‘The X Factor’ UK rankings: Andrea Faustini, Lauren Platt, Jay James, Paul Akister current top 4
With the Halloween episode of “The X Factor” coming up over the weekend, this is the real opportunity to actually see how the contestants handle some scary situations … or at least some very cool songs.
We’ve got the top 11 contestants ranked below, but there are not too many changes from start to finish. Part of that is just because the favorites are still favorites.
11. Stevi Ritchie – With Jake gone, there is not exactly anywhere else for Stevi to hide. He is undeniably the worst singer in the competition, and four weeks during the live shows does feel a little bit like the perfect amount of time for him to be around. We love the man, but the shtick’s going to get old fast now.
10. Jack Walton – Not a good week for Jack by any means. He hasn’t been in the bottom two yet, but some weird tension between him and Mel B, plus some letdown performances, have him in danger.
9. Stereo Kicks – They had a comeback this past week, but with this many members and having to figure things out so quickly, this is going to be incredibly hard for them to figure out on the fly. We see them having more trouble soon.
8. Only the Young – We attribute their recent bottom two placement to going early on during the show last time, and also doing a song that felt under-rehearsed. They should bounce back without a problem, at least for one week.
7. Lola Saunders – We didn’t love the makeover, but more importantly, we feel like as strong as she is vocally, it’s hard to connect with her vocals like you connect with her story. She hasn’t figured out how to connect yet.
6. Fleur East – She’s the sort of contestant who probably should either win or come close, but she won’t. She is much more likely to be the one eliminated a few weeks to soon. We’re going to go and call this one.
5. Ben Haenow – He can definitely sing, but his whole issue with the Aerosmith song is something that could linger. Simon Cowell wasn’t that quick to defend him, either.
4. Paul Akister – Extremely consistent, and that plus air time should lead to him staying around for a little while. Plus, it doesn’t seem for him like he has some sort of block on confidence so much as he just needs to work on it. He’ll get better.
3. Jay James – Coming off of one of his weaker performances, “Skyfall” was still pretty pronounced and powerful. Jay has not given us a significant reason to be in danger, and on the strength of recent performances, he won’t be. He’s going to be fine.
2. Lauren Platt – Lauren by and large is doing very well right now. She hasn’t been perfect, but at the same time, she really hasn’t needed to be. What she has done is showcase talent, style, and stage presence, and for a teenager, that is enough to make her “X Factor” gold.
1. Andrea Faustini -Still the consensus favorite, and by a margin so wide, it’s not even close. We still feel like he needs to be doing more than just singing big ballads week after week, but there’s no question that he has the voice and the personality to be a huge star.
Who is your favorite on “The X Factor” right now? Share with a comment, and head over here if you want to get some further news worth singing about via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo via ITV.)