Just 6 through. Simon loses one of the best.

The sing-a-long this week was an interesting performance of Rise Up with just Saara, Sam , Emily, Matt and one of 5AM to the fore. Mainly Saara, to be honest. The others were sort of in the background.

Safe tonight should be Saara and Sam. I'd predicted Ryan and Emily in trouble but I am wondering whether Emily's fans are sufficient to knock someone else into the Bottom Two. It ought to be Honey G and this week will be a good indication of whether she has real support out there or not. Beating someone like Matt or 5AM - on Disco Night - now that would say something.

Another fear is that Sam fails again to connect and falls in with Ryan. That she'd survive but, horror or horrors, it's her and Emily singing off. Now that would be the worst outcome of all. This reminds me a bit of the week when James Arthur was in the sing-off with Ella.

All will be revealed in a few minutes when a very tedious ex-lead singer of Wanted finishes his very boring new single. That is something no-one will remember in years to come. Nathan Sykes. Not a name to remember.

Dermot tells us that the two acts at the top of the voting had never been at the top before. I am guessing that one is Honey G. The other might be 5AM or Saara? We won't know for a while but, whatever the case, it bodes ill for someone we would expect to have flown through to the Top 6. It really is Ryan going home. I cannot see any other feasible outcome unless by some strange affair he gets 5th place.

Saara.
Matt.
5AM.
Honey G.
So it is either one of the girls and Ryan as I had suspected or the disaster of the two girls against each other.

Olly Murs and Christmas adverts have to entertain us for about 15 minutes first.

So who is the 5th lucky safe one?

Emily.

So it's Sam v Ryan.

Sam is first to sing. After Simon's ridiculous choice of Gloria Gaynor yesterday, she needs a good song this evening. No More Drama is one strong song that she handles pretty well. It wasn't perfect. She seemed nervous and I wasn't as convinced as I hoped I'd be.

Ryan picks a better known song in Stars. He does a good job of this too. It isn't as obvious as I'd expected.

It's in Louis and Sharon's hands. I reckon it will be the public vote.

Louis saves Sam. Sharon takes it to deadlock.

Sam got the fewest votes. That was a surprise. I thought she has been consistently good. Ryan has been consistently average. But there you go. Disappointing. I saw her as a potential winner.

Fright Night For the Top 9.

It's Fright night so there's make-up and scary-looking people everywhere. The songs are likely to be a bit predictable too so t's probably a good idea to get this stage out of the way sooner rather than later. As it happens, just about all the acts manage to bring their own individuality to the show - all credit due to them, with not one bad performance tonight.

Gifty

You can absolutely rely on this girl to perform well. This was not particularly memorable but precise and entertaining. She could do well with her own shows. Not amazingly well but, maybe with a good writer, she'd hit the charts as she is quite current.

I'm In Love With A Monster is what I am guessing the title is. Neither Louis nor Sharon know the song but that shows up their knowledge rather than any comment on Gifty's talents. It was a Fifth Harmony song, by the way.

1-2-3-4-5

Matt

Looks like they're starting with the two acts who can be relied upon to keep viewers rather than risking people wandering back to Strictly. Actually, I am sure most people will record this and watch it slightly delayed.

I Put A Spell On You is a great number. If everyone chose tracks as good as this then having a theme wouldn't be such a bad idea. (It is a bad idea still because the idea is to find an act who can steal the charts and also have a go at making it across the Pond too, rather than entertain in a set genre for one week at a time, switching in and out of what they like doing best).

Going back to Matt, though, this was really very good indeed. He should have had  four standing ovations for that. Everything about that performance was first class. Maybe not a chart hit but I can see him getting some great stuff written for him that would hit the charts. He'll make the final.

1-2-3

I do like the di di ra la la bit stripped from Whigfield that we get in the intervals.

5AM Five After Midnight

Thriller is, of course, a natural for these guys. They can sing the song and dance the dance. Good harmonies and well presented. That looked pretty faultless but it didn't sound as strong as it ought to have done. Not at all bad but I would like more depth and less tinny stuff. It seemed to go down well, though, and they may have played safe but that's understandable. For sheer quality and the fact that voters will remember that, I reckon they'll make it through to next week and I'll rate then above Gifty this week.

