[Beanie]

Just watched last night's show and this series looks a lot more straightforward than previous years.

Looks like a 2 horse race between Ben and Leonna, with Ray and Ashley having no more than outside claims to the win.

Kerry will survive long enough but her voice is average at best and won't be good enough. She says she is going to do some songs standing up which will win a few extra votes, but as I say, not enough.

Nikitta - Looks the type that is early week fodder, but I think she'll survive a while. Voice is decent and has more personality than Dionne.

4sure + Eton Road - Louis can't be allowed to see his 4 acts go within the first 6 shows, which would be a real possibility, so I think every effort will be made by the producers to make one of these 2 bands seem like realistic contenders. Neither is too bad and they'll be safe for a few weeks yet IMO.

Dionne - Seemed to sing well last night, but still found herself in the bottom 2, which says a lot about her appeal.

Rob - All been done before, and better, by Andy last year. An early exit IMO.

MacDonald Brothers - Fairly bland, and will need a major overhaul to survive much longer. Gone next week or the week after, depending on song/running order.

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One problem is that Simon's acts look very strong...he probably has 3 of the top 4 at the moment, with Nikitta far better than many others. Will the producers allow a situation where Simon has 4 acts after a few shows, while Louis might be left with just 1(if that) at the same stage? Or will someone like Nikitta be made a sacrificial lamb in the name of balance?

As I say for the next few weeks I think we'll see the MacDonalds go, Dionne go, and maybe Rob too, and after that I'll be on the lookout for one of Simon's to go while Louis' remaining two get the treatment for the producers.