Tonight’s last audition show moved quickly onto the panel deciding who was through to the semi-finals – the first and most historically important of which is tomorrow (as the graphs towards the end of this article indicate).
On the official list is Paddy & Nico, despite reports of an injury to the 79-year-old dancer. Lucy Kay got tonight’s pimp slot in the reveal, complete with tears and a mother’s joy over the phone. But there was plenty of attention for the Callabro boys too. Let us know what you think the lay of the land is below.
Really like Collabro and I hope they get far.
I read in an article today that Bars and Melody have forgiven all the bullies – could this indicate an ‘ending’ to their story/journey thus meaning us viewers won’t need to vote them as winners? I suppose we will have to see if this is mentioned in their VT come the semi/final
COLLABRO ARE IN THE LIVE SEMI’S TOMORROW!! 🙂
Hate the name “Collabro”, makes them sound like they’re rappers rather than the classical singers that they are.
Also, singers/groups of this genre of music have done well in the finals in the past and then after that we’ve heard very little about them after the initial hype. The reality is most people do not enjoy this type of music, especially not those who watch BGT anyway.
Singers of this genre who have done well in the past on the show have all done well because of their endearing stories rather than their music and the reality is Collabro just don’t have an endearing story or “journey”, they’re just a bit cool, aren’t they? Other classical singers/groups who have reached the final in the past have all overcome adversity in some way, think Paul Potts, Susan Boyle and Jonathan & Charlotte. They were interesting because, lets be frank, they were odd and then came out with their unexpectedly amazing voices. We all love an underdog.
I think either Bars and Melody or Paddy and Nico have this in the bag, both acts are talented and have that all important emotional connection with the viewing public which is needed to secure a win on shows like this.
Darcy the magician is also on tonight. I can’t see a full list anywhere yet though which is strange as we usually know by this time who is on
First semi line up revealed
http://tellymix.co.uk/gallery/183570-pictures-britains-got-talent-2014-first-live-show-line-up.html
I think Darcy will get the highest public vote with the judges picking between Collabo and Lauren and Terrell
Although I hope Collabro get through on public vote
Thanks for this, Natasha. Surely Collabro get the pimp slot and the same kind of treatment Richard & Adam got in the same position last year?
Cowell is – unsurprisingly – obsessed with the cash cow that is a successful boyband. He’s recently used a genre that does well in a competition and made a boyband out if it: Country & Western group Restless Road in last year’s USXF.
What could be simpler than taking the opera-lite genre that does well in BGT and creating a boyband within it? He’s already got Il Divo who continue to sell out concert tours and sell shedloads of records. Here he can create a younger version.
Yes I totally agree with what you say however, I have a feeling Darcy may get pimp as the audience will be excited to see what tricks he will do next, he will provide that ‘wow how does he do that’ factor which I think could edge him ahead of the boys although, I do hope I am wrong. Last year I don’t think Richard and Adam had any major competition in their semi which was why they took almost 50% of the public vote.
I reckon that Patsy being in the same semi as Darcy is bad for him – viewers will find her American accent annoying and it will wind up people who don’t like so many foreign acts appearing allowed on the show. However, Darcy has received enough press coverage to convince me that producers will want him in the final.
Tonight we will see if being featured on Gogglebox is of any importance/relevance. Darcy was shown on there whereas Collabro were not. I also noticed Darcy had been getting more media coverage.
We shall see what happens tonight
I won’t be linking the 2 together on the basis of what happens Tonight. Firstly sam bailey was on there week after week during the live shows and secondly she was given just about every bit of help imaginable to win in the end. So I certainly don’t see gogglebox as a major factor in the reason she won the show
Fair comment!
Fingers crossed for Collabro
Collabro 1/2 to win tonight’s semi is free money
It looks like the market has it right in that Darcy Oake and Collabro are both highly likely to qualify. There’s been an “Ask Collabro” and “Ask Darcy” on the official BGT twitter, and the account is yet to tweet today about any of Patsy, Henrietta and Christian.
I was thinking of backing Christian to qualify at 101.0…but then I re-watched his video!
I’m glad I was wrong, Collabro for the pimp slot 🙂
Ok, with better staging on this second performance I’m seeing very clear commercial potential for Collabro. I also foolishly forgot about Il Divo, who are not setting the charts alight but have been a solid moneymaker for Syco for nearly a decade now. I’m sure Simon is eyeing Collabro as a younger, musical theater version.
Looking at the line up for semi final 2 there is no stand out winner there. I can’t even remember half of them. Should have paid more attention this year really.
I’d say the stunt bikes possibly first (they were shown in audition 1 or 2 as far as i can remember) and then James Smith and Ricky K for 2nd and 3rd.
This type of act have never had much producer help in the past. Can you really see them getting the pimp spot?
Ok maybe not first then, but possible top 3.
I definitely think James Smith will be top 3 along with Ricky K with James possibly getting the pimp slot. A young boy guitarist usually ends up in the final so James could follow suit. Just checked odds for tonight semi, I don’t rate Ed that highly to be honest and think James will do better.
Isn’t the backstory re Collabro very fishy? “Friends” that formed a band one month before the competition? they come across as way too polished I think. hand picked by Syco? I think Bars and Melody look far more “real” Even if Collabro are a money spinning creation will it matter? if the media dig and find out it certainly could.
They met through social media as one or 2 of them wanted to start a band. They are all from some sort of stage/theatre school background. I think they are completely genuine
So the friends description is possibly a bit of a stretch. I thought the low key clothing tied in with the image that is being sold. Cowells comment that Britain’s Got Talent suggests these are plan A. I do believe this is somewhat calculated but they are seriously good and even if its something of a scheme it is not the fault of the performers anyway. I have no bet on but am tempted by Bars and Melody. I just think Joe Public might relate to them more. There is something slightly aloof about Collabro.
