used to be my favourite part of the competition - it was stripped back and often felt quite emotional.

this is just a mess

I didn't like the format. They way the results were revealed in the past series added something different. Now it's just more of the same.

It really is bad, it just doesnt work on any level and its a complete mess

there was just too many things going on and none of them worked together

but the begging part was some of the worst TV i have ever seen , how anyone could think that was a good idea i'll never know

Yea! It was like an "embarrassment" contest.

It was awful....a total mess and reminded me of XtraFactor which is also second rate.

The best bit about judges houses was the emotion when contestants got through or didn't. That was completely missing tonight.

Aside from that, nothing worked at all - it was a shambolic, chaotic, overly dramatic mess.

Yep, judges houses always had a nice air of intimacy amongst all of the rest of the overblown bombast.

I used to cringe at the bits where the hopefuls travelled home to pretend to 'deliver the news' to absolutely everyone they'd ever met all crammed into their front room, but after tonight, it might actually have been better.

This format is lacking in warmth and humour and we know nothing more about this year's contestants than we did weeks ago.

Added to that listening to all that over-loud, frenzied screaming from the crowd [what were they on??] and it was all ... horrid. Just horrid.

It was really Big Brother-esque. There was no emotion or intensity to it - it was just a car crash and I was laughing for all the wrong reasons.

At least all 6 singers had equal billing! It genuinely felt like anyone could get through. Shocked with max. Normally they show some more prominently than others and some only get a little montage making the whole thing feel really obvious.

It was like watching a shite version of Britain's Got Talent. The amount of waffling and padding time on it was unbelievable!

And don't get me started on the countless number of times that Caroline asked someone a question and then interrupted them halfway through to ask something else! She just cannot present a live show......

I used to like the reveal but when they were told on the sofa. The new format lacks any type of drama, it just felt like a shambles. The screaming mob didn't help either....

I actually preferred it this way to the old way. Apart from the begging that was not necessary. Before you would have to sit through 2hrs of padding, 30 minutes of singing only to find out you had to wait till Sunday night to find who was through. You then on Sunday had to sit through another 2hrs of padding, 30 minutes of singing to then finally find out who went through.

At least this way there was a LOT less padding no matter what anyone says.

I found the new format totally crass - it's as if they are trying to kill the show off

Judges houses also used to be my favourite part of XFactor adn this series has totally ruined it. We used to have two songs, albeit shorter, and more feedback about their performance. I hate the live announcement it lacks the intimacy of the one to one interaction and allows the mob influence. Very disappointed

Everyone misses the "and I promise YOUUUUUUU...." reveal

Why does Grimmie get a whole day to ruminate on his decision and his six a whole day to be anxious whilst the other judges get a few minutes to decide?

Hahahaha YES!! Footprints In The Sand. The only time that song has ever been used for anything is to soundtrack The X Factor. I don't think I've ever heard it once on the radio.

Completely agree. I honestly felt sorry for the people who had actually travelled to be in the audience for this! Yeah judges houses live! Except it's not live it's just clips from judges houses but without the context or opportunity for the judge to connect (or at least pretend they are) with their act! But instead they ramp the post production so the VTs fell more like music videos! Instead of an actual live show it was an exciting preview!! We all got to see is how incompetent Olly and Caroline are compared to Dermot, and how pi**ed off Simon is at everything not going to plan. How generally confused Cheryl is, and how the voice over man is clearly not Peter Dickson. My god, what has happened to The X Factor!?

I liked that everyone got decent airtime in the episode. It used to bug me how they'd often dub contestants talking about their journey over the clip of their performance, but show the full thing of others - you could always figure out who definitely wasn't going through because of that, at least now it seems more open.

I didn't neccesarily mind the new format, though it probably needs some tweaking. They need to get the audience to STFU when the judges/contestants are speaking, and that godawful "beg for your life" bit has to go, but otherwise it wasn't that bag.

The playlist for Judges Houses consists of about four songs

Westlife & Mariah Carey - Against All Odds is another, and Leona - I Will Be

Don't like the new format at all the little box in the corner showing the contestants reaction when they were singing at judges houses was so distracting. Simon is crazy if it's not broken why fix it the old format worked really well now it's just about having a live audience screaming & shouting in the background

Hahaha agree completely, miss this so much!

Also I miss where they show all the emotion and what it feels like to have your dreams crushed when they get told "you're going home" I think they needed to show the emotions of the contestants who didn't make it but instead they skimmed over it in about a second. It lacks heart this new format, not a fan

Keep it up Cowell, your decision making this year just seems to be getting better and better...