The X Factor UK Semifinal Results for 12/06/2014 (Recap + Video)
Welcome to the recap and results for The X Factor UK 2014 Semifinal on Sunday, December 6, 2014! The Top 4 performed two songs apiece last night, one Christmas song and one song they believed would get them into the final.
Tonight, we find out which three of the remaining four acts will advance to next week's final, and which act will leave in fourth place. However, before the results, get caught up on the performances by clicking on the links below:
ROUND 1: Christmas Songs
Fleur East, ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’
Lauren Platt, ‘Stay Another Day’
Ben Haenow, ‘Please Come Home For Christmas’
Andrea Faustini, ‘O Holy Night’
ROUND 2: Song to Get You To the Final
Lauren Platt, ‘Story of My Life’
Fleur East, ‘Uptown Funk’
Andrea Faustini, ‘Wrecking Ball’
Ben Haenow, ‘Hallelujah’
Who will be eliminated tonight? The results are in! Also, Fifth Harmony, Sam Bailey, and Idina Menzel (with a special guest) perform!
It's time to face the music!
RECAP
-We open with introductions and lots of chat of how much it'd suck to go home just one week before the finale. I mean, Dermot isn't exactly wrong, on that score.
I'm actually really interested to see these results, because the top two and bottom 2 will be revealed, and there's a very real chance that Simon will have both top two acts. That said, I think we could be in for a surprise, considering how wonky the results have been at this late point in the season. It's hard to imagine Ben or Fleur in the sing-off, but the results can't be as predictably cut-and-dry as they look like they're going to be, can they?
Of course, if the results ARE exactly as predictable as they seem, I won't exactly complain. I adore Ben and Fleur, so I'll be happy to see both of them in the final, even if Simon's bragging is going to be insufferable.
FIFTH HARMONY performs!
-Fifth Harmony is performing "BO$$," and I really wish I could explain how proud I am of these girls. I mean, I don't KNOW any of them, but seeing them come such a long way from auditioning as individuals on The X Factor USA, to being Number 1 in 19 freaking countries. Now I kind of know how Directioners feel. That said, while I love the chorus, if Michelle Obama is getting the same salary as the usual First Lady, she's making anything but "Oprah dollars". But damn, it's so catchy.
The judges are on their feet before the performance even ends, and the crowd pretty much loses it. The girls talk about getting to go to the White House to meet Michelle Obama, who not only said she works out to the song, she also sang a piece of the track for them! Their enthusiasm is adorable. And also infectious. Seriously, I'm in a good mood now. Well, a better mood anyway.
LAST NIGHT'S COMMENTS
-And now we get a recap of last night with backstage comments from the contestants and the judges: Fleur is thrilled to perform one of the biggest Christmas songs ever, and Louis declares that Fleur always delivers. Cheryl, meanwhile, is still 100% behind Lauren. Ben feels really good about his performance, and Mel B states "Ben Haenow just KILLED it!" Andrea is stoked that Simon loved his performance, and Louis says Andrea is one to watch. Lauren fights back tears after her second performance, saying that seeing her family and her whole life on the screen behind her made her realize how lucky she is to be here. Fleur is over-the-moon about her second performance, saying it's the most fun she's ever had on the stage. Louis congratulates her backstage as well. Andrea is happy to have made Mel B proud, and Louis is just as high on the performance, saying he killed it. Cheryl, for her part, praises Ben's second performance and says he earned his place into the final.
SAM BAILEY performs!
-Sam sings "With You" from Ghost the Musical, which brings back flashbacks of Amy Connolly's audition from this season (I liked her and really wish she would have lasted longer). It's a PERFECT song choice because, well...
This was absolutely STUNNING.
Oh my God, you guys, I can't even. I've lost the ability to even. This was incredible, and it pretty much summed up why Sam Bailey is, for me, one of the best singers this show has ever produced. Just a sensational, soaring vocal that is pretty much the best guest performance this season. This could have been her winner's single and I'd have never known it was from a musical, what with the pyro and the orchestra, and the judges all standing up at the end. I was floored by this. FLOORED.
-We return from break with Dermot announcing that, as always, proceeds from this year's winner's single will go to charity. We see a heartbreaking video package detailing the work of this year's charity, Together For Short Lives. It centers on a 14-year-old girl named Alicia, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, which not only robs her of her ability to walk, but will likely result in her death before adulthood. The charity helps her have a normal teen experience, and we see her go shopping for clothes, among other things. The X Factor finalists visit the Shooting Star children's home, and playing Lily Allen's version of "Somewhere Only We Know" in the background is making it hard for me to keep from tearing up. A lovely package. I hope the single is a smash.
RESULTS
Before the results, Dermot announces that last night's vote featured the most votes of this season. So yeah, pretty big deal.
The first act through to next week's final...FLEUR EAST!
The second and final act guaranteed a spot in next week's final...BEN HAENOW!
EVERYTHING IS COMING UP SIMON!
The Bottom 2: Lauren Platt and Andrea Faustini
I think it's the end of the road for Lauren, unfortunately. I say "unfortunately" because she's been a favorite of mine all season, but I just don't see the justification in putting her through over Andrea, no matter how well she does in the sing-off. Hell, even if this goes to deadlock, I seriously doubt she gets through over Andrea. But you never know.
MICHAEL BUBLE AND IDINA MENZEL perform!
-Hot damn, this is ADORABLE. Instead of just singing, they pretty much act out "Baby, It's Cold Outside" ("Idina, it's FREEZING out there!") and get so relaxed and laid-back with each other, Idina ends up losing her place in the song. She recovers like an absolute champ, and they basically laugh their way through the rest of the song, sounding better than most people sound when they're completely serious.
After the performance, Idina reveals that this is the first time they've performed this song live together, so that might explain a bit of the silliness. But I think the imperfection of it is what made this so wonderful. I love these two together.
But now, it's the last sing-off of the season!
BOTTOM 2 SING-OFF
-Lauren sings "There You'll Be" by Faith Hill, and honestly, this song has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. Granted, Pearl Harbor was also a guilty pleasure, if you can even call a movie about a horrific attack that instigated American involvement in a war a "guilty pleasure". Unfortunately, I can't call this performance a guilty pleasure at all. She's singing like someone who knows she's going home. I'm not sure anything about this worked, and that's a shame, since I think it could have been much better if it hadn't been pitched so low. Lauren has done an amazing job in getting this far, and she should absolutely be proud of her run on the show. But I think this is it for her.
-Andrea sings "Who You Are" by Jessie J, and it's a bit more raw than the usual Andrea performance, but it's got his trademark passion. He wants to be in the final, and this performance was as much a statement of that as any he's delivered this season. I think this is a slam-dunk, and while Lauren should be proud of herself, Andrea is the clear choice. Dude just absolutely laid it DOWN on that vocal.
FINAL RESULT
-So it's time for the result, and no judge can get a word in edgewise over this crowd, which is basically MOLTEN hot. Very pro-Andrea.
Cheryl loves Andrea and believes the show has changed his life already, but she must stick by her "heart"...
Cheryl Fernandez-Versini votes to send home ANDREA FAUSTINI!
Mel B felt that was one of Lauren's best performances, but her choice is clear...
Mel B votes to send home LAUREN PLATT!
Louis Walsh makes his decision...
Louis Walsh votes to send home LAUREN PLATT!
Simon says he made the right call saving Lauren last week, and says she's had two great sing-off performances in a row. Meanwhile, he felt Andrea once again oversang. It seems like Simon might vote to get rid of the biggest competition for his acts, but to his credit, he votes for the person he feels has deserved it the most since the start of the competition...
Simon Cowell votes to send home LAUREN PLATT!
LAUREN PLATT is eliminated from THE X FACTOR UK 2014!
CHERYL FERNANDEZ-VERSINI is knocked out of the competition!
Lauren thanks everyone for voting for her and bringing her this far, since this is the best experience of her life. She also thanks the most amazing women she's ever met in her life.
After Lauren is gone, Dermot brings the three finalists back out, each of whom thanks the audience and expresses their joy at having made the final. He then reveals they each have their own private campaign buses with their faces emblazoned on them! The finalists get on their respective buses and honk the horns while Dermot promotes that next week's final will feature superstars such as Ed Sheeran! Should be a good time.
As I said before, I think Lauren should hold her head high. She deserved to make it far, and I'm glad she did. I wish her all the best in the future, since I really think she could make it in the industry.
As for next week's final, I think Ben has this in the bag. Who comes in second and third will depend on next week's performances, but I just can't see Ben not winning this now. And I didn't think I'd be saying that two months ago, considering how strong Andrea was when the live shows started, and has been every week until that first Bottom 2 appearance. But this feels like The Ben + Fleur Show now, with the edge towards Ben (albeit slightly).
But what do you think of the result? And who will win The X Factor UK 2014? Sound off in the comments! Until next weekend, thank you for reading!