2-3-4

Honey G

Men In Black works really well for this girl. She is the 'comedy avt' this year but I have to say that she is getting better each week and this time she looked and sounded very professional. Not my style but it will be popular. Tremendous stage show. Impressive week for her. She may well survive another week or two yet after all! She clearly has been working hard. It would be a shame if she went this week, although I would have to place her 4th out of 4 so far.

4-5-6

Ryan

Another make-over this week and it suits him better, a rougher image. Rock Your Body is normally a big heavy number and this is a bit light in places but he tries to make it meaningful. Not a bad effort but, because the others have done so well so far, I feel that he will still struggle. As Louis says, that was his best performance so far but I don't know how much support he'll get. It was odd hearing Sharon, who had championed Nicholas Macdonald, saying Ryan had been a bit wet in previous weeks. Still vulnerable, though.

5-6-7-8

Sam

Super start to Total Eclipse Of The Heart. Her voice suits this sort of song well. Crazy range in the song and she manages. Just. That was impressive. Her voice is amazing. Instantly recordable. Find her a writer now. She probably just pipped Matt again.

1-2

Saara

Lady Gaga's Bad Romance sounds good. She puts on a great show, much to the credit too of the guy planning it all in the background but seriously she is excellent on stage. This could have been her own show again and that is very much to be appreciated. Where that will place her in the hearts of the voters here I do not know. I don't know whether she'll survive but she will be remembered and I do expect someone will take her on and give her a contract to do something in a show somewhere.

6-7

Four of Diamonds

Ghost is an odd choice. You almost wonder if Louis chose it because it had the word Ghost in it. The start is not good at all but once they get going it works quite well. I fear that it will not have worked well enough, though. That was not a great example of what they could do. Pity. They will be at risk this weekend. They may survive but they'll need some luck, and probably another good sing-off track.

8-9

Emily

Closing the show is another genuine contender this year. It's a good slot because people tend to remember the last one and a good performance here can garner more votes than it might have done in the middle of the show. Odd but that's just how things work. Both Sam and Matt can be beaten still. I can't imagine her failing and falling into the Bottom Three - she is Top 5 material.

This is amazing. It is Creep, the classic track that some people just excel at. This is different with a very slow and carefully phrased track that is not at all simple. It would display each and every fault but Emily makes none. Wonderful. She takes #1 spot this week for me.

1

So, safe this week, should be:

Emily | Sam | Matt

Needing some luck with the voters:

5AM | Gifty | Honey G

At risk:

Saara | Ryan | 4 of Diamonds

The Top 10 Perform. Simon's Girls 1,2, 3.

Those who think X Factor is a pointless show or that the acts appearing are pretty useless might care to note that this weekend sees X Factor acts at #1 and #2 in the UK Top 100. Olly Murs and Fifth Harmony (an X Factor USA finalist) have another five entries between them.

Look at the album charts and Rebecca Ferguson is at #7, Little Mix at #30, Fifth Harmony 61 and James Arthur #71.

Dermot wants to 'dance with somebody' and does his now traditional turn at the start and then we get Nicole singing as an intro. It's Diva Week so that makes some sense - and so much better than the group 'Sing-a-long'. Well done, producers. It's not often I say that.

Ryan

With a guitar, although he doesn't do a great deal with it. Rolling In The Deep is a pretty much over-done track at the best of times and it and Ryan seem to be opposites. He is no 'Diva' anyway but he does sing this very well. It's not his week and this will not really help him. I feel he's unlucky and may be at risk but he is going to go sooner or later.

Sharon is embarrassing again as she says he's 17. He's 20.

Gifty

Great start. Not a song I know. She looks attractive with the long, blonde hair. This is a tricky track to get right but she gets every note in place and, with no cover available in the backing, that's important. She is very good and deserved the standing ovation from all four judges at the end. She should fly through this week. That'll take some beating.

Five After Midnight

They choose an odd one - Valerie as in The Zutons but I suppose it is Amy Winehouse who adds the 'Diva' tag so they can use it. For all that, this is not that great. They put on a super performance and all credit to them for that but it was all a bit like a cartoon. Not at all something I want to hear again and I'm not sure they'll be doing that well on the downloads this week. They were the bookies' second favourite at the start of tonight's show but I suspect they may drop after that. Simon says he didn't like that but they ought to survive.

