None of the four contestants in The X Factor semi-final had been in the bottom two before, and being so close to the promised £1m record contract proved to be almost too much for some of them as voices trembled and tears were shed, writes Helienne Lindvall. In the end Louis lost his last contestant, Niki.
In a last desperate attempt to save her, he begged the people of her home city, Birmingham, to pick up the phone and vote for her. But even if they had done, it would have been no match for Leon's Scottish and Same Difference's kiddie support.
Yes, I know that it was a blatant attempt by Simon to pull our heartstrings by, yet again, spending the whole of Same Difference's VT on Sarah's days of being bullied in school. But even I shed a tear when she cried inconsolably at the end of their second performance, as Simon declared: "You'll never have to put up with that crap again".
And that's the brilliance of this show. By now we're not only rooting for the contestant with the most talent, but for the one who's overcome the most obstacles to make it this far. What artist would ever get over three months of primetime Saturday night exposure before they've even released their first single? It only happens to the finalists of The X Factor. Say what you want about Simon Cowell, but he's a marketing genius.
Now some thoughts on the evening's performances:
Niki opened with another Eva Cassidy cover: Songbird. Even though it was a sufficient rendition, it was way too subtle a choice for this point in the competition. And Whitney Houston's One Moment In Time proved to be too big of a song, even for the Brummie dinner lady.
Leon's version of Nat King Cole's The Very Thought of You was shaky and, at points, completely off key. He appeared a lot more at ease with the more uptempo How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You, but I don't think Michael Buble will be shaking in his Converse trainers any time soon, no matter what he tells Dermott O'Leary.
Rhydian showed a softer side to his voice in Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water. Unlike Same Difference, he doesn't need the extras, and I think the interpretive dancers were unnecessary and distracting. With You'll Never Walk Alone, from the musical Carousel, he showed that he can easily get a lead role in the West End. In fact, despite being barely out of his teens, he's the one contestant who is already a singer and performer of international caliber.
Same Difference - or should we call them Donny and Marie - continued their string of variety-style performances with Diana Ross' Chain Reaction, set in an old fashioned fairground. To me, it lacked a bit of the spark that they've shown in earlier shows, but finishing the set with S Club 7's Never Had A Dream Come True - complete with snowflakes and tears - they cemented their place in young children's hearts all around the country.
In the wake of this year's phone-in scandals, I would be very surprised if the results of The X Factor are fixed, as some people suggest. But the judges, unlike the viewing audience, know how many votes each contestant has received during the competition. Are you going to pick up the phone and vote, giving them a big surprise for next Saturday's final?
