X Factor (UK) 2016

1) Matt Terry – with the styling and song choices it's like they're methodically going through all the possible solo male singer readymades. This week was George Michael. A reasonable version of 'I'm Your Man' but something was missing. He sang and danced but didn't seem invested in the song, like he'd been told to sing that song but didn't really care for it personally.
2) Sam Lavery – nice to see Rebecca Fergusson in the VT. Sam's performance was a plodding trudge compared to the original (by The Pretenders not Girls Aloud which was a cover). Also her voice seemed to go to shit during the second verse.
3) Honey G - it's an insult that the first 'rap' act on XF (aside from the singers who have incorporated rap into their performances like Misha B and Cher Lloyd) is someone doing this as a comedy act.
4) Ryan Lawrie - the 'poor me' VT does him no favours. If this is “leaving everything on that stage” then he didn't have much to start with. He did try to engage with the audience a bit more this week, although it took the shape of slapping the hands of the front row of the audience in a totally spontaneous choreographed way. Every week he just looks more awkward and more like he wished he wasn't there.
5) Four of Diamonds - harmonies were better this week. They sound about as interesting as The Corrs though.
6) Saara Aalto - Toyah Wilcox meet Bjork with some yellowface thrown in. The arrangement and backing track didn't give her anything to push against and didn't back her up. At times it sounded like Saara's voice by itself in a giant aircraft hanger that she couldn't quite fill.
7) Emily Middlemas - the staging was a bit modern Eurovision, I was reminded of the Swedish guy who performed with the stick figures.
8) 5 After Midnight - nice to see them take a bit more control over their song choice. The arrangement was pretty good and their singing was much better this week. Best performance of the night for me, which really surprised me as I thought they'd been a bit crap the past two weeks.

More than ever, song choice seems to be the make-or-break decision that determines who gets voted off. It wasn't like that in previous years - bad song choices didn't used to get an act in the bottom two if they could 'make it their own' (groan).

Matt Terry - Totally agree that something was missing. It's such a catchy and upbeat performance but he managed to make it all seem so bland and lifeless. Marcus Collins did the exact same performance of this in 2011. He was a much better performer than Matt. Matt actually gives me Eoghan Quigg vibes, even down to the annoying faces he pulls when he's getting praise.

Sam Lavery - I kind of love how rubbish she is. They just don't pick up on it despite weeks of terrible vocals. Who is voting for her?

Honey G - I can honestly see her in the final now.

Ryan Lawrie - I was laughing at them forcing Ryan to read his bad Twitter comments in front of the camera. I remember when they did that to Jessy from Little Mix. She sat their crying as she read about people were calling her ugly. These producers are ruthless! His performance was a slightly better attempt at covering up how much he hated it than last week. I kind of want him in the final as the producers are doing everything they can to get rid of him. It's coming close to Christopher Maloney levels.

Four of Diamonds - They have zero chemistry or stage presence. I'm still holding it against them that Relley C was kicked out.

Saara - Yeah, this wasn't as good as it should have been. It's a classic song but not one that would show her vocals off. She'll be in the bottom three tonight. She'll probably be kicked out over Four of Diamonds as that seems to happen to anyone I'm slightly invested in.

Emily - Last week was the sign that she is now the favourite with producers. Diana Vickers, Janet Devlin and Abi Alton didn't get there, I think Emily will. It's a shame that every performance is exactly the same.

5 After Midnight - They seem to be back in favour after the last two weeks. I'm still so amused at how different their voices sound when they sing individually and when they sing together. At least three of those guys cannot sing in tune. They are getting One Direction/Stereo Kicks levels of help in the chorus.

This series is really starting to drag. 2013 will always be the weakest year but this is coming close.

Four of Diamonds, in addition to having virtually no stage presence, have the same problem I have with Little Mix - their individual voices all sound very similar. 5 After Midnight at least sound like three different people when they sing individually.
Bottom three prediction: Four of Diamonds, Saara, Ryan (who gets saved by the app vote again). I would lean more towards FoD being voted off rather than Saara. She was a bit shit this week, but the group have never really got going apart from a brief bit of 'Lady Marmalade', which was weeks ago.
I just re-read the 2013 thread and couldn't really remember much about that series apart from 'arsey' (Rough Copy). They're still going, but their current website is a link to iTunes overlaid on top of their old website.
Final three prediction: Matt, Slavery, Honey G. Ryan will place 4th. I can see him continuing to get saved by the app vote unless the producers find an excuse to can it.

