‘The X Factor’ UK rankings: Fleur East battles Andrea Faustini, Lauren Platt, Ben Haenow

Now is the time when the rubber really can meet the road for the contestants on “The X Factor” UK, and with the group that is left, we feel like there are two pretty clear divisions: Those who have been in the bottom before, and those who haven’t.

On paper, and per our rankings, the next three eliminations seem pretty predictable. The challenge for these singers is going to just be trying to figure out a way to defy the odds to a certain extent.

7. Stevi Ritchie – We felt like we were nearing the end of the road with Stevi last weekend, and we really feel that now that he’s been in the bottom two. He’s had a great run, but we feel like at most, he has another week or two in him.

6. Stereo Kicks – They have the hype of Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh behind them, but multiple appearances in the bottom should be a cause for concern. They’ve already got what they needed to out of this experience, and that is being on the tour, which forces them to stay together for a while.

5. Only the Young – They’ve been in the bottom once, and the producers faked us out with them the past two weeks during the results show. We can see them maybe sneaking into the top four, but we cannot see them winning.

4. Ben Haenow – Probably the biggest sleeper pick to win, but it’s possible. Just remember that voters tend to like male singers, and also ones with rock voices to go along with it. Ben hasn’t been perfect, but he’s had a few great performances.

3. Fleur East – We’ll give Fleur a ton of credit. We thought that she was one of those people who would be a shock boot a few weeks ago, but she has been so consistently great that it’s impossible to eliminate her. She still doesn’t have the story or the airtime of some other singers, but she could overcome that.

2. Lauren Platt – It’s probably not that exciting to have the same top two week after week, but we haven’t been given a reason to change it! Lauren has been consistently very good every week, and we have a feeling that she’s very popular with young viewers. Sometimes we have young female singers who can be intimidating to others their age, but we don’t see that here.

1. Andrea Faustini – Still the frontrunner, and with his voice, it is going to be hard for him to be anything other than the frontrunner for a while. He’s just so likable, and it is hard to beat someone with that sort of quality behind them.

Who is your favorite right now among the contenders? Share some of your thoughts in the poll / comment box below! Also, click here for some further “X Factor” updates, or here if you want to sign up to get some further TV updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo via ITV.)