I was also tempted by them but if they wanted Bars and Melody to win they would have shown their audition early on and put them in semi final 1 or semi final 5, instead, Paddy and Nico are in semi final 5 and Collabro in semi 1.
Tonight’s Semi-Final line up is lacking any outright win contenders, strangely, which suggests to me that Tuesday is when Paddy and Nico were supposed to perform. So whoever wins the vote tonight wasn’t initially intended to win it, and whoever qualifies in second probably wasn’t intended to qualify at all, for what it’s worth.
I’ve still got questions about whether Bars & Melody can win. Their biggest selling point has been their audition song and it’s focus on being bullied. Will they perform the same song in the semi-final and final? If so, will it lose some of it’s appeal, or gain more?
I can’t remember the name kid from an earlier series, that sang about his Grandfather, but after hearing the same song three times he came over as a one trick pony. Could it be the same for Bars and Melody? Does the fact that they are Simon Cowell’s “Golden Buzzer” act count against them, or for them?
I also would have thought that each of the Golden Buzzer acts would get their own semi-final. There doesn’t appear to be one in Semi 2, which would mean that one of the other semi’s will have two.
Just read Tim’s comment above. Maybe Paddy & Nico were due to perform tonight (giving one Golden Buzzer act in each semi) but have been moved to Saturday, to allow as much time as possible to recover from the injury reported in the media.
The safest bet for me tonight looks like james smith to qualify.
I’d definitely say so
I thought you’d be 100% on it this year after last years success!
Yeah pretty similar to jordan okeefe. I had to rewatch james audition earlier I had forgotten who he was. But yeah he’s gotta qualify tonight unless he’s thrown under the bus in favor of ed. Wasn’t there another young kid similar to james in the auditions? Not sureif he made the semis
Yes, Bailey McConnell. James was shown in audition show 2 and Bailey was week 3 or week 4.
James is the better one imo and they will want him in the final over Bailey. I know you say this won’t mean much but James was shown on gogglebox.
James smith new favorite to win tonights heat. I took just above evens for himto qualify this morning. Looks nice now
So today there was an Ask James on twitter, and then later, instead of bothering to promote any of the other eight acts, they did another Ask James. I wonder if he’ll qualify?
He was 4/1 to win the heat this morning. Gutted i’m skint lol
Tell me about it I’m missing out on a juicy windfull because of limited funds. I didn’t realise the semi finals came so soon and didn’t get my funds sorted out in time for this week so betting with what feels like peanuts 🙁
The final isn’t till the 7th so plenty of time to sort some out! I’m glad I got straight on the Collabro bandwagon right after their audition.
Totally dismissed The Addict Initiative getting in the top 3 tonight but certain they will make it after that performance. Damn they were 100/1 or there abouts earlier today!
The semi finals are where the easy money is. Don’t write off the dancing granny. Although at this moment collabro look a good shout for the win
I was on the granny straight after her audition as well and haven’t written her off. I’m happy with both my EW selections 🙂 Hope she recovers well enough for sarturday though! Her odds will drift out quite a bit more prior to Saturday so will top up again EW.
I’m pretty confident that providing she wins her semi on saturday, she’ll be in the top 3 along with Collabro and probably Bars and Melody. I’m slightly confused at what their intentions are for them though as they were shown late in auditions, neither semi 1 or semi 5 performance yet they get shipped to america?
I think considering it’s looking ever likely that paddy and nico were supposed to be on tonight’s show could it be that the other golden buzzer act on Saturday night are the real chosen one ala attraction last year?
Plus I’m going to the final so don’t want to be too heavily involved, just wanna enjoy the show
Have a £25 free bet to place, which is nearing expiry. Was initially intending to place it on Costa Rica at 10/1 to qualify from Group D (World Cup) but am now beginning to like the 12/1 on England to finish bottom of Group D.
Am imagining that Uruguay, even without Suarez, are the likeliest qualifiers but am not tempted by the 8/15.
Am doubting my judgement on betting matters and am open to any suggestions.
Eventually plumped for putting it EW on Stephens in the tennis at 40s. It’s regularly overlooked that clay is the American’s favourite surface and if she takes out Halep later today it wouldn’t be that surprising to see her advance to the final.
She seems to have gone from over-hyped to under-rated but I think she will eventually prove she’s the real deal.
They will probably have REAformed and that not funny comedian bloke on the same night, possibly tomorrow. Doubt very much they will put Bars and Melody in the saturday’s semi with Paddy.
Reaformed are going to get a massive push to fill the gap miss dynamix didn’t fill
They are nothing special and one of them is a criminal! Personally can’t see them going that far
Pointless using the golden buzzer if they didn’t have plans for them (ignoring David’s obvious joke choice)
Alesha was the last one to push apparently and only pressed it because she saw potential. Don’t remember girl groups ever doing well on BGT, if we have had any before? Ant and Decs choice was also questionable
Who was ant and decs choice?
Toju! Was on sunday’s audition show
Oh yeah he was pretty lame. Can imagine him being in the same semi as paddy and nico
And the pot grows again for tomorrow nights show. I think we can gather that jody bird came 2nd in the vote tonight
There have been way more talented french performers who have failed to go through than them dancers. We don’t seem to like the french. We’re definately not on the same team for this semi. Wasn’t you saying that collabro hadnt been on gogglebox?
