‘The X Factor’ UK week 3 rankings: Rough Copy, Sam Bailey, and Hannah Barrett battle for #1
Last week, “The X Factor” UK ultimately had itself one predictable elimination in Shelley Smith, which leaves us in an interesting spot in that there is no longer a consensus pick to leave the competition. Instead, we’ve got a number of artists who are strong, and then a group of five of them who all appear destined to go out in the next five weeks. It’s going to be a battle to see if anyone can change these preconceived notions.
As we’ve said previously, our rankings are based on a combination of three things: Performance quality, fan following, and also perceived edit on the show. If someone’s getting a ton of airtime or good placement, they are likely to get more votes.
10. Miss Dynamix (last week: 10) – They were in the hospital last week, and will need some sort of enormous, powerful performance to really impress people at this point. They’ve got their work cut out for them, especially when you have a good many other people out there with the belief that they got a free pass last week.
9. Sam Callahan (9) – Sam’s got a good confidence on stage, but we have yet to get any sort of sense from him that he is a contender. His voice is a little too weak, but perhaps more importantly than that, he doesn’t really have a lane in this competition. He’s just a guy that the ladies seem to like for now that sings.
8. Kingsland Road (7) – We do not always believe in the concept of voters rallying to support someone following a bottom two appearance, but we do with these guys for a few simple reasons: They’re likable, and they really did not deserve to be in that whole “in jeopardy” position in the first place. They should have some sort of comeback, unless their performance is a disaster.
7. Abi Alton (6) – Suffered a near-disastrous performance last week, and this is going to be her opportunity to really turn things around and get moving in a positive direction again. We’re confident that she will and consequently survive a few more weeks, but come final six or so, viewers will remember the bad week.
6. Luke Friend (8) – Even with that weird boat performance, Luke’s shown us a little bit of growth and an understanding as to the sort of artist that he is. We think that he is probably more of a rock band lead singer than a solo artist, but who knows? Maybe he will go far enough in this competition that he can be just that.
5. Tamera Foster (5) – Still, we remain of two minds about Tamera. She is the “ready-made pop star” of the season, but we don’t understand who is voting for her. She’s not that lovable a person on the show, and she is also not someone getting good publicity from the press. We still would not be shocked if she ends up being a inclusion in the bottom in a few weeks’ time … but not today.
4. Nicholas McDonald (1) – For the first time since the start of the live shows, we have a new #1! The big reason for that is simply song choice in that Nicholas is not doing anything to make himself look or sound current. He’s brilliant, but if the goal here is to find someone who is on the radio now, he may not be the guy. We’re almost curious to know what he will sound like a few years when his voice settles in.
3. Hannah Barrett (4) – Hannah is just simply Hannah: A consistent performer with a great voice. She’s a little bit of enigma in that we don’t quite know if her voice can hold up for an entire season, but so far she is doing a phenomenal job picking the right music to suit her.
2. Sam Bailey (3) – Being the last member of Team Sharon Osbourne is going to help Sam get all of the votes from people who are fans of Mrs. O, in addition to fans of her own. Here’s the interesting thing about Sam right now: Even though Sharon may only have her left, don’t be shocked if there is another mentor or two left without an act before we even get to the finale.
1. Rough Copy (2) – And our new #1 is a group! It’s not often that we can say that. The truth about Rough Copy is that they already know the sort of band that they are, what they should be singing, and they can just come out and do their thing without a moment’s hesitation. There is nobody quite like them in the competition, and they can use that to their advantage.
Who is your favorite of the remaining acts? Share with a comment below! Meanwhile, click here if you want to see what everyone is going to perform on this coming episode.
Photo: ITV