Meltdown fear comes true for Sydnee
It was just last week that Perth teen Sydnee Carter wowed The X Factor judges with a haunting first audition.
But the 16-year-old's worst nightmare came true in last night's episode when she stepped out on stage once more in the boot camp round, only to forget the lyrics to Lorde's hit song Tennis Court.
Having been given veteran judge Ronan Keating as a mentor that same day, Carter told Access All Areas she was so worried about letting her idol down that she had convinced herself she could not pull off the performance.
"Ronan had a lot of faith in me to do well and perform to my best ability," the Wanneroo singer said.
"To see his face when I first hit a road bump in the performance and then have it get worse and worse . . . I guess I picked it up just before the end but I think the judges were disappointed and didn't know what had happened between my audition and boot camp."
Carter left the stage in tears and ran into the waiting arms of her mother Roz, who accompanied her daughter to Sydney for the Seven talent quest.
"I think if I didn't have Mum there I would have had a worse meltdown than I did," the Sacred Heart College student admitted.
"When I went on stage knowing how doubtful I was . . . and then coming off stage and my nightmare had come true, it was a comfort knowing I had Mum there to hug it out."
While Carter's fate in the competition will not be known until the top 24 is revealed on Wednesday, a comment made by Keating has boosted the young performer's hopes of making it through to the next round.
Fellow judge Redfoo said it would be a big gamble to keep the teen in the contest but Keating pointed out that last year's victor Dami Im suffered a similar mishap at the very same stage, only to take out the top prize.
"It was a big reminder that everyone makes mistakes but this does not have to be the end of the world for me," Carter said of the comparison to Im.
Keating has been tasked with mentoring the under-25 girls this year, while Natalie Bassingthwaighte has the under-25 boys, Redfoo has the over-25s and Dannii Minogue will coach the groups.
