It was a show with some drama, heralded by the news filtering over Twitter that elimination favourites Miss Dynamix were to miss the programme and given a bye to next week because pregnant SeSe had been rushed to hospital.
This opens up all sorts of questions. Will they actually risk putting SeSe on stage next week? If not, will the others sing as a two-piece? If not, does that mean we have a two-act final? Or, heaven forbid, does this all mean another twist in the offing?
As for the performances, we started with a deramping of Sam Bailey. tpfkar said: “Does anyone think Sam Bailey’s vote last week scared them? I see brakes being clumsily applied.” I tend to agree. There was red-and-black staging, hour-glass and cog imagery, some criticism from Nicole and a harsh moniker: ScrewBo. All that was missing was Christopher Maloney’s devil eyes.
Next up came Kingsland Road, who were given the Sam Bailey / Wee Nic big-hitter sandwich we were watching out for. Nonetheless, despite fun One Direction-style staging that played to their demographic, they needed a bigger backing track of the kind they had last week. Their vocals were very thin for ‘Marry Me’.
The theme is already well established for Wee Nic: mothers love him. This is overshadowing a series of solid performances from the teenager, as indicated by tonight’s judges’ comments which focused on the staging of dead women walking before “the one” appeared.
I wasn’t expecting the performance we got from Abi Alton. They took her out of her comfort zone for her rendition of ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’. Whilst it was an awkward-looking performance, it wasn’t a full-on attack either – there was a nice VT of her bonding with Nicole, for example. Judges reiterated that she should go back to what she did best, as they did for Janet Devlin in Week 4 of 2011.
Shelley Smith was on much earlier than anticipated, and although she was given a fun production, she’s no Wagner or Rylan. The market made her 5/4 elimination favourite after the performances, but she managed to avoid bottom place in the Flash Vote this time.
The message of Sam Callahan’s night was to inform viewers that he had learnt to sing in just one week. Admittedly, he was considerably better vocally this time around, though that’s not saying much. Still, with helpful staging including a golden backdrop and a Westlife-style stand from a stool, producers were doing everything to please the demographic.
The issue with Tamera remains: will people buy the soft image they are presenting in her VTs (this week: she loves her grandma and has gone to church all her life), or what they read in the tabloid press? They are certainly giving her winner’s staging whilst judges comments still have her marked down as Plan A. She was vocally stronger for ‘Beneath You’re Beautiful’ this week.
I thought the song choice and staging were generally helpful – warm, chilled out and positive – for Luke Friend …. until the panel mocked the boat. PG also pointed out that he was caught in a Tamera / Rough Copy sandwich, though in his favour it was a late slot in the running order.
Rough Copy weren’t as vocally impressive this week, and the song choice was as cheesy as feared. However, the VT could not have been more helpful, and producers are continuing to push them as hard as possible – the pimp slot last week followed by the penultimate slot this week.
Hannah was duly put in the pimp slot for her much-anticipated rendition of ‘Beautiful’. She got a great VT and staging which should see her safe this week. I did feel that she’s at her best in a lower register which meant that whilst the song was perfect thematically, it wasn’t ideal for her vocally.
Looking forward to tomorrow, who do you think will be in the sing-off with Kingsland Road? And who would they be saved or sunk against? Let us know your thoughts on the evening’s events below.
The phone numbers showed Miss Dynamix would have gone 6th, between Shelley and Sam C – hardly the juggernaut sandwich we were expecting. I think they are utterly toast though; I always said that they would be gone with a story about Sese having to stop rehearsing but never thought they’d show her being bundled into an ambulance almost live. Not sure we will see them again, but if so difficult to see who would vote for them now as it’s been shown that the show is affecting her and her baby’s health.
Didn’t think Kingsland Road did much wrong tonight, and were better than Rough Copy in my view. For Rough Copy to get such a late slot, I wonder if their vote was pretty average last week. All the groups seem to have issues so Gary may well be first mentor out.
Profitable night as I laid Miss Dynamix as soon as the news came out, and went for the Abi bet, laid off as soon as she sang. Only red tomorrow is Sam C going and can’t see it.
Battle of the girls is closely fought, but it wouldn’t surprise me if neither were top 3 this week or last week.
Any news on first elimination bets for miss dynamix? My paddy power bet is still pending
Ladbrokes Pending.
Any updates on that yet, Andy?
All I’m saying is if a gamma boy or girl face Kingsland tomorrow the soloist are gone IMO. I think either Abi or Luke could end up in B2 and would be toast. If it’s Shelley she is gone too.
Had posted this already on the previous thread but thought i should maybe put it here instead.
Shelley was bottom last week from position 7. I know kingsland were in position 2 tonight but do you think that the producers had miss dynamix in slot 6 due to the results from last weeks vote? I know the order has been discussed recently with reference to the new flash vote. Shelley again in the middle this week, shall see what happens.
also something else to consider, due to the order of the acts announced being safe tonight, (girls 1st, overs last), encourage voters to “save” the people they think were close to go and not feel the need to vote for the girls since they were announced first? a lot of new factors in play currently.
Boys were announced first not girls.
ye sorry about that, question still valid though.
There’s a good article from last year about this (https://sofabet.com/2013/01/11/x-factor-2012-review-part-5-in-no-particular-order/). The answer is no-one really knows whether people vote more for people announced as safe first because they want to be on the winning team, or whether they’re more motivated if they think an act is in danger.
Personally I just expect them to announce in the order that creates the most drama, especially when it is “categories” being announced rather than individuals, which is what they try and manipulate most. There is more drama saving Shelley at the last minute than announcing the girls are safe, which everyone would expect.
I couldn’t argue against anyone who says that they announced overs last because they want to try and imply Shelley is in danger and they want to save her though. Last week it was: Girls, Groups, Boys. Last week they wanted votes for Luke more than Miss Dynamix so maybe that explains those two categories order.
They wouldn’t repeat Girls first or Boys last again as they want an exciting, non-repetitive TV show. They want the order to “appear” random but put doubts in viewers minds about it.
I don’t think that viewers would see the first category announced as safe as having any meaning though, because there are so many acts left.
Miss Dynamix were very lucky SeSe fell ill today. They would’ve been goners this week for sure. Without them to fulfill the producer’s wishes these were left at odds with the other acts.
