The fewer contestants that remain on The X Factor, the more tears are shed on screen at the end of every live episode.
It’s not surprising – the contestants can’t help but become closer friends as time goes by and their numbers diminish.
They live together in a hotel at an undisclosed location in Beirut, forced to spend much of their time together working on songs, rehearsing medleys, learning choreography, recording music and pondering what they can do to win the TV talent competition.
“The tough part is not the fact that we have to compete against our friends, against people we have become so close to,” said Hamza Hawsawi, the 24-year-old soul and R&B singer from Saudi Arabia who is being mentored by Lebanese judge Ragheb Alama.
“The tough part is that we’ve become so close and such good friends, and yet we all have no idea when we will ever see each other again and be all together again once one of us leaves.
“That’s why we’re always so wrecked when someone is voted off and we have to say goodbye.”
It has been an increasingly emotional experience for all involved and Saturday night was no exception.
The elimination of Syrian singer Majdi Sharif caused a flood of tears, despite his excellent performance of the Abdel Halim Hafez song Awel Marra, which was well reviewed by the judges.
In fact, Sharif has been causing people to sob since his first appearance on The X Factor. During the audition phase, he shared his story of fleeing from the violence in Syria and spending the past four years studying in Sweden, while missing his family and especially his parents, who he had not seen in years.
Audience favourites the 5 remained safe on Saturday, their performance of Mohamed Hamaki's hit Wahda Wahda solidifying their reputation and electrifying stage presence.
Alama told them: “This was an excellent song choice for you; I commend your mentor, Donia [Samir Ghanem], for choosing this one. You’re just so good together. Each one of you is different but when you sing together, the resulting harmony – both in terms of your singing and your relationship with one another – is strong and it’s apparent.”
Lebanese judge Elissa agreed. She also congratulated Egyptian judge Ghanem on her choice of song for the band. “I want to adopt you guys,” she added. “You’re getting better and better each week.”
The 5 stood up a little straighter, smiled a little wider and even flexed their muscles a little harder following the praise.
Their mentor, Ghanem, admonished their cockiness and asked them to settle down and listen to her.
“Some people have talent, but not star quality,” she said. “You guys? You have it all. You were born stars.”
The X Factor is broadcast live on Saturday at 10pm on MBC4
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