I really don't know who they would save out of Saara and 4 of Diamonds. I think they're probably both seen as being totally disposable.

I think they'll take away the app vote before Ryan gets that far. He'll probably do as well as Lloyd Daniels and Sam Callahan. That's the level he's at.

2013 is the year they really tried to make Tamera happen. She was decent but they kept giving her dreary ballads and she forgot her words a number of times. Sam Bailey, Nicholas McDonald and Luke Friend is probably the worst final they've had since the first season. The only reason I'd put that first season about 2013 is because it had Rowetta on it. Haha, Arsey anthems will always be funny as will, "If you believe in God make some noise" as they got voted off.

I think the final three will be Matt, Emily and Honey G. 5 After Midnight will probably just miss out. I think they were aiming to dampen Matt's support last night putting him on first with that song choice.

OK I think it's going to break down like this:
7th - either Saara or Ryan
6th - whoever is left out of Saara or Ryan
5th - 5 After Midnight
4th - either Slavery or Emily
3rd - Honey G
2nd - whoever is left out of Slavery or Emily
1st - Matt

Song choice really a big decider this year. Matt is less affected by it because he can turn his hand to a wider range of styles, Honey G because her act is beyond the usual 'you sang/didn't sing that song with the requisite amount of emotion/soul/funk/whatever'. One more bad song choice will see Saara go. Ryan's run out of steam, such that he really had any in the first place. 5 After Midnight are really hit or miss - there are flashes of brilliance amongst the mundanity when they apply themselves like an actual band, although maybe with FoD gone Louis will meddle too much and they'll lose that. I feel that the same people are voting for Slavery and Emily, so the vote is split between them. Once one of them has gone, the other will get 2nd place. I don't think the app vote is going to provide any more upsets (Ryan would have been out in week 2 or 3 if it hadn't been there) and it's last function might be to help decide if it's Slavery or Emily who gets into the final.

I'd say 5am will outlast slavery - I'm guessing there's a north eastern power base for her, but that can only do so much – and maybe they'll nip ahead of Honey G too, but otherwise that seems about right.

Emily might fall back into the pack with DISCO next week, but the syco-powers seem to want her for the final.

There are plenty of disco songs that would suit Emily's voice - 'Love Don't Live Here Anymore' springs to mind. It's 5 After Midnight that might come unstuck. Their performance this week was the best out of the eight remaining acts and also their personal best of the series. But if Louis meddles and tries to make them into the Bee Gees they'll fall flat.
I've got this funny feeling that Saara's going to go full-on 'I am genius' and have a crack at 'I Will Survive', which will be a mess. The problem is that although she has a good voice, she doesn't have a clear musical vision, it's mainly centred on wanting people to like her. Misha and Cher didn't care whether or not people liked them and consequently were free to make the right choices that suited them and showcased their talents in the best light.

I'd say 5am will outlast slavery

If they can make it through the bramble patch that is Disco Week and put in an outstanding performance the week after that, then I agree. But if the theme for the week after next is 'Louis Loves' then they're scuppered because Louis' song choice will be head-down-the-toilet terrible. Remember this is the judge who kept getting Wanger to do joke songs week after week.

I'm predicting things to go slightly differently.

7. Ryan
6. Saara
5. Slavery
4. 5 After Midnight
3. Honey G
2. Matt
1. Emily

The only order I'm really not sure about is Honey G and 5 After Midnight. I'm not sure who the producers will more invested in getting into the final.

I don't think the producers care either way. Whichever of the two gets through to the final 3, they're disposable as the final is Matt vs Emily. 5 After Midnight have only been together six months and they're a long way from being JLS or even the next Wand. If they don't screw up the next few live shows, Syco might hole them up in a rehearsal studio for a year to develop them a bit. Honey G is in an even more precarious position - she's not the next Keith Lemon and even if she was that's not Syco's area anyway.
I would place Emily 2nd because she's not as interesting as Vickers and also that Dido-esque style of singer isn't as popular as it was when Vickers was on XF. Matt's more contemporary - he's in the same slightly retro pop area that Olly Murs and Bruno Mars occupy, so kickstarting his chart career is going to be quicker.

