Still Joe McElderry for me - by far. In all the series' of XF before or since, no one else has engaged me as much. Incredible vocalist and a great entertainer too, with a wonderful sense of humour. Also encourages audience interaction. He has a regular 10-15min segment in his shows - 'Jukebox Joe' - where he takes song requests from the audience and if he knows the song, he'll sing a few lines of it. A risky thing to do for most performers but shows off his skill and that of his talented band, who seem to thrive on being kept on their toes. People who only remember him from his XF days are constantly surprised - especially by the energy of his shows. He's a bit clumsy (which he often admits himself) so there's the added element of 'danger' in him falling off the stage one day when he gets carried away in his enthusiasm

I love to see a performer really enjoy themselves (which is why I've enjoyed Only the Young's performances this series) - and he certainly does that! And he's a genuinely lovely person with a positive attitude, which helps keep me hooked
Second fave is Leona. I have all her albums but I've yet to see her perform live and that's on my wish list.
Third would be Rhydian who I saw recently on the opening night of his tour and was really impressed. Powerful voice.
In terms of this series, disappointed that Paul went out last weekend as I really like his voice and he was the contestant I looked forward to hearing most.