Everyone is aware that judge Simon Cowell is the hardest critic, regardless of the program he is appearing on. Without holding back, he freely shares his ideas and opinions with contestants, even if doing so would offend them. But it’s because of this that he’s such a terrific judge. When he does, you can be sure it’s sincere and real since he never offers unjustified comments or praise.
For the ‘The X Factor UK’ 6 Chair Challenge, Simon’s team was down to six competitors. Only six candidates were allowed to compete for the talent. There was just one contestant remaining after the auditions, and he had already selected his top six. To advance to the final six, the contender would need to outperform the previous finalists.
This kind of pressure was on sixteen-year-old Olivia Garcia when she entered the audition room. As she introduced herself, Olivia’s voice trembled, indicating that she was visibly anxious. She knew she was the last one standing, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. For her audition, Olivia sang “Changing” by Paloma Faith.
Simon was being his normal doubting self as Olivia started to sing. Her voice was trembling, but it didn’t take long for it to get louder. About halfway through, Olivia seemed to find her voice and sing the song even louder than before. As the audience started to applaud, it was obvious that the judges were pleased. Simon understood he had to make a challenging decision.
The audience’s standing ovation for the little performer reduced her to tears. The judges gave her a lot of appreciation for her performance. Nicole Scherzinger, one of the judges, thought Olivia deserved to be among Simon’s final six.
When it came Simon’s turn to speak, he remarked, “Right now, Olivia, you’re about to make my life very difficult because I have to give you a chair.” That was excellent.
The audience exploded as Simon frantically tried to decide who to keep and who to delete from his current top six. The six girls on stage right now were afraid. After much debate, Simon finally gave Olivia Seat #3, to the relief of the other five girls.
Although Olivia Garcia’s audition was tense, she persisted and it paid off. Simon’s final six were indeed his last.
