X Factor (UK) 2016

Christ, Sharon just forgot her own act's name so couldn't introduce her for the sing-off.

And then held her head in her hands when said act was announced as through to next week o_O

It was obvious at Six Chair Challenge just how much Sharon hated Saara. It's hilarious that she was forced into putting her through. I hope she's stuck with her until the final. It would be similar in a way to when Gary had to defend Christopher Maloney for that entire series.

Spoilers for tonight on the Wikipedia page (usually scarily accurate, like, I don't know, some insider is editing it? surely not): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_X_Factor_(UK_series_13)#Week_3_.2822.2F23_October.29
5 After Midnight - weird song choice, can't see how they'll manage to sound like anything other than three guys doing karaoke.
Saara Aalto - p obvious song choice, but it really fits her voice.
Relley C - same as for Saara. But can't they at least pick something a little out of her comfort zone?
Four of Diamonds - the first song is going to be really tricky to pull off and I don't think they have it in them. If they do, kudos to them, but uh they're toast if they can't
Honey G - train wreck.
Sam Lavery - is that the sound of cats mating?
Ryan Lawrie - big big song, Ryan has no chance of managing it.
Gifty Louise - not familiar with this track but of course the original singer is one many XF affiliated acts who seem to be contractually required to get a mention at least once a series.
Emily Middlemas - I imagine that there might have been a bit of a conflict at least in Simon's mind as to whether Emily or Gifty sang this song. He's made the wrong decision if that's the case.
Matt Terry - yeah he'll manage this song easily and all the people who want a younger version of Louis Wand will vote for him but quel ZZZZZZZ.

Weird show last night.

5 After Midnight - They were pimped so much last week I thought they were going to get constant praise until they make the final. Last night's VT made them really unlikable and then those comments from Simon were pretty damning. Did they piss someone off backstage or something? Terrible performance though. Their vocals are seriously underwhelming but they have been every week to me.

Saara - She was fantastic. They seem to be pushing the crazy foreigner thing too much again, but it was just a great performance. My second favourite person on the show.

Relley C - She's still the best singer in the competition for me despite a slightly disappointing week. I've no idea why they're styling her like she's 40 and giving her these boring song choices. I know Shackles is an older song now but it was such a current performance. She looked great and the rap gave her an edge. They need to bring that back. When Fleur was on two years ago, they did everything they could to make her seem hip and trendy. Can they please do that with Relley. I'm worried about her chances tonight.

Four of Diamonds - They look like they're just not into it. It's like they know they don't stand a chance. Bottom three tonight easily.

Honey G - That joke isn't funny anymore.

Sam Lavery - Nicole was right. This just did not work. She's so flat it's weird that she's in the competition.

Ryan - They really threw him under the bus last night. He's one of those useless singes that should have never made the live shows like Lloyd Daniels or Sam Callahan. He should be gone tonight. Is he dating anyone? Weird that they haven't mentioned that.

Gifty - Last week the memo to Gifty was you need to smile. This week it must have been, we love you but the public think you're coming across as cold and harsh. The whole thing made me very uncomfortable. It reminded me of when Misha B was called a bully and then the following week she got an emotional VT being reunited with her mum. The wig was ridiculous. This was her best performance so far but something's not clicking for me. Going on from what I've seen on the show and Xtra Factor (this year and last when she auditioned) she does seems kind of stroppy. She is one of the better people on the show this year.

Emily - Simon's desperate attempts to make people "have moments" are laughable. Cher's audition was a moment. Alexandra and Beyonce was a moment. Sean Miley Moore doing This Woman's Work was a moment. Rebecca doing Sweet Dreams was a moment. Last night was not a moment in any way. I think Emily will do well in the show unfortunately. Simon's girls are just not as good as they should be. Is Emily dating anyone.. ah you get the idea.

Matt Terry - There's just no way he won't win is there?

Oh and Dermot talking to Emily's dad was one of the most awkward scenes I've ever seen on TV.