Before the show I was sure Sam Callahan was going down in deteriment to his boyband equivalent, Luke Friend would be given a less than helpful staging in hopes of getting him in the bottom and Abi would step out of her piano’s shadow in an early Janet Devlin way. One of these three would then be up against Miss D and there would be no way the girlband would survive. In a double twist, two of those acts were actually helped and Miss D were given a bye, leaving Abi Alton as the sole candidate for a P45.
Luck would the determine Kingsland would be the less voted. And this makes me wonder if TPTB would take this opportunity to test the market and see who is worthy of some backing up.
With Sam Callahan still comfortably safe would they sway the teen vote his way, and will they make Rough Copy as their preferred boyband? It comes to mind that the hip hop trio weren’t exactly regarded as a boyband before… More like an urban group with a Pop sensibility. Seeing as Kingsland are now unpopular, will they force the boyband shtick on Rough Copy. The Backstreet Boys tell me so.
I’m still expecting Abi, or even Luke, to hit the bottom two. Shelley must have the sympathy bounce on her side (did everyone notice how Dermot only asked her TWO questions during the countdown and how it felt like a “please save Shelley”?), and Sam Callahan, with his helpful staging, should be safe as well especially now that the tweens can not vote for Kingsland.
I only see Kingsland being eliminated if they’re up against one of the big favourites. Abi, Luke and Shelley are the only ones I see going home against them. It will be interesting to see if they will want to keep Kingsland around for a couple more weeks or if they drop them now and sway their fanbase towards Rough Copy and Sam Callahan.
Miss Dynamix will be out next week.
12/1 for luke to go tomorrow is huge
Just watching the show back, something I wish we’d noticed at the time.
In Kingsland Road’s comments, after Nicole has leadingly asked Gary “why were there no lead vocals this week?”, as studio audience noise dies down she tries to start a sentence with “Matt, Matt…”, but Sharon jumps in and cuts her off.
After comments, Dermot makes a point of coming back to Nicole, and she says “Once Matt realises how much of a lead vocalist he is, this group’s really gonna go places”…
In other words… “Matt, you’re the main man!”
2011 readers will recall that a variant of this phrase was used in the week Nu Vibe and The Risk exited, and we theorised at the time that perhaps it was supposed to make the group seem divided, unequal. How interesting!
I noticed this but was not sure it’s something that would affect them immediately this week. With that in mind could they be a target tomorrow to go? Maybe leave more room for Rough Copy.
I can’t believe they will want Gary to lose an act tomorrow worth miss d on borrowed time. There is a good money making opportunity in the sing off
I guess Miss D are still there though but yeah I’m sure they want Kingsland on the tour.
Trying to look at it from this view…
If they send Kingsland Road home, they are effectively leaving Gary with 1 act left, with everyone expecting Miss Dynamix to be a target for producers, they may not even return at all due to illness. That would leave gary with two acts quickly gone. It really does make it difficult, do they leave him with just Rough Copy? They must be polling low of the votes for the producers to put them on second last again.
Problem I have is finding someone to beat them 3-1 in a sing off? Lets look at the contenders
I’m assuming its safe to rule out Tamera/Nicolas/Sam/Hannah assuming they will all win a sing off. I am not a rough copy fan, but think they if they were in bottom 2 (which im certainly not ruling out backing them at 66-1 to lose flash vote, hurt when it came down to groups only left), they would be saved in a sing off.
So lets go through the field
Shelly – Producers did everything for her this week, made her fun but did start slow so she had some use of her vocals, they even got gary to slate her, (Gary hating novelty act, been here before), plus they even brought her a cake, something another commentor on here suggested they may do something to make her more enjoyable to watch Similar when rylan had that banter with Gary last year with the Take That video. Can we see Louis and Nicole voting to eliminate Shelly? I dont think so, Louis will do as told and thats to keep Shelly in. Plus will they leave Sharon with only 1 act? Not for me.
Abi – They ramped her last week, this week the comments where exactly how I assume everyone thought (she sounds awful) but in a sing off… Do they vote her out? Sharon praised her if I remember rightly? I dont think she loses 3-1.
Luke Friend – Does Nicole and Sharon both send him home? This one I think is possible so wont rule it out. (At this moment I cant remember the judges comments properley for Luke, will have to rewatch)
Sam Callahan – I dont think he should be 16-1 here, they could easily send him home, dont forget the treatment in week 1, compare him to Kingsland Road, they were on straight after him and it appeared to me the aim was to take some of Sam’s fans away from him so they fall into Kingsland Roads fans. Dont forget that silly white box he was on, thats not good treatment imo. He could easily fall into the bottom 2 here, and they may take the opportunity to give him the boot. The VT reminded us how poor his vocals were the previous week. Something Similar to how Kye was treated when we had Gary reminding us how poor he was the week before.
Sam looks the bet at 16-1 to me, but its not a confident pick. I’m finding it hard to call.
Leaving Gary with two acts quickly gone isn’t an issue, it happened last year and this is his last year.
I’d be v surprised if Sam were B2. He’s hot and he really stood out tonight, he had golden treatment and made a lot of it.
That said, I’m also finding it hard to think who they’d get rid of over Kingsmill. Possibly Luke. He’s better than them but he’s less marketable.
He had 4 acts last year, not 3.
So much I could say but this is my main point: Shelley would be saved tomorrow, if bottom 2. They did their BEST for her and it only takes 2 votes for her to be saved now: one from Sharon and one from Louis. Hope Abi is bottom 2 because I think she would go over KR.
If Shelley hits b2 then they’ve failed at making her fun in the eyes of the audience, so why keep her? I have similar greens on both her & Kingsland going, but would be very much odds on Shelley to go if that was the bottom 2.
Didn’t stop them from persisting with Rylan.
Rylan always bounced. I hope Shelley survived because they did their best indeed. What about the tour then, isn’t KR good to have there or not? Would they kick KR from tour for the non-bouncing Shelley?
Good point with the new voting and no deadlock. Shelley will most likely bounce, voting must be very tight like last year during these early parts of the series, if a handful could be the difference after 20 hours plus last year I dread to think how tight it could be after just 10 minutes of voting.
