MMTV: Mediocre Music TV
Edition #6: The X factor Boot Camp episodes 1 & 2

Written by: Wences Acosta

And Now....Boot Camp (Thank God)

There are mainly 2 things of note from the first night....The Song Choices and The Feud. You had all the contestants going all out for this opportunity, and it showed between Emblem3's version of Iris or Diamond White's version of I Have Nothing, it was amazing. The main video to look up though, not to be mean is "Things Take an Ugly Turn". It just shows how much pressure goes into this round, and it really nails the point "Only The Best Survive". Especially with Jake Garza, once he says that he wanted his mom and they cue up The Scientist of all songs....it will being a lot of people I know to tears.

Now the Feud....CeCe Fray vs. Paige Thomas. I will spoil this feud within these 2 eps because this is all the feud lasted if what I think is going to happen actually happens. Both chose Whitney's version of I Will Always Love You, and while Paige was good, CeCe was AMAZING and at one point even sounded like Whitney, look it up if you don't believe me. Simon said "One of you 2 nailed it" and it was CeCe. On the second show, they had a sing off of OneRepublic's "Secrets" and as a HUGE fan of the song, I was hoping for something epic...and then Paige forgot the words. She tried to save herself but it was too late and CeCe jumped in like a shark going in for the kill. In this show, you have to go for the kill when you can, and that is exactly what she did.

Now, Speaking of Boot Camp #2, they did a first....The Showdown's. In a move that was probably inspired by The Voice, they had 2 contestants go against each other, and it goes one of 3 ways: Either they both go through, neither go through, or one wins while the others lose. All battles are worth watching, but here are a few notes with their songs choices

Jannel Garcia vs. Tara Simon "Landslide": DAMN I THOUGHT SHE WAS GONE >.<, My opinion is crystal clear....get Tara out as soon as possible. Jannel is used to fast music, but I believe that she did excellent with something of a slower tempo.

Carly Rose Sinclair vs. Beatrice Miller "Pumped Up Kicks": Carly is Better. Not Much to Say....NEXT!

Vino Allen vs. David Correy "What's Going On": This is an interesting audition when you look at it. Both have different styles and amazing voices, and both went well into it. I give Vino the edge, not just for the looks but because David overdid it while Vino really didn't have to try that hard to get Marvin's mood for the song. Vino thinks he messed up, but honestly I think he just nailed him a spot for Judges Houses.

Diamond White vs. Dinah Jane Hansen "Stronger": Diamond White is a serious threat here folks. I don't think anybody can quite understand this. Dinah went from Beyonce to Kelly and the transition was not so great. I can get over her forgetting the lyrincs but the arrangement of the song being that slow is what screwed her up, and Diamond showed her versatility as she basically wiped the floor clean and ate off of it. Watch the video if you think I am lying.

Sister C vs. Lauren Jaurequi: I do not know the song, but I will say this, within a minute you can see everything go wrong....I can not tell if Lauren did a good job or not because Sister C stands out....as being so fucking annoying. I can not stand them at all, can we move on?

Brandon Hassan vs. Reed Deming "Secrets": Reed did it. Baby Bieber did it. He might not make the next round, but damn if he didn;t win that sing off.

Julia Bullock vs. Ally Brooke "Knockin' on Heavens Door": They both slaughtered it, and I was really having expectations for Julia after Pumped Up Kicks....but this just sucked in my honest opinion.

Tate Stevens vs. Willie Jones "Nobody Knows": You know, I talk about CeCe being fierce....but it is nothing compared to Tate choosing a song that Willie had got learn last minute. I will always choose Tate over Willie, but that was cold, and as L.A. said "Tate hustled him". With that said though....I have to back Tate up here. From the get go Tate was the better singer, and I never really liked Willie. Can't wait to see how this plays out.

Arin Ray vs. Normani Hamilton "That's What Makes You Beautiful": The only showdown that was truly truly even. Both did an excellent job in redoing the song and I give kudos to both. It is definitely worth checking out.

Jillian Jensen vs. Latasha Lee Robinson "Stay": Jillian is another one to look for. Latasha forgets the words, and Jillian tried to help her and even vouched for her after the performance, but Jillian did what she had to do. I can see Jillian in the live shows, no lie.

and finally: Freddie Combs vs. Jessie Bryant: Don't know the song, and by the looks of things they don't wither....both forget the words in a big way basically screwing them this year.

Now, in the end of all this let me explain how this is going to go, because this appears to be taking a card from this season in the U.K., which I will speak of more in a second. There are about 60 acts left, and out of all of them 24 will remain. That means each judge will get 6 within their category. Out of the 6, 3 will make it to the live show, basically removing what they did last year with 4 live performances + 1 elimination. Which I believe is a great move considering how chaotic that ep was last year when they didn't know what they were doing. This is where the spoilers begin, and please don't read this portion if you do not want to be spoiled, and just skip to the next section.....This year in a move that even I was shocked they did, the categories are going to be different, instead of Boys, Girls, Overagers, and Groups, They are having them separated by Ages 12-16, Ages 17-24 I believe, The Overagers and The Groups. I like this shakeup, and I for one can not wait until something big happens (Like L.A. Reids upcoming breakdown on The Producers).

Finally, a note on the U.K. X Factor seeing as I am American and can't vote for acts there...Vote for MK1 and Lucy Spraggen, these are the only 2 acts worth it in the long run at least in my view. MK1 has the chemistry and the stage presence to take them far, while Lucy Spraggen has this quality to her that reminds me of Regina Spektor if that makes sense. Only 1 can win, but hopefully it will be one of these 2....as for drama though, just WOW. I saw the elimination of Carolynne (which should not have happened) but Louis stumbled and he stumbled bad...I am almost tempted to say that this stumble was worse then Nicole and Rachel Crow in America's Season 1 Moment. Barlow walked out, Louis was ashamed, everyone was hoping he would send Rylan home.....and he didn't. Not calling him a bad judge, because he had to do what he had to do, but he brought up a good point....these shows are basically entertainment vs. talent and when the 2 face off, you have to show your true colors.

Now that I am back on track....tune in next time for my thoughts on the 24 finalists from each group, who they get as a mentor, my predictions amongst all the chaos, and my thoughts on the U.K. version as well. Until then....Peace Out, and Word to Your Mother.