The Final Pt 1. Prepare for two remarkable performances.

Big Intro with the Live show contestants doing the quite cleverly titled Shout Out To My X!

Five After Midnight

They start with the Beyonce number - cool idea - and well done. They start off at about 7-1 but I reckon they must have a lot of support and certainly get a very good crowd response. The boys were a bit drowned by the backing and other dancers which was a shame because they actually sang and performed pretty well. I would have expected that to have shortened their odds but they seem to have lengthened to 8-1. I'd place a bet but I have always reckoned on Matt winning and now suspect that Saara will take the crown.

Matt Terry

Favourite at the start to such a degree that the bookies were offering odds for the 'Winner w/o Matt Terry'. he starts at about 3-1. Five After Midnight have extended further to 9.5-1

 have to say that Nicole Scherzinger has put everything into supporting Matt. Compared to Louis wandering around with the 5AM boys her TV shots were pretty impressive - appearing in Matt's old onesie at one point too! In Bromley she was on stage with him and that was a big crowd.

He sings Take Me Home (I think) beautifully. A very, very good performance that was faultless and just the right sort of number for his fans and maybe some others who might be considering voting for Saara. There might lie the rub. Will Matt and Saara end up sharing some votes and let Five After Midnight through?

The bookies say no. He stays at 3-1 and 5AM stay at 9.5-1. Nicole asks all of England to vote for him. Dermot adds that Scotland and Wales can vote for him too. Not sure who Northern Ireland can vote for.

Dermot says The bond between yo and Nicole is something else, isn't t not really meaning to ask the question. That was quite funny! There really is quite a thing between those two. I am sure Nicole could well finish up as a partner if he were that way inclined.

That song ought to put him in the Final. I wonder who with?

Saara Aalto

She has done well, really well, with some amazingly good singing. Dermot had to go with Saara on the bus trip as Sharon had some engagement in the States. Finland looked black and white but there was a massive turnout in the capital. Dermot says he had never seen anything quite like that reception in all his years on X Factor.

She also had a go at singing to entertain the thousands. She starts at 9/4 on, Matt at 3-1 and 5AM at 8.5-1, improving slightly.

Back in Wembley, she does Everybody Wants To Rule The World. Not a song that instantly lends itself to her rang and power. An impressive set and a brave effort and she put her heart and soul into that. Remarkable. She deserves that Final place. Seriously good.

That put her further ahead, nearly 3-1 on, Matt drops to 3.4-1 and 5AM back at 11-1

We didn't get to see her fiance in Finland. Just mum and dad on a couch.

When you watch her you do feel as if you're watching something a little special. I still don't think that her 'X Factor' is what the 'X Factor' is supposed to be finding in that she is going to be a major West End Musical star, probably winning over the States and Broadway too and she'll soon be worth a fortune. I don't see her as a single or album artist other than an inevitable Christmas number and perhaps a release of one of her remarkable performances later.

Next they get to do duets. First we have Louis Tomlinson, bravely, very bravely doing a solo act without his 1D buddies. He gets a lot of love and support with an Ibiza-style number in partnership with Steve Earl on the turntables and magic mixing boxes.

Matt and 5AM are both moving out in the betting, Matt reaching 5-1 and 5AM closing slightly on him but still out at 9.5-1. Interesting. Not over yet between those two and a brilliant performance could make all the difference as Dermot reminds us - Alexandra Burke with Beyonce transformed her last minute chances.

Five After Midnight

So who are they with? The clue should be in song but I don't recognise it. They're a bit nervous. It's Clean Bandit and Louisa Johnson. So they all do Tears On My Pillow which has the very attractive Louisa sounding quite earthy. An odd mixture, to be honest. The group put on a pretty good performance but it lacked something and was all a bit muddled. The bookies were not so impressed. They are further out at 12-1

Matt Terry

Cool song. Purple Rain. This should be good. It could be the song of the Final. He is singing with Nicole. That's a surprise! She's amazing. She may well lift Matt here.

Wow! That was incredible. Nicole was fantastic but Matt stayed with her. For me that puts him back on top as it was so relevant and there is something quite touching about Nicole's role. I guess that is just Nicole being very smart indeed, genuinely smart as she clearly does care for the guy but it is him on his own in the future. One of the best X Factor moments for me.

That brought Matt back below 3-1 and sent 5AM out to 40+

Saara Aalto

OMG! She's doing Bohemian Rhapsody. Does that mean we'll see Adam Lambert? Yes! Oh boy. Is this a good evening.

Speechless. Adam does rather steal the show when he starts standing on the piano that she is simply playing. Eventually she gets some balance and is up with him and they blend beautifully. Adam is one of my all-time favourite acts - coming from my American Idol blog days.

Very, very impressive but it was the Matt and Nicole performance that won this round for me.

After that Honey G didn't get the best of receptions as the act that came 5th gets her own quite big slot. Odd. I think Emily should now get a spot to redo Creep or something. The crowd were really not at all happy about so much plugging of her new single either. Dermot handled it all well but looked a bit frustrated as she ranted on. All over eventually, though. I do not really understand why she was there at all.