Saara's not doing 'I Will Survive', but without spoiling anything, someone else is. Also Ryan's song choice is just laughable. Honey G: with this song maybe maybe this is the week that people say "OK joke's over this shit isn't funny anymore".

She's doing Yoko's "Walking on Thin Ice"

If we're going to limit Honey G to singers and rappers wearing sunglasses, then surely she needs to cover this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsE6ZD9c_zE

(better quality)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clg9AziTfI4

Or maybe the intro music to the 1984 series of The Lenny Henry Show. At least then Louis can legitimately say "you remind me of a young Lenny Henry".

'Stay into the black, stay out of the red, nuthin in this game for two in a bed'

Oh, hang on...

Saara was the best by a mile this week. Shame that she was on first and her VT was yet more of the depressing, let's laugh at the foreigner narrative.

How is Sam still there? It's amusing that they put the bottom three on from last week first. I guess we know who the targets are. I think Sam will be in trouble tomorrow.

They got rid of the flash vote this week. Bye Ryan. Still no sign of his beloved acoustic guitar.

5 After Midnight continue to be carried by their backing vocals. Sounded like another arsey anthem to me.

Matt Terry seems to get a little more bland each week. He just has nothing interesting about him as a performer or as a human being. All he has is those high notes which are not as impressive as he thinks.

Emily doing Wishing On A Star was one of the worst performances of the season so far. It was completely flat and really exposed how thin her voice was. To give her credit, I loved that she dropped Simon in it at the end saying she was bored of standing still singing ballads. Louis telling Simon that he was playing safe was a weird moment where he gets something right.

Honey G seems to get the last spot on the show every single week. I could really see her winning this now.

They did disco week on the 2013 series. They didn't have Sister Sledge but they did have Chic opening the show. Some of the song choices that week..

Sam Bailey - No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)
Luke Friend - Play That Funky Music
Tamera Foster - Wishing On A Star
Abi Alton - I Will Survive
Rough Copy - September

They're really not trying at all this series are they? I wonder if they used exactly the same staging and outfits too.

I just watched Luke's performance of 'Play That Funky Music' and it was 'better' in the sense that you could hear his voice compared to Ryan's attempt last night. Although I think this was also the week that they tried to make look 'sexy' and only succeeded in making him look like a sleazy leering creep. But at least there's the possibility that the costume department kept those gold boots, so maybe Honey G could wear them.

1) Saara Aalto – Sharon's whole “towns vote for people” idea was totally bogus and desparate. A bit of an anonymous performance that just avoided being shouty.
2) Sam Lavery – passable as a mid 2010s cover. She didn't sound convinced though.
3) Ryan Lawrie – he sounds like a slightly off par Olly Murs. The backing singers were doing a lot of the heavy lifting during the choruses. Although it's a sign of how bad Ryan has been that that was probably his best performance of the series so far.
4) 5 After Midnight – they seemed to get swamped by the arrangement in the first song, but the second song was better. Just like the Rough Copy version they needed a lot of help from the backing vocals.
5) Matt Terry – he does a competent job but his performance really has that slight 'Saturday night TV' performance disconnect. It did get more focused towards the end but we've never got a clear idea about what he's trying to put across. He's another of these XF singers who can technically sing but has no drive to really say something and will just sing whatever's put in front of him.
6) Emily Middlemas - her voice was too floaty on this, like it didn't have enough contact with the song. She's right that she can't keep doing 'standing still ballads'. But if people are voting for her then Simon might not want to change things around. I wonder how much the judges are told about the previous week's voting? I'm of the opinion that they shouldn't be told anything at all - apart from the relative position of the bottom three/two which they find out anyway - so as to avoid them playing it safe particularly in song choice.
7) Honey G – VT: when you're saying that Robbie Williams, not the greatest rapper, has inspired you, what does that really say? Robbie's new album is titled 'The Heavy Entertainment Show', but this whole series is squarely in the light entertainment category. Honey G performing the N-Trance version of the song was probably the best option. This was actually her best performance and her performances are improving, but still it's a comedy act and needs to be off XF ASAP.

