‘The X Factor’ USA finale rankings: Could Jeff Gutt top Alex & Sierra, Carlito Olivero?

No offense to Carlito Olivero, but at this point “The X Factor” USA is basically a two-person race. We’ve got a single dad in Jeff Gutt who loves to talk about his son, and then you have a couple in Alex & Sierra who are the younger, more contemporary choice. These two have delivered some strong performances for most of the competition, and while we feel like there is a clear winner, neither have been in the bottom before. Therefore, who really knows just where the public is going to go with this.

We’re going to be factoring in performance quality and internet reaction above anything else in this final rankings of the season, though we imagine that some little things in the finale, like song choice and performance order, could play a role.

3. Carlito Olivero (last week: 4) – The positives for Carlito here following his time on the show are that he is going to be able to try to record some music and get involved in the industry. But the negatives are that he’ll have a hard time doing it in America, and he’ll have to almost start from the ground up in the Latin market unless Paulina Rubio really helps him out. He’s a much better performer in Spanish that he is English, and he needs to not try so hard to be a heartthrob.

2. Jeff Gutt (2) – Jeff needs to try to focus more on the angle that he’s doing this show for himself at this point. We’re not blaming him fully for this since the editors are a major culprit, but the son story is massively overplayed and feels almost like a guilt trip at this point. He has a great voice and we can see him having some sort of rock career with the right people behind him, but we’re 99% certain he is the last person that Simon Cowell wants as the winner. Remember how well Tate Stevens fared with his album? It’s going to be hard for Jeff to do any better.

1. Alex & Sierra (1) – They’ve been at the top of this list for a while now, mostly because any other winner would shred what little credibility this show has. They’ve been the strongest act by a huge margin all season long, their performances have sold well on iTunes, and they could have a career in the industry if they are given the time to write their own music. Even if they don’t win, it may not be a bad thing for their career since it takes some of the pressure of living up to that $1 million contract off.

Who are you rooting for? For the last time, vote in our poll below!

Photo: Fox