Back at the bookies, Matt is down at 11-8 now, Saara at the other way round, 11-8 on and 5AM appear to have bagged the third place at nearly 50-1 now.

Listening to the short recaps, I do feel that Saara didn't quite capture the magic that she found in previous weeks. The Nicole thing will last many years I suspect and I reckon it could switch some votes.

While votes are counted we get The Weekend. I usually confuse this guy (I presume it is just the one of them) with Years And Years. Nice performance and great set. Watching him, I could imagine Matt doing that stuff.

So, who makes the Final Two? It's Saara v Matt.

I feel that is how it should be. Five after Midnight made 3rd - that's a fine finish for them and they'll get a contract for sure. In many ways they are the most likely to have chart life.

The Final

The end of another series. Despite all the criticism, these shows do discover talent. Someone a little bit special each year who will last a bit longer than the one hit Christmas single is brought to our attention. It has often been someone other than the winner but this year I have a feeling that either act in the Final could be around for a while. Louisa, certainly, could produce some great stuff if she gets given the best writers. Reggie & Bollie have a quite different audience and I may cringe when I hear them over the speakers at some teen party in a few years' time but I am pretty sure they will get a contract to do piles of the fun stuff they're making their own.

Louisa is very good and is the one I would prefer to wear the X Factor crown, if only to demonstrate to the critics how good a winner can be.

Down Town is the slightly embarrassing sing-a-long for all the Live Show contestants this year. Seann put on a good show. Lauren made herself heard but most of the others, including Reggie & Bollie, didn't exactly shine.

Coldplay can be guaranteed to provide a good performance and their quite hypnotic single Adventure came across well. I'm not quite sure why they needed four gorillas dancing on a hot stage as well but this is X Factor after all. Caroline might need to practice her interview technique as her chat with Coldplay's Chris Martin was pathetic to watch. She and Olly have been pretty good, not as cool as Dermot O'Leary but they had a certain sparkle that helped you forgive them the occasional cock-up.

First of the finalists to perform tonight is Reggie & Bollie with their highly popular You're Beautiful mixed up with Move It. I say 'mixed up' but actually they sort of stop one song and start another. The crowd is incredibly noisy and Simon has great trouble being heard. He reckons that they could win, based on the amazing reaction that they produce. That was the longest applause that anyone has had. People really do like these guys. I am beginning to wish I had put a bet on them.

Louisa next. Her song is It's A Man's World. She does this so well. The judges manage to speak above the crowd a little more quickly but not a great deal more quickly. They are extremely complimentary too. Simon declares that she really is the best they have had on the show. That is saying something. Louisa is handling all the compliments and the whole thing remarkably well for a 17-year-old.

So what new song will each act be bringing? There is such a difference between them that it is actually quite difficult to compare them sensibly.

First, though, are One Direction. Their SYCO contract must insist that they perform at least x times in each series! A new song from them. It could be called How Many Nights but if it isn't then you'll figure out what it should be. The four lads sound just as good as the five used to. Zahn always seemed to be slightly behind everyone - you should check out what I wrote when they were contestants in 2010!

After a slightly odd set of video thanks from people hoping they'd be back soon from their year 'break' starting any time soon, possibly tonight by the seems of it, they get a second song from the album. History was not the most inspiring track but it grew after a while and certainly pleased the audience. Yes, I am pretty sure that that was their 'last' performance.

The winner's single time. Surely they can't both have the same song. No. that would be silly. I am guessing they'll get something suitable. Reggie & Bollie first again with Forever Young which seems an odd choice. It starts nicely - almost gospel-like and reminded me of Paul Simon's Graceland. then a choir joins in and they start bouncing a bit more. They are dreadfully out of tune, unfortunately, but maybe the choir and backing will hide that more as the track progresses. It's no big thing but pleasant enough. I just hope that the actual single - should they win - is better tuned. Great act but I don't think now that they should win. Coming second is fine for them. That's probably a whole lot better than they might have imagined so #2 would be perfectly cool. Kids on the stage and tears from Cheryl may still get them those extra votes, of course.

No break, straight on to Louisa. This is the big one. She does also have Forever Young. That ought to be very much to her advantage and she starts gently and, notably, in tune. She'll need a big build up, though, and needs to do something a bit special with this. At last some soaring and she gets the choir too. Only the one crouch at first but then we get several in succession which really do add to the way she manages to put emotion across. Not at all bad. Again, I can imagine the single will be a touch better but she is so good live anyway. She 'owned' tonight, according to Simon and turned a good song into a great song. She gets a small person on stage too - her little sister - which balances the other act nicely.

Everyone is terribly complimentary and I think we can take it that, all the hype aside, as a pretty good indication that she'll be releasing some good music before long. SYCO will sign her whatever happens.

Adele has been away for a while on X Factor and I think she will have cost a fortune but worth it. Funny, watching her I could easily imagine Louisa doing as well. If she can write songs as well, or get someone to help, she will be up there with the best too. It would have been nice to hear something other than Adele's Hello. I know it's her big hit at the moment but we have all heard it several times a day and, as good as it is, there would have been a nice opportunity to give us something a little different. She also seems to laugh at the end and, when talking to Olly says that she felt like giggling all the way through. That isn't really what you expect to hear from someone who is supposed to be so good at interpreting lyrics, particularly ones she has written herself and which are pretty deep and not in the least funny. By all means joke later but not, dear, while your singing, OK. She supported Lauren. I can see why. Sometimes Adele can be a bit tiresome.

Louisa wins! Great result. After all these weeks of being so composed she is genuinely in tears. And who will forget Reggie & Bollie? They'll be fine.

One thing I noticed is how professionally she managed the almost impossible task of singing her Final song again. just a few seconds in and she was back in control and performing even better than first time. that was impressive in many ways. Rita is on stage with her and she actually does look as if she can hardly believe how well Louisa is doing. Eventually, of course, all the other Live Show acts arrive and run on to surround her but even then she doesn't give up and manages to make the last note. Quite how I have no idea. Nice girl. Looking forward to seeing more of her in years to come.

Two acts join Adele, One Direction and Coldplay in the Final

The three finalists come in from the aisles through the audience. Some dancers follow them, carrying letters - just in case we've forgotten their names. Ché gets three, Reggie & Bollie get three (RNB) but Louisa gets six. There's a sign to start with. Luckily, they stay in the right order and nothing embarrassing gets spelled to the several thousand present and few million watching.

Ché seems a bit breathless and whoever dressed him ought to be fired. Louisa is very fired already and, once she hits the stage, she is putting on the sort of show I would have expected her to reserve for the last song. Impressive. Reggie & Bollie do what Reggie & Bollie do and all's well with the world. A nice final tomorrow would be Louisa and Reggie & Bollie. Ché has a good voice but I just don't see him as a big name at concerts and on future TV shows. The other two could well be there, as will be lots of acts from old X Factor series over this weekend.

Ché is first to perform. We see him on the bus and visiting Essex. Now there he may have an advantage, Essex people being good supporters generally, happy to plug away with the tablets and phones and, as a young chap there will be a decent girlie vote for him. He seems to have got rid of a silly three quarter length shirt which he had on when he first appeared. That'll help. Valerie is a good track for him, cheerful and bright and comparatively stress free to perform so that has to have given him a good start. Neither Simon nor I understood the hamburgers on the stage. He makes the point that he looked nervous and does start off the least favoured to win. Having said that, how often have the bookies been proven wrong!!

I haven't placed a bet this year, mainly because the odds on Louisa have been so short since day one. I should have put something on Reggie & Bollie getting this far if I could have found a bookie offering odds for that.

Reggie & Bollie spend time in Newcastle and they have got a pretty widespread support across the nation. Cheryl is also a popular mentor and she'll gather a few extra votes for them. I can see them winning, just because they exude so much fun and they really do entertain every time. they may not have a few schools to bank votess from but I still see them doing well.

I suppose one day they might run out of tracks they can mash together effectively but they should manage to last a couple more. They have a bit of a random thing going this time. No idea what the track(s) are called - it's all a bit mad and the dancers seem to have absolutely nothing to do with anything but they're all having fun so who cares? You have to hand it to these guys - so professional and the crowd really do love them. Compared to the reception for Ché this is impressive.

Simon says it was a weird mash up - like a strawberry and liver mix! That reaction could be a sign that they could win. Rita says they were a bit 'cruise ship' and I can see that too. It was one of those performances that you may well see again and again but after a few years not necessarily remember who did it.

A lot hangs on what Louisa does to start with. she needs to get people voting and not just assuming that, as the shortest odds-ever favourite, she is just going to win whatever happens. She will need those votes and with Reggie & Bollie pulling theirs in big time she is not at all guaranteed to beat them, or Ché for that matter. We can all remember Ella not even making the Top 5 and One Direction lost out to Matt Cardle and Rebecca Ferguson.

Now it is Louisa's turn. I had forgotten that she is also from Essex so will amost certainly pinch a large number of Ché's votes from that part of the world. I Believe I Can Fly is a pretty tedious number. Not the best of starts, in my view, but Louisa throws so much at it, treating it like a final song again, that you have to sit up and take notice. Sometimes I wish she would be a bit gentler and maybe rise more gradually towards the loud bits but she gets very good reviews. The audience didn't quite match the R & B set but it certainly made an impression. She has an ability to put a huge amount of emotion into everything she does. That is quite special and, controlled, she could become quite a successful British #1 act.

Talking of #1 acts, Leona Lewis is next, with last year's winner Ben Haenow. Ben hasn't had the best of years with little activity since winning. His duet with Leona is a bit laboured. She finishes that and then decides that the audience deserve something better and starts her classic Run. Fabulous and Ben helps out quite nicely. That really did show the impact of a quality song, though. Simon will be pleased as he'll still get some money from that, even though Leona left SYCO and hasn't been particularly quiet about that either.