Sam

A major song for this young girl. Michael Jackson's Earth Song is full of potential mistakes and places to go wrong. It's a big risk but she takes it on and does very well. Very powerful and she gets a decent length too. Super voice, edgy and interesting. In places I feel she tried a bit too hard but that ought to see her through.

Matt

He starts as the bookies' favourite. He has a super voice and seems very professional so I expect him to sail through. He sings another Michael Jackson number, I'll Be There.  It's OK, but he does bring in some crazy falsetto stuff which I could probably have done without. It was better as a strong pop song. In places he tries way too hard and actually misses the key quite badly. Not a good ending. Not a memorable performance either. I expected a lot better.

The judges gave him rave reviews, however. He ought to be fine.

Honey G

John Legend says that her challenge every week is 'topping yourself'. OK. Let's hope she doesn't do that.

Here goes a strange 'Diva' track: Ice Ice Baby. She does it better than JEdward did. Actually a good solid performance. Switch to Under Pressure for no particular reason then back to rapping and the regular 'Ice Ice Baby' lyric. Well, that was OK. That could see her through. It was a good performance, even though I don't go for this at all and really would not want to see her get too much further. But that was more interesting than several acts tonight.

Relley C

She has been suffering from a sore throat so we're expecting her to have trouble but then I am sure the team will have got her organised and adjusted the song so that she can avoid the impossible notes. Her song is Natural Woman which is OK. Her voice must be better as she hits some loud and high notes out there. Not a bad performance but a bit bit messy in places. Good for tonight, I suppose. I still see her going fairly soon and she may be in the bottom three this week.

So far, no-one has really done anything we'll remember.

Emily

A completely different version of Whitney's How Will I Know? Very nice and she is making herself very hard to beat and certainly standing out against the others this week. Brilliant. Best of the night so far. Note perfect and delightful simplicity that says 'quality'. I take back the comment about nothing being memorable!

Louis says John Lewis should choose that as their Christmas Advert track!

Four Of Diamonds

Hoping that these girls do well again. Now that they have had time to settle a bit more. Lady Marmalade is a good start. Bang Bang is also a good sign of what they can do. Stylish for sure and no question that they can all sing. That was near perfect and not at all easy. It seemed to finish a bit soon but OK. Great choice and super performance. They could do a Fifth Harmony here.

Saara

What can this girl do? It ought to be her week as she is the best outright ballad singer in the competition. So what will she perform and how will the British voters take it? Even before she starts I see her in the Bottom Three - and that is a shame but probably true. She may find herself in yet another sing-off and the judges may simply decide that they cannot really support an act that can't get the public's support. It sounds terribly unfair to judge her even before she has sung but it would require something extraordinary to change people's likes and dislikes out there in voting land.

It's The Iceland Bork's It's So Quiet. Oh dear, that's a pity. It won't get her the votes she needs. A very good performance but just not what the show needs. All credit to her but I think that may see her going home.

She is a star, for sure. It's the West End she should be on. She could do well there. Great reviews from the panel. They are all full of praise and that's right.

Here, though, is how I predict the phone vote will go:

Safe and sound

Emily
Gifty Louise
Sam

Relying on getting the votes in

Four of Diamonds
Matt
Honey G
Relley C

Bottom three

Saara
Five After Midnight
Ryan

Live Shows Week 2: Four of Diamonds get another chance and Sam says Hello.

Week 2 of the Live Shows and, with Brooks Way, whose name doesn't even get mentioned, now seemingly permanently dropped, someone in the production team has seen sense and brought back Four of Diamonds, the girl group who really should have made it through in place of the two thin tinfoil boys. This is excellent news. They must be so pleased but, with so little notice they do face the risk of being a 'one week only' act.

Louis remarks 'I've only got two groups and they're going nowhere'. You may need to read that several times and it still doesn't quite sound right. But then little of what Louis says at times makes sense these days. The fact is that it will be tough for Four of Diamonds to compete as the Judges Houses round was recorded some month or so ago and all the others have had a great deal of coaching and time to settle down, get used to the stage, the venue and even simple things like living arrangements. The four girls have had just four days.

It's Motown Week and in the compulsory sing-a-long Relley C gets virtually the whole show to herself with the camera following her and effectively ignoring most of the rest completely.

