With Ashanie Reid eliminated and Anthony 'Killer' Miller's long-anticipated wild-card pick on the schedule, Digicel Rising Stars started out on an exciting note this week. However, most of the contestants struggled with the 80s theme.

Miller's decision was made hard by the two talented contenders, who delivered a crowd-pleasing rendition of Rescue Me by Fontella Bass. Miller awarded the coveted spot to Amoui Ashman, who, he said, had 'fire' in her performance.

The first contestant to hit the stage was competition- favourite Jody Kay James, who gave her all with Jennifer Holliday's I am Changing. While the judges gave rave reviews for her voice and performance, they agreed the song was a bad choice.

Roxy J managed to surprise with a detour from her usual gospel selections, singing, Make It Like It Was by Regina Belle. Though Alaine considered it her best performance of the competition, she failed to impress the other judges.

Vanity Club got no love from the judges or the audience for their ill-rehearsed cover of The Police's Every Step You Take, which saw Anthony Miller openly declaring he hoped they would be voted off. The next contestant, Roshelle Harris, tried her best with Whitney Houston's How Will I Know, but got mixed reviews.

An almost unrecognisable Jay Keda switched things up with her look, but still missed the mark with Phil Collins' Against All Odds. Newcomer Amoui Ashman also failed to keep the attention of the judges with a so-so performance of Madonna's Like a Prayer.

Clad in a hot pink catsuit, Samantha Bogle got more praise for her outfit than her performance of DeBarge's Rhythm of the Night. Marsha K also fell into the pickle of picking the wrong song, as the judges noted Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart was not the best choice.

The final performer, Anna Mariah, reclaimed her position at the head of the pack with a monstrously good remake of Michael Jackson's Thriller. From the artfully tattered costumes and contact lens with the vertical eye slits to the grotesque dancers, the Montegonian thrust the bar high out of reach of the other contestants with her well-choreographed performance.

"Best performance of the night!" declared Miller. "You are a fashion plate and you make that work for you, but you really engaged the song and you really invested yourself."

Guest judge, world-renowned choreographer, Tanisha Scott, commended Mariah for her theatrical performance, saying it was fantastic.

"Anna Mariah's performance really stood out from the rest, but they all need to step up and put themselves on a bigger stage mentally," Scott said.

"I think the challenge for these contestants is that they need to see themselves as bigger than they are. Right now, they're just doing standard, 'good-enough' performances, and they're not reaching out. They need to do their homework and properly research the songs and properly prepare for their performances."