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:
Matt: yeah, looks like the obvious winner. Feel like he was underestimated a bit earlier in the thread - I think he's the strongest traditional boy that they've had in a while.
5am: thought they had something from auditions, but they seem to be quite bad at singing. Their 'we are best friends (who met 6 months ago)' schtick coming apart.
Emily: another year of x-factor's doomed endless experiment to find a girl who'll willingingly do AOR-quirk. She seems pleasant, but so forgettable. I'd normally say kicked off mid-series, but it's a desperate crop, so maybe final four or so.
Slavery: god help me I'm warming to her desperate bellowing style. Artless youthful charm to her.
Gifty: kind of the best, I think, but yeah, there's a bit of a likeability problem (plus the public's legitimate concerns, obviously). Feel like I'm waiting for something to really kick in from her. And I'd like her to do it without the x-factor machine making her revisit trauma for emotional effect, but hey I watch this thing, I'm complicit.
Relly: all likeability! But her performances don't quite work for me. I didn't enjoy that Shackles - something's not quite there and I don't know why. Same with Motown and last night.
Ryan: pointless. Makes no impression. Romance plot is about it for him.
Four of Diamonds: I like them! They aren't quite a unit, and are a bit awkward or self-conscious on stage, and okay they're thin on personailty right now, but I think there's some kind of talent there. Probably kicked off before that comes together into a good performance.
Saara: no strong opinion. impressive, but too professional in some ways.
I don't think Honey G should be doing this, any of this.

Christ it's a poor shower this year.

1) Ryan Lawrie - what is it with XF and singers who insist on playing guitar? They're nearly always shit and he was miming. Louis was right, it was like listening to a busker. Who mimes guitar to a backing tape. And mumbles half the words.
2) Gifty - Louis: "You are a star" – drink a shot.
3) 5 After Midnight – they should have concentrated on their singing not their dancing. They must have pissed off Brian a lot for their VT to get edited like that. In a weird reversal to usual XF boybands, they sound terrible when they're all singing at once but individually they're passable (in a Brian from East 17 way). But the backing singers were doing the complex harmonies.
4) Sam Lavery – Sam admitted to having a Zayn doll, so they sold at least one then. 'Earth Song' really highlighted the mumble/screech dichotomy of her voice.
5) Matt Terry – slightly shaky start but it wasn't bad. On the other hand it wasn't that good either. Out of the solo singers he's the one who's going to get the Cowell dollar behind him.
6) Honey G – a mess although they tried to make it less of a mess by keeping it simple. To the point of getting Honey to not even sing during the 'Under Pressure' part of the song, and just sway from side to side with her arms folded. Jedward's take on this was incredible because of their audacity, you couldn't believe what was happening. This was like a PE teacher at a school talent contest.
7) Relley C – again, a good performance, but there's more to moving out of the comfort zone than songs with higher notes.
8) Emily Middlemas – the arrangement of this song might have been an interesting had it not mainly been chosen because Emily wouldn't have been able to get anywhere near the original. Louis tries to pay a compliment but it sounded more like an insult – the music for a John Lewis Christmas commercial?
9) Four Of Diamonds – one of my pet hates about XF is when an act says that they're going to do a mash-up when they mean a medley. 'Lady Marmalade' was rather good and much better than I expected after last week's performance. It proves they can actually sing a bit as individuals. They could have dropped 'Bang Bang' though as it didn't really go anywhere or showcase anything.
10) Saara Aalto – out of the acts who can actually sing, Saara is the only one who seems to be getting better week on week. Relley and especially Gifty seem to be treading water.
Best performances of the night for me were Saara, Relley, Four of Diamonds, and Gifty to a lesser extent. Bottom 3 prediction: I would really like Honey G to just go now before one of the better singers gets kicked off instead, but for some reason people are voting for her. Realistically it's probably going to be Saara (no one seems to be voting for her), 5 After Midnight (boyband coming across as dicks is NAGL), and Four of Diamonds (because GBP hates XF girls groups with any style - I think the stylists intentionally dressed Little Mix in eye-wateringly bad 80s clobber just to avoid that).

