‘The X Factor’ UK week 8 rankings: Sam Bailey, Nicholas McDonald likely finalists

This weekend, “The X Factor” UK is set to bring the drama to new heights with an episode featuring for the first time two performances from each contestant. Yes, this means that the odds are doubled for Tamera to forget her lyrics again, or for Louis Walsh to tell someone that they “deserve a record deal.” (Seriously, Lou-Lou’s gotta go at the end of the season.)

But who are likely to make it to the prestigious final four? To us, the picture is pretty clear, but with the way in which voting as gone in the past, crazy things have happened before. We’re basing our rankings (as always) on performance quality, voting history, and also the general (pun intended) x factor otherwise known as getting the right press at the right time.

5. Tamera Foster (last week: 4) – At this point in the competition, we are really thinking in terms of who can actually win. We believe that this is an honor that really almost everyone has a shot at … except Tamera. She is probably the one ironically who will get a record deal and a few music videos, but she forgets her lyrics and has been the subject of all sorts of tabloid scrutiny just because of her past. She’s lucky to still be here; while she may be a good singer, she doesn’t really give off the impression of someone working hard.

4. Luke Friend (5) – Luke is coming off of his best performance ever on the show in “What Makes You Beautiful,” but it’s been hard for him to establish momentum. He’ll do something great, and then settle back into a couple of performances that are merely good. When you get down to this stage, you need to be capable of blowing the roof off the place week after week.

3. Rough Copy (2) – The best thing that Gary Barlow’s group can hope for is getting an opportunity to actually be in the bottom two with Tamera. We just can’t imagine there being a way in which they go home, or anyone goes home, before her at this point. We expect Rough Copy to get a slight bump after being in the bottom two, but we have a hard time thinking now that they can be considered a favorite to make the top two.

2. Nicholas McDonald (3) – While we did see a winner last week who was in the bottom two previously, that is not the norm. Typically, the singers at this point who have never been in jeopardy are the undisputed favorites. It’s hard to really imagine any other favorites right now beyond just Nicholas and our #1. They have been fantastic performers, and they have the public firmly behind them.

1. Sam Bailey (1) – While we’ve had our concerns firmly about Sam for some time, she could be #1 this season in the voting by a wide margin. Like Christopher Maloney last year, she could have the support of the older voters. The only difference here is that she is much more likable, a better performer, and is well-received by the judges. We also feel like she could sell records to a similar audience to a Josh Groban or a Susan Boyle, so that concern should just be alleviated. She’s not going to be like One Direction, and nor does she need to be.

Who is your favorite right now? Share your thoughts in the poll below, and click here to see what the top 5 are going to be performing on Saturday night’s show.

Photo: ITV