THE X FACTOR: Boot Camp Begins!

The auditions are over ladies and gents. Meaning it's now time to separate the good from the great, the vocally talented from the vocally strained and, of course, the sane from the crazy. Over the next two nights, the remaining 162 acts will compete with each other in a Boot Camp intensive that will bring them that much closer to becoming the winner of The X Factor.

The evening opened as groups of 10 acts took to the stage. One by one they went down the line (a-la "A Chorus Line") as each of them sang for their lives. After everyone got their shot, the first cut was made and only 100 acts remained. Some contestants sighed with relief and others took their shining moment on television to crumple up into the fetal position, shake uncontrollably, and scream "I have no life" repeatedly into the camera. Class.

After an obligatory celebration the contestants went right back to work. As day 2 of Boot Camp commenced the contestants were put into groups of 7 as they anxiously awaited their song assignment. With only 5 hours to prepare, group one took to the stage with "Creep" by Radiohead.

They arranged it well, their harmonies were solid, but the judges agreed the weakest link was Dexter Haygood, who took more time channeling Mick Jagger with his performance, than himself.Next up, group 2 rocked it out with
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Lookin For" by U2 followed by group 3's performance of "Desperado" by the Eagles. They did fairly well. The judges agreed both groups gave solid performances all the way around.

The fourth group was the only group who got the immense pleasure of rapping their song ("Wishing on a Star" by Jay-Z). It was...interesting. Luckily, the 14 year old rapper Brian Bradley was in this group to spice things up. Unfortunately, all this performance confirmed for him was that he was nothing more than a cocky kid and at the end of the day, L.A. simply stated he was just "too young."

The next group gave my favorite performance of the night. Singing "Superman" by Five for Fighting, group 5 took to the stage with two of my favorite singers from the audition round: The burrito slinging Josh Krajcik and 42 year old Tiger Budbill. Both guys sang their solos with ease and certainly stood out amongst the judging table.

Next up, the sixth group took to the stage with a sultry performance of "I'm Feelin Good." Tia Tolliver certainly had something to prove as member of this group (being quite the topic of debate during her initial audition). She came out looking all kinds of fierce unanimously winning the judges over. Both Paula and Nicole even stated they were "glad" Simon saved her. Good for you Tia.

Singing "Run" by Snow Patrol, The final group of the night took to the stage. It was a good way to end the evening and 22 year old Jeremiah Pagan certainly won me over with his crazy riffs.

Considering these guys had a mere five hours to learn, collaborate, choreograph, and arrange their songs, I'd say all did a decent job but I personally can't wait for the top 32 to be announced.

Tune in tomorrow for when the final 32 are revealed! Check back in to BroadwayWorld for another recap!

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THE X FACTOR is produced by Syco Television and FremantleMedia North America. Rob Wade and Siobhan Greene are executive producers for Syco Television. Cecile Frot-Coutaz, Richard Holloway and Andrew Llinares serve as executive producers for FremantleMedia North America.

Photo Credit: Ray Mickshaw/FOX