This week of The X Factor was very much subdued, with most of the drama being in the media, not on the show itself.  Sadly, Kelly Rowland could not make it to the live shows because she was reportedly sick, but who knows what the actual story is.  The theme this week was of course Halloween, and it was actually an amazing show.  Surprisingly, there was not one bad performance.  I genuinely enjoyed each and every performance, and it was definitely a shocker to see who got kicked off.  The race is seriously too close to call at the moment.

The Risk
The boys were very good tonight.  'Thriller' is always a risky song to take on, but they did a decent job with it.  It was great to see that Ashley left the group because he definitely wasn't contributing anything to the group.  He was the least likable, and I didn't have any connection to him (not to mention the fact that all he sang were harmonies).  Ashford, from Nu Vibe, was brought in to replace Ashley, and I didn't think they could have made a wiser decision.  Ashford's a great singer and has only improved The Risk that much more.  I really think they have a shot at winning the competition.
Johnny Robinson
It's, Johnny!  OH MY GOD, JOHNNY!!!  That was seriously an incredible performance coming from him.  I never in a million years would have guessed that he had such an exquisite jazz voice.  Never.  As long as he intermixes these kinds of performances with the camp, burlesque stuff then I think he'll be a contender.  Love him.
Marcus Collins
I am so glad that Marcus has finally found who he is as an artist.  He was really worrying me that first week, but both this week and last week he found his comfort zone and is showing what he's capable of.  He gave another very enjoyable performance.  He even reminded me a little of Adam Lambert with the hair, make-up and pimp cane.  Not a bad comparison if I do say so myself!
Misha B
Misha "The Beast" B brought her A-game again!  This girl can do no wrong.  She is the one to beat in this competition, and the breakdown shows why.  She blew my mind!  I don't know if I'm going to be able to wait an entire year for her album; I seriously need it in my life NOW.
Janet Devlin
I really enjoyed this performance.  I think it was more the costume and make-up that made me like it because it was sort of a 'Corpse Bride' / 'Beetlejuice' look, but the vocals were on point like always.  I definitely do agree with the judges, though, that she is becoming predictable.  Take chances, Janet!
Frankie Cocozza
Frankie's best performance to date since his audition.  The general public are constantly raggin' on him for his antics and whatnot, but I could care less.  He's a popstar and really showed off his vocals this week.  Yes, he doesn't have a great range, but this show is not based on "the voice" only.  Frankie has the X factor and I would definitely buy his album.
Little Mix
This was probably my favorite performance of the night.  The vocals, costumes, make-up and choreography were all on point.  Tonight seemed like a guest performance, not a contestant performance. It was also the first time that I thought their vocals gelled and worked seamlessly together.  If they keep this up and continue to improve then I could definitely see them in the finals.  On a side not: what is up with that name, 'Little Mix'?  It's completely stupid, and in a few years they're going to realize how childish it sounds.  Should have picked something better ladies...
Like I said, everyone did an amazing job this week.  Sophie really surprised me; I thought it was her best performance to date.  It was simply entrancing.  I guess I like the exact opposite of what the judges like when it comes to Sophie.  Kitty actually impressed me.  I find her so annoying and such a copycat, but I felt this was a lot more original.  Craig did a decent job, but even he can't sing Adele.  Again, I disagree with the judges here in that I love Craig with a huge production behind him as opposed to just him and the piano.  It was much more interesting this way.  The Bottom 2 was a complete shock: Misha B and Sophie!!  Sophie was definitely not going to make it to the finals anyway so that wasn't too shocking, but I think Tulisa's spiteful comments last week are what hurt Misha.  Let's hope she recovers and blows us away even more next week.  And next week's theme: Club Hits?  We'll see how that one goes...