Running order:

Round 1:
Sam B
Luke
Nicholas

Round 2:
Luke
Nicholas
Sam B

Round 3:
Nicholas
Sam B
Luke

Best performance:
Sam B
Luke
Nicholas

Order of being announced safe:
Luke
Nicholas

They won't mess around too much with the running order I don't think.

It'll be:

1) Nick (I think that's a given)
2) Luke
3) Sam B (the show's ideal winner)

Announced safe:
1) Sam B (obviously)
2) Luke (shockingly )

She would be on first surely then as the voting lines open before they sing?

Running Order
1- Nicholas
2- Sam
3- Luke
that will stay the same for all 3 performances

Best Performance
1- Sam
2- Nicholas
3- Luke

Order of being announced safe:
Sam
Luke

Nick going through first to create tension between Luke and Sam the two most people want to see, Sam goes through because shes obviously going to win the competition.

Devon, seventeen and Scotland will be mentioned on several occasions.

They did that for Series 9 too if you remember, the phone lines opening at the start. But no one was really affected by it, it just proceeded on as normal, pimp slots were pimp slots, opening slots were death slots. Aside from Melanie (but she wasn't in it for enough time to be able to reliably say).

In the final though if the voting opens before people sing surely it is better if you're on first and get a lead straight away?

Doesnt really matter does it

A Sam B fan is not going to vote for nick just because he performed good and was on first?

Fans are going to get the number and vote for their favourite no matter what.

I see what you mean but I think it's because people will still remember the last performance most vividly, that'll be at the front of their minds when the show finishes.

No, but the casual fans might be sitting there wondering who to vote they see Nicholas or Luke perform first and think "That was great ill give them a vote" and by the time Sam comes on she is 10 times better but they don't vote them cause they have already voted!

But one person leaves tonight. So they will have, what? 20 minutes voting after?

I think it's out of habit. People normally this series have voted at the end of the show, waited till all the performances have finished. Habits are hard to break even for just the final. They'll wait like they did before until all the performances have completed.

You think way too deep into it.

Not many casual fans will vote, just watching it for the entertainment i guess.

Im an xfactor fan but as soon as my favourite leaves i dont waste more money voting for another act.

Stop being so negative about sam going through aswell lol, if she is your favourite, be positive.

And to add on, a casual fan wont vote after one performance they tend to watch all of them.

Only the mega fans will vote immediately.

Sam should be first ad Luke and Nicholas have been first these last 2 weeks but she won't be cause the producers are doing everything to try and get her to win so I think
1st Nicholas
2nd Luke
3rd Sam

ANNOUNCED SAFE
1st Nicholas
Leaving Luke and Sam to build tension

Actually Sam and Nicholas both have worse running order averages than Luke.

I wonder if they'd want to have Luke doing 'we are young' next to Sam in the running order.

I also suspect that floating voters will wait at least until all three have performed their first songs before picking someone to vote for, so whoever's on first will probably lose out.

There would be zero tension if they did that, they wouldn't even need to bother announcing Luke eliminated in that situation! I think the only way they'll not announce Sam first is if she's out, which would be great but will never ever happen.

i think if Luke is through he will be called 1st because it would be hard to know between Sam/Nicky because they both have never been in the bottom 2.

I can't wait to see Luke's face if they do