Cole and Cowell draw daggers

The bickering was back at the X Factor last night, as Cheryl Cole was criticised by Simon Cowell for not paying enough attention to one of her contestants - Treyc Cohen.

Cheryl was furious when Simon said she was not helping Treyc as much as she was the other girls.

Cohen, who was wearing a red hooded dress, sang Take That’s 'Relight My Fire' in an attempt to get more public votes than last week when she was in the bottom two.

Cowell said: “Treyc, I cannot fault that vocal. You are a great, great singer. The problem is that I do not think there is a connection between you and Cheryl.”

He turned to his fellow judge and added: “You have got to put some of your energy that you are putting into the others into her.”

Feisty Cole snapped back: “You are out of order. We have got a great connection.”

He challenged her: “Where does she live?”

Cole looked livid when she retorted: “That is so stupid. I went to pick her up at her house. She lives in Birmingham.”

The pair continued to bicker after Cher Lloyd’s “incredible” performance of Stay by Shakespears Sister.

Cowell, who dubbed Lloyd’s version of the song as the “best performance of the entire season”, said: “The only criticism I have is that obviously Cheryl is trying to turn you into her.”

The tense atmosphere behind the judges’ table was also apparent after Belle Amie’s rendition of Venus.

“Plates of milk for the girls,” said Simon after Cole and Dannii Minogue dished out some constructive criticism.

Aiden Grimshaw, 18, sang an “intense” piano acoustic version of Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

Louis Walsh told him: “It might not be everybody’s cup of tea but I liked it.”

Cole added: “I don’t think every song you do requires that much intensity. I would like to see you smile a little bit as well.”

But Cowell said the rendition was “bizarre” and “indulgent”.

One X Factor finalist’s dreams of stardom will come to an end tonight as another act is booted off the reality show.

The two performers with the fewest viewers’ votes out of the remaining 11 will have to sing again for the judges during the results show. The four-strong panel will then decide who goes home and who is saved.

Wacky Wagner Carrilho sang an out-of-time rendition of 'Oh Fortuna' mixed with 'Bat Out Of Hell' by Meatloaf. And Katie Waissel, wearing a huge blonde wig, sang 'Bewitched'.

The successes of the evening included mother-of-two Rebecca Ferguson who was dubbed as a “class” act by the judges.

Bookmakers Coral slashed her odds from 5-1 to 3-1 to win the show after her performance of 'Wicked Game' by Chris Isaak.

Dubliner Mary Byrne sang an “incredible” rendition of 'Could It Be Magic' and One Direction, wearing torn clothes with white face make-up and red eyeliner, sang an upbeat version of Bonnie Tyler’s 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'.

Paije Richardson, who was criticised for his clothes style by Cowell in the past, donned a black suit jacket and red bow tie for his performance of 'Back To Black'.