Maybe threading carefully with this Saturday night flash vote and keep trying to find bit of value a wise tactic for now. Gary’s comment that James Arthur won from bottom two was priceless. So much could say also but a sleep on the rest of it..
This year at least going to keep us all on out toes for a while.
Great review on last week images and colours from Daniel and great to see Eurovicous and all the regulars batting away.
Hi Donald, thanks – I had a massive torrent session yesterday and caught up on everything from the last 4 audition shows through to judges’ houses. I’m enjoying it more than last year’s which was so downbeat and negative – some of the fun is back this year, even though the final 12 ain’t thrilling. Only have last week’s live shows left to watch now. My catchup observations:
– They’re so desperate for a woman to win that any alpha male with big popular support is nixed before the lives – Paul Akister, Joseph Whelan. Paul was the best of the boys by light years, I’d have taken him instead of Luke. (I agree on the choice of Nicholas and Sam who I both like.) As a result of them not taking Paul, we now have the blandest, weakest Boys category I can remember. It’s no surprise at all that 60,000 ppl have joined a Facebook group asking for him to be brought back. The “shy” narrative doesn’t fly for me, mostly consisting as it did of the show telling us he’s shy, Paul telling us he’s shy, Louis telling him he’s shy etc, without much actual evidence of shyness. (Case in point, he was much more together and less flaky/tearful than most of the other boys, which does to me at least imply a certain confidence.) More than the other judges, Louis uses “star quality” and “confidence” as a poor cover for body fascism. “He doesn’t have star quality, people won’t pick up the phone and vote for him” (said in reference to Paul) is Louis-speak for “He’s fat”. It’s also not true.
– Similarly I love Shelley but Joe was the obvious choice. (I agree with the choice of Sam and Lorna. Lorna at bootcamp was AMAZING – a series highlight for me and one of the standout performances.) They were obviously afraid that if they put either of Joseph or Paul through, they could easily go all the way and be hard to nuke. I also wouldn’t have taken Zoe Devlin and that Irish woman to JH, neither of them were good enough and both were over-entitled; Katie Markham was rightly pissed off at having her seat taken.
– It’s interesting that so much fuss was made over last year’s Overs being “the strongest Overs ever”, yet Sam, Shelley and Lorna absolutely run rings around Melanie, Carolynne and Kye. All three of them are stellar powerhouse vocalists
– Luke Friend looks like Nog from DS9 (facially)
– They’re clearly only taking Melanie to Judges’ Houses for narrative purposes now, because others in the final group of girls at bootcamp were much stronger – I thought Lydia really brought it and sang rings around Melanie.
– How is Shelley 35? She looks about 49. Makeover, stat
– Joseph Whelan would make a killing if he put a calendar out in time for Christmas.
– They may be the same height but I don’t think Miss Dynamix are working as a group. Sese is the best, the other two don’t quite click for me. I’d rather they made Miss Dynamix out of Sese, Relley and the black girl from Xyra, I think they would have been a better fit for each other and vocally stronger, and with more personality. (You see, this is why I should be a pop svengali.)
– The stubbly one from Next Of Kin needs to guest in Joseph’s calendar.
– Barclay Beales’s bootcamp performance was horrific. But: calendar. Actually there just needs to be a “Sexy Rejects” calendar.
– That Giles was massively irritating and far too immature to compete.
– The quote of the series is “We’re off to t’ Voice”
It’s a Kingsmill sandwich. I kill me.
Is trap 2 in the running order the coffin box for contestants?
The Strictly overlap and sandwiching technique has been used for two weeks running now, I think.
could be a good shout.
For a vulnerable act yes no such problem for mcnic in week 1
Yeah, you’re right stoney, Miss Dynamix were on third last Saturday, weren’t they? I getting mixed up.
Yes, but that was a Strictly slot last week too as the overlap was longer.
yeah, slot 2 this week is the equivalent of slot 3 last week due to the 10 min time difference.
I guess the onus will still be on voting off the Sunday night candidate so this is worth bearing in mind. Kingsmill may be a decent lay off. Will stick with Abi though, i think there is still a good chance, it was pretty excruciating to watch her. I thought she would be bottom tonight but the more I think about it since it could be the perfect storm in a way. Something tells me Luke is safe, in a bad year he was just not that bad and is likeable. With the bounce we expect Shelley to receive I think Abi is in grave danger. I think the song and production they gave her just did not suit her at all. It is hard not to feel sorry for her, she perhaps does not really belong on X Factor and I mean that in a complimentary way.
Oh Dear, posted in the wrong thread…my bed is calling me.
Just finished watching the show (recorded as I can’t stand adverts. Here is my 2 pennys:
Sam B: forgettable, emotionless and disconnected. Plus just standing there, it will start to get old. A few bad comments from the judges and bad staging could get people voting even more a la Chris Maloney. I know I am likely on my own but I am not sure she is polling as well as all that. It has been a rarity that an act would go start to finish being viewed as Plan A.
Kingsland road: They were miming, weren’t they? Quite surprised about the result but in terms of boybands, they are below par when compared to others on the show, even D3 were more interesting.
Abi: Train wreck. I am backing her to be in the sing off against KR and going home.
Nick: Maybe it is just me but I keep thinking of Jahmene when I see him (except not as good and without the tragic story) and although there seems to be a lot of love out there for him I can’t see him last to the final.
Shelley: loved the performance and how high will she bounce?
Tamera: Hum, okay. Got the feeling TPTB were trying to get her in and off the stage as quick as possible lest we remember she is a BAD girl.
Sam C: Not sure I was listening to the same vocal as the judges, I kept waiting for Simon to pipe up with: Well, you really murdered that song.
Luke: He is really starting to grow on me, shades of James Arthur who no one really noticed at first…Quite telling the similar Gary Barlow comment about not that edgy which put JA on the map. Could be the dark horse this year. Or it could be that Gary Borelow only has a limited comment vocabulary.
Rough Copy: Again, they were miming, weren’t they? Good VT, though.
Hannah: Slayed it.
Just wondering if I watched the X-factor or the Nicole Sherzinger show tonight…
Rough Copy miming? They sounded too bad to be miming. They just had backing on the track like they usually do with groups.
just watched it again and towards the end, looks like miming when they are running back towards the stage but you’re righ they sounded rough.
Hi Daniel, what I your thoughts on possible sing-off outcomes in case of KR-Shelley, KR-Abi and KR-Luke?
Kingsland Road stay over all if them without a doubt.
Unfortunately I have lots of doubts. What’s going to happen with the Misses? At least they will continue as a duo and can gather sympathy votes in the following weeks…
Depends how they play it. Will the public really want to keep voting in a pregnant lady who shouldn’t b in the show? Not forgetting were another week closer to the tour slots
I have doubts also. I can’t see Kingsmill having much of a shelf life in the competition, and this very early B2 appearance confirms my feelings. What’s their demographic? Technically they’re a “boyband”, but they’re not really a boyband, if you get me – they’re less Union J, more Shoreditch Twat: The Musical. They’re very “West End show”, it’s more about the synchronised antics than the singing. I don’t think they’re pretty or safe enough for tween girls to like them, they’re too twee and arseholey and not very fanciable. Abi has more to offer, she’s a real artist, so even if they only want her to bounce to week 4 before she goes, I can theoretically see them saving her. I can especially see Sharon saving Abi over the boys. In terms of “life after the show”, I’m not even sure Kingsmill are more marketable than Abi – I actually think Abi is.
Abi was not just thrown under the bus she was tied up and chained to the floor at the bus stop. She clearly didn’t feel comfortable and in my opinion is at war with the producers
I got this impression also when the judges were giving their comments – her face was like she knew she was being shafted..
Hi Boki, first of all I doubt I’ll be going in heavily. I will also re-watch the show today for more clues. Producers certainly angled Kingsmill into a possible bottom two position, in the Strictly overlap and big-hitter sandwich. Has the aim been to save them once there and bounce them into the tour?
Abi has been expendable to producers since bootcamp. I thought last night was rather cruel on her. Shelley is a quandary for me. She is now the fun act, but she’s no Rylan or Wagner… yet.
paddy power still pending
bet365 pending
fred voided
btw I layed them on betfair when read the news, all bets stand there, you should get an account
I suppose it’s different on betfair as your betting against other punters. So backers must have lost out. Id expect most bookies to refund
Is this confirmed? I don’t see why it should be any different on Betfair – is it not like a horse pulling out before the race?
Disclaimer: I was probably one of the people that took some of your lay Boki has had no idea about the incident.
It’s like an ante-post racing market where all selections count runner or not. If your horse doesn’t run you lose.
In the Betfair market rules tab it says “All bets stand run or not.”
It’s the same with bookies, all bets should be losers but lots will refund out of their own pockets for PR. Just like all bets on other artists would stand at the original price without any deduction (rule 4 if you want to use the horse racing analogy).
Nice one Boki, I didnt pull the trigger to lay between 4/5 on bf, I wasnt sure they wouldn’t treat it is as a non runner and I wasnt convinced the story was 100% true. I think it is too easy for someone to create noise and benefit from the odds fluctuating now.
Just spoke to paddy power they will be voiding the bet
Above someone said they see Luke as a potential dark horse. I’m not sure. He even hit a sandwich of Tamera and Rough Copy today which could be vote dampening.
Abi, I’m not sure. Today seemed like a softener rather than an all out axe. I think she maybe got decent votes last week so today was softening that. However it is close to call at this stage so the awful doing choice may be enough. I feel they are trying to give Sam C votes. I believe he is in trouble last week maybe just missed B2 and trying to edge him out of B2 again.
Honestly if Kingsmill go is it the end of the world? No. They are not the typical XF boy and material and Rough Copy are up there in the plans. Kingsmill going now gives a chance to get more votes to Rough Copy and make it seem Barlow’s hopes are all on them (some people love Barlow alone and vote for just that reason).
What I was wondering is with Tamera and Rough Copy once again getting late slots and Hannah getting the pimp are they going to be almost blatantly biased from now until the end? Nicky McD and Sam B do seem slightly like trains they are trying to halt (I’m saying both are top 2 in votes last week even). Can they continue to give later slots to plan A and B and continue to send Nick and Sam out early? Will be interesting.
Something else I think was over looked, Gary called them a “vocal harmony group” fairly sure this was used to deramp district 3 and get rid of nu vibe.
I thought he said they wanted to show there vocal harmonies
Last night underlined that looking for value at the early stages is a good policy. Praying Abi goes, on a roll of near misses since what feels like forever. 16/1 would be sweet.
I didn’t take the 16/1 and didn’t back Abi to be eliminated. I wish I had now! but I felt that it would take 3 to 4 weeks of dampening to render her a soggy mess.
Obviously, no Dynorod changed matters last night, but I’ve still fingers crossed it will be Luke Friend B2-ing.
But as many of the sofabet community are on Abi at juicy odds I’ll cross my spare fingers for all you guys.
Good luck 🙂
Is the overall standard as bad as it seems to me?
It could be worse – at least there’s no Jedward. Though their Britney tribute was the embodiment of ‘so bad it’s good’.The attempted MJ kick at the performance end lives long in the memory!
Yes. The overall standard of talent is even lower than last year, although I must say the show is more enjoyable and has a significantly more positive overall than last year’s negative affair, thanks in no small part to Sharon’s replacement of Tulisa. I wasn’t sure at first but I’m loving Sharon, she adds so much warmth, humanity and kindness – and fun – to proceedings, which is a refreshing change from Tulisa’s sour-faced spite.
But yes, the standard being low is why I don’t think Shelley’s in any danger of going out this week. Her performance was tons of fun last night. She herself is tons of fun and unlike last week’s, her performance last night really allowed her to show that. It was one of the highlights of quite a dirgey show. Mind you, I thought Kingsmill would be safe performing a fun, upbeat number in between two dirges, but I was wrong.
I was surprised by Kingsmill showing up bottom of the flash vote so the questions now are who is going to be in the bottom two with them and who would they save? I still think they have mileage in the competition and didn’t think that they did anything really wrong last night but the individual members are still very anonymous. If saved then I expect that to change next week to help them bounce.
The obvious candidates for the other bottom two place are Luke, Shelley, and Abi. My money is on Luke to go and I suspect that they would quite happily lose Shelley and Abi if they ended up against Kingsmill. But I want to throw this one in the mix; what about Tamera ending up in the bottom two this week? The attempted redemption was far too blatant, in fact, I joked with the wife before the show that they would play the “loves her gran and goes to church every week” card. It’s as cliched as the press referring to stabbed gang members as “promising footballers”. These sort of references are used when you have nothing good to say about someone and I don’t think the public like her. Just check the comments on any of the stories about her in the news – the people who comment are often the same ones who vote. She would of course be saved though, but at some point, the bad press will do for her.
Hannah smashed it tonight. She’s going on a journey, a journey to the final.
It is possible that they were setting Tamera up for a Bottom 2 against Miss D with the intent to save her. The next few weeks would be full of ‘ Look how she has changed, she is amazing’ The redemption story would be quite powerful.
Tamera in the sing off has great shock factor. I am talking myself into it now…
No chance. The show can’t have a redemption unless the show point out her history. As far as the majority of the public are aware, she’s a sweet church going angel who looks out for her cute ickle sister and cares for her nana.
They are working too hard hyping her up to want her anywhere near the lower end of the vote.
The majority of the public that dont read newpapers or use the Internet you mean.
‘It’s as cliched as the press referring to stabbed gang members as “promising footballers”‘
How bloody true!
Nicely put.
So tempted to put my refunded bet on luke going tonight. I’ve already put the 8 pound skybet allowed me to place at 12/1 but the 7’s is very tempting. Abi will have enough regional to survive and shellys bounce should be enough. What is lukes demographic? He seems popular enough with the crowd but so did kingsland
I’m in agreement with the post except about Abi. I thought it was a full-on attack. The VT was all about her nerves and people don’t want nervous entertainers. The (otherwise empty) pub/bowling alley with Nichole seemed awkward. And then the covering up by pink umbrellas and the scathing judges’ comments.
When Dermot was displaying their mobile app on the giant screen behind him was a mobile with the app demonstration which used Abbey. Users can pick 4 grades for the act, 2 good and 2 bad. Abbey was shown to be “Good” which is good, but it noticeably wasn’t “Excellent”.
I don’t know if she’s more expendable than Kingsland Road though.
I thought the VT was more about showing how Likeable she really is, nicole going out with her etc, becoming friends so everyone says “Awww she’s quite nice that Abi” etc etc. Nicole is the audience remember, the judges are meant to say stuff so the viewers relate to it.
The staging/song choice everything else I thought was par, More so I dont think they expected her to sound as bad, she probably did worse than expected by producers. If it was an attack the VT wouldnt of been like that.
If i had to guess, i would suggest she was expected to be “Ok” and be safe, certainly not as dreadful as she sounded.
I always find it interesting to see which part of the song the produces choose to use for the reprise/recap that accompanies the voting numbers. For Abi this week ,it was noticeable that the section of the song used, was a part that she struggled the most with.
I agree, they put on a rubbish bit if they want to lose them but the best bit if they want to keep them
Couple of ‘morning after’ thoughts:
1-Abi is badly miscast. on xtra factor, she was asked soft soap question of whether she enjoyed performing tonight. Awkward silence, looked like she wanted to cry, given some help by Caroline and finally said that she didn’t enjoy the bad comments. She was really given both barrels last night-agree withHenry VIII on VT, song was awkward because of carrrrrn’t jarring, removing lines, and leaving her exposed on long high notes. Brutal.
2-Why? My theory is that BOTH Hannah and Tamera are struggling for votes, and they need to get rid of female competition. On the other hand Luke and Sam got plenty of help – could well be to give Wee Nic as much competition as they can?
3-Groups category looks in disarray at the moment, unless I am wrong that rough copy are more MK1 than JLS. They may be tempted to cut Gary Barlow off, as he’s not around next year. My solution? I’d get on the phone to Relley C, who was likeable and good, and reboot Miss Dynamix. With Sese auditioning as a soloist next year.
Completely agree with 2).
I don’t think Hannah will win – I don’t think she has the versatility. She’s great on the soul stuff but like Ruth in last year’s Voice, when given anything else, she just bellows. There’s a lack of nuance, and her dynamics are strictly binary – loud or quiet with nowt in between. I’m calling Ruth II and a B2 appearance around week 6 if not sooner. Tamera is actually far better – her initial audition may not have won me over but I’ve loved everything she’s done since and she’s a deserved plan A. And I like her as a person. As far as I’m concerned, she’s a more marketable proposition both to viewers and in terms of her vocal abilities than Hannah is.
Reboot Miss Weetabix with Relley – EXACTLY. It’s too late now though, obviously…
Ah! you’ve articulated what I couldn’t put my finger on – and why I haven’t got round to backing Hannah. Still, I imagine her likeability sees her through to the final. Jahméne’s singing voice wasn’t completely to my tastes last year,but he managed a close 2nd.
Agree with you about Tamera’s ability but think the drip-drip negative press will do for her eventually.
They really went for Abi last night, and with Miss D out for the week I think she was the target for elimination. Her VT was boring: she went bowling with Nicole, so what?
Then there was the staging which was terrible. She was TRAPPED/suffocated by the pink umbrellas for a good proportion of the song. This reminded me of Jade Ellis caught in the spider’s web last year. Her dress was also danger red, in contrast to Tamera’s black and Hannah’s white outfits.
On Xtra Factor, one of the first things we saw was a tweet on the giant screen which said that Abi’s performance was like a funeral procession. Then Louis was asked if Abi should be worried and he was click to exclaim “YES!”. This was all at the top of the programme, which we know pushes the show’s agenda. Her performance has been slated like no other on the DS But will she be bottom of the vote tonight? Shelley’s vote share will be increasing from last week and Abi’s decreasing, so I am hopeful.
After Kingsland Road’s “shock” (it wasn’t to me) appearance at the bottom of the vote, I think the tweenie girls will be voting like crazy to save Sam C and Luke today. The latter was my favourite of the whole night and I thought his song choice, staging and performance were all wonderful.
I don’t think lukes moderate support will give him the multi votes he needs to see him clear tonight. There was nothing to suggest to the average viewer that he will be in any danger and he did receive luke warm comments, no pun intended
The staging with the boats was very Eurovision I thought, I agree on the performance and am convinced TPTB would not have given Luke that lovely and really popular song if they wanted him out.