Bottom two prediction: Saara (hardly anyone's voting for her as evidenced by Sharon's desperate attempt to drum up support) vs Ryan (he's getting better but he's now the weakest singer - not counting Honey G).

(and given that Ryan's improved this week while Saara really hasn't, I think the judges will vote off Saara)

5 After Midnight looked so awkward dancing to September. It was like when you go to a party but you're not drunk enough to throw yourself into it.

I think Sam will be in the bottom two tonight. Probably her and Ryan. I wonder if last night's negative comments for Emily were the producers trying to get that Ryan and Emily bottom two that they've been dreaming of since the beginning. I think Saara might sneak through to next week. She got the best reaction of the night with 5 After Midnight.

I've always assumed that Emily and Matt will be in the final two but now I'm really not sure if both of them will be able to beat Honey G and 5 After Midnight. I could see a shock with Matt. Remember when Eoghan Quigg was the favourite to win in 2008 and he won the vote every week until near the end when he came third? Having said that, they had Alexandra and JLS that year. Matt is more of an Eoghan or Marcus Collins. He can sing and has a pop star look, but it's all too cheesy and dated. He has no story at all. I honestly think the producers might be happy with a Honey G win.

Sharon really is terrible at sticking to her script. Her reason to eliminate Sam, “it’s only because he’s been in the bottom so many times”.

Just result though it somehow also seems like a failure in that they missed the opportunity to finally get rid of Ryan.

Movie Week.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_X_Factor_(UK_series_13)#Week_7_.2819.2F20_November.29
5 After Midnight are basically shafted with their song choice - it requires good harmony singing to pull off and they haven't got a chance of managing that. Ryan bizarrely might not be in the bottom two this week as I feel that he can make a fair fist of his song and it might actually be mildly entertaining even if they make it a carbon copy of the original in staging, choreography and arrangement. Matt is on shaky ground with his selection as even the original is shite so there's not even anything solid to push off from. Despite the comments about 'standing still ballads' Emily's performing... another standing still ballad. Saara is doing her usual big remote song and she'll be in the bottom two because she's not really communicating anything and she's not got the old XF fall-back position of being relatable. Honey G is doing the usual comedy rap and the prospect of her being in the final and maybe even winning looms ever larger - I get that same shifting/falling feeling I got in the run up to the EU Referendum / US Presidential Election.

Praying Saara makes it into a dancefloor number tonight

1) Ryan Lawrie – a Saturday evening light entertainment TV version of the song. Also the backing vocals were carrying him a bit more than last week. Simon's right, it was corny.
2) 5 After Midnight – an interesting arrangement but the different sections were sloppily joined together and the vocals were crowded out by the backing track to the point that I couldn't make out what they were singing.
3) Saara Aalto – VT goes on about her not wanting to sound like Celine Dion, but that's exactly what it sounded like, especially in the second half.
I liked the popcorn going over Nicole's head - it almost looked unscripted.
4) Matt Terry – again, as with Saara, despite his claims in the VT that he wanted to not sound like the Sam Smith version, he sounded like the Sam Smith version. Don't understand why the crowd were going nuts over this. It was his best technical performance of the series but the song is so blah.
5) Honey G – she's going to win this series, isn't she.
6) Emily Middlemas – VT with Simon looks like a job interview or something from The Apprentice. At least they're open about doing the opposite of what they said they would. Way too much reverb on the vocals and Emily's voice was so slight at times she was almost exhaling the words rather than singing them.
Bottom two prediction: Ryan and Saara, probably Ryan to go as he was in the bottom two last week as well and there's plenty about his performance this week for the judges to pick holes in.
Whether deliberately or not, with the performance order the producers set out how the rest of the series up until the final week is going to go. Ryan, 5AM, and Saara are not in the final three, Matt, Honey G, and Emily are.

one of the things I've noticed about Honey G is she simply isn't comfortable when a song requires her to go at a slower tempo. You could hear all the blank space in It's Like That but she sounded looser and playful on Getting Jiggy With It because it gives her less time to be awkward within what she's doing.

I've only half-watched the live shows so I don't know much about backstory etc but to me Saara has so much personality and energy and that song choice worked completely against all of that.

