One week from tonight, Dalton Harris or Scarlett Lee will win The X Factor! (Anthony Russell and Acacia & Aaliyah are still here too, but I don’t think anyone believes that they could win at this point.) On tonight’s show, all four acts perform another song. Then, the bottom 2 will be revealed and after the sing-off, one more act heads home and our final 3 acts will be revealed. All of this plus a performance from Got Talent Alumni Zara Larson. It’s a jam packed show, so join me at 3 PM eastern as I liveblog the semi-final result on X Factor 2018!
It’s Time To Face The Music! Dermot comes on stage. In just under an hour, we will have our finalists! They all have one last chance to perform tonight. Two acts go straight through, and two go into the sing-off.
Dalton Harris – He sings Clown by Emile Sande. I remember when Sam Bailey sang this. I like seeing a more subtle performance from him in addition to the all out performance yesterday. He’s slaying this. Is there anything he can’t slay? Four judge standing ovation as usual. Ayda says he’s an absolute powerhouse, a giant, mind blowingly amazing, if he doesn’t make it into the final she’ll eat her weave. Robbie thought the production was a bit boring. Robbie’s wrong. It was perfect. Simon felt like he’d written the song, he always manages to interpret songs in a different way, he deserved his spot here. Louis says it’s not the time for criticism.
Acacia & Aaliyah – They repeat Big For Your Boots/Shutdown again. How many times are they going to do this performance? I’m sick of them, and I have been for weeks. If they survive this week, I won’t be surprised. But I will be absolutely shocked if they make it past third place. Actually, replace shocked with furious. Four judge standing ovation. Simon says they deserve a spot in the final next week. Ok, damnit. They’re making it to the top 3. Louis says they’ve gotten better and better every week. No they haven’t. Ayda thinks they are incredible, they show us what it takes to be young people in the music industry. Robbie begs for votes.
Anthony Russell – He sings Don’t Look Back In Anger. Simon just gave away the game after the last song. Anthony is a dead man walking at this point. It’s a competent performance but nothing special to be honest. All four judges stand for Anthony. It’s a pattern now. Robbie says he’s the people’s champion, well done for getting this far, enjoys him as a human, wanted to hear him sing this song for a long time. Ayda agrees with Robbie, loves the band Oasis. Simon wishes he could put all four through to the final. Louis says that Anthony represents real people, he’s so proud of him.
Scarlett Lee – She reprises I Didn’t Know My Own Strength. Perfect song choice again. She’s singing the snot out of this. I really hope her and Dalton are the top 2 tonight. If they aren’t, we have a problem. Four judge standing ovation that was 100% deserved unlike the previous two. Louis says her and Anthony are the two most improved contestants, hopes we see her in the final. Ayda wants to back her, she has a kind spirit, hopes she sees her in the final. Robbie loves her, she’s incredible. Simon says we took a chance on her, working with her has been everything he wants on the show.
Zara Larson performs now. She won Sweden’s Got Talent when she was 10. I saw her open for Cher Lloyd a few years ago. She was pretty great. She sings her new single Ruin My Life. Eh. Not a fan of this type of thing. Zara says that when she was in the final, she wanted to win but was just trying to enjoy the moment.
The vote is closed. After the break, we find out who makes the final, who makes the sing-off.
Results in no particular order:
The first act through to the final is Dalton Harris.
The second act through to the final is Anthony Russell.
Wow. Ok. If Scarlett goes home, I’ll be fuming. More than I have been in a long time.
Acacia & Aaliyah are up first. They sing the crappy mashup they sang last night Blinded By Your Grace/I Win.
Scarlett Lee is up second. She sings This Is Me again. It’s night and day. If she gets cut, it’s one of the worst results in X Factor history. She slayed that. I’m taking to the streets if she goes.
Simon sends through Scarlett.
Robbie sends through Acacia & Aaliyah.
Ayda sends through Scarlett.
Louis sends through Scarlett.
Scarlett Lee is the third person in the X Factor Final.
Thank god. They did the right thing. We have the right final 3. I hope Scarlett can sneak into the top 2. If not, I’m thrilled that Dalton will still win.
James Arthur, Anne Marie, Nile Rogers, Take That, and more will be performing next week at Wembley!
