Saturday Night's All Right.

Here's the track list for tonight at the remaining 7 acts fight it out to find the Top 5. Yes, 5, as two acts go this week.

I got the Bottom Two correct last week but really did think Jay would have performed better and dismissed Stevi on Judges' votes. My calculations had Mel voting Stevi off as she'd been pretty down on him. Louis has always been a Jay supporter and, of course, Cheryl had dumped Stevi on Simon in the first place so would probably have to save him. Simon would vote for Jay to stay so that would see Stevi go home at last. However, mel changed her mind and that took it to the public vote which Stevi won. So he's still standing,..

Surely not for another week though?

Andrea Faustini - I Have Nothing

It's a powerful ballad, not often performed on the show. I can imagine it going down well with the grannies. He was weak last week and didn't sing well or in a way that I would imagine record producers would be rubbing their hands with glee at - the prospect of sales of that type of thing being comparatively insignificant. I can see him redeeming himself somewhat although I still fear he'll be wailing. Not as much as Jahwene did but enough to be annoying.

Lauren Platt - How Will I Know?

Not the best of choices. It could work if she slows it down and puts on her best voice but an average job won't work. I reckon she'll be saved come what may, though. She has 'finalist' stamped all over her contract papers now.

Only The Young - Something About The Way You Look Tonight

Nice song but it sounds like the boys will get the lead again. The girls are better. I love this group and really would like them to stay in this competition. This could be the first 'normal' track they've got to do so it is very much a make or break performance for them.

Stereo Kicks - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

Not sure about this one. Pretty iconic song. They've not been getting massive votes so far but do have some appeal as we're slowly getting to know some of the characters. More so than Only The Young, actually, whose names I would struggle to recall and there are only half as many. I don't know what to predict for these guys. I feel the end is coming.

Ben Haenow - I Will Always Love You

Well, talking of iconic numbers, this is the one. Quite a brave choice and he is not someone I would have identified with the Dolly Parton original or the Whitney hit. His voice is pretty gravelly and he's got a rock edge so goodness only knows what Simon has planned for him with this. Whatever it is, though, as second favourite to win with the bookies you'll get 66-1 if you want to bet on him going tonight!

Fleur East - I'm Every Woman

So far she hasn't had one simple track to perform. They've all been tricky or very modern and a bit difficult. Once more she attempts something that you would really only expect Chaka Khan to do. In fact, I can't think of anyone else doing this at all. So she is either mad or very determined to be confident and make us sit up and take notice. I have always thought that she's a contestant who could just go any week, however well or not so well she performs. Maybe now she is beginning to show that there is a route for her through to a final. If she gets this right she'll be there.

Stevi Ritchie - I'm Still Standing

He sure is and, once again, Simon has picked probably the best possible track for him to do. He'll put his heart and soul into this and make a crap job of singing and look dreadful on the stage and we'll all wonder how his eyes have that strange shape that is a bit alien and whether he ever closes his mouth and he really should be the one to depart on Saturday night with the lowest votes. It was fairly encouraging to see that he got fewer votes last week than all the others he's up against this week and that he hasn't been pulling in vast numbers like Baloney did. It's time he went. He has to be one of the two so if he makes it off the bottom of the pile due to a poor job by one of the groups, whoever he's up against on Sunday must surely find more favour with Mel this time.

Big Band Night

Andrea

Andrea starts with Summertime, a wonderful song but it needs careful handling and kept simple. His facial expressions and style didn't natch the words and I didn't like his interpretation that much. It wasn't at all bad, though, for all that, and in tune as most of what this guy does always is. He deserves to be in an X Factor but I am still not sure it should be the UK one. the ending was awful but no doubt it will impress the grannies. He'll be around for another week.

Simon also makes a comment about his expression and has some criticism too which is good to hear as Andrea has been very much shown as the winner so far.

Lauren

I like Lauren and her attitude. She has been well-mentored by Cheryl and is mostly presented in a nice, pretty natural way. Smile just trundles along and, whilst she sang well and it was in tune and nice to watch, it was just 'nice' and not exactly stunning or something I want to rush out and share with everyone. Once again, Simon says it absolutely right - it was good but not fantastic. I would hope that she stays and she really ought to. She's taken a risk but I am pretty sure that there will be several with many fewer votes tomorrow evening.

Jay

Jay was pretty disappointed with his 8th placing last week and was fortunate that Paul simply didn't have the looks to match the voice. He really should outlast Stevi, at least. He starts with New York Frame Of Mind but after just two lines at most switches to New York New York in good old fashioned belt-it-out style. You sort of wait for it to return but it doesn't. That was pretty good but Louis calls it karaoke. Mel B is miserable but Cheryl is much more positive and quite complimentary. Jay was certainly a lot more 'in' with the band and interacted with them but I wasn't convinced that was memorable enough to keep him in the competition.

He should, as I said, outlast Stevi but from an entertainment point of view, and attracting people to vote for the act, I have a suspicion that Stevi will do much better and may even escape the bottom two again with 7th and 8th places being shared by Jay with someone. That makes him vulnerable. there are also two other good male acts for people to vote for so that splits things in a way that can't help Jay.

Stereo Kicks

Stereo Kicks changed their song at a very late stage indeed and presented Mack The Knife. That was great. Not my choice of a song for many different people but this was actually quite good. Everyone performed well and I was impressed. I'd like to see them stay due to that. Mel B pretends that she didn't know they had changed the day before. Nonsense. It was in all the papers. Playing with Louis about the group members' names was a bit unfair.

Ben

Ben should be the winning guy this year although that may not mean he wins overall. His song is the classic Cry Me A River which has had extra legs given it with Michael Buble's release. Comparisons, of course, are bound to be made. Ben does a good job but there is something missing. He has the voice, adds more rasp than most, but I am not sure the meaning of the words gets across as it should. For all that, nit at all bad and he vertainly beats both Jay and Andrea this week in my view. Definitely safe this week.

Only the Young

Yet another risky week as obviously Big Band Night doesn't suit them at all. They've chosen a popular little tune from Jungle Book - I Want To be Like You oo oo. They were really very professional and that was a pretty faultless performance. They danced and entertained. The first to dance so far tonight. I like them a lot and would so much like to see them survive and win this thing. However, they haven't been getting the votes so far. I can't see them getting any extra votes for this but so much hope they do get enough to get through to next week. That was a difficult routine too. Well done. Fingers crossed for them.

Stevi

I don't know what to make of this. I do think it is time to go now. Simon even says of his own act that this was the worst act on X Factor! There are many worse than that was but I get the point. So, maybe this could be the week that Stevi does leave? That would be great news for the others. Louis makes the point that good acts are now falling because he is there and that's why Stevi needs to go, as Jay or even Only The Young could suffer.

Fleur

Closing the show tonight is this different and impressive girl. She looks glamorous and seems to get better each week. She is trying to do a really modern track to an old style band backing. Maybe it could have worked but it needed a much stronger lead than she was able to provide. The rap was good and she gradually started to pull the performance back. Her voice just wasn't up to it. She put an awful lot into that and deserves credit for the effort. How that will gain her votes enough to survive I don't know because I feel that was well out of the typical audience zone.

People were very complimentary. It's all about the votes.

My feeling is that Jay is in trouble but that he could be up against Stevi after all and will, therefore, survive.