Better late than never, it's my first post of the ninth season of The X Factor UK! Last year was a great year with the new judging panel and a revamped version of the show. The last season also celebrated a huge achievement with Little Mix becoming the very first group to win the show. This year saw the replacement of Kelly Rowland with Nicole Scherzinger who was fired from the American version of the show last year. She has surprisingly been a good judge so far and has showed promise. It seems like she really is more at home in the UK, and the fans really seem to support her. This year Nicole is mentoring the Boys, Tulisa is mentoring the Girls, Louis Walsh is mentoring the Groups and Gary Barlow is mentoring the Overs. For the first time since I've been watching the show the Overs are actually a very strong category. Also, this is the first year where there are no joke acts in the competition. Well what about Rylan, you may ask. I will adress that at the end, but, personally, Rylan is my favorite act this year. The first week's theme was Heroes/Olympics. The night was full of some really great performances, and some bad performances, and a whole lot of cheese!

District 3
Why Louis chose to put through two boy bands is beyond me, but District 3 is definitely the weakest of the two. They're not bad, it's just that I don't think they're as good as Union J. This performance wasn't their best, but it was pretty solid. I would have liked a better song choice, but the boys made it work.
James Arthur is one of those who wow'd everyone in his early performances, but he's starting to slide. This week he took on Kelly Clarkson's mega-hit 'Stronger' and while it worked I don't think he's challenging himself enough. This was a pretty safe choice and I'd like to see him do something more original.

Melanie Masson
Hands down the best vocalist the Groups category has ever had. Melanie is a true rocker and has an incredible voice that blows me away every single time she steps on stage. This week she once again pulled it out of the bag and gave an incredible vocal performance. It's clear that she wants this so much, and seeing that makes me want to see her achieve her dreams.

Lucy Spraggan
I don't think Lucy should have made it onto the live shows. I love what she does and her unique style, but I think she's too one-dimnesial and Amy Mottram should have taken her spot. I may still be a bit bitter about that. However, she performed an original song and it was really good. She definitely is an artist and will continue far in the competition.

MK1
MK1 are my favorite group this year because they're something that have never been on the show before. This was the perfect performance for them as it showcased both the strong vocals and the superb rapping. Brian Friedman is an incredible choreographer and he really knows how to put on a great show.
Christopher Maloney
This year each judge chose three acts from the categories to advance, and then the public were able to vote for one eliminated contestant to return. The winner of the public vote was Christopher who has been a fan favorite from the start. While he has a great voice, this performance was the definition of cheesy. Singing Mariah Carey's 'Hero' is a tall order to fill, and he didn't do anything to make it his own. It fell flat and felt very dated. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes home soon.
Union J
Union J are a great group and have some amazing vocalists, but Louis threw them under the bus with this song. It was a horrible choice for them, and the performance was almost unbearable. They have huge potential to go all the way in this competition, but they need to stick to what they do best and not listen to Louis.
Jade Ellis
Jade was been one of those contestants that has gotten very little screen time, and is an underdog in this competition. She's like a vocally talented Rihanna, and this proved how good she is. She's the dark horse of this competition and I see her going very far.
Rylan Clark
Let's get this sorted here and now: Rylan is an ENTERTAINER not a SINGER. This is the same argument with Britney Spears. They don't have the best vocals, but what they do is entertain everyone when they are on stage. Rylan is a diva that knows how to work the stage and give us a killer performance. Brian Friedman is a genius when it comes to the overall production of the performance because it adds that extra "umph" that Rylan needs. It was the most entertaining performance of the night, and that, to me, is what matters.
Kye Sones
Kye is the like-able and attractive older guy that all the girls fawn over and he has a decent voice, but when it comes to this competition he gets lost in the crowd. I like him and loved the performance of the song, but to be honest I can't even remember him performing this a week later. He's invisible at the moment and needs to grab our attention if he wants to continue.
Ella Henderson
We've got a new Leona Lewis on our hands!! Ella is hands down the best vocalist of the entire competition, and probably of the last few years. She's like Leona, Adele and Amy Winehouse all mixed into one. Right now she's the rightful winner of the show, but we know the best almost never win these things. Gary even said that this version of 'Rule the Wolrd' was better than his own version. That's some high praise!

Carolynne Poole
Poor girl. She was persuaded into making country more accessible to the UK public, and instead of sticking to what she is good at she took a Nicki Minaj song and country-fied it. I'm sorry but that simply can't be done. The performance was horrid, and I can't believe the judges loved it so much especially Nicole. She doesn't have the best voice either and she's pretty bland personality wise.
Jahmene Douglas
I never really liked Jahmene. He isn't interesting personality wise, and I don't think his voice is as incredible as the judges make it out to be. The performance was nice and it was a good vocal performance, but it didn't move me in the way he moved the judges. He won't last very long without an interesting personality. The nice, sweet kid never lasts.
After having watched the show, my Bottom 2 would have been Carolynne Poole and Union J with Carolynne going home. Unfortunately, Rylan was in the bottom, and when Louis sent the vote to deadlock which ultimately sent Carolynne home, it sparked the now infamous walk-off of Gary who was visibly fuming and obviously hates Rylan with all his being. I really hate how Gary acts towards Rylan, and it's very unprofessional. You can have your opinion, but there's no need to be vile towards him. Overall it was a very good beginning of the season and I cannot wait to see the acts progress over the coming weeks.