Boot Camp, the second phase of THE X FACTOR competition, is what separates the men from the boys, the women from the girls, the good from the great, and the strong from the weak. Airing TONIGHT and TOMORROW at 8/7c on FOX you get to see all of that and more as our contestants battle it out to make it through to the Judges' Homes.

In Miami over the summer, the hopefuls were put through singing challenges, worked with vocal coaches, and for the first time went head-to-head with their direct competitors. It's full of tears, meltdowns, reality checks, and nervous Nellies.

Get a whiff of what the contestants say about it going into tonight's big show: "Boot Camp is the epitome of tough," said one contestant. "If you're not strong mentally, you're gonna crumble," said another contender.

"My nerves took over," admitted one hopeful. "This is my chance. I just blew it," said another tearful singer. "It is cutthroat, totally. I better watch it," said CeCe Frey.

The judges were rough. We can't wait to find out which contestant Simon Cowell said this to: "Arguably, one of the worst things I've ever heard in my life." Ouch.

"Boot Camp is tough and we're putting these guys through rigorous, rigorous tasks to really see if they're qualified to go through to the next round," L.A. Reid recently told us. "I think the competition in Boot Camp is going to be so stiff. I can't predict the outcome because there's so much good talent this year."

L.A. said that Boot Camp is one of his favorite parts of the show, as well. "I love the idea of going into Boot Camp and really turning it up for these contestants and making it even tougher for them because on the first audition, God knows how long they've rehearsed for their first audition. When they get to Boot Camp, they don't have any time to prepare, so now it's like we separate the boys from the men and see what they're really made of. That's exciting to me," he said.

For a sneak peek of Boot Camp before tonight, click here.

Want to refresh your memory on who went through to Boot Camp? Then check out our brand spanking new Boot Camp page.

Tune in TONIGHT & TOMORROW at 8/7c on FOX for two hour-long Boot Camp episodes.