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Last week we said goodbye to Audio Vixen, who were in the bottom two alongside Johnny Ruffo. While Audio Vixen's vocal performances were amazing, their stage presence was lacking and a few odd song choices probably didn't help them either. I guess it's the Pia Toscano effect. Tonight, the remaining acts will perform number-one hit songs in hopes of winning another week in the competition. Who will impress? ... It's time to face the music!

Recap and videos after the JUMP ...


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Christina Parie

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"Teenage Dirtbag" (Wheatus) - 4/10 - Wow... Pitchy rocker chick for the win. I'm not a fan of this song but I did like her version, although it really should have been better than it was. Her vocals were really shaky and pitchy, jumping all over the stage probably didn't help. She does manage to hit one nice, long note. Yeah, this wasn't very good at all. I wonder if she lost some momentum from last week's performance, which was her best but still way overrated. It doesn't matter, unless she fumbles horribly, I don't think she has to worry for a couple more weeks. "Great song choice. Be careful with your vocals... I mean, we're going to get to a stage in the contest now where we're picking on the smallest thing... That was pitchy at times and it was a little difficult." (Ronan) "I loved how you nailed that note over there, it sounded fierce to me... I love your look, I think you're fantastic." (Nat) "You have every element that it takes to be a star... So glad you're in the competition, I'm pretty sure you'll be here a lot longer." (Guy)



Young Men Society

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"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (Beyonce)/ "Get Busy" (Sean Paul)- 6/10 - I'm not sure if this performance screams "X-Factor" but this was very entertaining. The harmonies are decent. Gotta say the choreography with the female dancers was my favorite part, it all went so well. I also really like it when groups do a song mash-up. I usually don't care for these guys' performances but this was smooth and fun to watch, it felt like an actual show,. "I have been dying for you guys to do what you did in that first audition for us, which was enjoy it, have fun, be so slick. You really nailed that tonight." (Nat) "Welcome back, in a big way... That could entertain any stage, anywhere in the world. We need another boyband like Boyzone and you guys are it." (Guy) "I loved the whole thing from start to end... You look great, you sounded great and I was thoroughly entertained. I felt like I was sitting at your concert that I paid tickets for. It was that good." (Mel)



Declan Sykes

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"Forever Young" (Alphaville) - 7.5/10 - Looks like Guy has decided to end his emo-rock experiment and let Declan sing songs that compliment his voice. The stage looks amazing. This is the best Declan has sounded since "Uprising". The performance is a little sleepy at a few points but it's a grand improvement from the previous weeks. Whoa, he goes for a glory note and NAILS it! I did not know he had that in him! Vocally, this is his strongest of the season thus far and it's also one of my favorite moments of the entire season. If one thing was proven to any haters tonight, it's that Declan can definitely sing. "That is the best I have heard you and seen you. Half-way through the song, you actually gave me goose-pimples. Your vocals sound lovely, that is the Declan I want to see week in and week out. That was spot on, buddy." (Mel) "15 years of age and you can deliver a song vocally like that, emotionally. Great song choice... That was your best performance of the whole contest. Well done." (Ronan) "I didn't like tonight's performance, I absolutely loved every second of it... Tonight, this is who you are as an artist. I wanna hear you do those sort of songs forever. I would buy that album tomorrow." (Nat)


Mitchell Callaway

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"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (The Rolling Stones) - 3/10 - Weird song choice, it has a slight Country twist about it so he sounds alright but vocally, it doesn't go anywhere. The stage and dancers remind me of Las Vegas. I think I liked his performance from last week more. Guy asks Mitchell if that song reflects who he is as an artist, Mitchell responds "Well, I want to be a Country artist and every song pretty much hasn't done that." (dayum!) "Once again, the vocal was great. All in tune but for me, I was waiting for that moment where I was gonna be either moved or really impressed. Just that dynamic that lifts the audience and entertains everybody and for me, it just didn't quite get there." (Guy) "This week's performance, from the start to the end, was knockout... I thought visually, it was very entertaining with the dancers and I thought you delivered a really good vocal and a good performance." (Mel) "I understand what Guy's saying. Basically, it was a bad song choice. It wasn't a bad performance from you, you delivered vocally, you sounded great... I've said that from the beginning but I think that was a bad song choice too because it never went anywhere." (Ronan)



