X Factor: Jahmene set to rule as Ella cedes favouritism

Jahmene - the new favourite

We have a new favourite in the X Factor betting as the market goes cold on Ella Henderson and hot for Jahmene Douglas

The standard of the music has been strong, and whilst the ratings may be dire, this season's X Factor will nevertheless go down as a classic. A fair whack of this is to do with the much-criticised judges; Nicole Schwarzenegger has been a revelation whilst Gary Barlow has attempted to do 'pantomime villain' but so far has only managed 'Last of the Summer Wine'. Tulisa, meanwhile still fulfils the role of not only inducing the response "yeah I would" from male viewers, but also the thought "and I might have a chance actually". 
 
Winners 
Jahmene has a singing voice that seems preposterous when one hears his speaking voice. His backstory is nightmarish, with tales of abuse, prisons and suicides. So to watch and hear him holding a defiant finger to the maelstrom is genuinely uplifting no matter how you feel about his gymnastic brand of over-singing. He is likeable, is a talent, and he is now the 2.588/5 favourite, coming to the party at just the right time. He is as short as 1.4840/85 in the 'without Ella' market, and having urged punting caution to date, we now suspect the betting markets are beginning to settle down.
 
With their main rivals now extinguished, Union J absolutely own the pre-pubescent vote. They remain an interesting bet at 3.185/40 for the top 3.
 
Losers 
We take no comfort in having warned that Ella had peaked too soon, but as she slips to a low of 2.727/4 in the betting, it is clear we were correct. Her grip at the top is sliding, simply because she is a bit boring. Her voice is magnificent, she's an astonishing talent for just 16-years-old, but her songs all meld together into one long sequence of soaring notes and tuneful groans. Her main problem is that we already have a new Adele. She's called Adele. Then there's that Emili Sande thing. The one called Florence. Ella may have to make do with running up, which is not a disaster in terms of record sales, and of course historically, has been even better than winning on occasions.
 
James remains steady at 6.25/1, but has unsurprisingly drifted to 2.0421/20 in the top male market. His painful coolness will probably alienate certain demographics, and nanas won't like how he never seems to smile.