Completely different teams!
I know I’ll be the one to be proven wrong come this evening lol
That is correct, Collabro were not on there however, it seems that maybe they have shown some acts on there that they want to promote? It’s only a silly theory I have and it seems to have rung true these last couple of nights so using this basis for my prediction for tonight. If it doesn’t work tonight then I will shut up, stand corrected and will forget about it 🙂
Ok so the deal is this, if the French dancers don’t go through you won’t mention gogglebox ever again 🙂
Deal
Lucy Kay to absolutely walk it tomorrow
While I agree she is likely to win, I have a feeling they do a deramp to stall any momentum leading into the final as she would be a possible vote stealer from collabro. I have decided to take the value is reaformed to qualify based on the fact Alesha (simon cowell) used the golden buzzer based on their potential
Yes I too think they will deramp her come the final for the same reasons and I also believe this is why they didn’t put Jodi through last night and why they will throw Jack Pack under a bus when they are on. That way, Jack Pack won’t make it to the final meaning no competition for Collabro.
Took the gay french dancers in heels to qualify for the final at 5/1. They will bring a bit of fun to the final and the audience love them. I feel a bit silly for saying this again but they were on Gogglebox, as were Darcy and James Smith so we”ll see! I can’t see the public getting behind REAformed.
Along with Lucy, I think French Dancers will be top 3 with REAformed maybe if they get an almighty push? Although, I can’t see them putting 2 singers through tomorrow so I am thinking that the French dancers will get voted through with Lucy walking the public vote.
I really don’t think Bars and Melody will win because they are not talented enough and on the final night I don’t think there will be a wow factor from them. Whereas in the final I can imagine Collabro will be dressed in suits and I am sure they will deliver a big performance. However I am slightly worried about my bets because I cannot ignore the hype surrounding Bars and Melody.
I already have a bet on Paddy and Nico, if Paddy is fit to compete then I think it’ll be between her act and Collabro. Aside from these 3 I cannot see any other act winning. A shock contestant in the remaining semi-finals becoming a contender cannot be ruled out although I cannot see it happening.
With regard to tonight’s semi-final I agree about REAformed, I don’t think they’ll get enough public backing, having rewatched their audition I again was not impressed, but they are decent singers and look the part, they may be capable of pulling something good out the bag tonight. If it comes to judges vote then they’ll fall short. I don’t think the producers will want another singing act in the final, especially a girl band.
Glad someone agrees with me here about REAformed. Who’s in your top 3 along with Lucy tonight?
Having watched all the auditions again I think it’ll be Lucy for definite, then the other two places are between REAformed, the french dancers and Cartel. Cartel are very good dancers with good energy, plus in their audition Simon criticized one of the members because he was older than the rest and looked out of place, said he should’nt be in the group. I think they will gain more public support as a result of it.
Come on then who is joining me in the reaformed team. Making the golden buzzer seem worth while midway through the semis?
There’s just no wow factor with them. Judging by their audition they look better than they sound, vocally they are not amazing individually or as a group. In my opinion they will have to smash it into smithereens tonight to have a chance of going through.
Reaformed strike me as an act that would have been better off going on X-Factor, where they could have a story built and get time to develop. I do think the young lead singer has some potential, but she is far from fully realizing it.
Simon has gotta want to take them girls through to the final. They are ready for a record deal
What makes you think that? He hardly even praised them, nor did he have that ‘pound signs in his eyes’ look
$_$
Hmmm that was a great perfromance by Lucy, is she now a contender to win the whole thing? Slightly worrying.
She’s gonna split votes with collabro
A very very early slot in the final should put the brakes on
Thought Lucy was outstanding, got on while she was singing. she will probably come second, i specialize in betting the act that comes second in BGT!!!
Professor Stephen Hawking’s World Cup betting tip (sort of):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27608788
BAM will obviously walk it tomorrow. But then who else will be with them in top 3. Light Balance? Lettice? Eva? I say light balance to add to the variety again with Lettice loosing out on Judges vote
Innova Irish Dance are excellent and guaranteed the Irish vote.
Bet Fred limited me to £10 at 4/1 for a top 3 finish,
so frustrating.
🙁
Well done Natasha, good early shout on the French Dancers, I really thought they’d lose out when it went to public vote, especially with Cartel trending on Twitter for the rest of the show.
Really looking forward to BAM tomorrow, I think they’ll go through but I think we’ll all see that they are not as good as they are hyped up to be and their odds will start to drift. I really like Lettice, I feel she offers variety as a violinist, she comes across really well and the public will like her.
Thank you David, I had a nice return tonight so have jumped on Collabro and the Granny again as back up! Dare I mention Gogglebox again? That’s 3 nights in a row. Only thing is, out of tomorrow nights semi finalists, Eva was the only one shown as far as I can remember although, I doubt she’ll make top 3 but we’ll see.
Just re-watched Lucy there and it was a stunning performance. The lighting etc was on another level also so she was ramped for certain. I think she blows Collabro out of the stadium but it comes down to votes. Cowell was literally purring. I do think she has a genuine chance. Wasn’t the tune Gabrials Oboe from the Mission? Ennio Morricone, a stunning piece of music. One of the best performances I have seen on one of these shows.
I’ve just put a covering bet on Lucy because I feel slightly concerned that she has come into contention. Her odds have dropped a lot now, if BAM drift after tomorrow then she will become second favourite and a real threat.
