So this is going to be my last review of The X Factor for this season and I just wanted to say thank you to those who took the time to read my thoughts, I really appreciated it. This season has been wickedly talented and unpredictable and I'm sad that it's coming to an end (but I'll be back next season because thankfully they've been confirmed for a Series 12!). This post is going to have a little bit of an overview of the journey of each of the contestants because I'm just a big nostalgic sap.
I decided to scrap Survivor this week. I just thought there wasn't enough content I could successfully provide without dragging it out and plus, what are they surviving? They already made it to the finals so that's good enough. Going into the finale heres what I predict: Louisa Johnson, Reggie N Bollie, then Che Chesterman, and let me tell you why. This really has nothing to do with their overall journeys on the show, it's just based on the results from last week and history. Historically, the person in the bottom two in semi-finals has little to no chance of winning because the public has already really made up their minds about said person. Reggie N Bollie were announced first to be through and whenever I think of that, I think of Jessica Sanchez being announced first during Season 11 of American Idol. I just feel like they try so hard to shuffle the voting it all gets pretty obvious in the end. And Louisa was just subtly announced so that's my prediction. Also, Louisa sang her whole entire ass off tonight. Like....okay, wow.
CHE CHESTERMAN
There was a moment when Cheryl was giving her comments on Che's performance and I had to pause because I really agreed with her. Personality wise (off stage), Che has really let the world in a lot more. I remember I wrote about him in his sort of introductory post about how he seemed to be a cool guy but at the same time he just seemed like he was so freaking boring. That all changed once I saw the big smile on his face and he started letting the public in and revealing more of who he was as a person. I initially thought he was such a bore but he's probably has the most dynamic personality of the final three. As a performer, I think he's sort of taken a step back. I don't know what it was about when he did Tears Dry On Their Own (His first of 3 Amy Winehouse songs in the live shows, now that I think about it) that was so magical. He seemed to be having a good time and had a really relaxed and cool stage presence about him. When he does up tempos lately, he just seems a little stiff, unnatural and uncomfortable. A week or two back Nick said "no, you haven't changed, Che" and he's kind of right, but not in the positive way he was trying to say. Che hasn't really grown as a performer. He either looked really bored during his ballads or really uncomfortable during his upbeats and there was never really an in between for him. This week, the concept her had was so much fun. I absolutely loved the set and the hamburgers were actually really funny to watch. It seemed a little too cheesy, even though I had a really good time making fun of it. The atmosphere was undeniably fun, especially with all of the dancing that was happening around, I kind of wanted to join in! Unfortunately, Che stuck out like a sore thumb. He was walking around and kind of trying to show that he was having fun but he just looked like he was really trying hard to dance on tempo. His vocals were absolutely flawless, though, the best they've been in weeks. There might have been a surplus of runs, but he actually stayed on key the entire time and the end of the song ended on a fabulous minor note. (7/10) The second performance of his was better because he took Simon's advice (or he just planned to do this all along) and toned everything down. He just sung around and naturally swayed around singing his butt off. I don't know what it was about Rod Stewart and Che Chesterman but their voices sounded great together. Honestly, I was kind of hoping that Adele would pop out and they could sing Hello together and he could redeem himself, but this was pretty good too. I don't think the performance went anywhere, but it was a solid one. (7/10) Che was eliminated later in the night and I can see why. He's been churning out performances that would be really impressive in the earlier weeks of the competitions because he hasn't really ever had an absolutely "winning" performance, ever. He was always nice to listen to, though! (Overall night: 7/10)
REGGIE N BOLLIE
I can honestly say I'm not spending too much time on these guys. They're great fun but they're just the same every week. I've been saying this so much but I'm just going to have to be a broken record, I'm sorry. If you play all their performances, they just ring together. They're very good for a show that prides itself on being very fun and full of production. I can just predict every week that Reggie is going to rap and say "Reggie and Bollie" and refer to them in the third person and there's going to be a bunch of dancing. I have to give them, and 4th Impact, credit because they are the reason why I've fallen in love with Cheryl as a mentor on the show. I didn't like her last season but they way she's been interacting, nurturing and caring for her category this season was quite beautiful and fun to watch. Her coming from a group and mentoring the groups were just a perfect fit, it seems like. She was always dancing with them and just being awesome. They get props for that, being entertaining and, really, nothing else. Their performance was good. Just like all of their other performances. Their vocals weren't terrible or anything, they had some nice moments and the dancing was fun and it was very funky. It kind of really was like a strawberry and liver milkshake. It was weird but it was fun! I think Rita was right about it being a little over the top vocally, but girl, why were you jigging and having a good time the whole performance just to criticize it? (7/10) Their second performance was a little weird because it felt like Reggie N Bollie were fans of Craig Davis & Fuse ODG and just got pulled up on stage during one of their concerts. It was a little underwhelming but it was just as good of a performance that we've come to except from these two. (7.5/10) I think they had a pretty good night but they haven't been even trying to top themselves. It's just been "pretty good" every single week for me, sorry if I'm in the minority. (Overall night: 7/10)
LOUISA JOHNSON
I think I'm a little biased. Louisa has consistently blown my socks off every single week. Even when she was sick, she absolutely destroyed everyone else with her vocals. I don't really think that I understand what people are saying when the call her performances boring, I really don't think they are. She did the Billie Jean number that one week and there's just so much raw passion she's poured into a number of her performances. Was it here tonight? I don't necessarily think so, but I still think she did the best job out of the three remaining contestants. What confuses me about Louisa is whether or not she has actually learned to deliver an emotional performance, or if she just slaps a smile on all of her performances and manufactures it to look like an emotional performance from her. In "Everybody's Free" and "Let it Go" I felt that raw emotion seeping through her pours but recently it seems as if she's just been hitting all of her notes for the hell of it. I don't see whats so boring about that because she's hitting the hell out of all of her notes, but whatever, it's a matter of opinion. Why did she choose "I Believe I Can Fly"? Or why did Rita choose it? She sounded fine, there was no question, but it's such an overdone song, I don't know why they weren't really trying to push the box this week but it really turned out being the closest thing to a winning performance from tonight. It felt very epic of her. Although she was doing that annoying smile thing she does that looks like she's just trying to smile so everyone can think she's really feeling all of the moments. By the bridge as her vocals began to soar, I began to stop caring. Her range is absolutely ridiculous and the staging for the performance was pretty stellar. It just had such an epic vibe to it and I think it may have won her the competition (that, or the fact that everyone else was so lackluster) (9/10). Why was Rita Ora her singing partner? It was a cute idea but I think it was a little weird to pair her with her mentor. Let's get it out of the way because vocally, the song was pretty perfect. I had no idea Rita Ora could sing like that live, it was actually a really great thing that I was able to hear what a strong voice she had. There was just no emotion from the performance. It seemed as if they were hitting the notes just because they new they could and it came off as a little show off-y whereas when you're singing this song in the finale it should be a statement because she would be telling the audience there is no way that she's going home without winning but it looked like they were just happy that they were about to win a bake sale. It wasn't as passionate as it could have been (7/10) Louisa had the strongest night of the three, clearly. (Overall night: 8/10)
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