Left: Cross B made the final cut. She now awaits the judges' decision if she will be in the top 12. Right: Latoya had the looks and star quality but just missed the judges' cut.

Over 600 Digicel Rising Stars hopefuls braved the heavy rain and flocked the fifth and final audition of the mega talent show at the Girl Guides Association of Jamaica headquarters on Saturday.

Chris Cooke-Johnson, Rising Stars Series Producer for the Caribbean, which also includes Trinidad and Haiti, said he was surprised by the large turnout considering the heavy rain that lashed the venue. "It was a higher turnout than I expected, given the weather situation. The quality of performances was good, and I must say, at all five auditions in May Pen, Portmore, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Kingston, the performances have been an improvement from last season."

Cooke-Johnson was also pleased with the talent pool. "Overall, the talent (at the Kingston auditions) has been good, and this year's show will see a big improvement in terms of talent from last year's staging," he pointed out.

According to Cooke-Johnson, he will have to watch anywhere between 150-200 contestants from all five auditions, and narrow that figure to about 100, where the judges will pick 12 finalists for all of Jamaica to see their talent. This is different from last year, where Jamaica would normally vote and choose the top 12.

The new host, Terri-Karelle Griffith-Reid, a former Miss Jamaica World, mingled with the crowd and interviewed some of the standout contestants. There were some interesting characters on hand, as one man, only known as Ras, caused a stir when he requested a light moment with the host.

The audition area was also abuzz with the judges giving mixed reviews on most contestants. Some of the comments suggested that some artistes needed to lift their performances to a higher level in order to move on, while others suggested that contestants were either nervous or not well prepared for the audition. There was one young lady that had out-standing physical features, and the charisma to be a star. However, she messed up the second verse of her song and did not progress to the next round.

Contestant Shantal Watson poses for the camera.

Contestant Melecia Harrison (left) finds comfort in the company of another contestant, Ciyoux Rankin.