Watched my first episode of this season last night and was amazed by how awful so much of it was. Honey G is a Sacha Baron Cohen project right?

'He said "I've been to the Year 3000... and X Factor is still shit."'

xxp ha, "teacher at a school talent contest" is otm re: the way in which Honey G is terrible

Ryan saved by app vote - even he can't believe how stupid that is.

didn't realise that Honey G has been doing this for years: http://jamsphere.com/reviews/honey-g-proves-to-have-surpassed-the-concept-of-gender-as-a-styling-to-influence-an-album

FFS what a shitshow - victormeldrew.gif doesn't even begin to cover it.

Absolutely gutted.

Four of Diamonds are so dull. They look like a group of shop assistants who've been forced to sing at the end of a long day's work.

Who on earth is voting for SLavery? What a dreadful voice she has.

I feel really sad about Relley leaving tonight. I liked her from her audition in 2013 and was really pleased to see return this year. I know they barely gave her any airtime before the live shows but she did Shackles on week one I thought she was going to go far. That was my favourite performance this year by a long way. When she did Ain't No Sunshine last week and was dressed up like she was 40 I knew how disposable the producers thought she was. She was high in all the polls and seemed to have a good following. It's weird that they have spent the last two weeks trying to make Gifty seem way more likeable when Relley came across as really down to earth and was well liked within the show (Rylan said how incredibly nice she was on Xtra Factor tonight). I think if she'd had a more up to date song she could built on that underdog narrative. On Xtra Factor they were saying how she wouldn't be going back to that cleaning job, but realistically how well is someone who came 10th on series that no-one really cares about going to do in the music industry? My heart sank a little bit.

Anyway, I don't mind Saara and I still think there's something about Gifty but it's back to my usual feeling of wanting the rubbish people to leave as apposed to actually supporting anyone. It was nice to have someone I was rooting for, for a few weeks there. It takes me back to the Cher Lloyd/Little Mix eras when the show was really worth watching.

Fright Night (chosen by the *completely random* jukebox oh it it Halloween on Monday WHAT A COINCIDENCE) - horrifying or nauseating?

Saara is my favourite now i think

I've only been watching this year's series intermittently, so I don't know if this has been much discussed on the show, but I only found out recently that Saara has twice competed to represent Finland at Eurovision, appearing on the Finnish equivalent of A Song For Europe ("Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu") and finishing second both times

2011 entry, "Blessed with Love": https://youtu.be/Ym4DA4CFKkw

2016 entry, "No Fear": https://youtu.be/-nva8C2yVRk

Saara was the only one that stood out tonight in anyway. Judging by how it's gone for my previous favourites (Sada Vidoo and Relley C) she'll be out tomorrow.

Emily and Matt are clearly being pushed for the final two which would be a final as thrilling as Sam Bailey vs Nicholas McDonald.

Gifty has been such a disappointment. I thought she had something about her in the audition stages but her performances have all been really weak on the live shows. To be fair, she has had appalling song choices.

5 After Midnight really are such a disaster. The contrast been their vocals when they sing individually and when they sing together on the chorus (with help from the same backing vocals that helped One Direction every week) are extremely noticeable.

Struggling to remember much about any of the others.

1) Gifty Louise - it's Week 4, she really needs to start pulling ahead of the pack and that performance didn't really do that. The potential's there but it's not being realised. The usual reason with XF contestants is the song choices, but not this time. I can't put my finger on what's missing though.
2) Matt Terry – an unsecured hollering mess with none of the menace of either the Screamin' Jay Hawkins or Nina Simone versions. He reminds me of Danyl Johnson without the ego.
3) 5 After Midnight – so “putting your own twist” on this song means trying to sound like Michael Jackson over a backing track that tries to sound as much like the original record as possible? After their performance Dermot referred to them as '5 After 11' because LOL clocks going back tonight. So much shitty filler and joeks from him tonight.
4) Honey G – 'Men In Black'. OK this really has to end now. She's like the Go Compare opera singer.
5) Ryan Lawrie – he's singing in a completely different voice, trying to sound like the original record. Also they've styled him very differently this week. They did that with Aiden in 2010 and he was voted off that week.
6) Sam Lavery - an out of tune / out of time mess.
7) Saara Aalto – 'wacky foreigner' schtick still in the VT. Everyone's really straight in Finland? Uh-huh. WE KNOW TUOMAS.
8) Four Of Diamonds - VT tries to do a crash job of making them relatable by featuring their mothers. The first half of the song was a bit ropey but the second half was good if a bit impersonal.
9) Emily Middlemas - the beginning was good but it didn't really go anywhere. There was a bit where I thought it would kick up into high gear but it didn't.
I've got no idea who might be in the bottom three tonight, although I'd like it to be Honey G, Slavery, and Ryan.

Haha, is Ryan going to be saved from that bottom two every week until the final? Amazing. Wonder how long they'll keep that flash vote going for?

Ridiculous result. Gifty has been a massive let down but she was still so far ahead of most of the others. Her reaction was quite something. I've never seen anyone look so angry on the show before. She's going to slagging off the show before the end of the next week.

She was quite calm on "Good Morning Britain" just now.

just caught up myself and bloody hell that was uncomfortable viewing.

(the X Factor results show, I mean)

The look of rage was something, but she seemed to pull it back together for the Xtra Factor - thanking Simon, praising Four of Diamonds.

(fwiw, it's a shame she went - at the very very least she should have had a couple more weeks while we got shot of Honey G and Ryan - but despite her talents something wasn't quite working,)

It's weird that Nicole and Sharon didn't really give reasons why they were sending Gifty home. They usually do that. Maybe they couldn't be bothered trying to hide that they were following orders from producers.

My favourite moment of the night was Ryan's embarrassed facial expression as he got through. I'm not convinced he even wants to be there anymore. He clearly hated every second of the Backstreet Boys performance on Saturday. The week before he was all, "I want to just go out there and be myself. Just me and my guitar". I'm actually starting to feel sorry for him despite him being one of the worst contestants to ever make the live shows.

The first time Ryan was saved by the app vote his expression was "WTF? really?", now it's a more resigned "whelp, GBP are stupid".

I haven't really been paying attention properly but have we established whether Honey G is

a)someone who is genuinely into hip-hop but who seems a bit incongruous
b)a comedy routine that isn't actually funny
c)someone who is genuinely into hip-hop who appears to have been directed down a novelty route?

Not overly surprising to me that Gifty was in the bottom 2 when she was made to sing Fifth Harmony rarities every second week, but eliminating her when the other option was to keep Four of Diamonds seems especially dimwitted.

I don't think Ryan will go home until he's been in a sing off with his girlfriend sadly

was to *bin Four of Diamonds I should say

Keeping Four of Diamonds in over Relley C and Gifty was such a strange move. From the judges reactions to their live performances, it didn't make any sense that they would send either of them home, especially Nicole. I know the judges probably have no say in who they have to vote off but they did a really bad job of trying to hide it this year. Four of Diamonds knew they shouldn't have got through, as did everyone else.

They have obviously had been hoping that Ryan would be out the last couple of weeks. I bet they're desperate to get rid of that flash vote. They did something similar in 2013 when they got rid of the bottom three after a few weeks when things weren't going their way. I don't think they could get away with doing it this year.

Ugh not Saara performing in yellowface the week I decide to become invested in her!

Sam was really horrendous tonight, surely she's out this week

A really poor week all round, imo, I didn't take even fleeting enjoyment from any of them. Sam in particular, yeah, that was hideous.

