Demi Lovato, Kelly Rowland and Simon Cowell tackled the first part of X Factor's Charleston audition stop sans Paulina Rubio, who was away at a concert. South Caroline brought out plenty of groups, most of whom Cowell called "old fashioned" and "corny." It was slim pickings on Backstreet Boys wannabes, and Cowell seemed super annoyed by it.
Even the consistently composed Ms. Rowland couldn't help but cringe at some of the painfully bad notes struck by a sister duo singing The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back."
Said Cowell: "It was like a competition as to who could sing the worst and you both win! I think this is one of the worst groups we've ever had."
Luckily, one trio grabbed the judges' attention for the right reasons. AKNU, comprised of the three brothers from South Central, were old-fashioned in a good way. They even kicked off with a quirky dance routine that could've come straight out of a Bruno Mars concert. It scored them some serious cool points.
PHOTOS: 'X Factor's' Emblem3 Performs at L.A.'s Roxy Theatre
"It's like watching Motown all over again. Normally, that's the part I hate but I think you may be on the forefront of something new here," Cowell commented. " I actually could watch this whole audition all over again. I love it that much."
It was then that a cavalcade of talented teens took the stage and wowed the panel.
Josh Levi, 14, showed some serious swagger that had the ladies sitting front and center bumping and grinning all through his performance of Selena Gomez's "Come And Get It."
"That was amazing," exclaimed Lovato. Rowland was ecstatic too."You are a star. Hands down," she said. "There's nobody like you. You are… yes!"
Danie Geimer, a 15-year-old California girl who claims to spend most of her time reading alone in her bedroom, brought the house down with her version of "The House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals. Nobody expected such a big and unique voice to come from the seemingly shy girl, but once the bespectacled hopeful lost the hat and shook out her hair, it becomes evident this wallflower is a knockout in disguise.
STORY: 'X Factor' Premiere Recap: Kelly Rowland, Paulina Rubio Make Their Judging Debuts
The most compelling contender of the night was sixteen-year-old Carlos Guevara. His story went from heartbreaking to heartwarming in a snap thanks to his amazing voice and a huge group of true friends. The teen recently had to leave school because of the debilitating "ticks" caused by Tourette Syndrome and OCD. "I have motor and vocal ticks which make me move a little weird sometimes," he said. "They tried every medicine in the book and all that could help me was music."
The audience was reduced to tears hearing his soulful rendition of John Mayer's "Gravity." The girls gave him a standing ovation and Cowell praised his strength. "You've actually got a great voice," he said. Rowland was equally in awe of the musical miracle. "I'm just so grateful that I'm here to witness this and witness you," she said.
Brandie Love, 21, was mild mannered when she hit the stage but morphed into a powerhouse the moment she started singing "Up To The Mountain."
"You have The X Factor!" declared an excited Rubio.
Jeff Gutt, 37, returned after being booted from boot camp last season. The single father is back with his adorable little boy and hoping to make it further this time -- perhaps right into the final 10. Cowell doesn't like his take on Aerosmith's hit, "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" and is "really disappointed" with the audition. He got a second shot and chose a much better song, Radiohead's "Creep," which could catapult him to the winner's circle.
The night's most exciting moment, however, came courtesy of two sassy hairdressers who weren't going for Cowell's guff. "Don't look at me like that," said the female contender after her horrendous audition prompted Cowell's glare. "Not a note in tune," he quipped. That's when she took matters into her own hands -- marching down to the judges table and smooching Simon Cowell's neck and face in hopes of swaying his vote. The red-faced Brit wasn't going for it, but it sure was entertaining to watch him squirm.
It's still early on in the competition, but who do you think has the goods? Have your say in the comments...
Twitter: @TheLiveFeed
