There were a whole lot of surprises and shockers on The X Factor, none more so than for Simon Cowell. Not only did he lose his first act in the talent show, he also got head-butted on live TV. The incident happened during the announcement of the acts to leave the competition in a surprise double elimination.

It was good news for Overs singer Anton Stephans, but in his excitement at learning that he was going to be singing for another week, he jumped up to kiss his mentor Simon Cowell and accidentally headbutted him. A red-faced Cowell laughed off the mishap as Anton disappeared off stage realising what he had just done. Speaking on The Xtra Factor, the former playback singer said: "I'm so embarrasssed. I can't believe that I kissed Simon Cowell. And then head-butted him."

It was not a great night all round for Simon, who saw Bupsi become the first act to be booted off the show. The music mogul had championed the singer, who won him over with a 'nasty' first audition. Leaving the show she said: "It's been a great experience. I've had an amazing time and it's been a great opportunity to show myself and put myself out there. I hope you guys enjoyed my Bupsi magic!"

With girl band Alien Uncovered and Kiera Weathers receiving the fewest votes, the pair were left to battle it out in the sing-off. Despite wowing the judges with their first performance in the live shows, the band who were described as the Spice Girls on Mars, didn't measure up against Kiera with her emotional rendition of R.E.M's Everybody Hurts.

Alien Uncovered's mentor Cheryl Fernandez-Versini backed her group all the way, saying: "My loyalty and love is obviously with Alien Uncovered', while Rita Ora stood by Kiera, adding: "It's only the start for Kiera, and there's so much you can do."

While it was expected that Cheryl and Rita would save their acts, the audience and the contestants alike were stunned when Simon and Nick Grimshaw saved Keira. "Those performances really changed my opinion," said Nick. "I loved that Keira, so I'm going to have to send Alien home."

Simon Cowell, who had the deciding vote also sent Alien Uncovered home. And, adding insult to injury, he got their name wrong. "I'm going to have to judge it on the sing off, there is an obvious person who was better tonight," he said. "Even though I'm unhappy with this decision, the artist I'm going to send home is Alien Nation."

Fully expecting to go home, Kiera looked stunned at the result, while Cheryl too said she was in a state of shock. Despite their sudden exit, the six-strong band who were hailed the future of girl bands, said they would be back. " 'It's been an amazing experience. Thank you so much Cheryl for getting our swag. We will be back!"

The first live show of the series garnered a positive reaction on social media, with fans praising the high standard of this year's finalists. And while the results show had everyone talking, it also featured a showstopping performance from Little Mix of their new single Love Me Like You Do. The band came back to the show that made them a household name in 2011, as they became the first group to ever win The X Factor.

Perrie, who recently split form Fiance Zayn Malik who she met through the show, told the audience: "It's amazing. It makes us a bit nervous but it's great to be back." Star guest Ellie Goulding too showed the aspiring singers how its done with a sultry performance of her new track.

Meanwhile, with the two acts out of the competition, which features collectively the strongest singers the show has seen, next week's X Factor is sure to bring more surprises for the competitors and the judges.