Talented

It’s the night of the Britain’s Got Talent final and after five days, Sunday to Thursday, we have the ten finalists set in stone. Interestingly, this year’s batch of finalists seems more diverse than in previous years. Of course, there are the usual street dancers and adolescent singers but synchronised swimming and ball-room dancing are acts that have never really gotten to the final before or, in the case of the former, never seen on the show at all. Despite this, the dog act, Ashleigh and Pudsey, are tipped to win. I hope not. I think the variety of this year’s final will hopefully give someone a bit different a chance to win. Take a look at each act individually and see who deserves the chance the most.

Only Boys Aloud

While there have been choirs on the Britain’s Got Talent in years gone by, none of those choirs have really matched Only Boys Aloud. Firstly, the sheer image of all 133 members of the choir, all Welsh boys, is staggering to behold and it creates a very powerful sound when they all begin belting out their tune. It’s also impressive because it must take a great deal of dedication and practice to get all the members in tune and in time so you really do have to admire the work that these boys have put into their act. The only aspect that might be a stumbling block for them is likely to be that they sing in Welsh. When people sing the audience don’t just listen to the tune, they also engage with the lyrics and while the Welsh language has a rather mystical sound when sung, I think it might ostracise the majority of the English speaking British public

Ashleigh and Pudsey

A dog act has never won Britain’s Got Talent. It’s not that they aren’t popular but generally, at some point or another, the dog decides it can’t be bothered and just won’t do what is desired of it. This is why it’s often said that you shouldn’t work with animals or children in show business. For some this happens during initial auditions and for some it happens during the live shows. For Ashleigh and Pudsey to really pull this off they need to have a fantastic routine and pull it off flawlessly. If they can do that, I think Pudsey might be endearing enough to get the win. But, honestly, I can’t see that happening. This might be the dog act to pull it off flawlessly, but I don’t know how they can possibly up their game in terms of the routine.

Jonathan and Charlotte

Even if these two don’t win, it won’t be the end of the world. They could still get roles in a stage production of The Phantom of the Opera. In fact, I’d suggest they sing ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ for their performance. It might be a little cliché, I’ll admit that, but I think it would show off both of their voices. The song also requires some performance too to really make the lyrics come to life and performing with the song isn’t really something that we’ve seen these two do. They’ve used wind, mist and lighting effects but I’d really like to see both of them perform with the song a bit more. If they sing anything too old-fashioned, they might face the same danger as Only Boys Aloud and end up ostracising some of the public. No doubt they both have fantastic voices but I think if they’re to win they need really challenge themselves for the final.

Kai and Natalia

Kai and Natalia perhaps understand exactly what I’m talking about above in regards to Jonathan and Charlotte. Ball-room dancing has the potential to be very drab and old fashioned but these two have taken a very modern approach to their talents. They’re using the flare and fire of the Salsa and the Mambo and they’re two-stepping their way through the competition. It’s because they aren’t just being boring; they’re swinging their legs and throwing their bodies. Most importantly, they use the entirety of the stage. That kind of stage presence and awareness is key in this kind of act and they’ve shown they can do it live without losing their nerve. For the final, they need to come up with a routine that can top what they’ve already done if they’re to have any chance of winning.

Loveable Rogues

They’re good singers and they can write their own music which is a bonus but by far the most interesting thing about this bunch is that they skipped the production auditions. I don’t think they’re lacking in talent, not by any means, but I do feel like this group probably has very little chance of winning this competition. Unlike acts such as Ashleigh and Pudsey or Jonathan and Charlotte, they do have direct competition in Sam Kelly and Ryan O’Shaughnessy. They might be different enough, being a three piece and all, yet it would be my instinct that Kelly and O’Shaughnessy will be more accessible because it’s easier to display personality in a single act. The public won’t get a single personality shining through with three guys and they might even feel betrayed by the fact they skipped the production auditions

Molly Rainford

I’m really not sure what this girl is doing in the final. Her performance on Tuesday was pitchy and far too uninteresting for a girl her age to be singing. I’m not suggesting she needs to be bouncing around the stage and belting out ultra pop songs like the kind of crap you get on a Miley Cyrus album. She has talent but she needs a few years before she’s good enough to stand in front of the Queen. Even if you blame it on nerves, what makes you think she’ll be any better at the Royal Variety Show if she’s nervous now? I think Mollie Rainford should go away, get some more training and come back in a few years and win The X-Factor.

