Tonight is the final live performance show of The X Factor Australia 2012 which will give the remaining acts one last chance to show the voting public what they’ve got. After something like 13 weeks, 37 sleeveless distressed denim vests, at least 6 cases of “trending worldwide”, and 8 or 9 intermittent peekaboo’s of Mel B’s hypnotizing cleavage, we are going to see either The Collective, Jason or Samatha Jayde win this thing. But do they have that intangible je ne sais quoi also known as the “x factor”? That doesn’t even matter! It comes down to which of the three acts received the most votes, so we’ve broken down The X Factor Australia Grand Final Power Rankings to see where each contestant is positioned in the last round of competition.
1. JASON OWEN
Best Performance: “Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith from Live Show 03. Wearing a criminally bad leather dinner jacket and a pound of pancake makeup, Jason pulled out his finest performance by lending his sweet country keen to Aerosmith’s chart-topping power ballad. I should throw a Highly Commended nod Jason’s way for his performance in Live Show 07 when he performed a knee slide across the stage that later required medical attention.
Worst Performance: To be honest, Jason has several less-than-brilliant live performances to choice from [note: most of them] but his least impressive was a version of “Dancing In The Moonlight” that was so alarmingly speedy it should have been sung by Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Public Endearment: Jason has been in the ‘bottom 2’ zero times which means he has the public vote on his side. He also has a powerful weapon that none of the other contestants possess: Mel B. She has been the best thing about the show, and everyone loves the city mouse/country mouse relationship between the pair of them. Jason is unequivocally the contestant to beat.
2. SAMANTHA JAYDE
Best Performance: “UFO” by Sneaky Sound System in Live Show 07. It was a great song choice for Sammy, whose voice is perfectly suited to that hook-y dance-pop genre. She also wore a nu-rave bodysuit covered in fluoro reflector panels which was a bonus.
Worst Performance: Sammy did a rather boring and uncharacteristically out of tune version of “Every Time” by Britney in Live Show 03; however, for the most part Sammy’s live performances have been very solid vocally.
Public Endearment: She has been voted into the ‘bottom 2’ twice. The thing about Samantha Jayde is that while she’s clearly a talented girl, she isn’t particularly compelling as a reality television contestant. Jason has the whole clueless country boy from a town of 22 people charm about him, but Sammy’s backstory is that she has tried to make it as a pop star before and failed. The fact she is friendly with her mentor Guy Sebastian prior to the show hasn’t done much for her public perception either, tarnished with the stain of being a ‘teacher’s pet’.
3. THE COLLECTIVE
Best Performance: “Domino” by Jessie J in Live Show 01. The Collective peaked early with their very entertaining rendition which they performed standing on red glowing pontoons that were suspended from the ceiling. Cool! Plus good harmonies etc.
Worst Performance: Their ill-advised techno version “Like A Prayer” by Madonna in Live Show 05 which was one of the most horrifically garish and dreadfully styled songs of the whole show (which, believe me, is saying something). It was out and out terrible.
Public Endearment: The Collective has also landed in the ‘bottom 2’ twice, including in last week’s semi-final. Maybe the world doesn’t want another One Direction because the one they’ve already got is enough?
Tonight The X Factor Australia Grand Final is on Channel Seven from 7.30pm. If you’re watching, join us here for the Grand Final Live Blog Part 1.
