Love it or hate it, The X Factor has filled our Saturday evenings with some entertaining TV. It’s also given us a good few megastars and flops in the music industry.
But how would they be ranked alongside each other? I’ve taken the liberty of ranking all 12 of the winners, not based purely on their singing ability, but – as Simon or Louis would say – for the whole package: their likeability, their success, the impression they left on us, and just generally how I feel about them.
So, in descending order:
12. Leon Jackson
Winner of the fourth series, Leon Jackson, unfortunately, has to be ranked last. He was mentored by Dannii Minogue at the time, and, to be fair, he was alright throughout, but he was a bit bland and never really stood out from the rest of the winners. No doubt he could sing, but there hasn’t really been sight nor sound of him in years, so I can’t say I rate him that highly.
11. Steve Brookstein
Ah Steve. He won the first ever series after being mentored by the main man himself, Simon Cowell. Like Leon, he did well and all, but it has been years since he’s done anything worthwhile in the spotlight, so he hasn’t really got a leg to stand on when it comes down to who he should replace further down the list. And as for his, erm, problematic Twitter persona…
10. Ben Haenow
To be honest, I had to Google who he was. The name was vaguely familiar, but I was like, ‘Ben who now’? And to make matters worse, he was only in the 11th series, so it’s not like it has been years or anything. Simon Cowell has had a string of not-so-great winners it seems.
9. Joe McElderry
Joe was lovely at the time, but again, like the above, hasn’t done much since his win. He was Cheryl’s Geordie boy and secured her two consecutive wins on the show with Alexandra Burke winning for her the previous year. Joe definitely had potential, but he just wasn’t gritty or edgy enough to appeal to a mass audience, hence why he’s not further up the list.
8. Matt Cardle
Who could forget Matt Cardle with his hat? He wore that without fail every single day. Okay, that’s an exaggeration but he wore it an awful lot. That’s probably the height of my memory of him. He was great at the time, but he never could quite shake his sensitive soft style of performing, so I think I would fall asleep if I went to his concert. Harsh, I know.
7. James Arthur
Now, James Arthur was gritty. He was probably one of the only people, along with Matt Cardle, that remained true to his personality and appearance after joining the show. For him, though, it made all the difference because, for the first time, people were buying into a type of person rather than the X Factor stereotypical winner. Unfortunately, he said some rather unfavourable comments about another musician since winning which led to him being dropped from his music label, so he’s going to have to rest at the midway point for now.
6. Louisa Johnson
Louisa Johnson, like a lot on this list, was a great singer and has ‘the x factor’ but she just didn’t wow me over at any point. She was a great singer and has some songs in the charts currently, but didn’t have the power vocals like other female contestants. She was good and all, just not worthy of a higher spot on the list.
5. Sam Bailey
Sam Bailey didn’t do anything wrong, necessarily, to be placed in the 5th spot on this list, but she didn’t do anything to stand out either. She did, however, have one of the better backstories where she worked as a guard in a prison, and used to sing all the time to the delight of the prisoners. It completely won over the audience, and then, to top that, she has amazing vocals. Since the show, she has branched out from the main music industry and stars in West End productions, while also touring and releasing singles.
4. Shayne Ward
Shayne Ward was very popular with the ladies back when he was on The X Factor. He had a relatively successful music career afterwards, but has recently moved into acting where he stars in Coronation Street. In terms of likeability, he has a massive fan base who follow his career wherever it takes him. He was in the second series and he’s still better known than most of the winners which came after him, which says a lot.
3. Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke could have taken the 2nd spot only that she came after Leona in the competition and they’re quite similar. That moment when she had a duet with Beyoncé was one of the best duets on the show. She was always very humble and grateful for what the competition did for her and remained grounded. There’s no denying she has all the star qualities you would want from a contestant, and even went on to star in West End musicals and sell-out tours.
2. Leona Lewis
Leona was one of the first singers which gave us hope for the competition and what it stood for. She was genuinely so talented and everyone knew she would have a massive career after the show. Her voice was insanely good and would give you goosebumps. Admittedly, she wasn’t the most exciting of all the contestants but she was consistent throughout the series and has been ever since.
1. Little Mix
Little Mix were by far the best contestants on The X Factor – and continue to be since they appeared on the show. First of all, they were the first group to win the competition, with One Direction and JSL coming very close to winning as well. It took eight series to finally get a band to win. Not to fangirl them, but they’ve pretty much got the full package: they are incredibly talented, down to earth, you’d want to be their friend and see them in concert – what more could you ask for from a pop star group?
Therefore, they are most deserved of the top spot.