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

On paper 5AM slot into the clearest post-XF plan: Wand are on hiatus, here's 5AM to take over. The other three acts don't have that. Saara is a unique artist, but because of that it would be hard to kickstart a chart career with her straight away - it would be more of a slow and sustained build. Emily works in the Diane Vickers kind of space, but that isn't as prominent at the moment as it used to be. Matt is the most current, but he's in an area where he's crowded out by Olly Murs, Bruno Mars, and even Robbie Williams. But the problem for 5AM is that they're just not up to it vocally, in pretty much the same way that Stereo Dicks weren't.

Stereo Kicks really were a disaster on the show. There was only one strong singer and he pulled really weird/ugly faces every time he hit a high note. Simon tried so hard to make them a thing and it just did not work in any way.

Well, with Honey G and Ed Balls both going today, well that's the front pages sorted out for tomorrow.

"When I say 'Honey', you say 'Balls'."

Brian Friedman making some great points here.

http://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/tv/55335/x-factor-brian-friedmans-top-five-moments-from-week-eight/

I Love how much he adores Saara.

I just realised that it's been a good few years since I was this invested in someone getting to the final. Possibly since Little Mix?

they (5 After Midnight) sound terrible when they're all singing at once but individually they're passable (in a Brian from East 17 way)

Oh dear...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_X_Factor_(UK_series_13)#Week_9:_Semi-final_.283.2F4_December.29

Amazingly Saara is now the favourite to win. This must be the biggest turnaround the show has ever had. Good on her. Chandelier wasn't quite as good as The Winner Takes It All last week or the first time she sang it in her audition but it still managed to make the other contestants look like complete amateurs. Her Mariah cover was solid and captured the essence of the song well. She had a good night and I'd be shocked to see her in the bottom two tomorrow. I had to laugh when Simon praised Sharon for "fighting for Saara" and being a great mentor. She got forgot her name for several weeks, forgot where she comes from and couldn't hide how much she hated her at six chair challenge/judges houses/those first five weeks. Sharon obviously stopped caring about any of her acts once Relley C got sent home.

Matt seemed to be a target this week. He got the Christmas song that has previously been given to winners (Little Mix and Alexandra Burke both did it), somehow it didn't feel like he was being set up for the win. I was so bored by Silent Night and the Jessie Ware cover was way too try hard. Simon clearly trying to kill off his support with his remarks. I wonder if it will backfire and give him a sympathy bounce? Shame that he got given that particular Jessie Ware song. She's one of my favourite artists around, but that is her worst song by a mile. I could see him in the bottom two tomorrow.

Emily had a terrible night. I could barely hear her on the John Lennon song. Those kids were carrying the whole thing. It was pretty embarrassing when she tried to use those kids to get votes at the end. Did she think it was some kind of charity or something? She had a look of someone who knew that the song didn't work and that her time was almost over. It was very Lauren Platt just before she got kicked out. Nice to see people telling her the Mad World cover was so original. It's only been done like that on these shows a hundred times (Adam Lambert, Jay James, Aiden Grimshaw etc). She just doesn't have any range and yet again seemed out of her depth. They want her in the bottom two tomorrow. I wouldn't rule out that powerful Scottish vote. Never forget Leon Jackson.

5 After Midnight's reaction from the judges were so far from what I saw/heard I was kind of embarrassed for them. I love that after that appalling sing off last week they demoted the two that really can't sing to backing vocalists. Shame the main singer isn't quite strong enough to carry the band. As always the use of backing vocals were a complete joke. I can see them joining Matt in the bottom two tomorrow. I think they will be saved as I do think that producers want them to win and think they will be the most commercial prospect after the show. I still think they're more Rough Copy than JLS.

Basically at this point it will be a joke if Saara doesn't win. She's not going to win, is she?

No, she won't win. Simon doesn't want Saara to win as she's a difficult fit for the Syco winnar contract. I don't want her to win, because she's the best remaining contestant and she'd be better off getting 2nd place and working with other people. As long as will.i.am doesn't pop up and offer to work with her.

1) Matt - terrible vocal theatrics all over the second half of 'Silent Night'. Alexandria was able to pull it off, which just shows how much worse Matt is as a singer. The whole 'big note at the end' thing is so Danyl Johnson. Maybe Simon wants Matt to win so that he'll have a do-over with a Danyl type singer who doesn't also have a massive ego. Although I'm thinking that if Matt wins he could go full Cardle. I don't know what the original Jessie Ware version of the second song sounds like, but it comes to something when that average performance was the most exciting thing Matt's done in weeks.

2) 5 After Midnight - they couldn't even hold it together on an East 17 track where Brian 'I ate three jacket potatoes and then ran myself over with my own car' Harvey was the lead vocalist. They've realised that Kieran is the 'best' singer of the three, but it's all relative, he's still terrible. When JLS finally got around to putting Aston front and centre, he really could sing. 'Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours', in every aspect of it's presentation, was basically Simon saying that he wants them to be the new Wand. But it won't happen. Rough Copy have all but disappeared and they had at least some small spark (that Gary Barlow pissed all over).

3) Emily - backing vocals really helping her out during 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)' to the point where it sounded like she was singing along to a pre-recorded tape of herself during the verses. Children's choir is XF shorthand for 'you've got no vocal presence but we need you in the final'. Aiden's version of 'Mad World' was much much better - something I never thought I'd say. But at least he moved around on stage a bit, even if it did just look like he was busting for a piss.

4) Saara - 'All I Want For Christmas' was really really like the Mariah version. I would have liked to have heard Saara do something different with it, as the lyrics always seem way out of step with the presentation in the original. 'Chandalier' - again, not familiar with this song. Saara's big problem has been overcoming the public's assumption that she's a novelty act like Wanger ended up being under Louis. She's done that by communicating with the audience, but her second song felt like a step back into theatrical remoteness.

You are right about the Matt and Danyl big note comparison. It never occurred to me before now. It's their only trick and it's not as impressive as either of them thought. I had a feeling he would end up in the bottom two tonight. Simon's criticisms were just enough to plant that seed in the voting public's minds. His sing-off performance was possibly his worst vocal yet. He had no control and the song was way too big for him. I was shocked to see that Emily outperformed him.

I'm seeing this final in a similar way to the 2008 final (probably my favourite year of X Factor). They have Matt who is cheesy, dated and hopelessly being pushed as the heartthrob who I really don't think they want to win = Eggnog Quigg. 5 After Midnight are the hip (in their eyes) R&B group who they'll want to push outside of the show = a much worse version of JLS. Then they have the ultimate performer who is miles ahead of everyone vocally, can dance and looks like a professional on stage who probably will make the other two finalists look like amateurs next week = Alexandra Burke. I hope the result goes the same way.

I wonder who the duets will be next week? I'm sure they're doing everything they can to get Sia to perform with Saara. Nicole will predictably sing with Matt (hopefully she'll grab his microphone away like she did to poor Jahmene). I'm guessing Little Mix for 5 After Midnight? If they get paired up, I'm seeing 5 After Midnight win. I actually have this terrible feeling they will win despite miming every single week.

Nice to see Charli XCX on Xtra Factor. Shame she didn't get put on the main show instead of Lady Gaga doing that dreary ballad.

Matt and Saara

5 After Midnight sounded more like backing singers on both of their songs tonight.

Also Matt had a real rabbit-in-headlights look last night.

Ikr. So how's he gone favourite again?

It was hilarious during the 'Purple Rain' duet when Nicole came out and took the "honey I know I know I know" line right off him, and totally relegated him to a backing singer for the rest of the song.

Extremely niche news, but hints on social media appear to indicate that Chanal (auditionee in 2016XF) has replaced Frankee as a third member of small-time British pop/R&B trio M.O.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrYKjs286zQ