The first episode of The X Factor’s Six Chair Challenge was emotionally gruelling – there was joy, there were tears, there was even a bit of booing when judge Rita Ora unseated one contestant to make way for a new favourite.
But by the end of the evening, Rita’s line-up was complete – she’d narrowed down her Girls category and picked the six acts who’ll be going through to Judges’ Houses.
Here are the six lucky ladies.
1. Chloe Paige
Chloe impressed judges at her very first audition with a rendition of Katy B’s Crying For No Reason – although some viewers were not fans of her bindi, calling her out for cultural appropriation of the Hindu symbol.
Thankfully the 21-year-old market trader from Brighton quickly shed the adornment and continued to blow the judges away, earning praise from Simon during the Boot Camp group challenge. Even her husky voice went down well when she was suffering from a sore throat.
Her song for the Six Chair Challenge was an a capella rendition of Amazing Grace – a notoriously difficult song to get right. Thankfully the risk paid off, with Simon even suggesting she deserved a spot not just in the chair – but in the final.
2. Havva Rebke
Rita and Havva first came face to face when the Poison singer was a guest judge on The X Factor back in 2012. Then, Havva only got as far as Boot Camp – but she now admits she “wasn’t ready” at the time.
Three years on and the 21-year-old is working as a retail assistant, and she wowed with Jessie J’s Masterpiece at the arena auditions. Despite a rocky time during her Boot Camp solo performance, she saved herself with a rendition of No Diggity.
At the Six Chair Challenge, Havva impressed judge Rita so much that she unseated fan favourite Charli Beard to nab a place at Judges’ Houses.
3. Kiera Weathers
Eighteen-year-old Kiera’s audition song was We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off – and it wowed the judges.
She may have had a difficult Boot Camp as her group included the work-shy diva Castellio brothers, but Kiera certainly stood out. The barmaid from St Helens chose to belt out I Will Always Love You at the Six Chair Challenge, emotionally dedicating the song to her late mother.
4. Lauren Murray
Her take on Somebody Else’s Guy at the audition stage impressed the judges and the audience.
At Boot Camp, Simon may have scolded her for not taking a bigger role in the group performance – and she may have forgotten some lyrics in her solo – but her voice was so strong that the judges decided to take a chance on her. The 25-year-old dental receptionist from Essex earned one of the six seats with a powerful performance of Say You Love Me.
5. Louisa Johnson
Who gets a standing ovation from their competitors? Louisa did when she covered And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going at the Six Chair Challenge.
Indeed, she wasn’t going. Louisa, a 17-year-old student from Essex, has been a solid performer since starting with Who’s Lovin’ You at the auditions and heading to Boot Camp to perform Sam Smith’s Lay Me Down.
6. Monica Michael
If Rita had sent Monica home, the crowd would’ve booed the roof off Wembley’s SSE Arena.
Last year, the Londoner made it to the Six Chair Challenge, but when Cheryl sent her home the crowd were outraged. Cheryl has admitted she made a mistake, and welcomed Monica back to the competition this year when she sung Impossible at auditions.
Not everyone was sold on a big return for the 25-year-old youth worker after a cover of Ain’t No Sunshine split the judges at Boot Camp, but at the Six Chair Challenge Rita decided to put her through to the Judges’ Houses.
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