lauren was clearly an absolute c**t with a totally disingenuous personality, very fitting for her have to come so far on such a poor poor series.

 

i think the judging panel has been a real letdown, rita ora has grown on me a lot as a human being but everything was constantly 'great' and 'amazing job' when it clearly wasn't. itv should be more bold in that restructuring of this tired format.

 

 

Relieved to see Lauren finally leave. It says a lot when Reggie N Bollie feel like far more deserving finalists :lol: - their ability to hold a note being pretty much non-existent, fun and entertaining as they are. Lauren's had some decent performances ('One Last Time', 'You Don't Own Me', 'Runnin'') but her whole act/presence has been getting utterly tedious and I'm yet to be convinced she's anything more than a glorified karaoke singer, right down to the fact she always looks like she's concentrating fiercely on what lyrics come next and when's the right time to belt, rather than connecting emotionally with any song. It was actually a bit patronising the way she was praised SO much by the judges for changing her song choice at the last minute, like it was the first time they'd seen an ounce of artistry in her and were clinging on to it for dear life! I get the feeling she'd be just as happy releasing an album as she would a book or perfume or appearing on CBB - whatever sustains her 'fame' the longest.

 

Louisa was absolutely outstanding with both her performances. She's slowly won me over since the live shows began. Her vocals, stage presence, styling and the arrangements of both songs worked incredibly well, and I'd probably regard 'It's A Man's World' as one of the best XF performances ever for those reasons, which is particularly impressive given how much that song's been rinsed over the years. Ché also had his best week for me and I'm so glad he was saved by the public vote (over Lauren especially) as he's clearly a deserving finalist, having been consistently strong throughout the series.

 

Re: Jake's points above on the panel, I've actually enjoyed the dynamic this year. Rita and Nick have grown on me as personalities and Cheryl's been way more engaged, charismatic, as well as insightful with her judging comments than in previous years. I see the constant use of 'amazing' etc. as simply a part of the show at this stage - the only time it bothers me anymore is sometimes when Olly does the post-performance mini interviews as he's just so reliant on clichés/really needs to widen his vocabulary (and learn how to correctly pronounce 'okay' while he's at it :arrr:). It hasn't been a vintage year at all though and I'm only mildly anticipating the final.

 

 

I agree with Jake regarding Rita, my estimations of her as a person have gone up a lot (apart from when she took really nasty digs at 4I last week), but her contributions as a judge really are paper thin. Even Louis has more to offer. Sometimes when she feels she has to dig for criticisms she comes out with inaudible random things to say, she's just not very good. Nick is bland but at least has a little more to say.

 

I feel like this final will be so boring. I love Louisa, but I feel 4I would have brought so much more to the final. Miss them so much. If only Lauren's terrible sing off could have been last week instead, though she was still worse than 4I last week anyway, it wouldn't have made much difference.

They need to make Sean Paul happen for the finale, it would make RNB win definitely :cheer:

Well it'd be no worse than their current line-up of One Direction, Coldplay & Leona...

 

Isn't Cheryl performing with Reggie N Bollie? Or is she gonna backtrack on herself?

Well it'd be no worse than their current line-up of One Direction, Coldplay & Leona...

 

Isn't Cheryl performing with Reggie N Bollie? Or is she gonna backtrack on herself?

I think Cheryl said she "would", but I don't bother with Xtra Factor so I don't know I just remember someone saying. I think they'll get guests in but they won't be inspired or anything, like I'd be shocked if Che's wasn't Sam Smith :lol: