Ben Haenow sings 'Hallelujah' on The X Factor UK 2014 (VIDEO)

Ben Haenow sang 'Hallelujah' on The X Factor UK Semifinals on December 6, 2014.

Even before I knew Simon gave Ben 'Hallelujah,' I knew Simon gave Ben 'Hallelujah,' because it's exactly what Simon would do at the semifinals. This is the song he prefers to hear when someone is trying to have a moment, particularly when it's at a late stage in the competition, preferably semifinals (Lee DeWyze, Jeff Gutt). So here we are. And honestly, this is one of the few times I've wished Simon wasn't Ben's mentor, because a different judge would have given him something else, and he'd have been far better off.

This wasn't bad, by any means, and I can see why Simon gave it to him, since I could easily see how this would be a genius song choice, on paper. But this just wasn't as moving or as grandiose as it should have been. I found myself agreeing with Mel B in that this did him no real favors, even if I don't think it necessarily hurt him either (and if it somehow did hurt him, his emotion after the performance while mentioning what this journey means to him, would probably undo the damage). I still think Ben is a shoo-in for the final, but I just wished he'd closed the show on a stronger performance.

But what do you think of Ben Haenow?

Watch the performance video below: