It is a truth universally acknowledged that Simon Cowell is a man who takes few prisoners.
The notoriously hard-to-please Britain's Got Talent judge has more than once been known to reduce contestants to tears as he dashes their dreams with a derisive comment and a pantomime baddie sneer.
It doesn't matter whether they've got their sing
ing, dancing or gerbil juggling down to a fine art, the vast majority of talented hopefuls will quickly be given their marching orders by he of high-waisted trousers fame.
Despite having reached the final of the hit ITV1 show with their expertly choreographed dance routines, complete with jaw-dropping flips and eyewatering splits, Flawless were still dreading the prospect of a grilling.
They may have wowed the audience and had enormous belief in their own abilities, but Marlon "Swoosh" Wallen and the rest of his North London troupe could never in their wildest dreams have imagined that Cowell's response would be so positive.
After giving the dance outfit a standing ovation, he told the nine-strong group: "That's one of the best things I've ever seen in my life."
Fellow judges Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden were equally enthusiastic.
"That was utterly electrifying," said Morgan, while Holden called Flawless's performance "jaw-droppingly outstanding".
After dance rivals Diversity claimed top-spot in the contest ahead of West Lothian singing sensation Susan Boyle, Morgan even went so far as to say that Flawless should have won the coveted title, claiming that Diversity had been "lucky" not to go on first.
Wallen, busy rehearsing for the Britain's Got Talent national tour, which comes to the Edinburgh Playhouse on Tuesday, is still dumbfounded by the reaction of the judges
"That was just incredible," says the 25-year-old. "We did not have any idea how it would go down in terms of the judges' comments. For them just to say 'you guys are good' would have been amazing, but to get that comment from Simon - words can't explain how it felt. We could never have dreamt he would say something like that."
Although Flawless had built up a strong reputation as background performers, Wallen says that the exposure Britain's Got Talent has given them could be a significant step towards realising their lofty ambitions.
"We want to be legends in what we do," he explains. "We don't just want to be successful, but we want to do something that can change people's lives. We are striving to have our own arena concert.
"Britain's Got Talent has given us a huge platform to show people who we are and what we're about."
Flawless, who range in age from 21 to 32, have been performing professionally together for four years.
"Some were working in retail, some were working for Royal Mail but, individually, we all had a passion for dance. We all wanted to pursue it as a career," says Wallen.
It is impossible to watch some of Flawless's routines without being reminded of Michael Jackson at his peak, but Wallen says the dancers are also influenced by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Jackie Wilson and James Brown.
Choreographer Wallen, who has been dancing since the age of four, reveals he has always had high hopes for Flawless.
"We all wanted to become professionals, but for me it was about affecting change through dance," he says.
In 2006, Flawless were crowned World Hip Hop Dance Champions by the International Dance Organization in Bremen, Germany, becoming the first group to get full marks from all of the judges.
And while missing out on the Britain's Got Talent title in front of a television audience of more than 19 million was obviously disappointing for the group, Flawless clearly have a winning-isn't-everything mentality. Wallen further impressed the judges by telling them that they were "chasing the dream, not the competition".
Flawless will be spending four weeks on the road (from 12 June to 5 July) with the other Britain's Got Talent finalists, including Diversity, Stavros Flatly and Hollie Steel.
Last year's winner, 15-year-old street dancer George Sampson, will also be performing.
"We're really excited about it," says Wallen. "Because we're all based in London, we don't get out much to see other parts of Britain, like Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and it'll be great to see what people are like and how they respond to us. It'll be great to get out there and to meet people.
"I really hope everyone enjoys what we do. We try to share what we are doing on stage with the audience. We want to be performing for everybody."
To ensure that their performances remain 'flawless', the group devote many hours to rehearsing and developing new routines.
"We're preparing a lot of stuff and coming up with a lot of new ideas," says Wallen. "When we performed on television, we only had a minute and a half, so we'll obviously be performing longer than that. It should be really good."
Wallen also says that the Edinburgh audience can "look forward to some interesting collaborations".
Asked whether any of these would involve teaming up with Sampson, he grins: "Now that would be telling . . ."
Britain's Got Talent UK Tour, Tuesday, Edinburgh Playhouse, Greenside Place, for tickets visit www.ticketzone.co.uk or call 08700-11 26 26
Susan takes it steady after being pipped for titleSHE may have been mentioned on The Simpsons and gained fans in everyone from Demi Moore to Oprah Winfrey, but West Lothian's Susan Boyle couldn't quite do enough to take this year's Britain's Got Talent title.
That honour instead went to Diversity, the hugely talented dance troupe from Essex, who will be headlining the upcoming tour which stops off at the Edinburgh Playhouse on Tuesday.
The troupe, who are aged from 12-25, stormed to victory with their show-stopping, Transformers-inspired routine.
All ten finalists, plus last year's winner, 15-year-old Warrington street dancer George Sampson, are set to appear.
The only question mark is over Boyle. At the time of going to press, it was still unconfirmed whether the 48-year-old would be well enough to take part in the tour following her post-final breakdown.
However, Julian Smith, the 40-year-old saxophonist from the West Midlands who finished an admirable third in the contest, is certain to take to the stage in the Capital.
And also keen to entertain the Edinburgh audience with their unique brand of chubby Irish dancing are father and son double act Stavros Flatley.
Greek-Cypriot Demetrios Demetriou, 40, and his son Lagi, 14, continually had the audience, as well as the judges, in stitches on the television show.
John Neill, 76, and 12-year-old granddaughter Sallie Lax comprise singing duo 2 Grand. The Doncaster pair have been performing together for more than two years.
Meanwhile, slightly more energetic entertainment will come in the form of Aidan Smith from Birmingham. The 12-year-old is a street dancer who taught himself through watching MTV.
The three remaining members of the tour line-up are all singers. They are Hollie Steel, ten, from Accrington, 17-year-old student Shaun Smith from Lichfield, and Shaheen Jafargholi, 12, from Swansea.
