By STEPANIE McGRATH
AllPop

Narrator: The goodbyes are getting harder, but the auditions must go on. The girls are about to face their biggest challenge yet. (Is it just me or have these girls faced about 20 of their biggest challenges yet?)

I am happy to report that there are fewer tears during this episode than the last, although a teaser for next week shows that judge Billie may be trying out Lee's style of emotional melt-down.

The show opens on day 3 of the "Popstars" bootcamp, and we're told there are only 18 girls left from the original 4,000 hopefuls.

This week's "biggest challenge yet" is a chance for each of the girls to audition in a recording studio.

But first -- da da da da - there shall be three cuts.

(Writer's note: Due to the always-entertaining Juno Awards, I was unable to watch this week's "Popstars" in real time. Instead, I viewed the latest instalment on video. This means that I will be unable to insert the cute little "Popstars" theme otherwise known as "bop bop bop do ahhhh" in between segments because I do not know where the commercials are! I hope you will deal with this and move on with your life. Thank you.)

Anyway, before the gals make it into the recording studio, they have a chance to air their grievances about the audition process for Michael in the gang.

The girls say they're stressed because of the judges, lights and camera. Well fancy that! A camera for a reality TV show. Who'd a thunk it.

The girls are apparently frustrated because the judges have been giving them "vague" hints for improvement.

Michael responds: "It means simply that we don't know what we're looking for yet. If we did we'd send out a casting breakdown ... (and, well, I guess there would be no show and Michael wouldn't be able to spout cryptic words of wisdom once a week.)

Then the other judges talk. Blah blah blah, doing great, blah blah blah.

The girls have a 20 minute solo performance in the rehearsal hall. Basically they sing. Some are good, some are bad and some do this scary quivery lips thing like a cheap Christina Aguilera rip-off.

Okay, on to my favourite time of the day: the cuts (Do you think we'll see some cuts? I think so.)

Narrator: "Lee was warned she could no longer afford to hold anything back".

We're shown a quick shot of Lee, a.k.a. The Queen Of Tears, during the 20 minute solo. She's having a hard time.

Lee walks in front of Michael and the gang and rambles off some quick spiel about how she loved this opportunity, she's trying her best, but she could still do better.

Guess what? Lee is gone.

She holds it together until she's out of the room. Then, the camera thoughtfully zooms in on her having a mini-meltdown. Nice. Very sensitive, guys.

Uh oh. Things aren't looking good for Jenna, either.

Narrator: "For Jenna, time seems to be running out".

Hmmmm, Dear Narrator:

Foreshadowing can be a useful tool if gracefully incorporated to give the audience a subtle hint of things to come. Hitting your viewers over the head with the news that, HEY GUESS WHAT THE JUDGES WANT TO CUT JENNA, does not increase the level of suspense, 'cause you JUST TOLD US WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN!

The judges think that Jenna's voice is too "distinctive".

Narrator: The voice and sound of almost any pop group is determined by the type of songs they choose.

(You don't say? And all this time I thought that the voice and sound of *Nsync had something to do with their acid-wash clothing.)

What the narrator is trying to tell us is that Jenna's "distinctive" voice won't be determining the voice and sound of this pop group.

Jenna is gone.

Narrator: "Getting used to rejection may be the hardest thing about getting used to the recording industry".

Ugghh, I just can not handle Mr. Narrator today at all.

Oops, melodramatic Dana is on the chopping block too. Dana handles her cut with a hefty amount of grace and no '80's Tiffany headsnaps. What's going on?

Quick shot of Dana calling somebody, probably her boyfriend.

"Can you come pick me up, I've been cut."

Oh, so sad. Goodbye to Dana, who auditioned at the same time as I did. My personal connection to the show has now been severed.

Now, here we go, onto the exciting recording studio footage.

Which, the narrator tells us, will take place in "Toronto's famous Metal Works studio". (Okay, from now on, whenever the narrator makes Toronto sound like the fame Mecca of the world, I'm going to use code. The code will be Mecca Time.)

Since Lee is gone, and I liked Lee (I tease because I love), I have to find a new favourite. I have chosen Mirella. I like her, she's spunky.

Mirella is singing up a storm in the oh-so-famous recording studio.

I also like Andrea from Hamilton, but the judges think she's too shy, so I won't get attached.

Latoya wows everyone from the studio and me, too. That girl can seriously sing.

Anyway, we're shown a montage of all the girls singing some brand new song by "award winning song-writer Justin Grey". It's pretty generic and says something about being knocked out by a boy. I think the song is referring to being knocked out romantically, not violently, though. (Apparently some of the girls don't like it either, because judge Allen tries to calm their fears.

"I know a lot of you weren't knocked out by it [the song], but it's not representative of what this group is going to be." )

Anyway, all the girls sound good in the studio to me, but I guess they're not going to make a 15-member pop group.

This segment is pretty boring, actually. Shots of girls crooning the same tune into microphones is not thrilling.

So let's move on.

Back to the top-secret downtown audition location for the next day.

At the end of today (well, at the end of next week's episode for us), five girls will be cut. Then the judges will go through tapes and photos and try to pick the final five.

Next time on "Popstars": "It's breaking my heart, they're so damn good," wails the vocal coach during the cut-a-thon.

Narrator: Emotions can't be contained and memories won't ever be erased.

Oh, close-up of Billie crying at some inevitable cut.

And someone the judges all liked won't be back. Who could it be?

As of now, I have no idea who will make the final five. I hope Jessica (Olivia Newton-John), Mirella and Latoya will, but only time will tell.

See you next week.

Bop bop bop do ahhhh!

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