X-Factor / Ari Last / 10 December 2009 /

The favourite trades at just [1.48] going into Saturday's final and BB contributor Ari Last is happy to take that price on a win for the young Geordie. But BB editor Joe Dyer disagrees. Read their arguments below

The Backer: Whether you like it or not, Joe's peaked at just the right time. For weeks he stayed on the periphery of things, allowing Olly's elastic limbs and Stacey's low IQ to enthral the nation, yet at the exact moment when the public began to grow tired of the competition, the young Geordie exploded into life.

He's massively benefited from having what many on this year's singing show have distinctly lacked - a decent voice.

To be fair, it's more than decent, and while it may be true that Joe would be better suited to asking for more gruel on stage in the West End than jiving with loose women on 'The Box', his performances in recent weeks have been nothing short of outstanding.

Plus, judging by Alexander Burke's latest video, it won't be too long before maestro Simon Cowell has him looking right at home amongst several nubile blondes while wearing nothing but fishnet dungarees.

Back to the point, and the fact Joe received a standing ovation from all four judges three weeks in a row should tell you that his strong favourite tag is richly deserved.

Innocent, polite, and genuinely talented, McElderry is everything that the modern pop star isn't, although that won't stop him from being voted into instantaneous stardom come Sunday night.


The Layer: Joe McElderry is a voice and nowt else. The boy has very little X in his Factor. And that, in a very simple nutshell is why he must be layed at [1.48] on Betfair.

The lad can do big-lunged, doe-eyed torch songs, but ask for a bit of movement - a little on stage shuffle - and he's hopeless. A pop star needs more than that. Well, one coming up from a nationwide 'talent' contest does anyway.

Actually, aside from the voice, his timing ain't bad either and that is principally why he occupies the coveted hot-favourite slot at the top of the market.

As Ari says, Joe's timed his run perfectly, just doing enough in the background while more talented (yeah, I said it) competitors shake, shimmy and bellow their way out of the competition.

And that momentum means he seems almost irresistible for Saturday's final but, being the carefully crafted pantomime that it is, would anyone be that surprised to see one last shock before we bid farewell to the 2009 edition? It's that unpredictability that keeps us coming back year-after-year and at [1.48] I'm prepared to risk a little cash that we're in for one more twist.

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