The bloodbath weekend has passed and I was closer with my predictions than for any previous weekend. To be fair though, the eliminations weren’t too shocking. Sam Black was obviously a goner-he lasted three more weeks than I expected. Sean and Conor Price were the clear least favorite group of the producers-with two acts going home and Lloyd winning the vote the prior week I knew that they would have to go. The only slight surprise was that both girls not named Grace went home, and Matt Linnen survived. But Matt got a great arrangement for his song and he did a pretty good job at it, while Holly was mediocre and Rai-Elle went first. I wasn’t too surprised to see the result when we got to the end of the night.
Week 5 is when it gets interesting. With all six remaining acts competing against each other for the first time, I can start to make more clear predictions for how they will rank. I have to say, I’m not happy about what I wrote below, but for better or worse, I am confident that I’ll be right this time. I’m not doing per-night predictions, just a straight ranking, 1-6. I also have my ideal finishing order below, but I know I won’t get what I want.
Here we go!
Predicted Finishing Order
- Rak-Su – They charted high on iTunes again. They won the Saturday vote and for the first time they won the prizefight. They are still getting pimped to high heaven by the judges. They aren’t great singers (or even good singers) but genuinely it does not matter. Rak-Su are going to win this season of X Factor UK. If they win but don’t do well afterward, I’ll be pissed. But if they do well, it should give the show a boost in credibility and that would hopefully extend it’s lifespan. I’ll take a hit this year with an act I don’t care for winning it all as long as it extends my favorite show’s future.
- Grace Davies – Grace deservedly won the Sunday vote and undeservedly lost the prizefight. Her original song was great as always. But her performance of it was-by a mile- the best she’s done so far with an uptempo song. The judges were positive again, Simon said she had a comeback this weekend, but none of them stood up. Louis Walsh’s comment about Grace having a big career after the show gives me more hope that she’ll get a record deal. As long as she gets signed after this ends so I can buy studio versions of Roots and her other songs, I don’t need her to win.
- Kevin Davy White – Kevin had another moment this week but it was not acknowledged as such by any of the judges except Nicole. The other three judges actually started the process of bussing Kevin. I thought his take on the old Whitney song was pretty great and stood out. It doesn’t matter what Simon wants. Kevin is talented and likable enough that he will make the top 3. I worry he won’t get a record deal out of this, but I hope that he can at least have a career in the industry.
- Lloyd Macey – Simon really doesn’t like Lloyd, or rather, doesn’t think there is a market in the music industry for what he does. The other three judges tried to push back on that viewpoint last weekend, but Simon is right. Lloyd belongs on west end/broadway/musical theater, not on the charts. Lloyd has also only won the vote once, and the three acts above him have won it at least twice. I think Lloyd will get fourth place this season. He’s got a great voice, but he’s not unique enough to get into the top 3.
- The CutKelvins – Screechy McScreecherson (aka Sheeren Cutkelvin) was pretty painful to listen to again this week. She’s got personality and presence but she always is just out of tune enough to hurt my ears. She and her two far less irritating brothers got a four judge standing ovation anyway for their original song. I truly don’t get the hype for this group at all, and since they’ve never won the vote, I can assume that they’ll get either 5th or 6th. Hoping for 6th, but wouldn’t be shocked if they sneak into 5th.
- Matt Linnen – Matt survived another week! His performance of Falling wasn’t great vocally but the arrangement was nice enough to save him. But I can’t see him surviving this week. They won’t have more than 4 acts in the final next weekend, and Matt is clearly not in the top 4. He should be proud of himself for making it this far.
My Ideal Finishing Order
- Grace Davies
- Kevin Davy White
- Lloyd Macey
- Matt Linnen
- Rak-Su
- The CutKelvins
