Aiden Grimshaw and Misha B - wasn't a fan of either whilst they were on XF however have loved both singles they've both released since

Too right..take away that and you have a very average bunch.
But, then they weren't relying on any sort of singing talent to get where they are.....when that all wears off, I'm not too sure how long they can last.

One person who's surprised me, pleasantly is Rebecca Ferguson.

I know there was a lot of fuss about her during the live shows but I struggled to really get her and thought she was quite samey and had quite obvious tuning problems.

However, I've seen her sing live on T.V. a few times, including the other day and I've been very impressed.

Rich.
x

Rebecca Ferguson......thought she was boring on the show often just standing in one place, but would rate her songs now post X Factor!!

Cher lloyd....bar her audition, i thought she was a sell out on the show (cheryl Cole the 2nd) Her songs post X Factor hasnt been that bad in all honestly, except her 1st single which got to No 1!!!!!

LM's popularity post X Factor has surprised men as i thought 1D would thge show's recent group success story!!

One Direction. I loved their first performance on the show, but after that they became one trick pony's, with bad harmonies and not very likeable characters.

I absolutely loved their first single! I think it was the best first single from an X factor contestant ever. They are still one trick pony's, but their singing has improved so much and their harmonies are a lot better now. I really enjoy watching and listening to them.

I voted Joe and thought Olly was cheesy. Fast forward a couple of years and bought both albums and Olly is the album I love whereas Joe has the cheese cover album

I am surprised that people pay good money to buy ID and Cher singles and albums.

and design a lot of their own clothes.

deleted

Eoghan Quigg, I thought he'd go on to have huge international success but I haven't heard much of him lately.

LOL

1D & Cher Lloyd - their international success baffles me

Matt Cardle. I was an ardent follower of his during the X Factor, and voted for him every week. Then I bought his album and.... rubbish overall, except for "Starlight". Totally different to the type of songs he sang on X Factor, most of which suited his voice well.


Whaaaa? Second album? Heads on over to Amazon.... *check*..... hmmm. Once bitten, twice shy. I'll wait to hear the track clips and reviews first.

It sounds so much better than Letters. I still think if Starlight had been the lead track, things would have gone so much better but ah well, he's definitely on the right track with this album

Biggest surprise was Olly Murs. Really wasn't expecting anything, not even being signed but he's gone on to be one of the bigger names. I think his look and sound is genius - he didn't sound or look like that on the show.

Busy is my favourite song of his.

That's good to hear at least.

Olly Murs has surprised me the most.

I knew 1D would be huge, but not on this level, pleasantly surprised.

i love 1D and can't imagine how big your surprise is when 1D actually went that massive GLOBALLY almost overnight.

Jedward - a lot of people are surprised at how much they like their new single Luminous: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmhQq...eature=related

The success of One Direction and Jedward surprises me, neither are as talented as the amount of money they have made may suggest.

I was worried for Little Mix, as the previous few winners have not had great material, however I think Wings and DNA are great and I am really pleased for them, hope their success continues.

I have to say Olly Murs.

His records are pure crud (for some strange reason people buy them), but as a presenter he is really good.

So I would recommend to Olly - give up the singing, go for being a top presenter.

That's what's so surprising. You have to give their marketing people credit. They were truly awful singers but have achieved success. Oh well, there's no accounting for taste.

Unfortunately, boyband after boyband have produced the same tired routine, type of songs and look for the last 20 years. It's easy to produce, just get 5 good looking, mediocorly talented boys and get a few girls to scream = million selling album. Dosent really matter about the music standard really.

Little Mix- I Loved them on the show but i didn't think Syco would handle them properly but they have gotten them good material. I didn't think they would get as much support from non fans either and radio or anything but they have and are doing better than I expected, wings is still in the top 30 after 2 months, i thought people outside their main fanbase wouldnt like it, it is also climbing up the Aus and NZ charts too, i didnt expect them to go outside the UK till at least Jan or Feb.

Olly- I liked him but didn't know what type of music he would do outside the show but was pleasantly suprised and have both albums. His sales have actually increased from the first album too, he is one of the only xfactor acts to do that so far.

1D- I always thought they would do well worldwide but not to this extent and I didn't expect to like their material but up all night has some catchy songs. I Dont like lwwy but i will give their new album a chance.

Cher- I thought she would have edgier material but she is more poppy, although i didnt like her on xf i still thought she would be bigger than she is and thought she would have better material but she is still doing quite well. Maybe her next album will be more grown up and her fanbase will get bigger and she will attract an older crowd, not just young girls.

Jedward, i thought they would do well in Ireland but i wasnt expecting them to become as big as they are outside the UK. I didnt even expect them to release music in Europe till they were on eurovision.

Im disappointed Stacey still hasn't made music yet, other than the charity singles. I loved her on the show and she had a lot of support from people in the industry, coldplay said last year in an interview, 2 years after stacey was on the show and they said they really liked her and sent her a signed disk. Queen also loved her and Robbie Williams too. I thought she would have got some type of record deal with a sony label, even eoghan got one with RCA.

Also Im suprised by Joe. I didnt think after his first album (which i like ) that he would be given another chance and be the first winner to release a 4th album.