There’s been so much hype around the brand new 11th - yes, you read that correctly, 11th! - series of ‘The X Factor’ that we were fearful it couldn’t possibly live up to the buzz… but the second that opening montage kicked in, including the unforgettable sight of Louis Walsh riding around in a sports car, we knew we were in for a treat.
It might have been three years since we last saw Simon Cowell and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini on the judging panel, but it really didn’t feel like anything had changed (apart from the fact that Si is now plus one baby, and Cheryl is plus one new surname). Meanwhile Mel B was everything we were hoping for from a new judge and Louis…? Well he was there, wasn’t he? Bless. It was a series opener that brought us a full Chinese buffet, the least convincing Chezza impersonator in history and the most posh contestant ever to grace the ‘X Factor’ audition room. Here are our top five highlights…
Blonde Electric
Described by Simon Cowell as potentially “the most annoying girl band in history” - we’re sure Girl Thing are simply furious that there’s somebody trying to snatch their crown - Blonde Electric, otherwise known as the female Jedward, won over Mel, Louis and Simon with their performance of Jessie J’s ‘Do It Like A Dude’. Cheryl, on the other hand, said it “wasn’t her cup of tea”. Frankly, they reminded us more of a can of Red Bull come to life than a cup of tea, but we can’t deny that we’re intrigued to see what they bring out at the next stage of auditions.
Jalé Antor
Undoubtedly the worst Cheryl impersonator we’ve ever seen - and that includes Cher Lloyd (we’re kidding, we’re kidding!) - Jalé’s live singing mightn’t have been up to much but we admire her for giving it a go all the same. Bless.
Shayden Willis
We had high hopes for Shayden when he told us in his introductory video how important music was to his life, but ultimately he failed to deliver when he began to deliver one of the most distressing original audition pieces we think we’ve ever heard. 20 minutes later he was still giving it his all with only Simon left at the desk. God loves a tryer and everything, but you have to know when to call it a day...
Chloe Jasmine
Self-confessed posh girl Chloe Jasmine is going to rub a lot of people up the wrong way, in a similar vein to previous contestants Kitty Brucknell and Katie Waissel, but we have to say that Chloe is indubitably more talented than both of those former ‘X Factor’ singers. We think she’s going to find herself on the receiving end of a lot of Twitter abuse when more about her privileged background emerges as the competition rolls on, but there’s no denying Chloe’s talent and we find her attitude and nature totally refreshing. Plus, the girl knows how to rock a 10/10 hat, and what could be more important in a popstar than that?
Jay James
We’re sure there’s going to be a whole lot of love out there for Jay James - he did, after all, even manage to provoke tears from Mel B, who we were under the impression was made of stone - but his audition was far from our favourite. It’s clear he’s a talented guy when he strips it all back, but all that yelping and hollering had us worrying he might have accidentally stubbed his toe before heading into the audition room. That might just be us, though…