That was an introduction to the round in which they each sing with someone a bit special. So who will Ché get to sing with? Nice song The First Cut Is The Deepest. Hmm. Could it be Rod Stewart? Yup, The 70 year-old is still going strong. The problem with someone like Rod is that comparison's can go wrong for you and, whilst Ché has a great tone, Rod really steals the stage from him, even when he is not exactly giving it his all. And there lies quite an important difference - Rod doesn't need to give it his all. He can pick up a decent cheque for just a bit of crooning. Ché needed to do a bit more, I feel. Nice though it was, it may not have made lots of people open up the apps and vote.

Reggie & Bollie still have the middle slot. So who will they get? I thought they had someone called Tina - at least that's what was on the hat - but it's Craig David who eventually appears. the first half was great and had everyone grooving but the Craig David bit sort of put them in the shade and it was also a complete shift of gear and tempo. Ah - the Tina guy was called Fuse and he flew in from Ghana so must be someone they knew as well. All good stuff but I am not so sure that the Craig bit worked as well as the other guy.

Louisa gets the good last slot again. I'm Not Living Without You is a good song. She is singing with her mentor, Rita. Apart from Rita's much flashier dress, there isn't much to choose between them. They clearly get on really well and that comes across well. A bit shouty for my taste but I do like this girl and she really does deserve to get through to the final and get some more of what she enjoys so much. She is a natural on stage and Rita says that there have only ever been two people who have made that impression on stage and that is Leona and Louisa.

She might have included Little Mix and One Direction but maybe she was just thinking of solo acts. In fact, Little Mix are on next with Fleur East, last year's runner up but possibly the more successful from that series. They start with Fleur doing Black Magic then Little Mix do Sax. All good fun and quite a lot of flesh on show. Cool. And hot.

After a bit of a cock-up on the VT front, they eventually get the reprise tapes in order and there's a quick look at the three acts again. My guess is that, based on audience feedback, Ché will get the 3rd place this year.

Rod does his Stay With Me Tonight hit and adds a quick plug for Ché in his chat with Caroline. Luckily there's a break between then and when the results are announced so they can move him off stage just in case it isn't Reggie & Bollie that get sent home.

In the final is Louisa! Now for the other one through. It's Reggie & Bollie. Well done to them. So that's it for Ché. Good result. Should be a fun final.

You have to go back to 2008 for the last girl winner, Alexandria Burke and 2011 for Amelia Lily as the last girl finalist when Little Mix were the last group in a Final. They also won, of course. It could be close tomorrow.

Three boys and one girl in the Final.

Olly will have made Reggie & Bollie worry with his comment that later tonight there will be more judges than comtestants. He may not have intended to refer to the number of people but it could have been an inadvertent comment after seeing the results, or the votes so far.

Louisa must surely be through but which of the others join her I would find difficult to predict.

The sing-a-long had me fooled for a minute. I hadn't been listening to the Olly and Caroline introduction and just remembered that Sia would be performing tonight. Famous for not showing her face in videos I've seen so far, I was wondering whether we would see what she looked like and then I looked up and saw this attractve straight-haired blonde girl singing and looking and sounding very professional. I actually though that must be Sia until it dawned on me that the track was Happy and it was Louisa there, later joined by the others.

Che did a good few lines and got the most in the song. In fact I was thinking he should have done that as one of his Saturday numbers as it suited his voice very well. Lauren made quite a strong impression with by far the strongest voice with an interesting edge to it compared to the less effective Louisa on this occasion. The Reggie & Bollie participation was more or less as you'd expect and the usual fun. So they all are very much in the running still based on that and who knows what the votes will reveal. To date, unlike many other years, there has not been an obvious granny vote, possibly helped by the introduction of free votes via the app which I would expect to favour the younger viewers.

Sia maintained her cover with a strange wig and hairpiece. Quite a stunning set with a digital box beneath her containing a female dancer in flesh coloured body stocking. I think the title will be Alive or something like that. I had expected her to simply head into the background but she stuck around when the stage lights went back on and chatted with Olly, still aloft the high shelf. Very strong production, reminiscent of Lady Gaga.

Before her, Jason Darulo had put on a good show too. The series does attract some good international names and I have no doubt that there will be some impressive acts appearing next week in the Final too.

OK. That's it. One act will fall at this last hurdle. After this it doesn't matter a great deal. Even coming 4th can be good. Reggie & Bollie are through with Louisa. Excellent. So Che sings off against Lauren for the third spot. That'll be Cheryl and Simon effectively deciding. I'd expect Simon to choose Che and Cheryl to do so too but they may leave it to the votes, as has been the case almost throughout the series.

Lauren starts in tears but they soon disappear and she does a great version of the extremely well-chosen Fight Song. Brilliant choice, well-performed and that might even see her through. Very effective indeed. It was as if she had saved that up all this time especially for this important battle.

Che will have to come out with something very special to beat that. With Bridge Over Troubled Water he stands a chance. I didn't feel he did enough with that, though. He certainly didn't seem to fight as hard. He may have won the public vote. Cheryl chooses to save Che. Simon saves Lauren to let the votes decide.

Lauren loses. Che makes it through. You have to wonder how much the newspapers might have influenced that.

