Luke and Joel Booted from The X Factor

I said that after a fairly uneven night of X Factor, I wasn’t really sure where the axe was going to fall. But I didn’t expect to see Luke and Joel and Mahogany in the firing line.

It must have been a hard night for Guy Sebastian, who forced the judging to a public vote rather than eliminate one of his own. As it turns out it wouldn’t have mattered; Luke and Joel were gone whichever way we cut it.

I’m sorry to see these two go. I was incredibly skeptical when they made it to the finals, but they’ve won me over with their sunny personalities, exceptional ability to interpret a song, and real musical flair. I hope we see a lot more of these boys on the outside.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 30: (L-R) The cast of 'The X Factor' Natalie Imbruglia, Ronan Keating, Kyle Sandilands and Guy Sebastian pose during a media call on July 30, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mike Flokis/Getty Images)