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We got there. The final episode of X Factor auditions has aired, and it's on to Boot Camp. And it's probably just about time that the competition changes things up - especially with the Strictly spectre looming.
If there's been one complaint people have had about this series of The X Factor, it seems to be that not enough has changed. And certainly, we got yet more Whitney Houston covers in Saturday's final auditions episode.
We even got a repeat of the Silver Tone drama, when hopeful Joseph McCaul got through after being asked to return with a different song. It was a similar story with husky, Joss Stone-esque Lucy Duffield, who was asked to sing a second song a capella to prove she could actually hold a tune (she really could).
Even Simon Cowell seemed to be acknowledging the clichés; when Sherilyn Hamilton Shaw made Cheryl Fernandez-Versini cry with her powerful rendition of 'I Didn't Know My Own Strength', he couldn't resist commenting that she may have the best backstory of X Factor history (having founded a charity after discovering she had a heart defect and nursed her temporarily paralysed husband back to health). He even joked that it could only be better if she had a rescue dog.
That self-awareness is better than the low point of the episode, when a series of bad acts had the judges yawning and complaining about how boring it all was. It seems very brave - or perhaps very foolish - to flag up the tedium of auditions.
But while The X Factor can sometimes give us very familiar things - which is almost comforting, in its way - it also still has the power to surprise. This was most noticeable with Menn On Point, a whirlwind of a duo who may not have had the best vocals but certainly had everyone dancing.
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They felt fresh, new and unusual for The X Factor, and certainly had Rita Ora grinding away. It felt a bit cringeworthy to hear her earnestly pronounce how "musically relevant" they are, but then, she was right.
There were other acts with a bit more variety, too, from the wonderful Megan Dallas with her easy rap during an acoustic cover of 'Waterfalls' to the slightly embarrassed but ever so sweet Anton Banaghan, whose self-conscious mic tricks were rather endearing.
And it feels like we never get duos anymore, so it was a bit of a treat to get not only Menn On Point but also married couples Nige and Kay (the least rock and roll duet name ever) and The Shures, both of whom were clearly talented.
Of course, this wouldn't be The X Factor without a bit of drama, and alongside the aforementioned Joseph and Lucy jeopardy we got everything from an ice cream fight to a stage invader with a twist; bland boyband D-Tone looking like they wanted to crawl into a hole when their manager Debbie stormed on to sing a protest against Cowell's criticisms (funnily enough, her intervention didn't work).
All of this helped to keep the pace reasonably snappy, something the show needed when it was cramming 16 acts into one episode. Some of them are certainly more memorable than others (Louel, the much buzzed about Ollie Marland and Kerrie-Anne Phillips are just three examples of acts who failed to make much of an impression in their short time on screen).
But producers are probably pleased that it's out with the auditions and in with Boot Camp, bringing us a change of pace and something new to watch - from the different setting (a fancy country house hotel, no less) to the inevitable inter-act arguments. But have viewers seen enough during the auditions to keep them tuning in? That remains to be seen.
The X Factor continues with Boot Camp tonight (September 20) at 7pm on ITV.