The Top 4 Perform

Some papers have been trying to put Lauren down and it seems she had a modest contract some time ago and got a few plays of a single on Radio 1 Xtra. Like we going to be worried about that. Reggie & Bollie have had huge success in Africa and 4th Impact certainly were well-known in the Philipines and probably had some deals going on somewhere.

Tell Me Honestly is the first track from Reggie & Bollie, introduced by a far more attractive Cheryl than she was last week. It reminded me so much of something which will dawn on me sometime this evening. Ah, got it: Only You. Seemed the same song. This was a much gentler groove from the pair, almost quiet in comparison to what they normally do. Everyone says that we should be ready for their second song and I'm sure that Cheryl, who has managed them really well so far, will come up with something excellent to keep them in to the Final.

Lauren switches at the last moment to the Jess Glynne Take me Home number which is in the charts at the moment and so very current but that can also be a risk as Jess is such a good singer and everyone knows her version. Lauren struggles with the lower register stuff like so many singers do but tries to make up for that by putting lots into the rest of the song. She can certainly belt out tracks and gets most of the notes right. So far, though, I have never really rated her as a contender to win. That was probably going to get more votes than Reggie & Bollie. Simon remarks that she was a bit panicky and screechy. Spot on, it was like she was trying a bit too hard.

Neither will have people rushing to YouTube to play them again.

Third on stage is Che Chesterton. 'Certainly nothing wrong with the voice', says Lionel Ritchie who is the mentor for everyone this week. He sort of implied that Che's look and demeanour weren't competition winning. He does Would I Lie To You. It's accurate but they might just as well have played Charles & Eddie's original. Very 1980s, or even 1970s. A decent enough job but really not inspiring. Cruise ship. He gets good reviews, though, with the panel putting him firmly on top so far.

Last semi finalist is the very pretty Louisa. First the competition - the prize being Simon Cowell's F Type Jaguar which I would really like. The £50000 would come in handy too. I seldom enter these competitions but I have to admit to falling for that one. OK, back to the music. She is singing The Power Of Love which has been overdone by an awful lot of people already. Ah, it's the Frankie Goes To Hollywood version! That's good. And it is good. A bit screechy at the end as she tries almost too hard to impress. It worked well and the set was smart too, not taking attention away from her. It was still a bit 'old' and missed a bit of the emotion that the original had. However, I would say she definitely comes first out of those four performances and may have stolen votes from Lauren in the process.

Second round. Che Chesterton does Love Is A Losing Game, the Amy Winehouse song that should be popular, although I would identify it more with Lauren. It is also a bit 'old' again. This guy can be trusted to hit the right notes and to put some sort of emotion into it. he just looks like a contestant to me, not a future star. For example, I can't see him taking the stage in the States and doing much across The Pond. He'll sell a few albums but they may well just be recycled stuff done reasonably well for the grannies. It was good - and nice and simple, to his credit, in an evening of trying too hard generally. Nice. It ought to see him through but Simon saw it as ordinary and a bit karaoke. I don't get all the emotion that Nick and Cheryl seemed to be exhibiting. Maybe they'll be sad to see him go.

Louisa next, with It's A Man's World but which she says she'll be bringing Girl Power to. Not sure that's a good idea but all will be revealed shortly. It's a big song and very appealing. A great set again. Well done Rita and advisors. Now that was a great performance. She really did seem to be thoroughly comfortable up there, totally taking over the stage and produced possibly the best performance of the series this year. All the judges give her great reviews and hope that voters don't forget to vote, thinking that she'll be safe. Sure, she so much should be in the Final.

Whilst Louisa put Che very much in the shade, she now has to let the other two acts interfere with our memories and, possibly, although it would be hard, to steal the limelight and a few wavering votes. I can see Reggie & Bollie doing well. Che's future will, I think, depend almost entirely on how Lauren does.

Lauren gets the first shot. Running is a much more modern song for her - a Beyonce / Naughty Boy number that is well-written and also suits her pretty well. I detected some bum notes, though, and it was so much less, audibly as well as visually than Louisa's that she is clearly struggling now. It is going to be her or Che taking the third spot in the Final next week and I honestly don't know if she'll get it. She ought to, as she is slightly more up-to-date and likely to improve enough to represent us well in the lower regions of the charts, but she is not a winner.

Last, winding up the show in what I hope will be some style is Reggie & Bollie. For all Louisa's expertise and style, I still see these guys with a good chance of winning this year. With a mash-up of The Chiili Peppers' I've Got A Feeling and I Like To Move It the pair put on a good show all right. Not bad at all. Not quite as smart as I had expected. Louisa still walks away with the crown for this week but the crowd love these guys. They did sound a bit like Will.i.am and friends and that's not a bad thing. All the panel say that they need to be in the Final. So I wonder which of the other three acts they would drop?!

I think it will be farewell Che.

This is the Top 4

In a tough week when those you might have thought might falter did brilliantly and those you expected to sail through looked vulnerable I have simply no idea who will go. That's also what Simon says at the start.

Not a bad sing-a-long of Michael Jackson's Earth Song if you just listened, with star contributions this time from Lauren and one of the 4th Impact girls but watching them all in white doing some choreograph thing was a bit worrying. Each has their own style but none suited that style.