1. Ryan Laurie - He reminds me of that guy Philip who was on season 2. He did Wind Beneath My Wings the first week and clearly hated it. He said he was more of a rock n roll kind of guy, so the next week he picked his own song. He did an embarrassing version of Johnny B Goode complete with Louis calling him a young Shakin' Stevens. He was voted off instantly. Ryan has done three of those performances in a row now. They could well get their desired Emily vs Ryan bottom two tonight. It must be hard for Ryan knowing that the only reason he's there is for that five minutes of drama. It's truly amazing how far he's got in this competition.

2. 5 After Midnight - They would sail through to the final if those vocals were better. One Direction managed to hide their dodgy vocals more convincingly as they did have Liam and Zayne who could sing pretty well in their solos. Also they never turned on Louis' microphone which helped. All three of the guys in 5 After Midnight are so bad. Last night's performance was such a mess.

3. Saara - She did the best with what she had. I kept thinking I'd rather her be doing This Woman's Work instead. People on PopJustice pointed out she was actually dressed like Kate in the Wuthering Heights video. Is there any way they can make Kate Bush a theme next week for her? Kate Bush or Susanne Sundfor would be ideal. Despite a terrible song choice, she is the only one in the competition worth rooting for.

4. Matt Terry - Yeah, that was an exact copy of the Sam Smith version. Sam Smith is Matt's idol and Jesse J is his favourite diva. There's something wrong with this picture. I'm still not sure Matt is going to win this but last night felt like he was getting a big push again. I'm still seeing him as a Marcus Collins runner up as apposed to a Ben Haenow/Matt Cardle type who they couldn't stop from winning despite their best efforts.

5. Honey G - A few weeks ago I said the same thing about Honey G winning this. Last night really felt like there's nothing else they can do with her. Every performance is the same and so are the judges comments. There's nowhere for her to go.

6. Emily - I cannot believe she did a ballad whilst sitting down. All week, I thought they were setting her up to do a big upbeat number but they just wouldn't let her. Is it just me or does she seem to get the last spot every week? Her and Honey G always seem to the be the last two performing which says a lot about who the favourites are with the producers.

I think it'll be Ryan in the bottom two (obviously). I'm really not sure who will join him. I could see it being Emily or maybe even 5 After Midnight. It would be disappointing and predictable if it was Saara.

I don't think there'll be a Ryan vs Emily bottom two. Ryan's going to be voted off either tonight or possibly next week, while Emily's probably got a boost from SLavery voters who haven't switched over to Saara.
Big problem with 5 After Midnight is that they're a boyband made up entirely of singers who'd be near the back in any other boyband. Like if JLS were entirely singers like Marlon, or if Wand was entirely singers like the two whose names I can't even remember. They keep pulling performances out of the bag that hint at excitement without quite being exciting, like last night. In a piss-poor year like this it might be enough to net them 4th place.
I noticed the white dress/dry ice WH combo but Saara's more like Bjork by way of musical theatre with a big chunk of Toyah. A Kate Bush themed week would be good though - imagine what a mess Honey G performing 'There Goes A Tenner' would be.
The producers have twigged that the tank's running on vapour with Honey G - the pre-performance bits (like last night's CGI tube train) are getting extended more and more to reduce the time she's actually on stage. If she gets to the final maybe they could actually get Peter Kay to duet with her? He was on Strictly last night doing his patented 'annoying twonk who interrupts everything' act.

It's interesting you mention JLS. I have a hard time remembering how they were on the live shows. They always seemed really down to earth and they had the brand down right from the beginning but how were their performances? I have a feeling it was Aston that was carrying the rest of them. It always seemed like they got to the final by mistake. The producers seemed more invested in Diana Vickers that year. You are spot on about 5 After Midnight coming across like a band made up of the background members. There is no lead vocalist in that group. I'm not convinced their dancing is that good either. I do see them in the final this year. The producers see Saara and Ryan as disposable. I'm not sure who they're invested in for the final three now. I assume they want Honey G for the drama but aren't they scared of her winning at this point? They did let Reggie & Bollie get to the final last year who were in a similar position (although they were way more talented and entertaining). Would they kill of Honey in the same brutal way they took down Reggie & Bollie last year. I still feel embarrassed for those guys when I think of them coming out and performing that winner's single. Such an awkward three minutes. Honey G is starting to get a lot of negative press too. That suggests that she's slightly fallen out of favour with the producers too.