Can I just add that “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” is the only song performed last night that did not show up on the iTunes Top 1500 so far?
011. Passenger – Let Her Go (Perf. Luke Friend) | (Also; #155, #183 (Acoustic), #458)
017. Jason Mraz – I Won’t Give Up (Perf. Sam C) | (Also; #132, #162, #257, #853)
082. Labrinth – Beneath Your Beautiful (feat. Emeli Sandé) (Perf. Tamera) | (Also; #864)
108. Glee Cast – Make You Feel My Love (Perf. Sam B) | —
113. Adele – Make You Feel My Love (Perf. Sam B) | (Also; #288)
125. Backstreet Boys – I Want It That Way (Perf. Rough Copy) | (Also; #624)
137. Bruno Mars – Marry You (Perf. Kingsland Road) | —
184. Robbie Williams – She’s The One (Perf. Nicholas) | (Also; #1161)
185. Christina Aguilera – Beautiful (Perf. Hannah) | —
193. Beyoncé – Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) (Perf. Shelley) | —
340. USA Music Writers – Well I Won’t Give Up On Us – Tribute to Jason Mraz (Perf. Sam C) | —
—
1034. Bob Dylan – Make You Feel My Love (Perf. Sam B) | (Also; #1293)
1058. Jasmine Thompson – Let Her Go (Perf. Luke Friend) | —
1062. Act – Beneath Your Beautiful (Single Version (Would You Let Me See)) (Perf. Tamera) | —
1167. Act – Only Know You Love Her When You Let Her Go (Perf. Luke Friend) | —
1204. Julia Sheer – I Won’t Give Up (Perf. Sam C) | —
1493. Balkan Beat – Only Know You Love Her When You Let Her Go (Perf. Luke Friend) | —
NO SHOW:
Kylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out Of My Head (Perf. Abi Alton)
The fact that nicholas won the performance of the show on the face book x factor show is an example of how dire last night’s show was. I don’t think mcnic has got out of first gear in the live shows yet
The show is taking a hammering in the ratings once again. Only 7.5m viewers watched last night (well down on the equivalent episode last year, which in itself was considered disappointing) suggesting this is a very poor series which has failed to capture the public’s imagination.
With only Scotland likely to be voting fanatically 🙂
I was of the opinion that Kingsland road will be kept in tonight… but 3.50! That is far too big for them to go. Considering I think they lose most singoffs.
You say they lose most sing offs but realistically they are up against shelly, luke or abi with sam c an outside chance. And id say they win most of them
Abi is saved by Sharon
Shelly is saved by louis (And Nicole)
Luke I think Sharon saves him
Sam C im unsure of.
They should not be 5-2
How do we know Sharon or Louis can exert free will, if TPTB want Kingsland kept they will be kept No?
Not that i disagree with your main point that 5/2 in a 2 horse race is massive, not even knowing the opposition. It could be almost anyone given the tight margins.
Yeah this is a tad naive. There opinions are the producers. As Gary proved when he critised lornas singing last week in the sing off then elected to send home shelly.
I think they could go either way on any of these and for that reason my only investment Tonight is on shelly first act announced safe
Oh and luke to go at 12s
Kevin, I dont think any of them can exert free will. I think the comments on Saturday night TPTB have a say in anyway.
Lets look at the facts of how they were treated and compare what the producers would actually want.
Kingsland Road – They were featured in the strictly overlap, They had a VT which featured largely of them saying how poor they are with girls, it showed 4/5 attractive female dancers greating KR and then knocking them back. Surely this translates to “Girls dont fancy us”, when their target audience are females, this isnt good.The VT ended with “lets hope we do better at performing than we do singing” They where then critised by the judges, Nicole using the same tactic that got Nu Vibe in trouble when it was highlighted that Charlie was better. All round treatment.. has to be seen as a negative here?
Shelly Smith – Previously in the bottom 2 whilst singing a slow song. If they wanted to target her this week they could of easily given her a slow number to do and basically repeat week 1. Instead she was given a good vt, focusing on how she is a “single lady” and just wants to have “fun”,then she comes on and sings a fun song with a routine that was ok by novelty standards. Then the judges comments you had Gary being critical, but before so he reminded viewer its was her birthday. Birthdays are fun right? Anyway, he was then critical of her, but we have been here before its ok for Gary to criticise the novelty/fun acts. Thats the role. Then you had louis praising her, followed by Dermot bringing on a small cake for her to celebrate her birthday.
All around positive for shelly? So based on yesterday.. surely the aim was to keep “help” Shelly and the opposite for KR?
Then you have to think now they know in a 2-2 Shelly stays, so firstly all they have to do is Louis/Nicole to folllow in the same directiont hey were with comments yesterday. It fits the show and treatement yesterday.
Only thing that can change in 24 hours is unplanned problems, like MD falling sick, does this mean they would prefer to keep KR around because they dont want gary running out of acts too fast? Thats a different debate all together, but based on yesterdays treatment, I have no reason to think they Shelly would go v KR
Just been rewatching last nights show, and one thing I was a bit confused by was Luke’s VT. The whole ‘my mum won’t leave me alone’ thing was just weird IMO. I wondered initially if TPTB were going for a kind of ‘ah, bless him, he still needs his mum’ type angle, but I think it came across as quite ungrateful.
I thought it was a clear attempt to target the mum vote whilst creating empathy with other teens who have protective mums: “she’s my biggest fan” “Yeah, she’s embarrasing but I love her to bits”. They showed quite a bit of Luke here and there, for example, at the beginning of the show and when Caroline Flack, backstage said “Luke, it’s your mum on the phone”. He had the most memorable staging of the night too. My guess is that his iTunes downloads are selling well and therefore the producers want to keep him in for now. On the other hand I can’t remember the VTs for Nic or Sam C at all. Abi’s VT was really uncomfortable. Hannah’s was quite sweet and showed Nicole taking care of her but why did the producers then send her out in that ugly and unflattering frock? Have they lost the St Jesy memorial leggings?
