The live finals of X Factor always bring pain as well as joy, because each episode means we have to say goodbye to a contestant we’ve grown increasingly fond of over the weeks – but that’ll start next week, because this week Kimberley went.
Kimberley Southwick – the almost cartoonishly annoying barmaid singer – was the first act to leave X Factor on Saturday after the public failed to warm to her performance of It’s Raining Men. And we just can’t put our finger on why it happened. Could it be because she was dressed up as Gwen Stefani with a thyroid problem? Or because she visibly mouthed the word ‘fuck’ as soon as it was over? Or because the whole thing seemed to be inspired by hallucinations brought on by a particularly distressing Haribo comedown? Maybe we’ll just never know.
But now that Kimberley Southwick is out of X Factor, who’s going to win? Here are the X Factor betting odds for Same Difference, Alisha Bennett, Emily Nakanda and Beverley Trottman, with betting odds from Paddy Power…
Same Difference – Simon Cowell, clever man that he is, reasoned on Saturday’s X Factor that the wide-eyed, slightly incesty, born-again Christiany brother/sister combo Same Difference deserved to be in the X Factor finals because they’re like High School Musical, which Simon claimed were the biggest pop act on the planet. Only he seemed to neglect the fact that High School Musical is only popular because one of them got her norks out for the internet, and if the Same Difference sister did the same people would probably start squirting blood from their eyes. Self-consciously wacky enough to make Daniel and Natasha Bedingfield look like My Chemical Romance, Same Difference’s X Factor rendition of Tragedy on Saturday left the whole world thinking the same thing: if you’re here, who the hell’s entertaining the campers at Skegness Butlins? Current X Factor betting odds – 50/1
Alisha Bennett – Alisha Bennett has all the makings of a pop star, if you ask us. Big hair, an uncontrollable lip gloss habit so huge that we’re sure the CEO of Lancome sends her a Christmas card every year and a decent enough singing voice meant that we were honestly expecting Alisha to do pretty well at X Factor. Then she came out on Saturday and sang Dreams by Gabrielle in a painfully underwhelming way, the highlight of which came when she walked down some stairs. If Alisha Bennett can pep up her X Factor performance next week she’ll do much better, but she’s getting lost in the crowd at the moment. And that shouldn’t be happening. Not with that haircut. Current X Factor betting odds – 25/1
Emily Nakanda – This year X Factor controversially lowered its age range to allow singers aged 14 to enter. While this was clearly a stop-gap measure by Simon Cowell to soften the public up to his new show Britain’s Got Talented Foetuses, it’s also meant that 15-year-old Emily Nakanda could take part in the X Factor finals. And how did Sharon Osbourne decide to show off Emily’s precocious singing abilities on Saturday’s X Factor? By dressing her up as a Bash Street Kid, forcing her to sing both parts of a duet that was written five years before she was born and encouraging her to dance around like a children’s entertainer who’s seen all kinds of unspeakable things. Needless to say Emily Nakanda was rubbish and it was a surprise to everyone that she didn’t have to sing for survival. Current X Factor betting odds – 16/1
Beverley Trottman – Beverley is the X Factor contestant who everyone remembers for a) being a schoolteacher and b) having the crazy eyes of a murderer. But that’s all in the past – now we can remember Beverley for wearing a ridiculous wig and mistaking ‘sass’ with ‘confused flatulence’ in her X Factor intro. Dismissing any notion of relevance on Saturday’s show, Beverley Trottman tried her hand at I Will Survive while dancing like a heavy-footed cyborg. Although she fluffed her opening line, her performance was still enough to see her through to next week’s X Factor, so maybe singing divorcee karaoke classics could be her thing from now on. Next week: Beverley sings All By Myself while stinking of gin. Current X Factor betting odds – 14/1
Tomorrow: X Factor betting odds for Leon Jackson, Andy Williams, Daniel De Bourg and Rhydian Roberts. But if that’s too long to wait – or you feel like making more money than you know what to do with – head right over to the Paddy Power X Factor betting odds page to see the latest, and best, betting odds.