X Factor Final Betting: Little Mix to become big winners

X-Factor / Mike Norman / 07 December 2011 / 1

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X Factor finalists Little Mix

"Little Mix have built up a large fan base, they continue to top Youtube viewing figures as well as various reality TV website polls, and they have become extremely trendy."

After a turbulent series for the X Factor, Mike Norman believes that only a win for girlband Little Mix will salvage some credibility for the ailing show.

When that monotonous voiceover fella announces on Saturday night that, "It's time, to face, the music", don't believe a word of it. To put it mildly, he's talking out of his backside.

The only thing we, X Factor producers, and ITV need to face is the fact that this once brilliant competition has endured its worst series ever, and that unless some major changes are made to the format next year then it's very likely that the X Factor has run its course. For me, anyway, there's little chance of ITV dropping the cash cow for the next few years.

I don't want to be too damning at this point as we have a potentially enjoyable final to look forward to this weekend, but it's hard not to snigger at some of the things that have happened on this year's show, and I'm not surprised one bit that armchair fans have turned off in their millions. I'll post a full review of this year's antics early next week.

The biggest talking point of course is the appearance of Amelia Lily in Saturday's final. Matched at the maximum price of [1000.0] here on Betfair in the Winner market after she was eliminated in week one, the Middlesbrough lass is now available to back at just [3.5] to be crowned this year's champion singer.

Dumped by her mentor Kelly Rowland 10 weeks ago, Lily confessed to the media that she was happy to be out of the competition and that she was delighted she wouldn't be manufactured into another X Factor star. Her words not mine. Yet this weekend we'll all see Rowland tell us she always had faith in her artist, and we'll hear Lily beg the nation to vote for her so that she can become, how do I put this, another manufactured X Factor star.

It doesn't make sense does it? How can someone not even thought good enough to beat three other artists in her own category, miss six weeks of the competition after being eliminated, end up in the final as the last remaining Girl?

And if you're into X Factor fix theories then you might be interested in this article, telling us how Lily's "winner's single" is already available to pre-order at one online music store!

Given the above, you might be surprised to learn that there are actually another two acts still in the competition, Little Mix (Rhythmix) - available to back at [2.16] - and Marcus Collins ([3.9]).

For what it's worth I don't think the winner has been decided yet, but I firmly believe that how each act performs at the weekend will have little relevance. We, the public, already know who we want to win and who we will vote for, regardless of soppy VTs and over elaborate 'pick up your phone and vote for me' hand gestures. If this stage of the competition had anything to do with singing then Misha Bryan wouldn't have been eliminated on Sunday. Popularity is what counts now.

And this is why I think Little Mix will emerge victorious at Wembley Arena on Sunday evening. They have built up a large fan base, they continue to top Youtube viewing figures as well as various reality TV website polls, and they have become extremely trendy.

I'm not suggesting for one minute that Lily and Collins are unpopular in the way that Kitty Brucknell and Misha B were, far from it, but I just feel that the X Factor's most successful girlband (most successful simply by getting this far) have the momentum with them and are winning fans hand over fist. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Regardless of the outcome however I have no doubt whatsoever that Little Mix will become the big winner's from this year's competition. They will undoubtedly sell more records than the other two in time, and on that basis, they deserve to win on Sunday night.

But remember, this is the X Factor, and the destiny of this year's crown is now in the hands of the public; and there's no folk more unpredictable when it comes to things like this than us lot.

Star Predictor

So with just three acts remaining and the live final looming, what does the Betfair Winner market say? For the latest odds check out our shiny X-Factor Star Predictor...

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Harold Hornet | 08 December 2011

I'd like to see Rhythmix win, if only because they are different to anything else that has won the X Factor before and they will probably sell records and make a career.

We've seen enough acts very similar to Collins/Lily win and disappear quickly, to summise that should either of those triumph, a successful career really is in the balance.

I don't agree with you on Misha - she had a different and distinctive voice, but it doesn't appeal to all.

Also, each week we would have the judges tell us to vote for Misha, then she would appear in the bottom two. The judges would then say they were saving her as she had the best chance of winning. Did the judges not work out that public were putting her in the bottom two as they didn't like her?

Result? First week the public vote decides who goes, and Misha is walking.

Not sure how much the bullying stuff cramped her chances, but she is a prime example of why the judges vote-off means we often end up with acts in the latter stages that the public don't actually like.