Well done tash you have earned the right to carry on linking gogglebox to the vote increasing logic. I’ve decided to back light balance to qualify as they were awesome in auditions. Just hope they don’t get thrown under a bus tonight
The fact that Lucy is a threat to Collabro only points to one thing for me. That the dancing granny is really the ‘chosen one’. Think back to 2012 where we had Only Boys Aloud, Johnathon and Charlotte and the dancing dog. There was clearly a vote split between both these singing acts which cleared the path for Ashleigh and Pudsey to win. I can see a similar thing happening this year. Lucy and Collabro 2nd and 3rd with Paddy 1st. Semi final 5 will be telling
I would be inclined to think the same except granny was due to be in semi final 2 by the looks of things.
I don’t think the producer focus is necessarily on who will win but surely the bigger picture of who will make profits. One Direction won nothing. Both Collabro & Lucy are surely coin spinners so both will be pushed. If the dancing Granny wins she wins but I don’t think either act will be undermined in any way to let her win. Why would they given where the profit potential lies? I would say the show badly needs a star(s) to emerge in the way Paul Potts and Susan Boyle did. And by star I mean worldwide star.
Paddy & Nico 28/1 on Betfair
Paddy and Nico are now out of the competition due to injury.
oh its confirmed so then, some beauties on Betfair offering the odds, you would want to be careful!
Yeah it’s been widely reported now from a number of reliable sources. Don’t worry if you have bets on them on Betfair Exchange, I checked with a customer service rep and they will refund all stakes placed once their traders confirm the act has pulled out.
The reps might only be talking about the betfair sportsbook. The rules for the market on the exchange explicitly say:
***ALL BETS STAND RUN OR NOT***
(asterisks included)
Aw no way!! I have several bets placed with several different bookies. I hope to god i get it all back!!!
Same here Natasha.
Refund very unlikely.
The only bookies that will refund bets placed is Bet365 and Skybet. Ladbrookes, Stan James and Will Hill are classing the bet as lost 🙁
I did ask for confirmation with emphasis on Betfair EXCHANGE. The rep said yes regarding the refund. But after reading that explicit message I’m not so sure, maybe the rep I spoke to didn’t know their stuff.
Some good news. Just been on the phone again to Stan James and they have confirmed they are refunding all stakes on Paddy and Nico. Everyone just needs to check their accounts and the refund should be there 🙂 Oh, and just spoke to Will Hill and they have also confirmed they are doing the same. Its just Ladbrokes that won’t budge
Thursday semi-final. Checking out the BGT twitter, they posted at 14.40 that rehersals were underway and then at 15.16 put up a picture of the B&M rehearsal. Assuming they do rehearsals in-running-order, that suggests B&M are getting an early slot. Coupled with a lacklustre staging (go see their pic), and dismal recent TV ratings, I’m getting a sneaky feeling that it’s time for a ‘shock’ to spark some life into things and generate some headlines.
On the other hand, I’m expecting some heavy pimping of Lettice as the final is short of females, musicians and “characters”.
My predictions for tonight are : Lettice to win, Light balance to qualify by Judges’ vote and Bars/Meoldy to come third then get the wildcard into the final for maximum headline generation.
This would be the perfect result for me, I can’t see it happening but this series has been so predictable it’s untrue. There has been no money to be made on the win market for the semi finals. The 4/7 for callabro was massive compared to some of the odds during this week. Everyones cottoned on to the format. Back the favourite to win the heat
Unless the favourite is Ed Drewett 😉
Not by show time I don’t think
Bars and melody in slot number 3? 🙂
Just put a small stake on Lettice to win
Oh dear BAM did really well tonight, they pulled it out the bag with that song choice. Twitter are going crazy for them too, fanbase seems huge.
That Lettice bird is nuts. Betvictor after the show said Lettice has been backed to 12/1 to win tonight. So sneaky these betting companies. She drifted from 6/1
It’s so embarrassing the part where they say who the judges faves were… They don’t even hide it anymore. Latter part of show much better etc.
Watching on +1. Light balance for me.
Lots of people on Twitter shocked that Light Balance did not get through, some thinking it’s down to the fact they are not British, and some that finishing in the Top 3 would have prevented Lettice from going through (who was obviously preferred and given the pimp slot). I didn’t watch the show myself – couldn’t get it live in Italy – so had to rely on live blogs and can’t really offer a personal opinion.
If light balance were given the same help as attraction got last year they would win the competition
They were praised in fairness, I think the judges were behind them. Regional votes I think is main reason, last year Attraction were something different and Light Balance lacked that wow factor as they were somewhat similar I guess. Attraction also pulled at heart strings which wins votes of course. I would say Producers wanted Light Balance in the final, the comments re: Lettice were actually less favorable.
Suggestive that the instances of random, unpredictable goals from 4 years ago will not be repeated in Brazil:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2014/article-2641778/Neymar-Brazil-train-World-Cup-Brazuca-ball-time-Cesar-promises-like-horrible-Jabulani.html
Hi guildo my world cup bets will be as follows
Brazil to win 3/1 (40% of funds)
Brazil/neymar top scorer 22/1 (10%)
Brazil/argentina final 10/1 (20%)
Sturridge top emgland scorer 3/1 (20%)
Spain to win 13/2 (6%)
England to win ew@28s (4%) heart over head
A lot pending on Brazil success I know
Hi stoney,
My main bet is on Costa Rica to beat England at 13/2.(Not that I don’t like the bevy of talented, young, flair players in the England squad, but I really liked that 13/2 quote..)
My 2nd biggest bet is on Iran to be lowest goal scorers at 15/2.
Also have Cavani at 8/1 and Immobile (he’s not!) at 16/1 to be top goalscorers in the group.
I too have Sturridge at 3s.
