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X Factor: Winner favourite for festive number one

14/11/2005

BOOKIES have already installed the winner of The X Factor as the favourite to scoop the all-important Christmas number one.

William Hill said tonight the reality show winner has been the subject of a "massive gamble" to land the festive top spot - and is now the 11/4 favourite to top the charts on December 25, ahead of Westlife and Diana Ross, Nizlopi and the Crazy Frog.

But the company has already taken a hit following the shock eviction of pop hopeful Maria Lawson in the latest round.

They originally had her as a 66/1 outsider for the chop but by the start of the show the odds had plummeted to 8/1.

Hills spokesman Rupert Adams said: "We made a mistake, 66/1 was completely the wrong price for Maria to leave the show, consequently we got completely hammered.

Cheer

"We have just got to hope that the X factor winner is not the Xmas number one because if it is there will not be much Christmas Cheer in our office!"

Audience figures for last night's show peaked at 10.5 million, and more than one million people voted in the fifth live programme of the talent contest as 30-year-old Londoner Maria and Irish girl group The Conway Sisters finished in the bottom two.

Judges Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne were in disagreement over who to send home after both acts sang again.

Fellow judge Louis Walsh was left with the casting vote and gave Maria the boot.

Explaining his decision, Louis said: "I judge the show on tonight's performance but I really think that the girls have a lot more to offer."

Maria had previously wowed audiences with several strong performances, and was one of the favourites to win the competition.

However, her chosen song for the night was The Rolling Stones' Brown Sugar which she admitted was a difficult test.

Simon said: "This was a tough one. On talent she did not deserve to go out at this stage.

Public

"This is the very first contestant where the public will think that that artist did not deserve to go. She was definitely judged on her song."

Maria's mentor, Sharon, accused Louis of showing allegiance to The Conway Sisters because of their nationality.

"I think this is a travesty. Maria is too talented to stop," she said.

"It was the wrong song, she was way out of her comfort zone. It's a huge lesson for us and I take full responsibility for the song choice."

The Conway Sisters, Nicholas Dorsett, Brenda Edwards, Andy Abraham, Shayne Ward, Chico Slimani and Journey South go through to next Saturday's show.

William Hill now has Shayne as 6/5 favourite to win the show with Andy at 10/3.

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