This week marked the start of the next round of the competition – the dreaded Six Chair Challenge!

All of the girls who have made it to this round will be singing for their lives as there’s only six seats – thus places – through to Judges Houses. If you get a seat, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be keeping it for the end as later on in the show you could be replaced if somebody better comes along. It’s savagery!

First up is the girls, with decisions to be made by mentor Ira Losco. Warning- spoilers ahead!

First up is Jelena Attard who chose to perform ‘Set Fire To The Rain‘ by Adele. A big song choice but Jelena performed with emotion however it wasn’t a perfect performance but it definitely got better before the end. A big applause from the crowd however judge Alex Alden felt that her timing was off throughout the performance. Despite the judges not being sold, she receives seat number one!

The next girl is – Danika Cutajar! Her song choice is the legendary ‘Seven Nation Army‘ by The White Stripes. She gives us a solid and almost sultry performance where her unique voice works really well with the song. By the end it was clear she was giving it her all – some huge power notes! In a slightly shady line perhaps referring to Jelena’s previous performance, judge Alex says ‘you sang it in tune’! No surprises as Danika takes seat number two.

Third to perform is one of our early favourites – Marija Bellia. From her first audition, we’ve had her down as one to watch, with an exciting (and very unexpected) Nicki Minaj cover at Bootcamp followed by a flawless performance of Faouzia. She’s singing a unique verison of Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance‘. Guitar in hand, Marija performed with confidence and conviction and even threw a rap in the mix showing incredible levels of vocal control. A stunning performance which earned her a standing ovation! A potential winner? In the least shocking moment of the series so far, Marija is given seat number three.

Julia Camilleri is up and a big task to follow that performance! Singing Bridgit Mendler’s ‘Ready Or Not‘ is pop singer Julia and there’s no denying she has the look of a star! Throughout the performance she marches around the stage with bucket loads of star quality and confidence! It wasn’t vocally perfect, but there’s no denying that she has a lot of talent. Unfortunately the judges weren’t sold on the performance either, questioning whether the song choice was right or not. Ray questions whether she is ready, adding that in a few years she could be one to watch. Despite the criticism, Julia takes seat number four!

Midwife Karin Duff made it to Judges Houses last year so is all too familiar with this brutal part of the process. Singing Ariana Grande’s ‘Dangerous Woman‘, it is clear that Karin’s confidence has grown massively in the past year – it’s like watching a different person! She threw her all in to the performance & even gave us some sassy dance moves. Big praise from the judges as Karin takes seat number five.

With only one seat left .. the next to perform is Lisa Marie Tabone who gave us one of the best group performances at Bootcamp. Performing ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ by Demi Lovato – which is notably a very difficult song to sing – Lisa was clearly inspired by Karin’s sassy performance as she ups the sass! Parts of this are REALLY good and other parts are a bit sketchy but she has so much stage presence so we’re very happy to see her in seat number six. This is where it starts to get tricky now – who will lose their seats?!

The first to challenge for one of the filled seats is Charisse Vassallo who sang a slowed down, cute version of Jess Glynne’s ‘Hold My Hand‘. The performance perhaps needed some more life to it but there’s no denying that she can sing really well! She got compared to a Disney princess and we definitely see that! Charisse has a really angelic tone of voice and a super impressive head voice – and it’s enough to bag her seat number one sending Jelena Attard home!

Next up is Kylie Meilak who has chosen to sing Ella Henderson’s ‘Missed‘. It’s an emotional song and Kylie gives an honest performance of the song which has touched us! Unfortunately the judges were not sold on the performance, feeling it lacked emotion or her youth. Unfortunately mentor Ira Losco felt that Kylie was not ready for this opportunity just yet, wishing her luck and telling her to go out and grow as an artist. As a result, she was sent home.

MESC 2017 contestant Jasmine Abela is one of the best vocalists in the competition and she made easy work of ‘Side By Side‘ by Ariana Grande/Nicki Minaj. A fresh, modern performance filled with sass and impressive stage presence. Also great to see her include the rap which she got through flawlessly. A standout performance for sure, and the best reaction of the night so far by the crowd! Jasmine’s going to go far – but for now she takes seat number four sending Julia Camilleri home.

From one star to another, Destiny Chukunyere is the next to take to the stage and she gives an incredible performance of ‘Don’t Call Me Up‘ by Mabel. It’s great to see her give us something different, as prior to this she had concentrated mostly on big Diva powerhouse songs. This was a change of tune and it worked really well, still gave her a good belt and also it was great to see her have fun with it. She’s the favourite to win at the moment and this has just proven to us why. She takes seat number two and replaces Danika Cutajar.

Tough act to follow … but the girl chosen to do it is Maria Ellul! She has a big song in Sia’s ‘Eye of the Needle‘ and quite honestly gives it 110%. It requires a big voice and Maria really delivered a great song. Ira commented on her confidence as she hit the many high notes needed. With a huge amount of support from the crowd, the undecided Ira eventually decides to give her seat number one which sends Charisse Vassallo home.

Justine Shorfid has shone throughout the competition so far in each round, but she again is mixing things up with a more modern, uptempo performance of ‘Man Down‘ by Rihanna. After strutting around the stage and throwing some crazy ad libs in to the song, the judges declare she is a natural performer and that she is what the competition needs. It isn’t her strongest performance, but is definitely enough to convince us to want to give her a seat! But which one!? Lisa Marie Tabone and Maria Ellul are both called up to do sing-off (it’s SUPER dramatic). Lisa Marie sings ‘Fallin’ by Alicia Keys but was absolutely blown away by Maria singing ‘Edge of Glory‘. We got goosebumps at Maria’s performance – amazing!! Justine takes seat number six and Lisa Marie Tabone is sent home.

Last but not least … Gail Attard! This is the stage she got sent home last year but she’s been back to prove a point and has been one of our favourites in every round. Singing Hozier’s ‘Take Me To Church‘, Gail gives the most soulful performance of the night and ends the night on a high! Alex says that she felt the song was her made for her and we have to agree – that husky vocal complimented the song fantastically. She was also able to belt without losing any control of her voice which is a tough skill to master! Definitely one to watch and potential winner material? We’d love to see her on the Eurovision stage next year in Rotterdam. She’s given seat number one and unfortunately we say goodbye to Maria Ellul who’s sing-off did not do enough to convince Ira Losco to keep her.

The six girls through to judges houses are:

1. Destiny Chukunyere
2. Gail Attard
3. Jasmine Abela
4. Justine Shorfid
5. Karin Duff
6. Marija Bellia

Stay tuned as next week we come back to six chair for the next category! Did Ira Losco make the right decisions? Let us know on social media & in the comments below who your favourites were tonight and if you agree.