Back in the day, when a celebrity was on hand to mentor the contestants they would be repaid by having their songs crooned back at them. Not so in the case of Lionel Ritchie who just got to hear the contestants sing a variety of numbers whilst he gave them some words of wisdom. I would’ve loved to have heard the contestants tackle at least one Ritchie song each but instead we were given another week with no theme. After a week off I’m back with a look at all of last night’s performances as I rank them from best to worst.

1. Louisa Johnson – It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s world

It’s been quite clear for a now that Louisa is the act that the producers want to win the competition and this rather powerful version of the James Brown hit proved it. What I liked about the performance was the cleanness of the staging which made Louisa look like a star for the first time in my opinion.

2. Che Chesterman – Love is a Losing Game

After having a brief disaster after forgetting the words to an Adele song last week, Che bounced back with two solid performances. I personally preferred his take on this Amy Winehouse number as it showcased him as a true performer and he’s probably my personal favourite left in the competition.

3. Reggie N Bollie – I Got a Feelin’/I Like to Move It 

Whilst their first performance was quite lacklustre this mash-up got the crowd going and ended the show on a high. I do feel that, as one of the two acts never to have been in the bottom two, Reggie N Bollie have a very good chance of actually winning the show even though they’re not nearly the most accomplished act left in the contest.

4. Che Chesterman – Would I Lie To You

As I mentioned, Che romped home this week with even his first performance feeling very polished although it did help that he was singing a nineties classic in the form of the Charles and Eddie hit.

5. Lauren Murray – Runnin’

It’s fair to say that Lauren had one hell of a sing-off last week however I don’t think she capitalised on her momentum this week. Of her two performances her version of the Naughty Boy hit was a little bit more accomplished and had a little more bite to it.

6. Louisa Johnson – The Power of Love 

Though a great vocal performance, nothing about Louisa’s version of the Frankie Goes to Hollywood hit particularly made me sit up and pay attention. I do feel that her two performances on the show highlighted the fact that she’s an inconsistent artist and I do think that are still question marks on whether she would be the best choice to win the show.

7. Lauren Murray – Take Me Home

I don’t expect to hear wonky vocals in the X-Factor semi-finals but that’s just what we received in an underwhelming performance of the song that Lauren already took on at Boot Camp. Even though the VT was meant to make us sympathise with Lauren’s late song change I personally would’ve preferred to hear her take on ‘The Best of My Love’ rather than listen to her sing a song she’s tackled already.

8. Reggie N Bollie – Locked Away

I do think this was the case of the wrong song for Reggie N Bollie who gave one of their worst performances at the start of the show. Luckily they made up for this poor performance with an absolute crowd-pleaser later on in the night.

As ever I’d like to know what you think of my list. Did I get it right? And who do you think will end up winning the show?