Ghana to beat Portugal at 7/2 .
On the boxing, I took 15/8 a while ago on Groves to beat Froch and then topped up at 6/4 and then 11/8. The venue is the clincher for me.
Have Larsson in the tennis today at 4s and EW at 500s for the tourney in the tennis. IF she beats Bouchard today (a big IF) it will confirm rapid (almost inexplicable) improvement on the clay in this tourney, where the top seeds continue to fail.
On the men’s side, have Murray at 40s and 33s but with both Nadal and Djokovic looking good, that’s also a long way off from a return.
I think your underestimating England. It will be tough to get out of our group I admit. But I certainly don’t see us losing to costa rica. Although anything is possible with us in the world cup
You’re probably right, stoney – I could be over-compensating to my Eurovision Molly debacle, knee-jerking from overestimating those from these shores to underestimating those from these shores.
There is shades of Italia ’90 about this England bunch (when young Gazza and Platt burst onto the scene) and for the first time in living memory, they enter an international tourney without the fanfare, hoopla and Golden Generation nonsense wrapped around them like a blanket of albatrosses. (PP have a enhanced special for England at 100/1, for example).
But still like that 13/2 for Rica.
Regarding semi final 5. I think it’s safe to say they won’t want Bailey McConnell in the final as they already have James Smith. They won’t want Jack Pack as they have Collabro.
I think Kings and Queens and Keiran Lai will go through to the final
This year a ridiculous act has yet to get to the final. Step forward Jenson Zhu.
Holy cow, Paddy and Nico are back! Confirmed by Amanda Holden Twitter.
Cant understand this at all, really silly decision, should have stuck to there word and kept them out of the competition, theres no way they will be competing at full fitness
This could change everything, personally I’m glad because Betfair Exchange would not refund my bets on them so at least I have a chance now.
I had a massive Green on P&N then layed it off at pathetic odds once the news they were out came through.
They are now Red and I’m in the shit.
What a balls up, why on earth didn’t they wait a day before announcing the news, Scheming Syco manipulation at it’s worst.
I do not believe the public will fall for it this time.
What do they have to gain by doing this, if say they are the real plan A, they cant be worth more money to Syco than BAM or Collabro, i just dont get what the point of this is/was, apart from causing a lot of punters an absolute nightmare
Punters and Bookies,
I turned a £1525 green into a £1263 Red when they announced she was out.
Bets placed with main stream bookies my only consolation.
My book is a right mess.
Thanks Syco.
That’s awful, Andy.
Just a left-field thought – but might there be an element of Syco playing mischief at the expense of the gambling community?
Their motive being that phrases such as ‘pimp slot’ have entered into the mainstream consciousness?
The niche reality gambling community’s in-depth discussions of Syco strategies and tactics have led the way in pulling back the curtain to introducing the workings of the machine to the wider audience.
Could be an element of payback here?
Not sure of the reason’s Guildo, No possible way that Paddy could be unfit one day then fit the next. I had a nagging doubt that I was making an error and that it was just manipulation yet still went ahead and changed the book around for the sake of saving a few quid. I know the game mate, you pay your money and takes your choice, and if my mainstream bookies account bets stand I would still turn a profit if Paddy does win, as of yesterday all bets were still pending so I may make a few calls to find out the position. I strongly suspect they did just for the headlines, to cause a little controversy, and the reason I listed the figures is just to give people a idea of what damage they have caused, not just to myself but to many Betfair traders, just wonder if people in the know were the ones taking the long odds off the unsuspecting punters. very very fishy Guildo.
I pumped a decent amount on Lucy when the Paddy news came through and she would be my best result now by a country mile.
Commiserations, Andy.
Guildo, I very much doubt the betting community is that important to them. As Andy says, possibly it was just manipulation – a VT of headlines saying she’s withdrawn and then a touch-and-go reinstatement is more dramatic and convincing than one where it’s just “will she be fit to compete? Oh, she is” – especially if the routine is more constrained than the audition because of the injury, meaning it becomes necessary to push for the sympathy vote about how brave she’s being.
But one can be too cynical about these things (when the initial injury story emerged, it crossed my mind to wonder if it had been made up to generate some suspense – clearly that wasn’t the case). Also seems entirely possible that her doctor genuinely said she should withdraw, but having announced the news the show then panicked about how weak the rest of the field was looking so they toured her around other doctors till they found one who said she could do it.
It must be a slight relief to see paddy and nico at odds of 33/1 and highly unlikely to win the final?
Anyone know what happens to bets already placed on semi final 5 markets without paddy and nico in the mix?
Ladbrokes and now have voided their qualification markets for Semi-Final 5. Anyone had any luck with Paddy Power?
Nope but let me know if you do
*and now Betfair.
TIM B Paddy Power have refunded my stake, had to speak to the manager and give him a bit of grief but he said he was only doing it as a gesture of good will. Good luck, hope you get yours back too
Still no semi final 5 qualifier markets open apart from Ladbrokes. Paddypower haven’t yet added Paddy and Nico so theirs hasn’t yet changed
Ive had a poor run this year I’m actually now slightly down. Hoping BAM can make my trip to the final a happy one next week
I am on Lucy but think BAM will probably win for you right now. I think their rivals are fishing from the same pool. In the scheme of things it is actually a good final isn’t it? There are a decent number of good acts in it. I guess i had better get something on BAM, I should have pre-semi but these are the decisions. I think Lucy is the main danger, she has something special but BAM also have.
