‘The X Factor’ UK review: Did Lauren Murray, Monica Michael, Chloe Paige make Rita Ora’s team?

Tonight’s “X Factor” episode introduced the Six-Chair Challenge for the first time, and we are doing something a little bit different in discussing the Six-Chair Challenge: We’re going to post them by team! We start here with Rita Ora and the Girls, which makes some sense given that she seemed to personally be very much enthused by the fact that this is the group that she is working with. We certainly get it; in terms of raw talent, the Girls kill it year in and year out. They just struggle when it comes to getting the votes come live shows.

At this point in the contest, what’s the point in wasting time on some of the acts who aren’t getting through? Let’s instead keep the focus here on the ones who are, since they are six super-talented people with a shot at the live shows.

1. Monica Michael – Clearly, she was a definite lock to make it to the Judges’ Houses given that she may have more cumulative air time than almost anyone this season. We were constantly reminded about how she never made it past this stage. Luckily, she continues to show that she is great at handling big songs.

2. Chloe Paige – Love the bravery of doing an acapella version of “Amazing Grace.” Also, it was soulful and heartfelt. We don’t think Chloe is going to be pigeonholed as one of those “ballad singers” who will be unable to translate into current pop music. She should be fine.

3. Louisa Johnson – At the time Louisa came out for her performance, all of Rita’s chairs were full. Her vocal on “And I Am Telling You…” was basically her telling everyone that she deserves all the chairs. Seriously. An incredible vocal. We do think this song is a little bit of vocal overkill, but she earned her spot in Judges’ Houses and possibly even the live shows.

4. Havva Rebke – Let’s be honest here: Vocally, Havva’s not anywhere close to the other ladies on this list. The reality here, though, is that you cannot just throw a bunch of people on there who are going to see Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey covers all season! She’s got a cool style and a unique personality; plus, can anyone else in this category rap? The audience went nuts when Rita made this decision, but we almost feel like someone just pours in rage gas or something into this crowd every year.

5. Kiera Weathers – Kiera’s performance here was (ironically) set to a Whitney song. We’ll take one of them here and there, we suppose. This came at a point where almost everyone was getting swapped out and Rita repeatedly mentioned that she was “going to be sick” and how she couldn’t “do it” anymore. (We feel like if there was ever a reason for someone to not sign up for the show, this is it.) Kiera has the consistency to have earned her seat; at the moment, what you’ve done before, in additional to what you’ve done now, is equally important.

6. Lauren Murray – We conclude with Lauren, someone who we feel has probably more upside than the majority of the Girls. Her issue is that you never quite know what you’re going to get from her. Her nerves showed through this performance, and she has to get those in control and start to own the stage a little bit better.

With this, Rita’s team is complete for now! What do you think about this lineup, and her decisions as a whole? Share below, and click here to get some other “X Factor” updates right away! You can also sign up over here to gather up some further TV updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ITV.)