Hi everybody! I’m liveblogging X Factor tonight – let’s make this post a commentfest. Please leave your opinions in the comments area!

Oh yeah! Sunday nights just got X-ey! Or something to that effect, right Dermot?

The Whitster and the Colester are both ready to sing for the audience. Robbie’s comeback effort last week was met with mostly praise, except for the odd cynical journalist who thought he was stoned off his wee face. I wonder if Whtney’s return to telly will be as smooth?

After a reminder from Dermot that the contestants’ dreams are in our hands, they burst onstage for their ensemble performance – Whitney’s Queen Of The Night. Funny how everybody performs so much better in a huge group. This is a feature that has been hijacked slightly from American Idol – although it sounds corny on Idol, and people hate it in the States. What do you guys think? Do we like it on X Factor?

We get the obligatory recap of last night’s performances. Lucky you for coming to Unreality TV, because you can catch up with our recap post and you can catch our views on the best and worst on our X Factor chart.

Cheryl’s Live Performance

After that, Dermot indeed refers to Cheryl Cole as a ‘national treasure’. Seriously, until she gets an OBE or something, we’ll have to just accept her as a national treasure.

This is the much-anticipated sorta-live performance of Fight For This Love that’s had everybody talking all week. She’s wearing the Janet Jackson, Rhythm Nation-’inspired’ military uniforms with a troup of backing dancers. She seems a little timid coming out the doors, but gains her confidence as she goes on. She is playing to a sympathetic audience though. And guys – that dance routine was more than a little bit sexy, wasn’t it?

Now, in the words of Simon Cowell: This is really gonna pain me to say this…but that judging part was highly contrived and seriously, was Simon really gonna say he thought the song was shit? Meh. I love Cheryl, but Fight For This Love isn’t even in my sights for pop tune of the year. Though I have to admit, she must have been bricking it performing without the other members of Girls Aloud.

And now the Whitney bit…

I’m thinking it would be a great wheeze if X Factor had accidentally booked Whitney from EastEnders Though you can bet your ass that Simon will not be so cheeky as to give her a judge’s opinion after her performance!

Whitney arrives on stage wearing what looks like Alexandra’s dress from last year’s final. Cast offs and budget cuts, eh? Can’t deny she’s looking good though. I’m reliably informed that the song is called Million Dollar Bill. Oh shit, she’s just had a wardrobe malfunction!!! Well, that was more interesting than the song. It’s no Your Love Is My Love. But hey, Whitney Houston isn’t my forte people – what did you think?

Lordy, she’s a little bit strange during her conversation with Dermot. Seems more out of it than Robbie did, takes longer than Paula Abdul to string a sentence together, and can’t look the short man in the eyes. I feel a little underwhelmed, especially when Simon does a flying in the face of logic “How great is it to see Whitney Houston back on this stage?” It was great until they let her speak, Simon.

…and finally, the results!

Simon confidently proclaimed that none of his acts would be going home this week, and we believe him. The over 25’s category was the strongest last night. Olly’s safe. So are Miss Frank. Joe McElderry is safe too, which is good. Danyl Johnson will be back next week, as will Lucie Jones and Jamie Archer. Dermot reminds us that these results are in no particular order. Oooh, the tension. Stacey is back next week. Shit, Lloyd Daniels got through for another week. Some charisma lessons for Lloyd desperately needed. Scandal! John and Edward are returned by the public and Rachel Adedeji is crying her eyes out. Rachel will sing head to head with Rikki Loney, the soulless Scottish hat enthusiast.

Hilariously, Twitter went mental with people leaping up and down about John and Edward getting through. Yes, they are a joke, but what can you do? The public clearly need to be sectioned, we just need to find an asylum big enough. Rachel starts the sing-off singing With Or Without You by U2. I’d have preferred something with more sass, but whatever… she’s still inconsolable onstage after singing the song.

Rikki’s up next – Cheryl seems upset to be in the bottom two, but she couldn’t possibly keep this guy in. He sings Flying Without Wings, a Westlife song. Boring, boring, boring. Rikki hasn’t a hope of winning this competition. I can only hope that the judges put him out of our misery.

Dannii sends Rikki home. Cheryl keeps her own act – voting for Rachel to go home. Simon has the controlling vote. He could go for either of them…my heart stopped for a minute there, but he booted Rikki out! This is meant with no disrespect to Rikki, but he doesn’t have the potential to win this show. If he’d progressed, it’d have been another Leon Jackson scenario. Sorry, but it was unfair of the judges to even consider him this year.

Cheryl launches a not-really stinging attack on John and Edward, saying she can’t believe they remained in the competition when Rikki got the boot. I can’t blame her really, but sorry Scotland, you’ve already given us one Leon Jackson, we didn’t need another.