‘The X Factor’ UK rankings: Does Ben Haenow join Andrea Faustini, Lauren Platt as contenders?
While there have been a few “surprise” eliminations on “The X Factor” UK so far this season, there have also been a wide variety of exits that we honestly saw coming.
The eight contestants below are to an extent the ones we expected weeks ago, with the only change maybe being Paul Akister in the place of Stereo Kicks. The next few weeks are going to be very interesting, since it is the time true favorites distance themselves, and middling acts fall apart. No matter what, though, everyone remaining will get to be a part of the tour.
8. Stevi Ritchie – We love Stevi, but we’re getting near the time when the show must be over for him. He’s going to be more and more the center of negative attention now the longer he stays, and we feel like even if he leaves Sunday, his life is changed forever.
7. Stereo Kicks – It’s still pretty hard to have a whole lot of faith in a band who has spent a little bit of time in the bottom two, regardless of just how much they have improved lately. They still may not have a whole lot of votes.
6. Only the Young – We like them more than sixth place, but they also have history in the bottom, and we’re not sure that they have the vocals to tackle some more emotional songs. They’ve been avoiding them for a while.
5. Jay James – For now, we’re willing to wager that the bottom two appearance for Jay was a fluke, spurred in part by an illness, a weak song choice, and performing early on in this past show.
4. Fleur East – We are becoming more and more of a believer in Fleur, who remains the darkhorse to win the competition. We don’t know the true size of her fan base, but she has brought something every week.
3. Ben Haenow – What makes Ben a contender here is that he’s the only real “rock singer” in the entire competition. He’s going to have his supporters thanks to that, and he has also survived some very big tests like weaker outings and performing early in the show.
2. Lauren Platt – Lauren is only going to keep getting better, and that makes her the perfect young contestant. She’s shown resiliency, and a capability to be both emotional and fun on the stage. If she has time to really develop an identity after the show, she could be a star.
1. Andrea Faustini – There’s no doubt that Andrea is the best singer in the entire competition, and the fact that he’s also a likable and funny guy only adds to why the British public probably love him. He’s already an easy lock for the final four at the very least.