying over 28’s such as Yuli Miguel, Justin Vanderhyde and Wagner Carrilho. Sadly Elesha Moses, one of the more normal acts was also washed out with the others but she will probably not be remembered let alone mourned.

Simon Cowell publicly patted himself on the back for his ingenuity in putting together Bell Amie and 1 Direction by putting both groups through at the expense of the real auditioning bands. F.Y.D were the only act of the original auditioned to join them whilst all others went home. Husstle were exposed for what they were: a dance troop of backing singers to the Mohawks front-man and broke down in tears when delivered their no. As anticipated Simon had no truck with acts Twem or Diva Fever, cutting them loose despite admitting that Diva Fever had begun to grow on him. The bow-tied Princes and Rogues were also sent home (thankfully), as well as man-group The Reason. The over 16’s in the X Factor fan base will be bereft, but the pre-pubescent will be delighted by 1 Direction, a troop of cookie cutter boys in the mould of Justin Bieber.

With rumours of wild card re-entries, X-Factor producers have once again played their viewing public like fiddles. As hoped, we’re all talking about the latest outrages and are bound to tune in next week to see if the rumours are true.