Well let me remind you. Nicholas vt had head judge nicole popping up to help pimp him and remind everyone what a sweet naive young kid he is. So we know he’s the only contestant on the show she follows on twitter, but she also seems to be throwing her weight behind him on the show too
To be honest I’d be more inclined to think that after his ‘never been in love’ VT the mum vote would go to him, it definitely got an ‘ah bless’ out of me. Whereas with Luke I thought what an ungrateful little sod he was for all his mum’s attention!
But the point is that Nicholas’s VT was not memorable unlike Nicole’s shopping trip with Hannah and bowling game with Abi.
That’s an interesting take on it and I can see TPTB going for the mum vote, but do you think it would put off any tween voters? It probably looked desperately uncool to a teen audience, in direct contract to Sam C.
My own 17yr old pointed out that Luke is not sexy to girls of his own age but his pretty, unthreatening looks probably appeal strongly to tweenies.
My logic is, if girls fancy James Arthur, they’ll fancy anything. However, there’s no way Luke can compete with Sam and Nic on that front.
Good point Anna, it’s October, 300k+ teenagers in the UK have just gone off from home and started university for their first ever term.
If she loves him so much, why does she let him go round as a grubby urchin? Unless his head has been classified as a protected ecosystem there’s no excuse for it – he looks like he should be playing one of Fagin’s boys in a provincial production of “Oliver!” or up a tree protesting against a new runway that might harm some newts. Not singing to the nation on Saturday night TV.
More oiled-up dancers, less oily Luke.
Seemed to me like an excuse to crowbar in a plug for Samsung more than anything else.
You’ve probably hit the nail on the head there!
Was traveling today, so no time to dig this out, was there ever en example of someone who did not bounce and was saved two times in a row?
Katie Waissel, bottom 2, three times in a row. Saved all times. Then finished 2nd of the vote, then went following week.
Bottom 2 – Saved
Bottom 2 – Saved
Bottom 2 – Saved
Finished 2nd of the vote
Then they did a double eviction and she was bottom of vote and left with no singoff
Wow, thanks, my thought on the plane was that Shelley would be an exception, also thought Katie bounced in between.
Apart from Rough Copy’s in the air tonight last week there hasn’t been one better than average performance from any of the groups so I wouldn’t be surprised if Gary lost all his acts by week 5-6.
Both Overs were pretty average last night but Sam’s popularity and Shelley’s bounce should save them.
Abi was good last night and I like what they are doing with her, taking her out of her comfort zone, a change to Henderson last year.
Hannah’s was predictable and slightly boring (and off at the beginning).
I know they want a girl to win this year but Nicolas actually looks like the only real contender for the finals last night. He was the only one who sang perfectly, not one wrong note, in his element and wasn’t boring.
Luke on the other hand, like others have said, was forgetful, between Rough Copy and Tamera, isn’t particularly talented and even those boats, I interpreted them as “sailing home” unlike Louis.
Sam is the 1 who progressed the most going from probably the worst performance last week to one of the best this week. I can see him having a similar journey to Lloyd Daniels.
Predictions for tonight: Abi or Luke, in both cases Kingsland Road going
Watched week 1. It’s a good example of why after a decade of living on the continent I just can’t predict viewers’ tastes in the UK:
– Lorna had 4 oiled-up, gyrating shirtless hunks in tight trousers and 2 chaise longues.
– Shelley had shoulder pads, a wind machine and a lift at the end.
– Both absolutely knocked it out of the park vocally, and were tons of fun to boot. Theirs and Tamera’s were the most enjoyable performances of the night
– Lorna and Shelley were bottom of the public vote and bottom of the flash vote respectively.
Britain, you’re doing it wrong!!!!!
You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. Had I watched it live, I’d have called both of them safe. It’s a Saturday night entertainment show, and to me, that means divas with big voices and personalities, oiled-up musclemen, a podium lift and a chaise longue. We need to release some Prozac into the UK water supply…
You don’t want to be predicting the viewers’ tastes, you want to be predicting the voters’ tastes. Either that, or you need to be using your winnings from betting to mass-vote the acts you want to see more of!
We know that XF is as much a popularity contest as a singing contest, but in both cases, the contest is for the votes of the people prepared to pay 35p (didn’t it use to be £1?) a pop for dialling in.
Has there ever been a decent survey of how frequently different demographics are prepared to vote?
One more thing: last week, the elimination target was Miss Dynamix and a group was given the pimp slot, with another group on somewhere in between. This week, Abi is the target for elimination (in my opinion) and so a girl has been given the pimp slot, with another girl on later in the show than her.
However, the producers were 100% gunning for Kingsland Road to be in the bottom 2 this time, but I think this is just to make sure Shelley bounces, and that they’d be prepared to ditch them to keep her, if necessary.
A couple of points from me:
– Did anyone think Abi’s bowling VT was *slightly* reminiscent of Sophie Haribo’s drinking-in-an-empty-bar VT?
– Shelley’s performance made me the happiest I have been in a VERY long time.
– I still don’t get Hannah – there was zero emotion in her performance last night and it turned shouty in the second half.
– I’d like this Barclay Beales calendar please.
– Luke looks like Kimberley Walsh.
– I think Rough Copy for bottom 2. They’ve got a very small number of very vocal supporters, but that’s about it.
Barclay Beales as in that yodeler from the auditions?
I thought it was a great show last night – something for everyone to chew on. As I thought Miss D miraclously survived- but I didnt expect an illness to put them through to next week. I wasn’t expecting Kingsland Road to be bottom 2 though…i think it gives Gary and the groups a problem if Miss D are not able to continue and Kings go tonight…and it leaves him with Ruff Copy – who quite frankly were below average last night.
As such, i think with last week – the flash vote loser stays and it is curtains or whoever joins in the sing-off. I think Shelley did everything which was expected of her with that performance to get the bounce – and I think with it still being so early on in the series – she can get the bounce needed.
Abi however had bad VT and looked very awkward. And I thought she was going to cry when the judges were commenting – she knew she had been stitched up with it all the staging and look this week. And if she goes – no one cares since Zinger still has tamera, hannah and nicolas to mentor.
I thought Luke was really good with the song choice and performed it well – but he lacks an image. His VT with his mum was cringe and his image isn’t good at all with the awful shirts and too short trousers.
and I don’t believe that Sam can sing that well – if either were against Kings – then i can see all of them being eliminated. It wouldn’t be fair on Luke – but the other two definitely.
