Soulful singing, larger-than-life outfits and some classic controversy on the judging panel - The X Factor is back and is bigger than ever.

The first topic on everyone’s lips was the judge’s outfits and their bold fashion choices.

Kelly Rowland rocked a black, green and gold short frock which looked like something you would see in Riverdance while Tulisa sported a nude mini dress with gold discs.

Taking the nervous opening slot was brave 16-year-old Amelia Lily. Pulling off the rock chick look, Amelia was praised for her powerful performance to Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean.

Johny Robinson was next to take centre stage and boy did he get the party started. Singing the Cher hit Believe, the larger-than-life performer failed to impress Take That frontman Gary Barlow with the judge dubbing the act as being “cheap."

Flying the flag for Tulisa, Rhythmix were ready to win over the voting public who are renowned for ditching girl groups, with their performance to Superbass.

All of the judges were full of praise for the group, with Gary Barlow dubbing them as the “best girl band that has ever been on The X Factor” after just one performance, now that is praise indeed!

Four acts in and it was time for a little mischief - queue in Frankie Cocozza. The 18-year-old was out to prove that he was more than just The X Factor’s pretty face when he sang Ed Sheeran’s The A Team.

Initially worried about his voice, Gary’s doubts were laid to rest as he merited the teen heartthrob for being “a great artist.”

Following Frankie, Sophie Habibis added a little dreamy delight to the show. Going into the Live Show, Sophie’s persona had been somewhat overshadowed by her co-stars but she set the record straight on the night as she stunned the judges with her new look and soulful voice.

Tulisa was blown away with the makeover, saying: “Can I just tell you how absolutely beautiful you look tonight. Of all the transformations, yours is definitely the biggest.”

The first bum negative note of the night fell to Jonjo as he failed to meet the judge’s mark. Kelly Rowland admitted she was expecting more energy from him and Tulisa said he needs to up his game and have more confidence to be in with a chance.

2 Shoes or not to 2 Shoes, that was the next question on the judging panel. The Essex girls certainly had the fun factor but Gary was not impressed, saying it was like a Karaoke performance from Romford.

Another act who may be in the danger zone was 20-year-old James Michael. Louis admitted that the performance didn’t do anything for him and Kelly agreed saying she was disappointed.

Tulisa was a little more encouraging and congratulated the singer and Gary stood up for his boy, saying he “reinvented a classic".

The judges may not have been blown away with James but boy did that change once diva-in-the-making Misha Bryan appeared on stage. Taking on the Adele smash Rolling In The Deep, Misha added her own twist to the song and received the thumbs up from the judges.

Just as the judges were beginning to agree on something, boyband Nu Vibe split opinions once again. Tulisa fiery flare was on show as she challenged Gary’s criticism that the band didn’t gel, saying he “must be mental” and that he was looking at the “next generation of boy band.”

Only time will tell whether Tulisa will back the boys in Sunday’s shock twist axe...

Adding a ray of sunshine to the proceedings, Marcus Collins proved he had the Swagger Jagger and was dubbed as “one of the loveliest people in the competition.” Singing the Maroon 5 hit Moves Like Jagger, Mentor Gary said it was a pleasure to work with Marcus.

The party atmosphere was on the up and Sami Brookes was ready and raring to show off her powerhouse vocals.

Giving a powerful performance to Ultra Nate’s Free, Gary Barlow vowed to leave the show if Sami is put out in Sunday’s twist axe show where one contestant from each group is sent home.

Lets hope Louis listens otherwise we will be a judge down!

Last up for Tulisa and the groups was The Risk. Put together at the very last opportunity, this band were Tulisa’s big risk of the night – and one which seemed to pay off as the performance received praise across the board.

JLS and One Direction were told to watch out by Louis and Tulisa thanked them for staying away from “boyband cheese.”

Risk-taker Craig Colton may have been the last boy to take to the stage but he was determined to make a lasting impression as he took a risk and chose the song, the style and the staging himself.

Singing Christina Perri’s Jar of Hearts, Tulisa said: “Tonight you showed people you are not just a funny man, you are an amazing vocalist.”

The penultimate performance of the night went to larger-than-life Kitty Brucknell. Determined to stand out from the crowd, Kitty stepped onto the stage in a striking silver body suit and eye-catching make-up.

Singing the Queen classic Who Wants To Live Forever, the singer received a mix bag of comments from the judges, with Gary commenting that she may find the competition “tough.”

Last but not least and ending the show with a cracker of a performance was X Factor’s timid teen Janet Devlin.

The judge’s were blown away with her unique voice as she performed a version of Coldplay’s Fix You.

Kelly looked as if she was holding back the tears as she congratulated Janet, saying she was very proud.

The 16 rising-stars gave it their all but only 12 spaces are available and four will be sent packing in Sunday night’s (October 10) twist axe show.

Tune into STV at 8pm to find out the fate of our X Factor hopefuls. And don’t forget to visit our X Factor site for online exclusives and all of the latest news and gossip.

You can have a look at the night’s action in pictures on our photo gallery and check out the final 16 glamour photo shoot too.

And if you want to be kept up-to-date with exclusives and chat about all thingsX Factor, follow STV's X Factor Twitter team: @STVLaura, @STVGill, @STVKim and @STVPam