The five acts heading into the high-stakes live quarter-finals were the groups Four and Iziqhaza (under Oskido’s mentorship), the over-24s Eliezer and Wandaboy (under Zonke’s wing), and Bubbles – who was Arno Carstens’ only remaining contestant left in the competition as well as the last female solo singer standing.

Again, they faced a tall order: this time, they had to perform iconic songs with inspirational lyrics. Four kicked off proceedings, pouring heart and soul into Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful, with Bubbles lending her powerful voice to Brave by Sara Bareilles.

Then it was the turn of Eliezer to feel irie with Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, and for Iziqhaza to step out of their comfort zone and tackle I’ll Be There by The Parlotones.

The evening took a reflective turn in commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence when Wandaboy sang an impassioned rendition of the Babyface track How Come, How Long, a poignant chronicle of brutal domestic abuse.

Viewers were then treated to an unexpected bonus: a collaborative performance between Eliezer and Four, singing Where is the Love? by Black Eyed Peas, and Bubbles, Iziqhaza and Wandaboy banding together to perform Michael Jackson’s Will You Be There?

While everyone was left moved and inspired by the contestants’ soulful performances, followed by a rousing guest appearance by “Mr Ghetto”, Zakes Bantwini, it was tempered by the knowledge that the journey would soon be over for one more act.

Viewers voted feverishly to keep their favourites out of the firing line, resulting in Bubbles and Iziqhaza landing in the bottom two. These two acts were placed in the unenviable position of having to sing for their lives to convince the judges to keep them in the running – and sadly, it ended up being the turn of Bubbles to bid farewell to the competition.

Next week it’s the turn of the awesome foursome – the top four acts – to give it their all in a bid to become South Africa’s next singing superstar. The bar is getting higher every week and the competition ever stiffer, as the count down to the final live gala show on Saturday, 13 December continues.

The next episode of The X Factor SA airs on Saturday, 6 December at 18:00 on SABC1, followed by the results show at 19:30. Plus, exclusive bonus footage can be seen during The XtraFactor on SABC3 on Fridays at 19:30.

Remember: the contestants need votes from the viewing public now more than ever as their lifeline to advance through to the finals. Be sure to SMS the number of one’s favourite act to 33121 (SMS’s charged at R1.50) and help secure their future in the competition.

All tracks performed during the live gala shows are available on iTunes for just R5.99 each. One can download them here.

The X Factor South Africa is brought to viewers by SABC1 in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism and Vodacom. The show is produced by Rapid Blue.

For more information, visit and like The X Factor SA’s Facebook page and follow @the_xfactorsa on Twitter.