Ages 12-16: Britney Spears chose: Arin Ray, Beatrice Miller, Carly Rose Sonenclar and Diamond White
Ages 17-24: Demi Lovato chose: Cece Frey, Jennel Garcia, Paige Thomas and Willie Jones
Ages 25 and over: L.A. Reid chose: Jason Brock, David Correy, Tate Stevens and Vino Alan
Groups: Simon Cowell chose: Emblem3, Lyric 145 (One4Five + Lyric Da Queen), Sister C and LYLAS.
It's going to be a hard battle this season with a lot of favorites already. As the voters tend towards the younger and the female, a trend has developed for shows like this. Based on that, Spears' and Lovato's teams have the best chances of making it to the finals even before the show begins. Here are my predictions:
From Britney's group, although all four are very talented, it will be a neck-to-neck battle between Carly Rose and Diamond; but I have a feeling Carly Rose will prevail because she appears less polished and rehearsed in her expressions and mannerisms than Diamond. This group will probably last the longest in the competition because they're closer to the voters' age group or they have the Cute Factor.
From Demi's group, Cece Frey will probably be the first to go because her on-screen personality is highly unlikable; and although Page is very talented, she too can come off as a bit abrasive. It will probably come down to Willie and Jennel. The latter two are not only talented but are very sympathetic on camera. Their voices and performance styles are very surprising and engaging. This team's chances are good to last a bit longer than Reid's or Cowell's.
L.A.'s and Simon's protegees will probably not fare as well with the voting public, getting decimated early in the season. The voting public's age profile will make it difficult to connect with the over 25s; and the groups have not done well on this show. From those teams, Tate and Vino have the best chances of making it farther because of their stories. Talent only marginally plays a role in voting as the playing field is level on that front. Simon will find defeat a bitter pill to swallow with Lyric 145 and Playback making it the farthest but probably not to the finals.
Despite Reid's and Cowell's "reactions" to getting those teams, it more than likely was a production decision to give Spears and Lovato the two groups that have the greatest chances right out of the gate. Why? To sweeten the pot. They probably want these two to stay with the show longer; and what better way to do so than to give them a taste of success?
Be that as it may, it's shaping up to be a great season of X Factor, given the caliber of talent, human interest stories and personalities that the contestants bring to the table. Couple that with the thrill of tuning just to watch this:
How can FOX lose?
Stay tuned! :)