Sam Kelly

I feel kinda bad for Sam Kelly. He’s a decent singer and he’s got a very modest, likable personality but he’s really being overshadowed by Ryan O’Shaughnessy in this competition. Their act is extremely similar so he can’t get away without being compared to O’Shaughnessy in the same way that The Lovable Rogues can avoid comparisons by claiming three of them are different enough from one guy on a stool with a guitar. If Kelly has an original song in his guitar case then I’d suggest he sing it tonight, otherwise he’s going to be left in the dust by Ryan O’Shaughnessy.

Nu Sxool

It’s good that they’re talented dancers because they’re not going to excel in English Language if that’s how they spell New School. There were definitely better street dancing groups in the competition but maybe they were the best group on Thursday night or just because they’re children, but this is the group we’re left with. Personally, I think the voting public is a bit sick of dancing groups since Diversity and Twist and Pulse, so I’m doubtful that Nu Sxool will even reach the top three.

Ryan O’Shaughnessy

Other than Ashleigh and Pudsey he’s the one to beat. He’s been in the public eye since day one, ever since it was revealed that he was on The Voice Ireland and his return to the final night of live shows only gave him more exposure. He’s incredibly endearing too. He’s practically just a down on his luck guy, looking for someone to love and writing songs about girls who don’t want to love him back. Ok, really, it’s a bit creepy but when you’ve got members of The Saturdays tweeting you, who cares? If his original song in the final is good then I think he’s probably a real contender to win the competition. Not to mention, I think Simon Cowell would love to rub it in The Voice if he did win.

Aquabatique

My personal favourites in the whole competition; their performances have an instant wow-factor because it’s never really been done on the show before and, like Only Boys Aloud, the training that must go into timing and choreographing these performances is admirable. There’s something very innately British about them too so I think The Queen would enjoy their performance and with the Olympics just around the corner it’d inspire nationalism in the hearts of the public. No doubt Cowell would love to be the man behind something as inspirational as that. They’ve promised something good for the final which will make it worth going outside to watch them. A fantastic performance is exactly what they need if they want to tip the scales in their favour.

That’s all the confirmed acts and looking over them, my guess for a top three would likely be Ashleigh and Pudsey, Ryan O’Shaughnessy and Aquabatique. Who wins among those three largely depends on the performances on the night but, of course, if the performances on the night are bad any one of those three might not even make it to the top three. I’m pulling for Aquabatique to win but Britain’s Got Talent is the kind of show where the performances really can make all the differences to your opinions, so it helps to tune in and see who’s pulling out all the stops.

That’s not mentioning the wild card pick that’s still to be announced. Though the choice was apparently already made two days ago, it probably won’t be made official until tonight’s show. I think the judges will probably want to maintain some multiplicity of talent, so that eliminates any more singers like The Mend or Twist and Pulse Dance Company. One act that really stood out as different in the competition is Billy George and his iron hoops. It stands out and it’s different from a lot of the other performances we’ve seen this week. But despite being in the top three, I don’t think Billy George has a hope of winning. That applies to any other wild card pick really. They were already unpopular enough to be voted out; I can’t see that changing with one more chance.

Overall, I think that competition this year is fairly tight. Aside from maybe two or three acts I picture many of them winning it but, as I’ve said, it really comes down to the performances on the night. One bad performance and it could be back to dancing around your bedroom to the soundtrack of Grease.  Or maybe that’s just me…