X Factor UK 12: Top 3

This was a rather odd Finale. Why? Coming into the Finale, I figured Reggie 'N' Bollie was just a fodder to it all and we'll eventually end up with a Louisa-Che Finale. After tonight, I thought the duo made a solid case as to why they deserve to stay in the competition. They will NEVER be the best singers, but they provide that much needed diversity in terms of entertainment value. As for Louisa, she was still fabulous and Che remained, well, as Che. 

I was so sure that Louisa had this in the bag since the day she opened her mouth to audition, but now, I'm having that doubt.

Oh, and I did not include here the duets as I don't think they matter - in general - but just so you know, I enjoyed Reggie 'N' Bollie the most. Shocker. 

On with the show!

OPENING SONG

03. Che Chesterman

In The Air Tonight

[BOYS]

There was no glaring errors in Che's version of the song, but compared to the other two performances - one got the better vocals while the other one was more entertaining - his number just failed in comparison. It was just... there. 6

02. Reggie 'N' Bollie

Jump

[GROUPS]

This provided me visions of Reggie 'N' Bollie as a potential popstars. They may not have be the most technically proficient vocalists in the competition, but they managed to exude energy and charisma that's quite impressive. The whole arena was with them and it was pretty telling. 7.5

01. Louisa Johnson

Fighter

[GIRLS]

Louisa nailed this performance with such ease, it's not even funny! Haha. I admit, I was a little hesitant with the song choice as Christina Aguilera has always been a tall order to cover, but this was just damn solid. 8

SOLO PERFORMANCES

03. Che Chesterman

Valerie

[BOYS]

Again, Che didn't do anything wrong with it. He sounded consistent with his vocals and he actually looked like he was enjoying the performance. Good, but nothing special. 6.5

02. Louisa Johnson

I Believe I Can Fly
[GIRLS]

I hated the song choice with a passion, but Louisa somehow made it a lot more palatable than I expected. Some of her melodic choices were measured, I found her vocals to be good with a couple of wobbly notes here and there, and her voice actually soared when it needed to be. It would've been better if they gave her something a lot more current than this. 7

01. Reggie 'N' Bollie

Boom! Mash up

[GROUPS]

I didn't think it will happen, but it did. I actually enjoyed Reggie 'N' Bollie's performance more than Louisa (!!!). The mash-up was genius as it allowed them to go even bigger with the number, the production further enhanced the entertainment factor of the performance, and it was just all-around fun. I'm scared that they can actually win this. Haha. 8

ELIMINATED 
Che Chesterman


WINNER PREDICTION
Louisa Johnson