Lucy is surely going to be vying for votes from the same demo as collabro, jack pack, and to a lesser degree addictiv dance group. Apart from james Smith BAM should have the whole of their young demo market sewn up as well as a granny/mum vote. There gonna take some stopping now. I’ve never usually left it so late to pick my choice but I haven’t had a winning feeling about anyone up until now
If Jon Clegg isn’t the wildcard I will……eat my own underwear!
I also have a feeling that BAM will win it now. I’ve never seen Twitter go so crazy after their semi-final performance, obviously this doesn’t fully reflect the voting but they are very popular.
I’ve not put a single penny on BAM because I’ve never rated them and could never see what all the hype was about. I still don’t rate them that highly but I’ve seen the hype and it has shaken me to the core.
I too don’t rate them but I can definitely see them winning now
Me too. I think they purposely pimped Jack Pack to get them into the final to ensure there was a vote split between them and Collabro and Lucy to some extent, thus clearing the path for BAM to take top spot. I also believe they did not put Bailey through last night as he would have taken a proportion of BAM’s votes.
Would our Queen and Phil enjoy B&M ???
Will B&M get the pimp slot ???
Do kids do well in UK Reality Shows ???
Lets get the party started
🙂
So who is Andy backing for the win?
Hi Natasha
I fear I am in trouble with this years show, 1st there was the Paddy debacle that left me short, then after the semi on Wednesday I backed Lucy who was around 4/1, she has drifted ever since and I am now looking at a hefty loss if B&M or Collabro win.
I thought Lucy was fantastic and if there is any justice she will win.
It should be blindingly obvious where the real talent is on the night of the final, she may need the pimp slot but I believe she will get it.
This being the lucy that couldn’t even name the person who wrote the piece she sang? Sorry but she lost all credibilty in that instant for me. I feel in a wide open final BAM twitter following will prove crucial
Her nervousness on the night of the semi was obvious, sometimes people’s minds go blank when they are under stress, I do not think many people will be holding that against her.
I am not trying to influence any one, I am just putting my thoughts out to debate.
Lucy is my favourite contestant in the final.
The price suggests I am wrong and that she only has a slim chance of winning.
I think unfortunately we have all been in some sort of trouble with this years show, they certainly are making fools out of us!
Am I right in saying that in the past the person who has gone on to win the final won their semi being either semi 1 or semi 5, apart from Diversity who got through in second place. Am I also right in saying that the winner has always been aired in audition show 1 or audition show 2?
Eventhough I think BAM will win, I’m finding in difficult to ignore the above.
If the above were to be true and we could rely on it almost 100%, the winner would be Collabro, Darcy or Jack Pack.
Traditions are always there to be broken. Attraction first non British winners and james arthur bottom 2 in x factor then winning. Both instances I thought would never happen
No they probably wouldn’t enjoy them but then I doubt they enjoyed diversity or george sampson either.
Have B&M got the ability to WOW the public in the same way Attraction, Diversity, Spelbound or Paul Potts did ???
Is it likely that B&M will accrue at least 25% of the votes which is likely to be around the winning total if past seasons / years are any thing to go by ???
Who out of all the finalists do you think would WOW the public in the same way Attraction, Diversity, Spelibound or Paul Potts did?
Looking forward to Saturdays youguv poll coming out
Is the yougov poll for BGT as accurate as it is for X Factor?
There is no YouGov poll, as far as I’m aware.
Strange I definitely remember one last year. The sun mocked the British public picking attraction
Attraction were on the front page of The S*n on the day of the final because they knew they were going to win and that the GBP were behind them, but I really don’t there wasn’t a YouGov poll – At least not one that was made public. There isn’t one for Strictly either – just X Factor.
I’m sure I remember some sort of percentage being quoted in the sun article last year. Maybe they run there own poll
There on the money for both i believe. Definitely called attraction last year
But Attraction winning last year was pretty much a foregone conclusion
A WOW performance could steal the victory on the night for a number of acts. I believe Collabro, Lucy and maybe Lettice are capable of a wow performance (Lettice needs to go serious, dark and epic). BAM don’t have the wow factor in their locker, I think they’ll perform their first audition again and will have to rely on their fanbase to win. Their fanbase may be huge but one wow performance from another act will gain millions of votes.
Could Darcy Oake deliver a wow performance? I doubt it, I think he’ll do the last trick in this video at 2:11 minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpkb1v8LLzM
I think BAM, Collabro and Lucy will be the top 3. I actually can’t call it – I think it’ll depend to the running order and who gives a standout performance on the night.
People say they’ll want BAM to win – but why? There’s not really much precedent for young acts coming out of BGT and doing extremely well. Lucy and Collabro is where the money lies.
It’s almost every artist dream to crack America. Cowell wants his artists to do the same. BAM have got one foot in the door already. Clearly there is money in them
Just seen this status update from Collabro ”IMPORTANT NEWS! Apparently if you live outside of the UK you CAN VOTE if you download the BGT App!!!!! ”
Who was it that was shipped outside the UK to be promoted on a big scale?
I would have thought BAM would have been the ones posting that up.
Maybe they have as well. Funnily enough, i’m not a fan of their facebook page! Collabro also have fans in the US however, as BAM were on that Ellen show, they would have had more exposure
WTF! If they allow overseas voting then it definitely favours BAM significantly. Not cool.
Do many overseas people watch it live though?
Probably not but the American Twitter followers of BAM will be voting.
They have 10 time the twitter following of there nearest rivals as well
A lot of overseas people are fans of the BGT facebook page as well so will be constantly updated on the night of the final via facebook. Collabro also have a lot of fans overseas, seems they have also gone global. Not sure about any other acts
It appears you can also vote online once lines are open via ITV.com/britainsgottalent
Collabro are slowly drifting, almost at 4’s on Betfair. It’s a great price but reflects people’s confidence in them is waning. The BAM effect must be strong and I still don’t fully understand it!