Johnny Ruffo

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"What Goes Around... Comes Around" (Justin Timberlake) - 5.5/10 - Excellent song choice for him... It's amazing, his vocals are actually improving at a steady pace. The high notes are pitchy but this is definitely his best performance of the season so far. I'm not a huge Johnny fan but it's cool to see a contestant prove that they deserve to still be around after being in the bottom two, the previous week. That being said, while he is improving, Johnny is still one of the weakest singers left. He got lucky this week with a good song choice. If he plays his cards right, he could be in the competition for a few more weeks than I originally expected. We'll have to see. "I thought that was a good song choice for you. I think vocally, you were kinda a little bit out of breath at times and I could feel your nervousness... I do think that you did a great job. I think with more time and practice, it could have been even better... It's not the best I've seen from you.. yet." (Mel) "You took on a monster this week... Mel's right, we didn't see the Johnny that we've seen every week, this week because I think you're scared vocally... I think the song was just too big for you." (Ronan) "If you can't be as good as JT or better, you shouldn't try. In saying that, when you sing really short clipped notes and you kinda have this little sexy raspy thing going on, I think that's perfect for you. The falsetto wasn't quite there but it's a tough song. All good." (Nat)



Andrew Wishart

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"Dakota" (Stereophonics) - 7.5/10 - Once again, great song choice. I think it sounds better than the original! I don't care what other people say, he really is one of the best singers left in the competition and quite underrated. This performance was excellent and really showed off his vocals. I really don't have anything to say, this was awesome and if he keeps it up, I expect him to make it to the season finale. "Andrew, your voice is insane. That performance was unbelievable... Why did it take you so long to come on a show like this or give this a real good hot go?... You're going to have a great career. " (Guy) "You rocked it, I loved it and you just took me there... That was a very powerful performance, great song choice, I loved it." (Mel) "Mate, you've just got the most brilliant voice... and to handle a song like that takes an awful lot... It's just incredible, it's magic." (Ronan)




Reece Mastin

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"She Will Be Loved" (Maroon 5) - 7.5/10 - It's nice to hear a different side of Reece's voice, this song choice surprised me but I wanted to hear him slow it down and he absolutely nailed it. I loved the arrangement with the acoustic guitars and violin. The first half before the chorus gave me chills. If it weren't for the key change in the final chorus, I'd say he had a moment. The falsetto in the last chorus was pitchy but he ended on a good note. In my opinion, Reece has had a solid performance every week, I'm at the point where I'll be surprised if Reece doesn't win this competition. "Week in, week out, you just knock it out of the ballpark. I mean, is there any song that he can't sing in his own way really, really good? You are amazing." (Mel) "Your emotional connection to that song and even in the small breakdown, in your eyes, where you went in your connection with the violinist, it's pure magic, mate... You've got the X-Factor, there's no doubt about it for me. I mean, you're going to go all the way to the final." (Ronan) "It's about time that we saw that side to you. it was great to hear. I loved the arrangement but I thought the key change was a bit naff." (Nat)



Three Wishez

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"Lose Yourself" (Eminem) - 6/10 - I must say, I've become addicted to Fred's rapping. I don't like rap at all but hot damn. It's funny how he's slowly replaced Sophia as the "main" vocalist, but it's actually helped Sophia sound better as well. Joe stays in the background for this performance, I hope he manages to catch up with the rest of the group as far as "shining" is concerned or he may start to drag them down. But hey, they performed Eminem, Fred nailed it. Solid performance. "Fred, you just ate that up. I loved that, I loved how fierce you were in that... I think all of you had some kind of fight in you which is obviously the whole point of the song. I didn't hear much of you Joe, you kinda got lost in the mix somewhere..." (Nat) "Fred, you nailed that. That confidence that you have is great... I am desperate to hear you guys sing, like properly, like a ballad or something... I think it's time because Joe, I know you're a great, great singer... and I hope that that was enough to give you another chance to prove it." (Guy) "I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was dark, it was meaty, it was gritty and your vocals still had their moment at the end but you killed it and as a group, it was very entertaining." (Mel)



Note: I had a hard time ranking the top 3. I feel that Declan, Andrew and Reece were the best of the night by far. I managed to come up with a ranking I feel is fair and alright to post, but keep in mind that I think these 3 are within a hair's distance of each other if not just outright tied.

Ranking:
  1. Declan Sykes
  2. Andrew Wishart
  3. Reece Mastin
  4. Three Wishez
  5. Young Men Society
  6. Johnny Ruffo
  7. Christina Parie
  8. Mitchell Callaway

Results


Results time. The bottom two as decided by Australia is Young Men Society and Declan Sykes. YMS has been in the bottom two before but I'm totally confused as to why Declan is there, maybe it is because of the inconsistency between this performance and the previous weeks. Maybe his voting base feels displaced. In the final showdown, YMS chose to sing "Let's Get Married" by Jagged Edge, I'm not amazed. Declan sings "Wonderwall" by Oasis, this is a great song choice for him but I'm disappointed with his performance of it. Guy and Nat vote to eliminate YMS while Mel and Ronan vote to eliminate Declan. We go to deadlock and go back to the public vote for final verdict... And the act going home is Young Men Society. What the fuck, Australia? What the hell do you guys see worth advancing in Christina, Johnny and Mitchell? It's sad to see YMS go but I am very glad Declan made it. But now I'm worried about this next week.
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