Simon's first task on day 2 of boot camp is to cut the 20 down to 10. He gets the finalists to pair up and perform on stage.

Highlights:

Rowetta's Rainbow	Odis is lost for words	Soul Brothers	The Best Duet
Gary Looks To The Future	A Blue Moon	The Final 10	The Final 5

Rowetta's beautiful solo section just blows everyone away. She gets a bit over-excited when the music stops and she starts whooping and clapping herself and Angie.

Simon has a word "…you have got to stop playing the fool! Because that, to me, was fantastic.""Really?" cries Rowetta.
"And I mean fantastic…"
His words are like 'I love you' to a broken heart "…you should have said that ages ago." she sobs.
"But Rowetta…You're here!"
Simon finally gets the message through!

It looks like Rowetta has Simon in a bit of a dither. "That was amazing" he tells his angels "...but she is completely and utterly barking bloody mad!"

Odis is lost for words

Odis mucks up his duet of the same song by forgetting the words, partner Jermaine then does the same, Simon seems very disappointed.

Soul Brothers

Steve Brookstein and Lloyd Wade team up and sing Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and Simon and his angels like it, and even Steve does. "I've done something right at last" he jokes.

The Best Duet!

Gina and Wayne are also happy with their rendition of the same song. Simon tells them "That was just so well worked out". Afterwards Gina is feeling confident, "I definitely think I'll be in the final 10!"

Gary Looks To The Future

Gary Priestly dons dark glasses to help him visualise his future, "going down a path and there's a light I can see and I'm just walking towards that light and I don't care what's around me." He sings a favourite of Simon's 'Unchained Melody' and is very happy with his performance.

A Blue Moon

Linda and Verity paired up to sing "Fly Me To The Moon" Linda retired early last night and her lack of rehearsal causes her to fluff her words.

Both ladies are upset after being told by Simon "…on both of your accounts we're gonna pretend we didn't hear that song"; Linda is too emotional even to talk to Kate Thornton afterwards.

The Final 10

There are some surprises when the final 10 are announced. Each pair is called up in turn.

Simon tells Gina and Wayne "In terms of professionalism it was by far the best duo today." He puts Wayne through, then tells Gina "…based on your vocals today, we've decided to say…no"

It's a shock to Gina, and the room lets out a collective gasp.

Gary doesn't make it either, and reluctantly has to walk another path towards another light marked exit. Linda also heads home.

Simon does his best to make Steve and Rowetta think they are also heading for the exit before revealing that they are staying.

The final 10 are (alphabetically):

Angie, Jermaine, Lloyd, Maria, Odis, Rowetta, Steve, Tacita, Verity, Wayne

The Final 5

Only one performance will determine who makes Simon's final 5. The songs chosen are as follows:

Angie	Stop	(Sam Brown)
Jermaine	When I Need You	(Leo Sayer)
Lloyd	Help!	(The Beatles)
Maria	Show Me Heaven	(Maria McKee)
Odis	Walking In Memphis	(Marc Cohn)
Rowetta	At Last	(Etta James)
Steve	Dance With My Father	(Luther Vandross)
Tacita	Somebody Else’s Guy	(Jocelyn Brown)
Verity	Songbird	(Fleetwood Mac)
Wayne	So Amazing	(Luther Vandross)

Simon gathers the 10 onstage and, making as much drama out of the moment as possible, he calls on 5 of them to step forward.

Jermaine, Maria, Wayne, Tacita and Angie oblige in turn, will it be them?

Simon continues in low key "Verity, Lloyd, Steve, Rowetta, Odis...on the back row...it's you five...congratulations!" There are hugs of sadness and joy, tears and relief and there will be more to come.

In a way it's worse for those leaving Simon's group; being that bit older they all know the age factor is competing with their x factor.

Still, they can all take pride in having come this far. It's an achievement which in itself is very much an affirmation of their talent. Hopefully they can use the positives from the experience as building blocks for continued success in the music industry.

For the 5 who've made it through, the roller coaster ride continues. Simon will be looking to get to know them better both as artists and as individuals when they all spend time with him at his London pad.

More joy and disappointment is guaranteed because Simon still has to say goodbye to 2 more acts before the live shows begin! After that the great British public will decide who's got the X Factor and who hasn't!