Press Release
Another elimination for Arno Carstens as Mikhail Jones gets sent home, again, on The X Factor SA
After a high-pressure live show in which the top nine
X Factor South Africa acts went all out to seduce the judges - and viewers - with their electrifying R&B performances, it was sadly the turn of Mikhail Jones to leave the competition.
The live gala show on Saturday night also saw individual singers Wandile, Eliezer, Gavin, Wandaboy and Mikhail, as well as groups Iziqhaza, Avodah and FOUR, dazzling with their renditions of well-known R&B hits, complemented by slick staging, vocal accompaniment and choreography to showcase the acts at their very best.
From the start, the pressure was on Princess, one of Arno Carstens’ protégées, who had landed in the bottom two with MJ last week. She was handed a lifeline then when MJ was shown the door, but she knew she had to pull out all the stops and impress to avoid being in the same predicament this week.
While the public’s SMS votes were being tallied during the results show that followed the live show, viewers were treated to a surprise guest performance by Grammy-winning R&B and jazz superstar Kirk Whalum. The accomplished American saxophonist gave a spine-tingling unplugged performance that showed the contestants exactly what having “the X Factor” is all about.
But the tension was palpable in the minutes leading up to host Andile Ncube announcing that Bubblez and Mikhail Jones, mentored by Arno Carstens had landed in the bottom two. This led to a thrilling win-at-all-costs sing-off that ultimately saw Bubblez emerge victorious.
TV audiences can get an extra behind-the-scenes fix of SA’s new stars-in-waiting, and check out Whalum’s mentorship session with the singers and groups, on this week’s XtraFactor – aired on SABC3 on Friday, 7 November 2014 at 19h30.
As for top eight… the heat is on and the competition is getting tougher than ever. The remaining acts realise that they need to pull out their “A game” every week from now until the grand finale on 13 December 2014 to ensure their survival on the show.
The next performance show airs on SABC1 on Saturday 8 November at 18h00, followed by the results show at 19h30. Viewers can vote for their favourite acts on the SMS line 33121.