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Well, it turns out that getting out of the arenas was the best thing The X Factor could have done.
There's been some grumbling about the changes (or lack of changes) to the show this year, but one thing Simon Cowell has done has definitely worked: bringing back the Country House stage of Boot Camp.
Imagine how dreary it would have been to go straight from weeks of arena auditions straight into the Six Chair Challenge? Instead, we were suddenly in the sunny countryside with a beautiful outdoor stage (which also gave us the chance to see Simon with a blanket over his knees).
And Boot Camp felt like Boot Camp again, with choreography and the tricksy group challenge. It wasn't just all about the performances: it was about finding a group and rehearsing and learning dances and lyrics and trying to get on and then facing the judges.
In fact, the judges took a step back in Sunday's episode (while Olly and Caroline stepped up, openly laughing at some contestants and comforting others). Cheryl and co had their moments, of course - Simon telling off Ryan Ruckledge ("What a horror of a human being") and urging Lauren Murray to fight for her place in the competition; Nick Grimshaw fearing he would be "struck out from the radio" if one act went through.
But when there was so much drama with the contestants, the judges didn't need to take such a front seat. The beauty of Boot Camp is that we get a glimpse behind the scenes, from the choreographers getting het up with the acts to the hopefuls trying to keep their more difficult colleagues in line.
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That's without even mentioning the tense on-stage row between Monica Michael and Princess Diamond ("What would you have changed?" "Maybe I'd have changed that one").
There felt like real jeopardy as the judges made cuts right there and then, with some eliciting sympathy - poor Stephanie Beeby messing up her lyrics broke our hearts - and others quite frankly deserving everything they got.
There's nothing better than a good reality show exit flounce, though, so thanks to Castellio for refusing to "entertain" the cameras and the aforementioned Ryan for his huffy "Simon can stick his show" as he got into his taxi.
Ah, Ryan. He was a mine of entertainment in Sunday's show, as he huffed about the song choice and then decided that instead of rehearsing he'd rather go and drink beer, bottles of wine and several double voddies, before taking a late night dip in the pool.
This was just all so kitsch - from Ryan dancing with a passing woman called Linda, to moaning the next day that he'd looked like he was on a hen do, to still being drunk and deciding to slut drop during his group's performance - that in a way we were almost sorry to see him go.
But there were still acts that shone, too. While some big hitters in the auditions failed to set the stage alight, there were others who shone: 4th Power are clearly still brilliant, for example, and Kiera Weathers just oozed pure class despite the Castellio brothers doing their best to infect her with their awfulness.
Boot Camp came at just the right time, giving us a much-needed change of pace and a totally different type of competition. Next week, we'll be back to solo performances (albeit on the outdoor stage) so it remains to be seen whether it still feels as fresh - but for the moment, this was a smart move from The X Factor.
The X Factor continues next Sunday (September 27) at 7pm on ITV.
