X Factor’s Six Chair Challenge continued on Sunday, with Simon Cowell dubbing the process as ‘the hardest decision yet’ as he picked his final six.
Kicking off with a sing-off between Georgia Burgess and Maria Laroco, the pair battled it out on stage after Scarlett Lee, who also auditioned last year, was awarded with one of the prestigious seats following her rendition of Piece by Piece by Kelly Clarkson.
Left in awe by the teens performances, the head judge ended up giving all three contestants access to Judges’ Houses, making his final six: Scarlett, Maria, Georgia, Shan, Bella Penfold and Molly Scott.
Second chance: The final six X Factor’s Six Chair Challenge continued on Sunday, with Simon Cowell dubbing the process as ‘the hardest decision yet’ as he picked his final six
Following his tough decision, the 58-year-old music mogul went on to hug his six finalists, branding the process ‘the hardest yet’.
Next up were the Over 25s, with Janice Robinson receiving a standing ovation as she belted Aretha Franklin’s You Make Me Feel hit single.
Beaming with delight over her performance, Ayda told the contestant: ‘No surprise, I’m absolutely going to give you a chair!’
Next up was Danny Tetley, who started his performance with Queen’s The Show Must Go On.
She’s through! Scarlett Lee, who auditioned last year, was awarded with one of the prestigious seats following her rendition of Piece by Piece by Kelly Clarkson
Unimpressed by his rendition, Ayda interrupted the eager singer, stating: ‘I have to tell you, that song is not going to cut it.’
Insisting that he performs Dreamgirls’ And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going single from his first audition, Danny went on to captivate the crowd with his stellar vocals.
Happy with his second attempt, the mother-of-three decided to swap him out for US native Burgundy, who put up a fight for her position on the show.
Tense: The show kicked off with a sing-off between Georgia Burgess and Maria Laroco. Impressed by their vocals, Simon ended up sending both contestants through to judges houses
Girls final six: Scarlett (left), Maria (bottom left), Georgia (top left), Shan (centre), Bella Penfold (top right) and Molly Scott (bottom right)
Sending fans wild, the hopeful stormed off the stage with the chair, causing Ayda’s husband Robbie Williams to lend a helping hand to the fellow judge.
The Angels hitmaker ensured Burgundy stayed in the competition as he demanded her to perform with Panda, who had been sent packing moments earlier.
The American duo sent the judges into a frenzy as they belted out the vocals to The Greatest Showman’s Never Enough.
Difficult: Following his tough decision, the 58-year-old music mogul went on to hug his six finalists, branding the process ‘the hardest yet’
Sparking fireworks with their performance, Robbie insisted the pair join his team as a group, with Ayda reveling: ‘See, we’re keeping it in the family!’ Simon chimed in: ‘Magic happens when you never expect it!’.
Securing places at the Judges Houses, the final contestants of the Over 25s category were revealed as: Janice, Danny, Olatunji Yearwood, Ricky John, Louise Setara, and Giovanni Spano.
As the tense six-chair challenge kicked off on Saturday, fans slammed the ‘confusing’ new format, which saw the show skipping between The Overs and Simon’s category, The Girls.
Viewers flocked to Twitter to complain that it was ‘confusing’ and got rid of the ‘tension’, as well as claiming there were too many ad breaks and that they didn’t see enough of the singer’s auditions.
‘Simon this is going so fast I honestly feel like I’m on speed… my head is spinning what’s going on what have you done?’ one viewer raged.
‘WHY ARE THEY NOT SHOWING FULL PERFORMANCES ON X FACTOR. SINGING COMPETITION, LET US HEAR THE SINGING,’ another vented.
‘The edit and everything is so rushed, only seeing a few seconds of the contestants singing and there’s no battle and drama, it’s not fun to watch!’ a third user added.
One viewer commented: ‘Why are they doing this episode like this?! It’s like it’s on fast forward! We can’t get into a song and we can’t choose a favourite ffs.’
This year producers also introduced the Golden Buzzer, which a judge can press to take an act in their category straight through to the Judges Houses round.
Simon put through Bella Penfold, a 19-year-old hotel singer from Essex, who impressed with her rendition of Stormzy’s Blinded by Your Grace.
Meanwhile, Ayda took a shine to Ricky John, a 36-year-old carpenter, who was homeless for eight years.
After his husky performance of Otis Redding’s Try a Little Tenderness, she pretended to go over to give him a hug – before turning and pressing the golden buzzer.
Not impressed: Meanwhile, fans were left infuriated by the new format of the six-chair challenge, which saw the show skipping between The Overs and Simon’s category, The Girls
An overjoyed Ricky ran over, picked her up in his arms and spun her around, as Robbie Williams looked on smiling.
Robbie later told Ricky: ‘It’s time for you to stop the self doubt. Trust me I understand. You absolutely killed that. We believe in you. You’ve got to believe in you.
He added: ‘I don’t believe in myself either, but you’ve got to find it from somewhere. Do you understand.’