Anyway, that soon passed and there are more recaps, including several glimpses of Cheryl in possibly the worst make-up I've seen her wear. Someone really needs to tell attractive women when they are making themselves unattractive.

Carrie Underwood, in complete contrast, looked stunning. Her track was not that great but then some of her past songs have been so good that it is difficult to match them and she is always on top form anyway. It's good to see this American Idol winner from many years ago doing so fabulously well which really does help justify these shows' existence. You should be able to see my comments on her progress though auditions and the Live American Idol shows fro links on this blog as I remember writing all those years ago - in possibly my first series of blogging. I do recall being delighted that she won but it wasn't at al obvious in the early weeks but she found something special and a sort of confidence midway through.

An impressive performance by Rita Ora next, with Sigma backing and what looked like the whole ruddy audience dancing on stage around her. I have to say she outshone the normally majestic Carrie Underwood.

It must now be time for one to go. As the sole male act left, I would expect the large tranche of female voters to keep him in, although he was probably the least by way of potential star material this week. Assuming he stays then it has to be one of the girls. In any other week then that would mean bye bye Lauren but this time, mainly due to poor choices and ill health, I do feel Louisa is vulnerable. It would be a shame but I am confident we'd still see her in the charts.

Wow. the first two acts read out as safe are Che and Louisa! Joined by Reggie & Bollie, that put 4th Impact and Lauren battling it out for 4th place. So Cheryl votes for 4th Impact, Rita for Lauren and that leaves it in the hands of Simon and Nick. I reckon they will both give the 4th place to 4th Impact unless they mess up wildly in the sing-off. I also think that if they do go to deadlock then Lauren would have come 5th in the public vote.

4th Impact go first with a pretty dramatic version of something like I'm Not Going Anywhere. It was a bit desperate in places but all credit for the effort made. In contrast, Lauren does A Vision Of love and just seems to take it all in her stride as if she were singing in the shower. Quite a talent, this girl and Rita points out that she had the highest sales on iTunes for the previous day's songs. She was good but it was neither one thing nor the other. So I would still stick with 4th Impact to stay.

Oh. Nick chooses to save Lauren. I thought he would choose 4th Impact after seeing him interview them on his programme. Simon balances that, though. So who got the fewest votes? 4th Impact. That was a surprise, as they'd been tipped to win and had been fascinating and very modern. However, there had been some doubts about how they interpreted some lyrics, English not being their natural language, and you do wonder a little bit about whether there might have been some helicopter mum pushing them all the time and not exactly allowing them much fun outside the show. Lauren will be a creditable semi finalist in a pretty fair competition. Reggie & Bollie will be pleased too to have had such great voters' support and not just the audience applause.

It is now open for Louisa to take the crown if she can pull something special out of the bag.

The Top 5 perform. The Groups excel.

Tonight five perform and tomorrow just four will remain in what they'll call the Semi Final with, unbelievably soon, the Final in only a fortnight's time. Presumably there'll be three in the Final on Saturday and two left on Sunday.

Plenty of jokes about Simon's Overs all being sent home. He didn't choose terribly well, to be honest, and none struck me as having much chance either. He will rank the acts 1 - 5 after they've all done their first song so that'll be interesting.

Louisa Johnson

She has a cheery Justin Bieber song to do first. She needs something a little lighter and less shouty. The bandanna looks cool on her. She is a bit of a makeover team's dream. The song is a bit of s stretch for her in the key she chose. I am also not so sure her Twitter fans are necessarily her voting fans. So, whilst it was a good performance, it wasn't a winning performance or one that we'll be rushing to view again on YouTube. We learn that she isn't feeling well and that might explain why she seemed to struggle a bit. I think she'll find it lucky to have a second song this week.

4th Impact

The Jackson Five ballad I'll Be There is a potentially excellent choice that should widen their appeal if they do it well. Wow, that was quite impressive! I wasn't expecting much more than a pleasant bit of harmony but they covered a massive range and gave the song a very smart personality. I had them at risk this week but surely not after that excellent performance.

The four dresses were a bit like old carpet but I can't criticise anything else at all. Poor Louisa will be worrying now.

Reggie & Bollie

I have no idea what that was all about! It looked fun and the audience reaction is fantastic. It must be some new thing that I haven't heard about but, clearly, this Whip Dance or whatever it is called is very popular amongst the kiddies and that worked so well for them. They could definitely win this thing, despite the very nice 4th Impact performance and the gorgeous Louisa.

Lauren Murray

Difficult following that. Lauren says she has never heard of Kygo, the band doing the song she has to perform as the viewers' choice. It's called Firestone so we'll find out in due course what she does with it. It is a fairly typical number but with a strong edge that suits her. She does well but it isn't very memorable and seems a little bland after the groups. She's also probably glad she has a second song. The camera is off her for a long time after she ends. Not sure why. Simon was not impressed. Nick sort of agrees but reckons she can sing anything anyway. Not bad but it won'r have gained her any extra votes.

