Just as fans of TV talent show, X Factor Arabia, thought the series might be simmering down, the judges upped the ante this week by pulling in some of the biggest names in the region for a cosy get together.
This week Wael, Elissa, Carole and Hussein had their hopefuls staying at their houses to work on their sets. But the judges were not the only stars in the building and the celebrity guests looked set to upstage the judging panel.
Sexy Lebanese songstress, Elissa, brought in her mate, Faudel - the Algerian Cheb superstar. However, despite the big name on board, poor Elissa had to deal with her first dropout of the season. Moroccan contestant, Asma Baseet, said she had to leave for "personal reasons", leaving a slot open for another wannabe. The 'Lips of Lebanon' was quick to replace her with 'Karm', a Jordanian hopeful who had caught her eye at the auditions stage.
Carole Samaha, the most elegant of the judging panel, created quite a stir with her choice of special guest: edgy Egyptian rapper, Ahmad Mekki. While UAE judge, Hussein al Jasmi, got in the help of new BFF and legendary Saudi crooner, Mohammad Abdo.
Last but not least, hearrthrob of the Middle East, Wael Kfoury, requested the help of saucy Lebanese songstress, Nawal al Zoghbi. Nawal is quite a force to be reckoned with but seemed in tune with Wael's way of thinking when it came to picking contestants.
So by the end of Friday, the series was down to the final twelve. The last batch of lucky hopefuls are as follows:
From Elissa's young ladies - Salwa Anouf (Algeria), Sumaya al Turki (Tunisia) and Eman Qarqino (Morocco).
From Hussein al Jasmi's over 25s - Mohammad al Reifi (Morocco), Ibrahim Abdul Hafeth (Libya) and Marwa Ahmad (Egypt).
From Carole Samaha's groups - Young Pharoz (Egypt), Ninija (Morocco) and Marraya (Egypt).
And finally from Wael Kfoury's young men - Adham al Nabulsi (Jordan), Ali al Mikhawi (Saudi Arabia), Montaser Billah al Farsi (Oman) and Hussam al Tarshishi (Lebanon).
Wael's final choice put the numbers a little out of sync but all judges were agreed that the ladies' man should be allowed another contestant, meaning next week's live show will feature 13 rather than the usual 12 wannabes!
