This week's theme was titled 'People's Guilty Pleasures and Heroes'. Rather catchy, don't you think?
For the first time in this year's competition, the contestants had four minutes of fame rather than the usual two, due to being given two bites of the cherry to impress the bloodthirsty public.
First up girl group Little Mix, who decided to sing a classic - Bieber's "Baby baby", mashed up with Where Did The Love Go by The Supremes A rather disappointing performance from the usually pumped up, energised and entertaining teenyboppers.
It seemed Kelly felt the same as she criticised them but "constructively", of course. Disturbingly enough, the group's still young enough for Bieber to be a "hero", rather than a "guilty pleasure".
Their second song was much better chosen; Christina Aguilera's Beautiful gave the girls a real chance to prove that, unlike a lot of groups, each of them can actually sing - and really bloody well too.
Unfortunately Tulisa gave them a standing ovation, which gave everyone a glimpse of the, quite frankly, downright ugly creation she was sporting.
Monotone Gary Barlow thought it fitting to give the girls some sterling advice: "I know because I'm in a band - you have friendship, and that's important" he said. Let's not mention Robbie then, shall we?
Judges' previous favourite Janet Devlin was slated by judges with Gary calling her first song a "real mess" after she sang Hanson's classic "Mmm bop" and forgot her words (but those are the only words, aren't they?). The red-headed Irish lass was quaking in her boots as she was verbally assassinated by the ferocious four and said there was "nothing she could do".
How about learning your words next time, for a start? Although of course we mustn't be too mean, she is only a tender teen.
Anyway, it didn't bode well for Janet's second song as she couldn't even remember the first.
But the nation released its breath as Janet sailed through Under The Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and remembered all the words.
Gary finally acknowledged Janet "completely ignores" him (his words, not ours), and "played the game by her own rules".
As for Misha, she repeatedly told us girls "we just wana have fun". Unfortunately for the depleting audience tuning into the show, her performance was an offensive assault on the senses. As if her garish leggings weren't enough, she was accompanied by hooded red dancers, or were they gnomes, which managed to detract from her unarguably fantastic vocal talents.
"It's not you trying to win votes or please people, it's you thinking of 2012", Barlow commented. Sorry to break it to you Barlow, but considering this is a competition, she probably is?
The judges were all loved-up with the Adidas-wearing diva, something which obviously went straight to her head as she peculiarly began referring to herself in the third person.
Misha's second performance was breathtaking, singing Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly", provoking the judges to issue forth more adorations for the singer.
Next up was Marcus who declared his Barlow was "more than a mentor, he's a friend". Ah, how sweet.
Despite the Liverpudlian lad professing he was feeling "under pressure" by being the only male left in the competition, he certainly did not fail to deliver with a stunning Wham! performance. If the audience are under any doubt over who they should be voting for, they should have been swayed by Marcus repeatedly crooning "I'm your man" down his microphone.
"Marcus, you did it right", cried Kelly enthusiastically from the panel. Well said Kelly.
Similar praise was heaped onto his second performance; a rendition of Stevie Wonder's Lately prompted Kelly to cry (again), "I just love me some YOU!"
Amelia-Lily rounded up the night's performances after enduring Barlow laying into her earlier this week calling her "desperate" and "out of control".
Symbolically, Amelia-Lily opened her song kneeling down, thus proving to us all she is still down-to-earth. Neither did she feel the need for shoes, another favourite technique from contestants trying to convince a hostile audience they have a real personality (remember Diana Vickers?).
The ever-positive Louis claimed "I tink that song could be a number one", while Tulisa gushed over the young girl's facial expressions. Gary revisited Amelia's emotional journey, so it was left down to mentor Kelly to comment on her vocal performance.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen either.
However Gary's comments did spark a rather fiery backlash from Carol Decker after he told Amelia it was "nice" to hear the T'Pau's hit sung "in tune". Ouch.
Check out our slideshow of all the weekend's X Factor acts and click on who you think should be walking off with this year's title...