Che Chesterton

He gets given Hello which is the current massive Adele hit. All he can reasonably do is do a karaoke version, as there is no obvious alternative that he could put together in a matter of days. He sings very well indeed, possibly the best of all the acts tonight or, at least, matches the best of 4th Impact. He slipped up but I hadn't noticed and so well done for a good job done there. He should be safe so far but is was a little predictable. Simon comments that he just looked like he's come in from work and he is right that respect - Che doesn't have much 'star' factor which may account partly for his coming 5th or 6th last week. He will also need a second song after all.

Simon ranks them. 1. Reggie & Bollie, 2 Louisa Johnson, 3 4th Impact, 4 Lauren Murray, 5 Che Chesterton.

I'd have put 4th Impact 2nd and Lauren 3rd with Louisa 4th. But that doesn't mean a great deal. It will be so much about the second song and the extent to which Louisa's voice holds out.

4th Impact

Nicely done. They start as dolls in boxes and produce a modern version of Rich Girl and something else which goes down well with everyone. They are so reliable and really natural professionals, bound to succeed.

Che Chesterton

Try A Little Tenderness is a superb song and I had Che down as a certain safe act this week with the two songs chosen. However, he struggled a bit with Adele and this one isn't easy. Once he got going, though, he did well. It was too short - the original has a lot more that this shorten version misses. SO he has rescued himself a bit but with the other acts all doing so well I don't know how much difference he's made. He gets great reviews for this.

Lauren Murray

You Don't Own Me is perfect for Lauren. Excellent performance of that. That might have saved her too. It's getting difficult to see who could go. It ought to be one of Lauren or Che but they've both done very well to rescue themselves with their second songs.

Reggie & Bollie

Another great party song performance. You can just see the album in the shops already - Let's Party With Reggie & Bollie. They haven't put a foot wrong. Very good. Not my sort of tunes but they have to be close to winning this thing now. Credit to Cheryl who has managed both groups impeccably with great songs and staging for both.

Louisa Johnson

She really needs this to be something special if she isn't to make an unexpectedly early exit. Not feeling well will not help either so if she does pull this off she will be extremely relieved and that will also be a good indication of where she might stand in a Final.

Her interpretation of a Labrinthe song Jealous is really very good and may actually be enough. so much depends on how many fans she has accumulated so far compared to Che and Lauren. She might just have the edge. Simon says that she is potentially one of the best the show has ever had. Nice. That's saying a lot. I do hope she stays. She does have the better chance in future than Lauren or Che in my view. She could be our latest British female star. I am not sure now that she'll win as the Reggie & Bollie boys are virtually unstoppable now and even 4th Impact look like being in the Final too.

Louisa will be the one we see in years to come, however.

The Top 5 tracks for Saturday's show

Here are the tracks the Top 5 acts will be performing tomorrow.

Lauren Murray

Jukebox song: Firestone – Kygo ft Conrad Sewell
Second song: You Don't Own Me - Grace ft. G-Eazy

Louisa Johnson

Jukebox song: Love Yourself – Justin Bieber
Second song: Jealous - Labrinth

4th Impact

Jukebox song: I’ll Be There – Jackson 5
Second song: Fancy - Iggy Azalea / Rich Girl - Gwen Stefani

Reggie n Bollie

Jukebox song: Silentó - Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)
Second song: Taio Cruz - Dynamite

Che Chesterman

Jukebox song: Hello – Adele
Second song: Otis Redding - Try A Little Tenderness

Just on the basis of the songs chosen, Che has got to make the Top 4. Reggie & Bollie and 4th Impact are likely to entertain and impress again so it may be one of the girls that goes. My guess would be Lauren but, on paper, Louisa has the trickiest songs to get across.

The Top 5 already

The usual mad and hurriedly rehearsed sing-a-long starts the show and you just look at Anton and wonder what he's doing there. Reggie & Bollie seem to be able to entertain with whatever anyone throws at them. 4th Impact look good and I would like to see them make it through so that there might be a chance to see them with more individual performances as so far I've only seen this mass of four similar females with the occasional 'Let's Go!' added for good measure. I do think they could be vulnerable, though, but it's Anton who should go.

A lot of viewers will be wondering who on Earth Nathan Sykes is. One time member of The Wanted, that's who and he has a new single Over And Over that needs promoting. Decent job of a number he wrote himself.

Next Olly Murs switches from presenter to performer. He has been one of the more successful X Factor products with some very commercial singles and excellent sales. His latest, Kiss Me Like You Mean It could do with some more lyrics than the title.

Results time. Ché and Anton are the bottom two. That should make the decision easier for the panel, with a tearful farewell to Anton.

Super version of Some People by Ché must have secured his place in the Top 5. A similarly powerful and great track from Anton would justify his getting saved but that is probably be his best shot. He's on the tour, though, and wasn't going to win so that's cool. Yes, it is goodbye to Anton.

Quite a powerful final 5. Two good groups that we'll definitely see more of whatever happens, two girls and Ché. On a good day for any of these acts it could be anyone who steals the No.1 spot.

The Top 7 Perform. One more goes tonight, another tomorrow.

