‘The X Factor’ UK rankings: James Arthur, Jahmene Douglas battle it out

Thanks to Lucy Spraggan’s illness, we have been spared the double-elimination portion of “The X Factor” UK this season, and thus, we are left with the final seven acts still fighting for their lives. Who would have thought that Rylan Clark and Christopher Maloney would still be here over Lucy, Kye Sones, or MK1? It’s crazy to think how this season has gone, but even with that it still feels as though the top three singers this year are pretty set in stone at this point.

In case you are new to our rankings (in which case, welcome!), we are judging here based on a pretty simple criteria of performance quality, past placement in the bottom two, edit, and even to an extent whether or not this person could sell albums after the show is over.

7. Ryan Clark (last week: 8)- Tick, tick, tick. This is the sound of Rylan’s time on the show running out. (Points to anyone who gets the reference here.) Rylan has long been a source of fun, but the problem is that he does not fully even live up to his label as a controversial artist. His creative ideas are tonally the same every week, and at least Kitty Brucknell last season could sing. He’s a nice enough guy, but since he is not going to win, the journey has to end eventually.

6. District3 (6) – Christopher is probably the worse act of the two, but for whatever reason he has managed to never be in the bottom. Meanwhile, these three guys have faced elimination, and they have really only had one great performance in the past month on the show. Being good-looking is only going to get you so much further here.

5. Christopher Maloney (7) – At this point, it would not surprise us at all to see Christopher make it to the final five this season. However, there is a reason why he will probably not make the finale: as the other acts leave, their followings will probably flock to other singers. Christopher’s music is so polarizing we don’t see his support base expanding anytime soon.

4. Union J (4) – When they are great, they are phenomenal; the unfortunate thing is that they are not always great, and the longer Union J and District3 are around is the longer that they potentially take votes away from each other. The best thing that could happen to this group is for the other group to leave.

3. Ella Henderson (3) – It’s still strange that there is only one woman in the top 7 of the competition, but Ella can use this as an advantage to secure the “girl power” vote that has proven to be a powerful thing in the past (see Little Mix). The only thing Ella can probably do know to get herself into the top 2 for the show is have a little bit more fun, and don’t be afraid to tear down the walls when she is not singing.

2. Jahmene Douglas (2) – This is where things get really difficult. Do you vote for the man with the incredible soaring voice that is almost angelic, or the urban / acoustic artist who is completely original? Both Jahmene and James will probably get record deals, but for the sake of looking for a pop star versus someone better suited for an opera house with an orchestra, we’re giving James the edge for now.

1. James Arthur (1) – See above for the explanation. The biggest thing that James needs to do now is ensure that he does not get complacent. It will be easy for him to let all of the good things people say to get to his head, but he needs to ensure that he continues to step it up week after week. Otherwise, he could get lost and Jahmene or Ella could top him.

Who is your favorite “X Factor” UK act at this stage in the competition?