The X Factor team hit Chicago yesterday for their fifth round of American auditions and the weather was not too fair!

The tryouts were staged at the Sears Centre Arena on Wednesday of this week and around 10,000 wannabes queued in the rain and the wind, in the hope that they would shine and eventually be allowed to sing for Simon Cowell and his eagerly anticipated celebrity panel.

We had hoped that the event would be a little star studded, after all Gloria Estefan showed up and cheered on singers at the earlier Miami tryouts. However there were no celebrities in sight this time round and Wednesday was all about the talent….or the lack of it!

Unlike “American Idol,” The X Factor allows groups and has children from as young as twelve can audition, with no upper age limit. So there was a real variety in the crowd.

Those who arrived earliest to claim their wrist-bands got the first crack at singing for producers and staff and for one of the hopefuls, who spent all day yesterday waiting for their chance to shine, their performance could ultimately lead to a whopping $5 million recording contract……

The first round of “X-Factor” auditions were held in Los Angeles last month, where almost 20 thousand people showed up. The later Miami rounds attracted almost 9,000 and the roadshow has also been to Seattle. Next up is Dallas!

Check out our picture gallery of Wednesday’s auditions below.