Last night’s X Factor brought the Four Chair Challenge to a close, and revealed the top 16 that will move on to the live round.

Already seated, and waiting with anticipation to see if they’d remain in the competition were Girls United, Glamour, Wild Things, and Restless Road. Waiting for a chance to steal one of the seats was Sweet Suspense. The new group of now BFFS put together by destiny (Simon) sang “Wishing on A Star.” Although the vocals started a bit shaky, the girls mesh well as a group, and you could tell the girls understand the concept of harmonizing. Demi said she was proud of their hard work and Simon said he believed they had all the elements of a successful group- “chemistry, talent, fun.” While I would have replaced Girls United with Sweet Suspense, it came to no surprise that Simon said goodbye to Wild Things to make room for the girls.

If you had any doubt that this season’s format change was a bad idea, Yellow House Canyon’s “Hell on Heels” performance will kindly confirm it. The duo of actual best friends (not the “I feel like I’ve known them my whole life” bit) had undeniable energy, but failed to impress the judges. The girls showed a lot of future potential, but as Demi told them, “I don’t think you have what it takes to be sitting in one of those four chairs.” Meeting the same fate was Good News (ironic?). The two teens sang a boring off-key rendition of “Landslide.”

Before Good News was sent home, Forever in Your Mind snagged Glamour’s seat. The 1D wannabe trio of young guys, which the girls clearly love, sang the JoBro‘s “Love Bug.” The also now BfFs4LiFe seemed to have put this performance together the night before, and the lack of experience was obvious. Kelly told them it felt like they were “missing a lead singer.” Simon agreed that the vocals need work, but kept them anyway.

The saving grace of all the groups, Alex and Sierra, came up next. The couple sang “You’re the One That I want,” and showcased their velvety smooth vocals. Maybe this is the bitter-single-lady in me coming out, but something about their lovey dovey stage presence doesn’t seem like the right way to go about every single performance. The two are undoubtedly the best of the groups, but there are other ways to be endearing. (For example, Karmin, another duo of bf/gf). Demi perhaps agreed with my sentiment when she asked, “What would happen if you ever broke up?” Simon insisted it was a silly question, and the two took Girls United seats.

The last group to perform was Roxxy Montana. The trio of sisters sounded good when singing separately, but still have not perfected their sound as a group. Simon told them, “You haven’t worked out who you want to be, and we can make you incredible.” The sisters get a seat, and we say goodbye to Forever in Your Mind.

X Factor returns for the live rounds with the top 16 October 29.

Tonight, X Factor had two more hours of auditions. The auditions, which took place in Denver, CO and Long Island, NY, were nothing more than okay. The “talent” to make it through to the next round were mediocre and the bad were almost too horrendous to believe.

As always, the awful auditions are foreshadowed by arrogance and way too much belief in themselves. Case in point, Yosselin Marquez, a model (really?) who wants to be a popstar. Yosselin took her phone out to read the lyrics for her audition. The audition somehow got worse with her voice, and Simon told her, “You don’t have the X-factor and Denver hates you.” Russ Pouliot also had an exceptionally bad performance, but claimed to be the “next Frank Sinatra.” He sang “I cant help falling in love with you” by Elvis, which Demi said sounded like what Simon would sound like if he sang. This led to Simon singing, which was just him mimicking Russ’s voice.

The contestants who made it through were not much more entertaining. Riley Brown had some drama when she forgot the words to “Clarity.” But fear not, she carried on and delivered a decent, but too breathy rendition of the song. The judges ate it up though, and the 15-year-old got the go ahead from all four judges. Jeff Brinkman, a doggy day care owner, sang a dramatic version of “You Are So Beautiful.” His raspy voice didn’t match his face or talking voice, but again, the judges loved it.

The theme for the night was just that, though: the judges agreeing with each other about everyone. There was no drama, and as soon as one person gave someone praise, the rest of the panel followed their lead. This was apparent with Jorge Pena and Al Calderon. Before hitting the stage, Jorge claimed, his “Latin charm is all I’ll ever need on stage,” which he definitely tried to use on the ladies in the panel. The girls were not having it though and were clearly annoyed with his player persona. The guy came off creepy from the get-go, and yet, he still made it through to the next round with all four judges’ approval. Apparently a crappy attitude (which was called out by all three of the girls) and a pretty awful performance of a song in Spanish was enough to move forward. Al Calderon, though had a charming personality, delivered a shaky performance (albeit better than Jorge’s) of “Sarah Smile,” by Hall and Oats. The 19-year-old clearly has vocal talent, but should probably thank his parents for giving him the good looks and charisma that got him through to the next round. When Simon told him “There were some tuning issues on that song, but I’m gonna put that down to inexperience and nerves. The potential of your voice coupled with the way you look, your charisma… I believe the music business is waiting for someone like you right now,” he should have tried to hide the dollar bill signs in his eyes and said, “Girls will love you.”

Roxxy Montana, a trio of sisters, almost didn’t make it through as they butchered “One Night Only.” Simon saw some talent in 21-year-old Temperance, and gave the sisters another chance. The three sang an a cappella church song that was much better. The judges acknowledged that the girls needed help, but the talent was there. Simon pretty much decided right then that Temperance would be the lead singer, and the girls made it through to the next round. Denise Weeks, a 41-year-old subway singer, joined them into the next round, after making it through some trouble with timing while singing Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All.”

The only two contestants to make it through from New York and Colorado that seem to actually stand a chance are Rachel Potter and Simone Torres. Rachel, 29, sang a twang version of “Somebody to Love” by Queen. She showed control of her super powerful voice, which Kelly noted to Simon within 45 seconds of the audition. With her looks, personality, and ACTUAL talent, I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t make it far in the competition. Simone Torres, a 19-year-old from Long Island, was awkward and quirky before singing on stage. But her awkwardness turned into cool, as she sang with a low bluesy tone that could match up against many older more experienced singers. After finishing her audition, tears fell as she saw the positive reaction from the crowd.

The judges, still, are proving to be just as dull and unexceptional as the contestants. There seems to be a saving grace in Kelly Rowland, who has shown the most personality among the panel. Simon and Demi, who had a fun dynamic last season, have shown very little of their spunk. Paulina Rubio still has yet to say anything interesting.