‘The X Factor’ UK week 6 rankings: Why Sam Bailey, Rough Copy still triumph
Based on what we have learned about “The X Factor” the past few seasons, it is easy to make a few assumptions. For one, being a teenage guy automatically gets you votes, and if you are a young woman, you really have to work that much harder to show that not only are you likable, but you are willing to have fun and do more than just stand in the center of the stage and sing ballads. Also, being a group or in the Overs category does generally make it harder in the opening rounds, unless you are one of the few that gets anointed the favorite by America. (That is why these two categories have already been mostly wiped clean.)
As always with the show, we’re judging our rankings based on two things: Performance quality, and voting history thus far. There is nothing better for us to really go on than what has already been shown over the past several weeks.
7. Sam Callahan (last week: 8) – We suppose that there is a certain amount of counter-intuitiveness in making someone last on the list who has yet to been in the bottom two. But we don’t think that this is Christopher Maloney 2.0 in that there are two other guys in Nicholas McDonald and Luke Friend for teen girls to throw their support behind, and his luck is going to run out sooner or later. Plus, all of the judges finger-pointing over the past few eliminations could play a part.
6. Hannah Barrett (5) – If Hannah is in the bottom against anyone other than Sam or maybe Luke, if the judges want to really punish Louis Walsh, she will probably go home at this point. She’s been in the bottom on two occasions already, and despite whatever excuses the judges may give about people not voting for her, she just doesn’t have the support. It may be nice to call this a talent competition, but it’s really more of a popularity contest.
5. Tamera Foster (7) – Likewise, Tamera’s support base does not really equal her talent, and her problem is that she violates one of the criteria we listed above for young female contestants: We don’t really think that she is likable. When you’re a young woman on this show, you unfortunately have to face the reality that it is harder to get many teenagers to vote for you. They have to be able to relate to you, and Tamera makes that very hard, even if it does look like she is having fun on the stage at times.
4. Luke Friend (3) – After having a breakout performance with “Play That Funky Music” last week, Luke stumbled to get out of the gate with anything interesting on this past show. Luke is quickly showing that his biggest issue is finding the right song for him, but even with the occasional bad performance, he’s still not going to be the first guy to go. Also, he’s never been in the bottom.
3. Nicholas McDonald (4) – Nicholas is back once again in the position of the best guy in the competition, but to be honest, there is no James Arthur or Jahmene Douglas on this season. Nicholas still feels like he’s a year or so away from being a major force of the industry, but there’s a lot of potential here. At least he has an enormous vocal range, and seems to be reasonably likable at the same time.
2. Rough Copy (2) – Another week, another solid performance from Rough Copy. The thing that we do worry about with these guys is that the sort of energy and charisma that they bring to arena performances may not always translate as well to viewers at home as some of the other acts. That’s why we worry about them being almost a surprise fifth-place boot, while a contestant that is somewhat inferior could make a run further. With that being said, though, we still feel like they are primed for the finale.
1. Sam Bailey (1) – In the end, we’re leaving the top 2 precisely where they are. The thing about Sam is that she has yet to give a performance that is anything other than the best of the night on any given week. She is taking the criticism to heart, and really seems to be aware of everything that it takes to be a star. We’re talking about everything from the style to the way in which she moves about the stage. We already know that her vocals are pristine.
Who is your favorite right now to win this season? Share some of your thoughts below, and we will be back with a full review after the conclusion of the show airing.
Photo: ITV