X Factor Australia Season 8 Recap – Episode 10 (VIDEOS) (UPDATED with RESULTS)

Jason Dundas walks out and introduces our four judges, together for the first time! Nice intro for all of them.

After a bit of banter with the judges (including Adam quoting Trump by saying “it’s all rigged” in reference to something…) we find out who the first underdog is.

Mel thanks Iggy for giving up the first underdog. And it’s BEATZ. 1/3 correct for Mel so far. They freak out when Mel calls them and invites them back. Mel is blown away by them. It is set up in the intro that they are competing directly with the other girl group, Montage. They sing “Sax” by X Factor UK alumni Fleur East, and they are great. Will they win? Probably not. It’s interesting that Mel picked this song considering she didn’t like Fleur on X Factor UK at first. Mel stands up for them. Adam says “well hot damn…you guys came out swinging…now you look like pop stars”. Iggy says she’s happy to see them back, loves the new style. Guy doesn’t know why Iggy cut them, says they are a group every girl wants to be in, but that they are damn good at what they do. Mel says they worked really hard, deserve to be there.

Our first over to perform is Timmy Knowles is up next. Guy says it’s all about keeping it raw, mentions that he’s more than a good looking guy. He didn’t see his song choice coming, and Guy’s first impression of his rehearsal is that its boring. Guy wants more energy. He sings “Hands To Myself” by Selena Gomez and it’s ok, but not great. It’s a competent performance, but when compared to what I think is coming, I wouldn’t be surprised if Timmy goes tomorrow. Mel wasn’t sure how he’d pull off the song, liked that it was a different version of the song. Adam thought it was cool, liked the arrangement, but wasn’t blown away. Iggy and Adam banter about who he would like. Iggy felt a connection, says “I wore this top just for you Timmy” and likes an Instagram post he made. Guy jokes that he wanted Timmy to look at him instead of Iggy, likes his “gentle soul and gentle swag”.

First up from Adam’s category is Amalia Foy. Amalia says she’s been waiting to audition since she can remember, found it weird to watch it all back. She loves her song choice that Adam made for her. Adam gave her a lot to handle, and Guy is skeptical that she can pull it off. She sings “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan while she plays the piano. She has a haunting, theatrical voice, and the song choice is spot on. She nails it. Three judges stand, all except Mel. Iggy is speechless after her performance, is really happy she’s here. Guy asks her what’s wrong with her, calls her a freak, says that it was insanely difficult to pull off. Mel B says she has an angelic voice but was a bit bored by the performance. Adam doesn’t get Mel’s critique, brings up her age and mentions how professional and relaxed she is. Amalia’s problem is that one person from each category goes home tomorrow, and she’s the only one who got any negative feedback in Adam’s category. I wish she had a few more weeks to grow.

First up from Iggy’s groups is Time and Place. They say they all bring something different to the table. Iggy says that each of them will get a chance to shine in this performance, worries that they get in their heads sometimes. They sing “Ride” by Twenty One Pilots. I don’t like this song, which makes me biased. But they are so freaking mediocre. If there’s justice in the world, they go home tomorrow. Guy said the warning bells went off for him when Iggy said it was only their second time performing, but Guy liked it. Mel likes the whole vibe they give off, but found it underrehearsed, says they need to get more in sync. Adam mentions that he cut all of them, mentions that Sheldon is a great singer, but tells him not to rush. Iggy loved it, is happy for them and proud of them. They’re probably goners.

Next up is Chynna Taylor from Guy’s overs. She hopes Australians like her as an American, hopes she can win them over. She sings “Open Arms” by Journey. Big notes, key changes, and she wants to tell a story. She totally nails this performance. Her tone, her range, it’s all amazing and effortless for her. If she goes home, it’s a travesty. She could win this thing if she can prove her relevance. Adam and Guy stand for her. Mel B says her voice is ridiculously amazing, doesn’t like the song choice that Guy made. Adam says her vocals are nuts, agrees that the song choice wasn’t perfect but says her voice was stellar. Iggy thinks she could win the whole thing, is scared of her. Guy says they were both scared of the song choice, says its normally sung poorly at Karaoke, and notes that Mel was blown away by her voice.

Up next is the second underdog, and it’s Maddison Milewski. Decent choice, but Ivy would have been a billion times better. I don’t think this was the right choice. Mel asks Adam why he let her go, and Adam stands by his decision, asks for her to prove him wrong. She gets the call from Mel and cries. She woke up without much of a voice on the rehearsal day. Mel’s still 1 for 3. She sings “Addicted To You” by Avicii and she’s great in parts and slightly off at other parts. She’s probably gone tomorrow. Adam likes that she was enjoying herself more, but still stands by his decision. Iggy agrees with Adam’s decision too, says it wasn’t better than the challenge. Guy thinks she’s talented, but says it feels fake. Mel loved it obviously…doesn’t matter. She’s a goner.