The producers have really gone all over the place with Saara. She got the whole recreation of Kitty's performance of It's Oh So Quiet a few weeks ago. The last two weeks she was given songs that Sam Bailey did in her years. They can't quite decide how they want her to come across. At least they've slightly eased off the kooky foreigner angle which is how they managed to take down Andrea a couple of years ago who was running away with the vote until they painted him gold, asked him he'd eaten a pug live on TV, gave him VTs where he was constantly stuffing his face with food and filled every VT with messages that read like, "look at this weird foreign guy who doesn't belong in our country". That was one of the most brutal take-downs I've ever seen. Up there with Janet "Mmm Bop" Devlin, Anton "I headbutted Simon so badly that a bruise appeared on his face that an experienced makeup team couldn't cover up" Stephans and the all time classic Christopher "demon eyes" Maloney.

How is Peter Kay still a thing in 2016?

Honey G managed to sing backwards lyrics, censor anything remotely sexual and dry-hump Simon Cowell during the sing-off. This show makes no sense at all.

This interview made me really love Saara. http://www.ditchthelabel.org/saara-aalto-interview/ She seems to really have a following now. I just hope the producers let it build and she can get to the final. They probably see her as the most disposable contestant left and want rid of her before then which would be a massive shame. I'm still bitter about what they did to Relley C, I'll forgive them if they let Saara win which I really think she could do with the right songs.

After reading that interview I want Saara to win now. Or better still, come second, as she seems to have a longer term plan for after XF ends and it might be better for her if she's not locked into the XF Winnar Contract.

I think her song choices for this week are really good as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_X_Factor_(UK_series_13)#Week_8_.2826.2F27_November.29
5 After Midnight and Matt look like they're going to come majorly unstuck this week with their song choices. In line with the 'Louis Loves' theme, Honey G is performing 'rap songs that Louis has heard of'. IF Emily can pull off her first song, then it'll be her first exciting performance in weeks. Although I fear that it'll be rearranged into a stand still/sit down snorefest.

I imagine the producers want Matt, Emily and 5 After Midnight in the final as they seem to be obsessed with younger winners. That would be such a boring top three. It might be the first final I don't bother watching and I sat through a few hours of Luke Friend, Nicholas McDonald and Sam Bailey battle it out. Saara is the only one that's shown versatility, she's done the best with some rotten song choices, she's never had a bad week and going on that interview she has a vision and something to say. She even has the narrative of someone who turned it around on the live shows and won people over. Sadly, these are probably not things that Simon and the producers value when trying to push someone for the win. I wonder if they'll have a sing off tomorrow? I'm clinging to the hope that whoever Saara is up against tomorrow in the bottom two, she'll do another Ruth Lorenzo and blow her competition away.

Saara doing The Winner Takes It All was the best performance I've seen on this show in a long time. If she's not safe tomorrow, I'm going to lose it.

Yesterday was the first time I've watched this all series. Thought Saara was brilliant. Reading the thread, I'm guessing she's not been like that every week? Louis Walsh still clearly certifiable, I see "I want all of Finland to vote for you" oh do fuck off.

Saara's performance was the best of the night, and one of her best performances of the series, but the slight changes she made to the vocal melody made my teeth itch a bit.

xp Saara's made some mis-steps throughout this series, but she's been consistently great.

I don't think that bloke was actually a Honey G fan..

There's rumours that he was a member of the production team and it was a set-up (albeit a set-up that Honey G wasn't told about).

They pulled the same trick two years ago when someone ran up on stage and joined Stereo Kicks on stage when they were desperately trying to make them happen and get people talking about them. It didn't work. Back in 2009 Calvin Harris ran up on stage with Jedward with a pineapple on his head. I guess the security there is pretty weak.

Weird night last night. It really showed how average everyone is apart from Saara.

