The X Factor UK Live Show 1 Results for 10/12/2014 (Recap + Video)
Welcome to the live blog and recap for The X Factor UK 2014 Live Show 1 on Sunday, October 12, 2014! Last night's show was a bit of a mixed bag, as the final 16 took the stage for the first time, to hit-or-miss results. That said, I was thrilled when the wildcards were revealed, as Lola Saunders, Overload Generation, Jack Walton, and even Stevi Ritchie all make this a much more interesting competition than it would have been without them. Jack and Overload create interesting internal competition within their respective categories, Lola stormed out of the gate as an immediate potential frontrunner, and Stevi adds a lot of fun on the novelty side of things. It just feels like a more complete competition
Tonight, the Bottom 3 will be revealed: the act with the fewest votes will leave the competition immediately, while the remaining two acts will compete in the sing-off. One act will stay, and one act will advance to next week's Top 14 show! Who will be at risk for elimination? The results are live! Also, Taylor Swift hits The X Factor stage, while Pharrell performs on the show for the very first time! It's going to be a seriously packed show.
It's time to face the music!
Credit: ITV
RECAP
-We kick things off with an intro of the judges, then get right into the music, as the finalists take on "Anything Could Happen" by Ellie Goulding. It's kind of a hectic performance, since there's 16 acts, but 31 people all onstage. It gets a bit crowded, although the finalists all sound pretty great, truth be told. I'm still not entirely used to seeing Stereo Kicks up there, since eight guys still seems pretty unwieldy to me. But they're doing the best they possibly can with it, and even though they barely get a moment here, they were the ones I found myself remembering, for some reason. Then again, my mind snags onto the most random contestants at the strangest times.
GUEST PERFORMERS
-After a recap of last night's show, with comments by the judges and the contestants, we get into our first special guest of the season, Pharrell Williams! He's performing his newest single, "Gust of Wind". I don't know if this is just the way the song is, but Pharrell sounds off key here. That said, he rights himself almost immediately, making me think it was all on purpose. Either way, I absolutely love Pharrell's tone, and honestly, he's one of my favorite celebrities in pop culture right now. Just such a cool guy, and a real musical mastermind, dating back to N.E.R.D. ("Bobby James" is one of my favorite songs of all-time). In fact, "Gust of Wind" almost sounds like it could have been a track from an N.E.R.D. album, as Pharrell is bringing back that harder sound. I really dig it, and it's making me wonder why the hell I haven't gotten around to buying his album yet. I'm so glad he's having this kind of success, because he's not only a great artist but a consummate performer.
-And now Taylor Swift is here! You know, Taylor catches a lot of flack for her performance style, her genre indecisiveness as an artist, and her romantic life, but dammit, she's a fun artist. I liked this performance a lot, as "Shake It Off" is kind of infectious. This was also leagues better than her VMA performance, although the audio department is probably going to get a stern lecture over some of the issues with the sound at the start of the performance. Then again, Taylor's interview with Dermot O'Leary after the performance suggests the audio problems might have been her doing, since she apparently wasn't holding the microphone close enough to her face. Either way, this performance was a nice little diversion from the severity of wondering which one of the sixteen acts is about to have their dream crushed. After her performance, she reveals that her new album, 1989, is named after the year she was born, because of course it was. However, she impresses Dermot with her knowledge of 80s music, revealing that she has a lot of 80s influences. Maybe we'll hear them on the album. Lord knows, if she's moving away from country altogether, now would be the time for those 80s pop influences to come out.
RESULTS
-The judges and their acts come onstage, as Dermot explains that he'll be revealing the 13 acts through to next week. The act with the fewest votes will be eliminated right away, and the remaining two acts will battle in the final sing-off for a spot in next week's show. The results...
The first act through to next week is...FLEUR EAST!
The second act through to next week is...BEN HAENOW!
The third act through to next week is...LAUREN PLATT!
The fourth act through to next week is...PAUL AKISTER!
The fifth act through to next week is...LOLA SAUNDERS!
The sixth act through to next week is...ONLY THE YOUNG!
The seventh act through to next week is...JACK WALTON!
The eighth act through to next week is...CHLOE JASMINE!
The ninth act through to next week is...JAY JAMES!
The tenth act through to next week is...STEREO KICKS!
The eleventh act through to next week is...ANDREA FAUSTINI!
The twelfth act through to next week is...STEVI RITCHIE!
The thirteenth and final act guaranteed a place in next week's show is...JAKE QUICKENDEN!
The bottom 3 are:
Blonde Electra
Overload Generation
Stephanie Nala
The act with the fewest votes and leaving the competition immediately is...BLONDE ELECTRA!
Not surprising there, although I am shocked that Overload Generation is at risk this early in the competition. If anything, this plays right into the hands of conspiracy theorists who feel the production is trying to tank Overload Generation so show-created boy band Stereo Kicks can get further in the competition. I don't buy into that theory, although I'm still stunned this is the result. Perhaps they simply split the votes with all the young-skewing, "good-looking guy" acts in the competition.
BOTTOM 2 SING-OFF
Overload Generation is up first, singing "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri, and it's a pretty good performance. Certainly, it's better than their performance last week. Although it wouldn't surprise me if the judges took this to deadlock just for drama's sake.
Stephanie Nala follows with her take on "Have You Ever" by Brandy, a song I literally haven't heard in over a decade. Not that I'm complaining. Much like Overload Generation, this is a far better performance than what Stephanie did last night. That said, unlike Overload Generation, it's not better by all that much. Stephanie just has such a tentative, powerless voice. I feel like if her voice were a person, you could knock it over with a feather. That said, maybe I'm just a cynic, but I still expect the judges to save her. Prove me wrong, judges. Prove me wrong.
FINAL RESULTS
Simon Cowell votes to send home OVERLOAD GENERATION!
Cheryl Fernandez-Versini votes to send home OVERLOAD GENERATION!
Mel B votes to send home STEPHANIE NALA!
Louis Walsh votes to send home STEPHANIE NALA!
And we're going to deadlock!
The act with the fewest votes, and leaving the competition tonight is...OVERLOAD GENERATION!
Well, that happened.
Okay, so maybe Overload Generation weren't as popular as some of the other acts in the competition, but that really didn't need to go to deadlock when Stephanie really has no business being here. Of course, one could easily argue that Overload had no business being here either, since they had to be brought in as a wildcard. But I just don't think Stephanie outsang Overload the way Simon claimed. In fact, I was shocked that, before voting to send home Overload, he said he couldn't vote to keep an act he had no confidence in. Seriously, Simon? NO confidence in Overload? Look, I wasn't the biggest fan of Overload Generation, and liked them better in theory than in execution. But there's just no way those words come out of Simon's mouth if the show had been responsible for putting those boys together. Oh crap, I guess I am one of those conspiracy theorists now. Blech.
Of course, now that Louis has lost two groups in the first week, I'm betting he wished he'd put through The Brooks. I didn't like that act, but I have a hunch they would have ended up being suspiciously popular, sort of like a Jedward-type act, except not straight-up novelty. Ah well, maybe next year. At least by not being put through or brought back as a wildcard act, The Brooks can re-audition. But this is it for Overload Generation. On the plus side, this means Louis can now focus more intently on the two acts he has that might have a bit of a shot in the competition, as Stereo Kicks and Only the Young could go far. Still, that's 12 people Louis has to manage. Best of luck to him. And best of luck to Blonde Electra and Overload Generation.
So what did you think of the results? Did the right acts go home? Did the judges make the right call in the final judgment? Sound off in the comments!