The Finnish voting scandal has been investigated and Finnish votes are WELL UNDER 1 %.

http://www.tellymix.co.uk/reality-tv...t-problem.html

That's what I thought.

No surprise there.

The turn around in her popularity isn't hard to explain. She's really talented, likeable, and she was the underdog, people usually root for the underdog.

It's the typical X Factor editing formulae.

Saara's out burst and deciding to sing a French song **cue booing ** was all a massive set up by the producers.

It is astonishing to think that Saara was bottom two 3 times (or 4 I can't even remember now!!!), survived each week and is now genuinely popular with the public, who the producers of X Factor tried to sabotage at boot camp.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The more the producers of X Factor manipulate the show to "make grate TV", the more it will backfire on them.

Though I agree with the concept of what you're saying, it doesn't really make sense with Saara. If they really wanted to get rid of Saara they had many opportunities to do so. She was in the sing off enough times to warrant sending her home and they didn't.
As for running slots, Matt has never closed the show- the pimp slot, but has performed 1st for 3 weeks and 2nd and 3rd for other weeks. Saara and 5 AM have had far more favourable placings.

Good to hear!

Usually I would agree, but in this case if she wins it has actually become "great tv" because you now have the story arc of the underdog rising to triumph. I'm curious if the ratings will show that her sudden rise has engaged more people or not.

So, if the extra votes are insignificant on any results this far, does that imply a reasonable cushion lead in the votes for Saara?

Well at <1% even a 1% gap would mean they've not impacted results.

So no.

The only reason Saara was in the bottom two week five was because of the awful styling. What were they thinking? It took away from her performance and she came over as a novelty act.

The first two weeks are easy to explain - no fan base.
You need the audition process to pimp you out to guarantee votes in those early weeks. See Ruth, see Alisha, see Rachel Adedeji.

The lack of support was down to the shows own biased ways, not because she's not British (which is what a lot of Finnish people seem to suggesting on social media).
However, Saara's put the work in to build a fan base by nailing her performances every week. Her votes are entirely down to her, not Finland, not Simon Cowell, but her own talent.

Hope she pulls it off tonight/tomorrow. The most interesting act in a long time.

This would be completely reasonable if we were on past seasons, but this season the meaning of the "pimp slot" is rather questionable. Since now voting opens at the start of the show, those who go first do have some advantage now and reduces the "boost" of those who go last.

However, in contrast with how "pimped" Matt was during the Auditions all the way to the early live shows, now it does seem he has been less favored than what he used to.

Yet no act who has performed last has ended up in the bottom 3 at any stage and 4 who performed first have- Freddie, Ryan, Gifty and Matt, and Sam Lavery fell in there twice from performing second. I think the running order still has significance though not as much as the competition nears a close, and of course is not the only factor. Still there's a reason they always kept Honey towards the end.

Is this the only year where all 3 finalist have been in the bottom two?

Yes, I believe so.

Don't think so only reason she is popular is she is best of a bad bunch, any other year and she would have sank without trace

Both of these exact words were being said 5 years ago to the day, and now they're guest performers on the Final. You never know.

^ This.

Saara is FAR from the best of a bad bunch. She's got a great voice. She's nowhere near as bad as you're saying she is. She's actually very good.

Is she? For me still not!

I guess that varies a lot for each person.

I could say that 5AM and Mat are both very unlikeable since I don't like them at all, specially with 5AM.

Not necessarily.

I haven't watched much of the series, but it'd be interesting to see if there was a change in her treatment by the show.

Did the song choices suddenly change for the better?
Did the lighting improve?
Did the VTs show her in a better light in latter weeks?
Did the judges suddenly become "fans" of her?

I'm sure she's probably the best of a dull bunch this year, and far ahead of Matt, Honey G et al, but she's likely to have had some show support to smooth the way in the last few weeks.

Really? I respect your opinion but don't agree. I want Matt to win, I think he's brilliant. Also like 5AM. However I have never warmed to Saara xx