X Factor Betting Odds: Ben Mills

We thought that getting the X Factor contestants to sing songs by a particular artist was all done with, since each of the remaining X Factor hopefuls have their own defined styles now, be it power ballads, soft rock ballads or awful sub-Vegas crooning.

But never let it be said that X Factor can't surprise you - on Saturday gurning pop pensioner Barry Manilow was wheeled on as the celebrity guest. That meant that not only did Leona, Ben, The MacDonald Brothers and Ray all have to sing a soppy Barry Manilow tune as their first choice, but they also had to listen to Barry Manilow's advice, which all just the same old rot about trying to imagine a girl called Mandy or a girl that they can't smile without or a girl that could make it magic or a girl who made it through the rain. Or something. To his credit, Barry Manilow did go as far as saying that the X Factor hopefuls were "inspiring" which probably means that his next album is going to be a bone-chilling collection of insipid, off-key Whitney Houston cover versions.

Here are the X Factor betting odds for Ben Mills to win…

Ben Mills - Ben Mills described last week's X Factor - where he was in the final two - as his "worst nightmare." During our worst nightmare we were Rohypnoled and then systematically date-raped by every employer we've ever had, something which has led to seven years of expensive therapy, so we'd gladly switch worst nightmares with Ben if he'd like. But as for this week, Ben's first X Factor performance was I Made It Through The Rain, a song so ill-fitting and lacking the usual explosions and light-show that it ended up sounding like the theme-tune to a mediocre 1970s American sitcom being sung by a dinosaur. But it was Ben Mills' second performance that really took the biscuit. As if anyone needed convincing of Ben's thunderingly deluded sense of self-importance, his second performance was Somebody To Love by Queen. Sung acapella with two gospel choirs. Which would have been good, if only Somebody To Love by Queen had a discernible melody. Which it doesn't. Instead Ben ended up sounding a bit like an old man shouting at some kids for hanging around outside his house rather than the rightful heir to Freddie Mercury's pomp-rock throne that he was clearly gunning for. We've gone off Ben Mills, which is really something because we never really liked him in the first place. Current X Factor betting odds - 5/1

Tomorrow - Leona!