Published Saturday, 18 August 2012
Ella Henderson wow the X Factor judges during her audition (© ITV)
Both 16-year-old Ella Henderson and 21-year-old Jahmene Douglas are through to the bootcamp stage of the competition, after being respectively described as "a class act" and a "revelation" by Louis Walsh when the talent show returned on Saturday.
Ella, from Tetley in Lincolnshire, impressed the judges with a rendition of her own farewell song, which she penned in memory of her grandfather.
Guest judge and former Spice Girl Mel B, who joined the panel in Manchester, told the teenager: "What we just witnessed was incredible."
"Those words, I'm sure, hit a chord with everyone. Your songwriting is so clever," she said.
Tulisa Contostavlos said Ella was the contestant she wanted to mentor the most this year.
"I see something so special in you," she told her. "There's a spark and you're just a star."
Meanwhile, a young singer from Swindon, Wiltshire had to conquer his nerves to put in a great performance of the Etta James track At Last.
I've always dreamed about being a singer. Everyone has their thing and my thing is singing.
Jahmene Douglas
Jahmene, who describes himself as a "stay-at-home kind of guy", got a great reception from the judges and the audience.
Louis told him: "You have got the X Factor, you are what we are looking for. I think a star is born."
Tulisa was also impressed, saying: "You not only have the X Factor, you've got the shock factor."
Nicole Scherzinger was also clearly a fan, telling him: 'I just wanna take you and eat you up, honey."
And Gary Barlow admitted: "I have never seen a vocal performance like this before - this was off the scale."
Self-confessed geek Curtis Golden, a student from Buxton in Derbyshire, offered a confident rendition of Candy Man which took spectators by surprise. But he failed to win over Mel B, who branded him annoying and irritating.
Pink lookalike Zoe Alexander stormed off stage after reacting badly to the judges' comments.
Other contestants on the first show included a fireman, an 82-year-old pensioner and a Rod Stewart wannabe.