So here we go again. Another twist? One act to go tonight. Gosh. Does that mean another tomorrow as well? Yup, two go again and we're down to just five in no time. I am really not sure this is such a good idea. It's always good to see the back of some of the less than inspiring - and downright dreadful - acts but this year none fall into that category now.

Here are what they'll be doing in 'Love & Hate' week.

The Boys
Ché Chesterman: Yesterday - The Beatles
Mason Noise: Jealous - Nick Jonas

The Girls
Lauren Murray: We Belong Together - Mariah Carey
Louisa Johnson: Let It Go - James Bay

The Overs
Anton Stephans: One Sweet Day - Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men

The Groups
Reggie 'N' Bollie: Dangerous Love / Shut Up And Dance - Fuse ODG / Walk The Moon
4th Impact: Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera


That doesn't really tell us much, nothing standing out but I would say that Ché is on to a good thing as long as he doesn't wail too much. Likely to struggle must be Mason and, now we know that he isn't top of the polls any more, Anton. I am also not sure about 4th Impact's choice this week.

Ché Chesterton

He kicks off the proceedings as it happens. Same words and the backing track follows Paul & John's idea but Ché puts a very different slant on the tune. It is barely recognisable. That is a good thing and a bad thing. Good because it makes it a brand new song and really is no cover. Bad because it was a bit boring. He'll be safe, I'm sure, anyway.

Anton Stephans

Odd start. He is such an experienced singer that I am sure he can't be singing the wrong notes or even the wrong key but, my goodness, it certainly sounds wrong. Once he gets going we sort of adjust to the different key and accept it I suppose. Well, a bit. It's all a bit heavy and really only just the last couple of lines belted out in fine style that we'll remember. I didn't like that at all and I couldn't see that in the charts or, as Nick said, I wouldn't expect him to sell records.

He gets upset when he thinks Nick calls him fake. Nick didn't. Anton missed the point but never mind. He just got all emotional and maybe the song means something to him. Disagreement on the panel about whether they 'get' Anton or not. All a bit strange and it may all help him get the sympathy votes from the old folk out there. However, as he is technically 7th in the voting and only 1st to 5th are through he will have to improve his chances by leap-frogging two acts tonight! That might not be easy.

4th Impact

Sticking with the highly choreographed and wilder type of performance still, they make a fine job of the Christina number. Is is memorable? No. Did they put lots into that and do it faultlessly? Yes. Would it sell? I think so and I can imagine them on stage doing regular gigs. Simon says they should bring out their individual selves more and I agree as they're just kinds there and, whilst excellent, not something you'd remember.

They do deserve to stay as I have them Top 3 but I am starting to wonder how much support they'll get from the people that vote. Enough to make at least 6th which should keep them in until tomorrow at least!

Lauren Murray

I always worry about Mariah Carey songs. They're a bit anthemic and need something a bit special to make them count. Lauren does try to make this modern and sort fo succeeds apart from a couple of dodgy notes. It really does just start and stop, though and i don't see millions downloading that as they did her previous song. She is reliable and has a cool personality. The panel love her too. Nick says he bought her track last week. Don't think he'll buy this week's. I'd put her in the top six and so she ought to survive until tomorrow too.

Mason Noise

This is a track I don't know. Some very scantily clad girls didn't make the pre-watershed camera shot choices but he put on a professional show. Unlike some of the acts, I can imagine him on Radio 1 for a few numbers but not in the Top Ten. I do think he's vulnerable this week and he feels like a 6th place to me. I reckon he will be sharing that with Anton but which goes is anyone's guess. There is something missing in his stage performance - conviction or desire perhaps. He is a wannabe rebel but not really making the Rebel grade. That name doesn't help at all. He might make a cool deejay.

Louisa Johnson

Love this girl. Nice James Bay song, a bit better known than some of her competitors' choices. She does have a tendency to go full blast too soon and that means she is belting it out all the way through when perhaps some light and shade would have been a better idea. That sort of messed up this track for me but she seemed to get bags of support, especially from Cheryl. Simon reckoned that was the 'moment' that each show has. Well done, Louisa, but I expect more. Hopefully, she'll have plenty more chances to show what she can do. It would certainly be a mistake if she didn't make it.

Reggie & Bollie

Well, that was just great. Shut Up And Dance With Me must have been a perfect choice by Cheryl. They just stole the show and everyone loves them. The vocals were 'iffy' as Simon pointed out but he also went on to say that he reckons they'll be in the Final. I agree. They are so popular and whilst I know they're not exactly unique and I don't know how original they'll be, they will have lots and lots of appeal to kids and people of all ages. They could win. They certainly won'y be going home tonight or tomorrow.

In summary, Ché hasn't done himself any favours by rewriting a Beatles track. Anton is going down. 4th Impact and Lauren are standing still. Mason got a bit dented tonight. Louisa and Reggie & Bollie will share the Top 2 positions. I can't see Anton surviving.

Amusing stuff when Ed Sheeran and Rudimental do Lay It All On Me and the confetti machine goes mad and no-one can see anything much at all as the whole stage and most of the studio gets buried under piles of coloured bits of paper! Good fun but possibly a bit more intense than anyone actually intended!

And so to the act leaving straightaway... farewell Mason.