This weekend’s X Factor shows were a terrifying experience for contestants as they escaped the instant chop on Saturday only to face a further exit on Sunday.

In a special Halloween twist, a participant was axed from the show on Saturday in addition to the loser of Sunday’s sing-off, reducing the line-up of hopefuls from 11 to 9 this weekend.

Fortunately for Kent singers Charlie George and Parisa Tarjomani - in Only The Young - it was not them who became the victims of the Halloween curse on either Saturday or Sunday. Despite barely surviving last week’s programme, on Saturday they beat Mel B's act Jake Quickenden, who left the show.

Only The Young drew praise from the judges on Saturday for their fun and tuneful rendition of Monster Mash, and on Sunday they avoided falling into the bottom two, sailing through to next week.

Kent’s other hopeful, 14-year-old schoolboy Charlie Jones, from Wilmington, narrowly survived on Sunday with his boy band Stereo Kicks, who had sung Everybody (Backstreet's Back).

Stereo Kicks were announced as falling into the bottom two on Sunday and went into a sing-off against Lola Saunders. Judges' votes were split and so the decision fell to a deadlock; Lola had the lowest number of public votes.

Judge Mel B said Stereo Kicks had put in their best performance to date during the sing-off with Pink's Perfect, which should lift the group's spirits as they enter a new week of the competition.