Matt Terry - Really struggling to remember what songs he did. I loved that his second VT featured him saying, "I'm going to ease off on my falsetto" like it was a big deal and then two minutes later there it was. It really is his only trick. I'm still seeing people say he's got it in the bag, I just can't see it myself. He hasn't had any standout performances and has been so forgettable most weeks.

Saara Aalto - Her first performance was seriously beautiful. If she's in next week, I hope she gets another ballad like that. The second performance was a bit of a mess but still really enjoyable. Her vocal was flawless despite being thrown around the stage. She gets bonus points for throwing that second parcel and it almost hitting Simon in the face. It would be embarrassing if she didn't make the final. It's funny that Sharon keeps saying, "Saara picked this song" which basically exposes that Sharon is doing nothing to mentor her acts in any way.

5 After Midnight - My comments about them are getting as repetitive as Louis Walsh, but I have to say it again. The amount of help their getting with their vocals is so ridiculous. I think they only sang about three lines in Uptown Funk. They expose themselves as soon as they sing individually. They are definitely the chosen ones by the producers judging by the endless praise for such average performances. They're dancing isn't even that good really. Their Uptown Funk just made me miss Fleur. Their version of Sorry/One Dance was a mess and they barely sang any of it. I really kind of hate these guys now.

Honey G - I could have sworn she'd already performed Push It and Can't Touch This on the show before? So, it's a bit weird that nobody mentioned that she forgot at least 90% of the words to Black Beatles. I was cringing so much as she wandered round the stage doing that awkward dance as she remembered only the odd word. The judges are sticking to the script so much this year. The joke is old and her comments were very end of the journey. They want her out.

Emily - She was supposed to do Toxic in week one, but she changed the song as she thought it was dated. Glad to see she got told to get over that. Her ukulele miming skills weren't up to scratch and it was a terrible arrangement The second song was possibly the worst performance of the night. It completely exposed how weak her vocals are. The song was too low for her and she was totally drowned out in the chorus. I wish we still had Cheryl and Danni there. They used to actually comment on weak vocals. The judges this year are just there for the paycheck and aren't trying to cover up how little they care. They used to show Cheryl at the rehearsals giving advice. Now they just show the contestants getting a phone call.

Not sure who will join Honey G in the bottom two tonight. I think it could be a shock. Maybe Emily or Matt? I hope it's 5 After Midnight so we can hear what they sound like without tons of backing vocals.

This time it's some cocks called Trollstation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trollstation

Matt - another couple of technically good but not exciting performances from him last night. It'll be interesting to see the voting stats after this all wraps up. He's probably been at or near the top for the entire series but maybe he's slipping now. Question: if he's always been a good singer, why did he even bother auditioning for XF? Surely there are a lot of producers who would have got him to sing on a track?
Saara - as I said above, her vocal melody on the ABBA song was different enough to be noticeable. Her second performance showed that she could be versatile. I don't know what the producers have planned for the winner's single, but Saara will pull it off whether it's a ballad or something more up-tempo.
Honey G - just piss awful. She'll be voted off if she's in the bottom two.
5 After Midnight - performing 'Uptown Funk' was a mistake, as it reminded people that they haven't had their equivalent of Fleur's 'Uptown Funk' moment. And it's a bit too late for them to have it now. 'Sorry' was pretty much the same as the Bieber original, and the visuals...
http://www.ultrasorry.com/gfx/sorry2013.jpg
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/brtcb-DmuuA/hqdefault.jpg
Lazy lazy stage design.
Emily - channelling Katie Waisel on 'Toxic', safe but dull arrangement on 'Human'.
Bottom two prediction: Honey G and 5 After Midnight. The joke has run itself flat with Honey G, and the boys don't deliver the goods despite nearly managing to on a couple of occasions in past weeks. Seems like it's the week where the audience clamp down and demand actual singers. 5AM will probably scrape through until next week, but they'll be gone before the final leaving Matt, Saara, and Emily.

I hope you're right about that final. I think the producers will do anything they can to get 5 After Midnight to the final. It doesn't always work. They've lost some producers favourites in 4th place before (Rough Copy, Cher Lloyd, Danyl Johnson and Diana Vickers)

Oh look Busted want to be Maroon 5.

Honey G out, finally. 5AM's vocals sounded piss-weak without the usual backing during the first half of their survival song. I think they'll be voted off next week.