Freddy
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
 A poor start, quite weak. It's sort of OK in the middle but Freddy is simply not coming across as strongly as he needs to. He has no range t speak of, his notes drop off at the end and that was a very average performance which I think will make him vulnerable again - and I haven't even heard the other ten performances yet!

Emily
Stop In The Name Of Love
She needs a good performance to re-establish herself after a slight wobble at the start last week. This is a great very slowed down version of the Supremes' hit with some really nice production that suits her very well. She looks good too. Full marks to the Make-over team for this. An excellent performance. That would sell as a single.

Matt
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Not the most inspiring of Motown songs. Matt is a brilliant singer and performer, though, an does a good job with average material. He is note perfect and has some style. This guy is good. He knows what he is doing and I can see him being a finalist, several weeks on.

Relley C
Ain't No Sunshine
This week suits her well but, despite her making a good effort, her wrong notes are all the more annoying in this number. She improves a bit as she gets into the song and, maybe feels more relaxed, finishing much stronger. She's a lot better than Freddy and may manage to survive this week.

Sam
 Hello
What a brilliant start. Easily the best so far. It's the familiar track from The Commodores (or was it just Lionel on his own?) Fabulous. How she brought in the 'I love you' phrase made this a remarkable and memorable performance indeed. Sam is also benefitting from the Make-over crew's efforts, looking very pretty this week. Was this actually a Motown track? Probably. Doesn't really matter anyway. The best performance of the night.

Five After Midnight
Get Ready / Reach Out
Not satisfied with just one song, 5AM, not to be confused with SAM, are well in their element this week. The switch saved this from being a bit bland. These guys are superb. Very professional, all rehearsed and presented really well. Just a totally natural group that you can imagine taking the JLS spot next year. They're very competent and are going to be around for many weeks yet. The crowd reaction is marvellous and points to them heading for a final too. The ending is a bit odd.

Ryan
Superstitious
He's got his work cut out following those two acts. He is looking very different - gone is the floppy lump of curly hair and he is now smart and combed. This is a bit ordinary. Good - the notes, style are fine but something is missing. He sort of fades into the background. There are too many people around him and that detracts from what he is actually singing. Overall it wasn't bad at all but he may be at risk.

Honey G
I'm Coming Out
I am a bit concerned about all the extra publicity that she is getting. It does seem a bit unfair to the other acts. But then I suppose it is all part of her act. The song is just a backing track, sung by someone else. She does a rap of some sort that is neither here nor there in my view. It's getting boring now but I have to say that I am a little impressed by her self-publicity and how she manages to get the H to the O line in every song so far. I have no idea how the public will vote. She seems both very popular indeed - to the point of possibly even topping voting figures and maybe going all the way in this competition but also being panned and dropped at a fairly early stage by an older voting audience not fond of rap.

Gifty Louise
Rockin' Robin
Of all the tracks this girl could have chosen in the vast Motown catalogue, this is not one I would have recommended at all. I'm also not sure why she starts on a swing. A rough, raucous start but then she settles down and it's all sort of OK. She is professional, should be safe this week but that was a wasted opportunity to impress everyone.

Saara
River Deep, Mountain High
A fabulous version. Saara is dressed as a Country Girl with frilly chamois leather which doesn't quite match the period but she does look pretty good for all that. The performance is very strong and very impressive again. She has a sort of show girl style and could be brilliant in a West End stage show. So professional and usually gets all the notes where they should be. One or two missed this week but I felt she was making a bit too much effort this time and it finished up as good but unexceptional.  Maybe she'll be in the bottom three again.

Louis says that the public don't want her. That may be true but it sounded a bit cruel, to be honest.

Four Of Diamonds
You Keep Me Hanging On
Remember these girls have almost literally just been thrown in to this competition and here they are closing the show. That may be quite a good move by the production team as it tends to make them the most immediately remembered and least likely to be voted off. Unless, of course, they are really bad. They're not. They are a little bland but there are signs they could be both entertaining and potentially a useful pop band. The false ending was designed to show that they can sing, have great harmonies but it didn't quite work as, although they were note perfect, the crowd had started to applaud already. I do hope they survive and get a chance to settle down like the others have had.

So, my Bottom Three would be:

Saara
Freddy
Honey G

Maybe at risk:

Ryan
Four Of Diamonds

Should be safe:
Emily
Gifty Louise
Relley C

Easily through to week 3
Sam
5AM
Matt