BAM will be odds on by the end of the week. The punters are obviously getting stuck into them. They are the type of acts I would usually be ruling out and steering clear of but I’ve learnt my lesson since getting stung by james arthur, attraction and then sam bailey. Not getting burnt this time
I still have my doubts about BAM, surely popularity alone cannot win a competition of this scale, it needs to be backed up with a wow performance in the final, that’s where the masses of votes will be gained.
Not when all the real wow factor performances are diluted between 2 or 3 similar acts
loving the look of the 11/10 at bwin for the french dancers to open up the show on saturday
Totally agree it’s quite likely to be Yanis Marshall, Arnaud and Mehdi opening the show. The only danger is The Addict Initiative but I think Yanis and co are more family friendly than the spooky dancers.
I’ve had my first Big Brother bet of the summer. Number of housemates to voluntarily leave during the show – None at 2.5 with William Hill. It’s been several years since anyone last walked. There must be something in the contracts these days which means they don’t get paid their expenses (about £50 per day, or so I’ve heard) and/or people are more aware of what they’re letting themselves in for.
Just for fun, here’s my finishing order prediction –
10. Addict Initiative
9. James Smith
8. Gay French dancers
7. Jack Pack
6. Lettice Rowbotham
5. Lucy Kay
4. John Clegg (if he is the wildcard)
3. Darcy Oake
2. Collabro or BAM
1. BAM or Collabro
I don’t think BAM will get pimp slot in the final as their performance won’t be a ‘show closure’ in the way that a performance from Collabro would be.
You forgot about Paddy and Nico. And how do you know the French dancers are gay 😛 hehe.
I agree about the show closure and think Collabro still have a great chance of winning. They’ve had the longest to rehearse and I think they’re going to deliver something big.
Oh yeh, so I have! Not sure where i’d place them to be honest, I think it depends how she performs on the night as understandably on Saturday she wasn’t great.
They stated they were gay in the audition – i’m pretty they did anyway!
They said the day after they won their semi that had a really big number planned and no doubt they will deliver.
I still have a feeling BAM will take the crown even if not given the pimp slot although, we will see how the effective ‘BAM effect’ proves to be come the results saturday.
They said the day after they won their semi that had a really big number planned and no doubt they will deliver.
* They as in Collabro
Lucy Kay odds against for Top 3, didn’t think I would see that. Will have to bet but might it drift even further?
And 9/1 to win. I cant fathom that. Surely a back to lay at the very least?
Has she kidnapped a puppy or something? Is there some reason for the drift?
kidnapped a puppy lol, BAM continue to shorten which will have a negative effect on others, personally i fancy darcy as a better shot at cracking top 3
Is Lettice getting some last minute pimping? Now the featured video on BGT’s Youtube home page and then major subliminal pimping smack in the middle of Corrie during their big current storyline.
This is how the tv advert goes (to the usual BGT exciting choir flavoured heavy rock music of course). It quickly views every act twice and then ends with a big featured close up ‘stay’ on Lettice finishing up a final crescendo performance note on her violin and then holding her bow arm up in triumph with a big smile….all too with these well edited lead up words to accompany it, “But only one can be crowned the winner” and then Simon saying ” I’m so glad we found you on this show” (BIG audience cheer)……. Cue the dancing Meerkats and straight into Coronation St second half.
I have had a feeling about this lass doing well when I first saw her and especially with her being an act that would very much please Her Majesty (and also half of the red blooded male population in the UK) and so I took a 40/1 e/way last week with Ladbrokes (fifth odds for a place). Still some 33/1 about too.
She is also being championed by Matt Cardle and Olly Murs and I think that she has something stunning up her gorgeous sleeve for the final and it could possibly be the fact that she evidently has a fine singing voice too. Lettice pray that she can at least get a top 3 place to cash in on (and an extra nice summer holiday for me if she wins).
Youtube views (thousands) of the semi-final peformances, as recorded a few minutes ago.
Darcy Oake 1668
Bars & Melody 772
Yanis, Arnaud, Mehdi 668
Collabro 543
Lettice Rowbotham 525
Jon Clegg 396
James Smith 354
Paddy & Nico 344
Lucy Kay 312
Addict Initiative 242
Jack Pack 188
N.B. The acts that performed earlier in the week presumably have had more time to accumulate views.
Selected others:
Jodi Bird 424
Lauren & Terrell 290
Ricky K 223
Toju 222
Light Balance 201
Bailey 177
Hi Danny. Youtube for me isn’t a bad indication of popularity but I do find that the official BGT 2014 channel (or Youtube) sometimes don’t update the views in ‘real time’. It’s as if they only update some video view figures every so often and therefore there is no accuracy at any one point in time.
There is also the recently added featured BGT channel new ‘pimp’ video of Lettice (2.35secs “Violinist Lettice Rowbotham gives a hypnotic recital”) that I mentioned above. It’s the same performance as her other official BGT video, but shorter and says 642 views and and seems to be updating the views ok.
That other official BGT vid from the side menu (5.03secs “Lettice Rowbotham is in the Final” ) says on the menu 824 views at this moment. Yet click on it to view it and it says 1,035 views. It’s all a bit weird. Interestingly though both vids total over1,670 views.
Aside from that, BGT are definitely up to something giving her an extra but shorter vid of the same performance and using it as a feature (and I hope it’s in my favour).
Perhaps Daniel or Andrew could throw some more light on it.
