‘The X Factor’ UK week 7 rankings: Talking Sam Bailey, Rough Copy, and a ‘Doctor Who’ dillema

Let’s start off this article about “The X Factor” UK rankings with what could be a controversial opinion: There is no way that the show should be having an elimination this weekend. While there are some out there who choose to record the series or what it on the +1 network, it seems incredibly idiotic to assume that the “Doctor Who” 50th anniversary special is going to cause no problem at all for the series. The two compete with each other for an hour, and in that time we assume that the BBC is going to beat the pants off of this show. It’s no offense to the “X Factor,” but their attempts to make this into an anniversary show are going to fall short in comparison to getting Matt Smith and David Tennant on TV at the same time.

This is what makes ranking this weekend even harder, since we very well assume that any contestant that performs during “Doctor Who” will have a huge disadvantage, whereas the few that perform in the last half-hour could get a huge opportunity to surge ahead to next week. You either have to delay voting for a week, or air all six performances in the last half-hour (certainly feasible) if you want to make it fair.

6. Hannah Barrett (last week: 6) – We’re going to go ahead and assume that everyone will be on a level playing field, and thanks to that, Hannah is in trouble. She tends to get a surge the week after being in the bottom two, but after that is in trouble. We just can’t see the judges bailing her out a third time if she is in the bottom, especially with the sort of talent left.

5. Luke Friend (4) – Probably the only person with a chance of losing to Hannah in a sing-off, but we really don’t think that we will end up seeing him there. He’s much more likely to be safe this week, and then go out in around fifth place unless he has another breakout moment soon.

4. Tamera Foster (5) – The main reason that we’re giving Tamera the benefit of the doubt, despite her forgetting a lyric and saying “um” on the stage this past weekend, is that she’d probably be saved by the judges if she gets in the bottom two over Hannah or Luke. She’s not going to win the competition, though, and it is probably just buying time until she inevitably leaves in around the 4th-place position.

3. Nicholas McDonald (3) – Nicholas still has Nicole Scherzinger giving him false hope, and he also has all of Britain behind him. We are ranking this here based on performance quality overall, but we wouldn’t be surprised if this kid surprises some and wins the whole season, just based along on how popular the boys typically are.

2. Rough Copy (2) – While there were some mistakes in “Viva Lad Vida,” Rough Copy still feels the most like a professional act, and the one of the group that could put on the most entertaining concert. They’re going to have some sort of career after the show, too, but can they get it together and have another breakout week? They’re starting to need one.

1. Sam Bailey (1) – In the end, Sam is still the one with the biggest voice in the competition, and the one that’s getting the most celebrity and fan endorsements. She’s a likable lady with a popular judge behind her in Sharon Osbourne, and is the pristine model of consistency. We cannot sit here and think of any one thing that Sam has done wrong this entire competition.

Who is at the top of your ranking this week? Share your thoughts below, and we’ll have a full review of the performance show tomorrow after it airs.

Photo: ITV