X FACTOR: LIVE SHOWS Begin

So we're all in front of our screens for the THIRD season of X FACTOR AU for 2012. Our top 12 consists of:

Groups

Fourtunate

The Collective (Super Group)

What About Tonight

Girls

Shiane

Angel

Bella

Boys

Josh

Adil

Jason

Over 25s

Nathaniel

Samantha Jade

Justin

Ok, let me just start by saying, this X FACTOR overview is just an added bonus that I want to write about after each Live Show and Live Eviction show. I just thought I tweet about  X Factor enough to be able to talk about what I tweet about.

LIVE Show (Numero Uno)

So 2012 kicked off with a bang! This has been one of the best starts to the season I've seen on the X Factor stage - in all honesty, the calibre of the contestants all the way from the nation-wide auditions has just been ridiculous! But last night was just PHENOMENAL! So much energy, excitement and anticipation. The theme was "Judges Choices" and I have to say there were definitely some hit and misses that were clearly evident with tonight's eviction show.

But let's go through some highlights first. I particularly loved Josh Brookes' and The Collective's performances.

Josh was just incredible! Coming  along way from losing a spot for the Home Visits to Johnny Ruffo last year, Josh has made it to the Live Shows and has declared that "the lasting that [he] wants to do is go home". Last night's performance saw Josh engulfed with backup dancers and a massive set of headphones to define his iconic style. Above all else his voice and personality were at home with Jason Derulo's dance floor anthem, Don't Want To Go Home. Great song choice by Mel B and kudos to the choreographers!

The Collective surprised me the most out of all 12 performances last night. Not knowing what to expect from Australia's attempt of Simon Cowell's 2010 superstars - One Direction - it was nice to know that The Collective have spoken and have separated themselves from 1D with a hands-down, mind-blowing performance, complete with a sky dropping entrance and high energy vocals that brought every one to their feet and let every jaw hit the floor. These guys looked and sounded fantastic singing Jessie J's, Domino. Risky, yet brilliant set design and song choice for Ronan!

The VERDICT (12 become 11)

Tonight's Live Verdict show heard all of Australia gasp as two favourites, Adil and Samantha Jade, were announced as the bottom two. Before I talk about the outcome, I just want to say that, though I was gasping along with everyone, we are at the LIVE shows - NO ONE is safe. Last night was Judge's Song Choice - their mentor's perspective of what kind of artists they will be - so they're ideals my not actually be what the contestants had in mind or what Australia had fallen in love with up to this point.

Out of the 12 I thought Fourtunate, Adil and Samantha Jade were the ones who stood out the most in terms of unlikely "sounds" for their futures in the music industry. Fourtunate's take on Maroon 5's, Payphone was not as vocally appealing as their previous performances where they chose their own songs. For Fourtunate it was just about misplacement of trills, harmonies and extended notes, which are easy to fix for the following weeks. In the case of Adil, it was about whether the guitar was a good choice for the first night. I agree that it added another dynamic and Adil handled that aspect of his performance really well, although, lyrically he struggled to deliver by losing his diction and at times the tempo of the song. Samantha Jade tackled Katy Perry's, Wide Awake and Ronan deemed it "better than Katy", which Australia did not seem to agree with. Being the only contestant who knows what it's like to be in the industry, taking on a Katy Perry song without her iconic deep vocals is dangerous - especially for someone who's already honed-in her own sound.

Seeing Adil sing for his life was uncomfortable as he let his nerves show, leaving lots of room for Samantha Jade to declare her claim for the final spot for next week's Top 11. It's a shame to see a talented boy go, but there's still room to grow for Adil. The competition doesn't end just because Luke Jacobs doesn't  call your your name out; it just means you have to work harder to have it heard again and again.

sL Out! xxx