X Factor’s Matt Terry says “intimidating” Six Chairs is “hardest” audition yet
After big success at Bootcamp, Matt says his heart was “constantly racing” during the Wembley Arena challenge
The X Factor’s Matt Terry had a pretty good time of it at Bootcamp this year, what with judge Sharon Osbourne insisting he had “everything” and Simon Cowell dubbing his group’s audition the best of the bunch. But the singer admits that the upcoming Six Chair Challenge is where things get tough for him.
“Six Chair, for me, was probably my hardest yet,” Matt, 23, tells RadioTimes.com. “It was very difficult. You’ll see what goes on. It was scary.”
It will certainly feel like a gear change. X Factor 2016 has so far felt warm and cozy. But pop those six chairs on the Wembley Arena stage and boy does it kick off. Whether they’re screaming ‘SEAT’ or ‘OFF! OFF! OFF!’ there’s a crowd - for the first time this series - and they’ll want to be heard.
“I can just remember my heart was constantly racing. Being at Wembley, I was kind of like, ‘Whoa!’ It just becomes so much more real when not only is it the four judges, there’s thousands of people…”
While Matt says the crowd were “really supportive” and gave him the “push” that he needed, he confessed it “is quite intimidating”.
“People loved [the acts] or people didn’t - and they showed it. It was pretty scary. You just had to hope they liked you.”
Personally, I think it’s the uncomfortable plastic chairs. Sit on those longer than an hour and a few bum notes would drive anyone mad. Cowell might want to pop a few pillows out next year.
While Matt couldn’t dish on any of the results, it does sound like we’ll see acts brought back out even after they’ve been booted off. So don’t expect a straightforward ‘in’ or ‘out’ here. The judges will be changing their minds.
That’ll go down well with the crowd, right?
So what about Matt’s nan, Pauline? The self-confessed Simon Cowell super fan was quite the hit at the auditions, even getting a hug off of the boss.
“She’s loving life,” Terry smiles, joking that she has probably framed the jacket she was wearing during said hug. “She loves it. Every time she’ll see me on the telly she’ll just go crazy.”
In fact, Matt’s nan has her own X Factor ambitions and rather fancies a role behind the scenes on the talent show.
“She said to me actually when we were there, ‘I wish that I’d known all of this went on as I would have loved to have been a researcher, or a runner!’
“Who knows maybe I’ll get her in there,” Matt laughs.
Come on Cowell, a spare pair of hands is always useful, right?
See The X Factor Saturday at 8:00pm and Sunday at 7:00pm on ITV