Next up is Isaiah Firebrace. He doesn’t want to be the one who is remembered for forgetting lyrics. He connects to the lyrics of this song. He sings “Lay It All On Me” by Ed Sheeran and Rudimental. And he nails it. No forgotten lyrics. He’s probably my favorite in the competition along with Natalie and Chynna. Three judge standing ovation-minus Mel. Iggy loves his story and is happy that the performance worked for him, wants to see him next week. Guy celebrates that he remembered the words, calls him seriously special, sees him having a career worldwide. Mel likes him as a person, loves the way he sings, says he’s got soul. Adam felt the performance and was really happy with it.

Next up is the group formerly known as Chai, and now also formerly known as Montage. Their newest name is AYA. Snark from Adam about the name change. Iggy wants them to look down the camera for their moments. They loved watching their audition back on TV. They perform “Secret Love Song” by Little Mix. They’re great, and they are Iggy’s best shot at winning. Four judge standing ovation for them. They cry after the performance and seeing the judges. Guy doesn’t like the name, but says the performance was great, found it better than Beatz’s performance. Mel also hates the name but loved their performance. Adam loved their solos, says the styling is a mess.

Next up is the final underdog and its…Vlado Saric. Damnit. Mel got 1/3 right. Mel gives Adam undeserved crap for cutting him. Adam stands by his decision (correctly). Mel was disappointed with his rehearsal. He performs “Closer” by the Chainsmokers and it’s not awful but it’s not stellar either. He has a voice that bugs me for some reason, but some people might like him. He’s going to make it through this week, but I hope next week or the week after, he goes home. Adam likes it, wishes he had four chairs. Iggy thinks he’s awesome, thinks he did better than many people at award shows. Guy thinks he looks like a star, has the aura of a star, but wants him to win people over.

Next up are Brentwood. They are used to performing in pubs and posting videos on Youtube, but now they are enjoying their new lives where people know their names and they get to sign autographs. Iggy wants to give them more of an edge. Why? Their whole appeal is that they are great singers, they don’t need edge. They perform “Say It” by Flume featuring Tove Lo. And Iggy has tried to change them so much that they lost basically everything that made them awesome. I liked it better when they changed up songs. Luckily, they still sound great vocally. So I hope they stay and get another shot to slay a song. Guy doesn’t feel like it was the right choice on Iggy’s part. Mel liked it, didn’t expect it. Adam finds them really talented, wishes they would embrace that they are a folk act, says it would be like if Adam was told to rap. Iggy says it was too early to say that it wasn’t what they are, thinks that giving them an edge will pay off for them.

Davey Woder is up next. He talks a lot about his kids. Guy says that when Davey gets it right, he’s special. Guy also wants Davey to stay still for a second when he performs. Davey is really nervous. He performs “With A Little Help From My Friends” and in my view, I’ve heard it better from other people. Having said that he’s still pretty great. Guy nailed the song choice for him. Guy and Mel stand up for him. Mel loves that he’s different, wants him to embrace that he’s different, says he didn’t miss a note, makes an accidental dick joke. Adam makes an intentional dick joke off of Mel’s accident. Adam tells him to let his freak flag fly, calls him a weird one. Ha. Iggy was won over by that performance after hating him at the 3 chair challenge. Guy brings up that he’s full of doubt, says he’s a fish out of water and hopes Australia votes for him.

Natalie Ong gets the pimp slot. Adam forgets to introduce the song, and we cut to the intro video while Jason asks him to introduce it. She will perform “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta and Kelly Rowland. Natalie loves the song. Adam picked it because dance music is where divas live in contemporary music. Simply put, she nails the performance. She needed to try something uptempo to prove that she’s versatile. With a few more performances this good, she could win this whole show. Four judge standing ovation. Iggy feels like Natalie nailed what Maddison attempted, found it authentic and calls her a real diva. Guy says that song is either horrible or amazing, says she sang it “stupidly” – that’s a compliment I guess. Guy was blown away by the talent on the show. Mel B says “well blow me down”, was blown away by that performance. Adam says “you better work girl”, says she soared like an eagle.

I’ll edit this post one more time tomorrow and add the results, predictions, and thoughts. As of now, my guess is that Timmy, Amalia, Time and Place, and Maddison are the four acts who go home. Let’s see if I’m right.