‘The X Factor’ UK results: Did Luke Friend, Rough Copy, and Nicholas McDonald advance to final?

Tonight, we had a different sort of “X Factor” UK results show than the ones that we have seen throughout the year so far. With so few contestants left, there wasn’t much time needed for the sing-off (which we’re surprised even happened this week) and the results. Thanks to that, this is the first time that the public is going to solely determine who stays and who goes, unless of course you are talking about a deadlock situation.

You could say that this was the most frustrating results show of the entire season. It took a heck of a lot longer to get to the results, in between all of the performances and filler segments. There was a charity segment in here as well, which was important (even if a little sad at times).

But let’s try to dive into the results now. We predicted beforehand that this would be a race between Nicholas McDonald and Luke Friend to the finale, mostly because they both performed early in the show, and Nicholas had his worst performance of the entire competition. But clearly, this kid has a huge following behind him, and he and Sam Bailey are going to be the top two this season pending some enormous shock. It came down to Luke and Rough Copy, who have both been in danger before, for that final spot. Personally, we would have sent home Nicholas based on a lack of artistry, but we know he has a good voice.

Now, let’s get to the most difficult sing-off of the season. Going into this we leaned towards Rough Copy for the final spot, only because they have been in the bottom less and have a better shot at taking on the other two acts. Also, we feel like Rough Copy actually probably needs the competition more at this point, given that they are older and have been at this for a while.

Luke Friend, “Somewhere Only We Know” – A great, emotional performance from Luke. We would have sped up the tempo ever slightly, since it exposed a couple of tuning problems in his voice, but this guy has a great talent and a super-distinctive voice. We feel like he has some sort of future in this industry either way.

Rough Copy, “End of the Road” – So, this was the song that we’ve been hoping to hear from the guys for about three weeks now. It was the best performance they’ve ever done. There were a few bumps here and there, but you can feel how badly they wanted to make it further.

We don’t fault the judges for sending this to deadlock, since it really seems appropriate at this point to let the public decide. Were we surprised to see Luke advance? Sure, but we’re really thrilled for him. He seems like a nice guy and he is a great performer; plus, we hope he takes some of Rough Copy’s fans and goes on a run.

Do you think the right people made it to the “X Factor” final? Be sure to share your thoughts below, and click here to read our review of the performance show last night.

Photo: ITV