As for the outrights- I think Nicolas wins this – I was very impressed last night’s performance and with Zinger on his team now – he can romp this Joe McElderry style. I was disappointed with Sam Bailey treatment – and I think that Tamera has too many issues with negative publicity for her to be a winner. And ruff copy – I think are definitely more like MK1 than JLS!
Tonight – Abi looks the call to go for me…
Well said mate we both agreed on shelly surviving last week And have similar views this week. The interesting factor for me and why I keep plunging more money into nicholas is unlike most I consider him plan A. They realise louis has the least credibility out of the judges and nicole seems to be taking over the reigns to make up for it
There was a fun, sympathetic 2-page feature on Shelley, including an interview with her, in this weekend’s “We Love TV” – the 7-day TV guide that comes with the Saturday editions of regional papers across the country like the Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo. Lay her for B2.
I am of the opinion first act announced safe is a better bet. She has to be called first surely
Betfair market thinks it’s almost 50-50 between Sh and Abi for bottom 2, Sh drifted back to a pre-show price, all hope is not lost. I also believe if she is not called safe first than she is in the bottom.
Sam and Luke have drifted for B2 but I’m still saying 1 of them could be in it.
Kingsland vs Abi= Abi gone
vs Shelley= Shelly gone?
vs Luke= ????
What do people think on this.
Kingsland vs. Abi = Kingsland go
Kingsland vs. Luke = Kingsland go
Shelley wont be in bottom 2 tonight
Kingsland to survive against either of these is my call
Kingsland def go against either of those two, and against Shelley it could go either way.
Lol the TPTB putting it out there already via the judgrs. They want Shelley or Abi gone it seems. I wonder if the votes are close.
Perhaps they are saying shelly to add to the shock factor if she is caked safe. They of course will already know
bounce or no bounce. i just cant see who is voting for shelley-
unfortunately they are going to save abi/shelley for last two
Good night shelly
Shelley’s Single Ladies was the highlight of last night. And the bounce is one of the show’s most reliable trends, especially in early weeks when margins are smaller. Baffled. Glad I’m not betting. Is this anything to do with the flash vote?
On paper it should have been the hihlight. But it underwhelmed , didnt live up to the expectations and this made it even worse, cause she was a letdown.
I think the flash vote reduces the impact of the bounce.
Shelley fans vote like crazy for the flash vote. She escapes being bottom on Saturday so some of her voters may assume she is doing better than expected, therefore reducing the urgency to multiple vote.
I agree and this makes sense. If I vote during the window on Saturday night and my act isn’t bottom, I feel like I’ve done my bit and don’t vote on Sunday. They are indeed two votes. Why spend a penny twice?
I still can’t believe the nation didn’t cotton on to Shelley’s awesomeness. I love her. (And I love Sharon.) For my money, her judges’ houses reaction (“What? WHAT? Are you having a laugh?”) was far funnier than Rylan’s. I totally love her, she’s a legend and an icon and I hope she gets a lot of gigs out of this.
No suprises there. Did anyone notice abi pull away from hannah when hannah tried to kiss her after her name was called out?
Think it was just abi so nervous nothing malicious about it and she was very happy for Tamera when Tam got called as safe
Hmmmmm no abi appearing with the girls on the xtra factor sofa apparently due to a back injury. The plot thickens
“Back injury”. I still can’t believe that anyone voted her.
I can believe that people voted for her because she’s lovely and sympathetic, one of the few audibly northern contestants, and I actually really liked her performances despite what the judges said. But I agree her time would now sadly appear to be limited. (I also think she’s super-hot in those secretary spectacles, and the fact she doesn’t realise she is makes her more hot – she has an innocence and purity and dads will want to deflower her. Don’t forget she’s the only white girl on the show.)
Just talking to Nugg and we think Abi is quite feasibly pissed off and not happy with her treatment and the show. She’s a smart, sensitive girl with a lot of talent who’ll likely be able to see through what’s going on, and she’s also likely to take the sort of unfair critique she got on Saturday to heart. She strikes me as the type willing to take a risk (as she did on Saturday) but not willing to be stitched up once she realises that’s what’s going on. Imagine if they’d tried to make Spraggers do what Abi did on stage last night. I hope she walks, she’s too good and too artistic for the show.
The format of X Factor is one that expects inexperienced and highly emotional young people to go on stage and pour their heart and soul into their performance (regardless of the level of creative control they had in it), then immediately expose themselves to being character assassinated in front of the nation by a permatanned hussy and a smug leprechaun, neither of whom are even British. (I have zero beef with Gary and Sharon who are constructive and supportive.) As I’ve now discovered that the Serbian version of Your Face Sounds Familiar started last week and clashes with X Factor, I think I’m abandoning ship again after this weekend’s splurge. With Lorna and Shelley gone, both Sam B and Abi being gratuitously braked, Hannah bellowing and Rough Copy underwhelming, there’s no joy in it for me anymore. Sharon has added a lot of positivity but it’s not enough to make up for the producers’ and judges’ tricks, and I hate watching talented people being shot down. That’s not what I call entertainment.
She doesn’t want to get Hannah’s “condition”.
I wonder whether we need to re-evaluate the sympathy bounce and it’s effectiveness. Looks like it is only valid for Saturday night, and we should consider Sunday as a separate vote? By the way when Sharon was all over Louis I bottled it and Layed shelley. I also felt a little sick .
Abi actually fell down some stairs and was in hospital. Probably did it ok purpose so not to face another grilling on Xtra Factor.
As euro vicious said she isn’t for this show a little like Janet or Lucy was not. However going on it gets her name out there, but it’s no good if your name gets tarnished.
As for the rest. For me Hannah doesn’t deserve to be pimped. She messed up her chance IMO. Basically shouted her way through the whole performance of ‘beautiful’. The song shouldn’t be sang like that and there was no tone to her voice. Then in the group performance her little solo part was horrendous. Tamera is a much better singer and also more marketable. I’m still saying Nicholas for the win.
Evening all ~ haven’t posted on here in a while but naturally been following the comments and articles.
Just thought I’d confirm that Hills, Fred and Lads on the high street all voided and refunded Miss Dynamix week 2 bets.
Good luck to all.