Good point about the frequency of updates. I purposefully reported in thousands because of the potential wide margins of error on views.
About featuring Lettice on the video trailers, I can’t personally see it as anything more than picking the most telegenic of the finalists. You might be onto something but even if you are, the effect of something so subtle is likely to be far out-weighed by the running order on the night.
This is interesting because apart from my investment on BAM for the win I’ve also gone with Darcy for top 3 @5/2 which in my opinion is a lock in unless he’s somehow stitched up in the final
Hi Stoney. I’m also on BAM for a win at 2/1 as they are bound to get a huge Teenie vote, and then I took the 40/1 e/way on Lettice. That would still be nice lift for me if they both manage that as the latter would give me an 8/1 top 3 place too (though a win for her would naturally be preferable).
Just as Simon once said, that he would like to see a girl band win XF (and then one did, LM), he has also said he would like to see a really good magician one day. Although they don’t usually float his boat, he was suitably impressed with D’Arcy and I think he has got behind this one.
I copied this from the Tellymix site just now if it is any help to anyone a rough guideline of opinion.
Bars and Melody (32%, 892 Votes)
Collabro (20%, 559 Votes)
Darcy Oake (12%, 322 Votes)
Jack Pack (9%, 249 Votes)
Lettice Rowbotham (8%, 228 Votes)
Paddy and Nico (6%, 164 Votes)
Lucy Kay (5%, 138 Votes)
Yanis Marshall, Arnaud & Mehdi (3%, 84 Votes)
James Smith (3%, 82 Votes)
The Addict Initiative (2%, 44 Votes)
Jon Clegg (0%, 28 Vo
Lets hope neither of us have to lick any wounds, Stoney. As Danny rightly pointed out though, a lot is going to depend on the running order. Good luck!!
I think the top 3 in that poll will finish exactly in that order and that will do me just nicely.
My girlfriend watched the finalists on This Morning.
Lettice has been given a new violin to perform with but wasn’t overly happy as it takes her at least a month to get used to a new instrument & she’s been having to do too many interviews so hasn’t had much time.
The producers asked Lucy Kay to sing a different song that more people would recognise.
Paddy & Nico have had to adapt their moves so they don’t hurt her. Her semi performance was understandably a bit of a mess & not sure her final one will be much better as with the adrenaline & pressure can see her overdoing it & hurting that cracked rib. Bit like that really old female singer who was one of the favourites a few years back but missed the beginning of her song & then was nowhere.
Darcy was asked about performing topless & said they’ll have to wait and see. Doesn’t the overseas voting also work in his favour? Wonder if Canadian media have been getting behind him.
Jack Pack sang That’s Life at the end.
BAM were front and centre but weren’t asked about their final song so I’m guessing they’ll do their audition song again. Interestingly that male singer with the guitar said he’d never even spoken to Simon Cowell but seemed to suggest others had.
Really tough to call this year.
Stoney aren’t you worried that BAM are lacking in talent compared to the others? Final night I would have thought talent and performance beat back story.
No because they are highly talented for their ages. Add that to the back story and the strong regional Welsh vote they will receive and it’s gotta be plain to see they Are going to be a real contender. That’s without considering the online following they have built up.
Their online support is huge. I’m curious to know its demographics. Did someone say there’s going to be a YouGov/Sun poll tomorrow?
…curious to know how many mums rather than kids.
Unfortunately no poll in the sun but the focus is very muchon BAM
Charlie was Lucy recently told to change her song or some time ago?
She seemed to give the impression it was fairly recent but can’t say for sure. Don’t think it’ll make much difference to her performance but could grab her some extra votes.
I’ve just cashed out my Collabro bet. This means I’ll probably make a small overall loss for this series. I have been reluctant to do it but finally felt the risk was too high.
The only bet I have on now is Lettice top 3. I managed to get it at high odds a while back.
The lovely guys at William Hill invited me onto their Specials Podcast to discuss the BGT final for the second year running. Listen to what we had to say here http://audioboo.fm/boos/2230663-the-specials-podcast-friday-june-6th
Also available on iTunes.
Lucy Kay has started to shorten a lot across the board. Wonder if any information is getting out?
http://www.itv.com/britainsgottalent/insider/who-does-simon-cowell-think-will-be-victorious
Ta daaa. She’s been persuaded to change her song for a bigger, more well known number apparently #TeamLucy
Fantastic podcast discussion. After listening I really wish I hadn’t cashed in my Collabro bet. I thought Tim B’s views and reasoning were spot on.
No final preview from the sofa bet team this year???
Oops, turns out Bars and Melody are doing their audition song again. That didn’t exactly work out for Susan Boyle, Richard and Adam, Luminites or Michael Collings but to name a few.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/simon-cowells-candid-views-britains-3656944
Clutching at straws springs to mind here. Im assuming this is to get maximum exposure for the anti bullying vote puller. Now let’s cast our minds back to the last ‘kiddy’ act that won bgt. Did he have a fresh routine for the final? No he used the same one for audition, semi and final. But of course feel free to see them doing the audition song as a negative if you wish
Well, the above acts mentioned were ones the producers decided they didn’t want to win (by the end). I suspect the same is probably true of Bars and Melody, as it would be pretty embarrassing for the show to put them in front of The Queen imo. They’re drifting after this news anyway.
I doubt the Queen was too keen on diversity but that didn’t matter.
Diversity were insanely talented though, and were portrayed as underdogs up against the mighty Susan Boyle. Maybe Bars and Melody are just insanely popular?
Yep im still happy enough to be cheering them on for the win tonight. Good luck to all