‘The X Factor’ UK review: Chrissie Rhodes, Paul Akister, Hannah Sheares, Ryan Mathie rock

Last night, we had what was a pretty strong conclusion to the audition rooms portion of “The X Factor” UK courtesy what were mostly good auditions. But tonight, the auditions came to a close today courtesy of the final arena auditions. The goal here, as always, was seeing who from the auditions got lucky, and who has true star potential. We still really like this format, since it keeps out some of the riffraff, and it gives us two opportunities to see who is really good, and who is not.

With that being said, we were surprised tonight by how many acts that we did not even remember that well from their original performances.

Ryan Mathie – What a cool, mysterious version of “Get Lucky,” a song that we totally dig. The other thing about Ryan is that he’s more than just a good singer and guitarist; he’s funny! That sort of personality gets you far on this show. On a different note, who else thinks that one of his family members looks like Mike from “Breaking Bad”?

Tenors of Rock – Did we see these guys in the audition rooms? We think that we’d remember them. We think they’re probably more of a rock choir than they are anything else, but they are entertaining. A little cheesy, but we wouldn’t mind them to make it far since they are something different.

Hannah Sheares – We feel for Hannah; not only did she end up breaking off from her band after they were not good enough to advance, but they apparently aren’t even really talking with her now. What kind of friends are these? Maybe she was singing “Skyscraper” to them. She’s still probably a year or two off from being ready for this, but it was a good vocal.

Code 4 – The vocals weren’t really that good, but the dance moves? Awesome.

Xyra – Weird name, and a girl group that probably reminds us a bit of Little Mix with five members instead of four.

Brick City – We like the potential with this group, mostly because they are better vocally than the other two we just mentioned; plus, they have more of an urban edge.

Dynamix – Easily, one of the coolest beginnings ever for a group, given that we saw the performance start off with the answering of a phone call. Refreshing, different, and worth getting excited about. The guys in the group are not that good, but we will believe that the female frontman made the right decision in sticking with them. They are not terrible, after all.

Sam Callahan – This guy has got looks, the style, and of course the talent. He’s also young enough that we could see him getting in a boy band if he doesn’t make it on his own.

Zoe Devlin – Not amazing. Another singer that we barely remember.

Joseph Whelan – This man is a major problem for the other singers if he makes it into the live shows; he’s a sensational singer, and he’s got a unique rock look and he’s someone that both men and women will like.

Chrissie Rhodes – Given that she works as a wedding singer, there was no surprise that she would be good. She may need more upbeat song choices soon, but this was soft, lyrical, and beautiful.

Giles Potter – He was one of our personal favorite contestants from the audition rooms, but he bombed tonight. Absolutely bombed. He’s so lucky that he had charisma, since he otherwise would not have been put through. He even got a lecture from Gary Barlow in the process.

Paul Akister – In closing the show, Paul and his “zero confidence” turned out to be a major player with an incredible vocal performance. It was fantastic from start to finish, and also moving to go along with it. That stage presence complaint is a thing of the past.

Failed to advance

Chad Nelson – How did this guy get to this stage? He seemed like the show just sticking in one person that the judges would say no to.

Who was your favorite tonight from “The X Factor” UK? Click here if you want to read some more news when it comes to the show, including who is currently front and center when it comes to controversy.

Photo: ITV