TV Trends: With X Factor Final This Weekend, Has Fleur East Done Enough To Win, Or Is There Another Favourite?

Will There Be A Surprise Come 'X Factor' Final? Social Media Says Maybe...

Well, the good news is that 'X Factor' just got interesting again, with Fleur East's stunning rendition of 'Uptown Funk' stealing all the headlines at the weekend, bringing a massive smile to the face of mentor Simon Cowell who called it "one of the best X Factor performances EVER' - AND forcing Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars to bring forward the release of their own version this week. Whoever said 'X Factor' no longer had any influence?!

However, there's still the small matter of the final ahead of us, with the last three finalists facing one hurdle of a weekend, before we find out who'll be going home with a £1million recording contract, apartment for a year and a promise of lifelong fame and riches - just ask Steve Brookstein - and who'll be consoling themselves that One Direction didn't even win, when they entered in 2010.

So, of the three names still in the hat - Andrea Faustini, Fleur East and Ben Haenow - who is getting the fans' love ahead of the final round?

Well, there are a couple of surprises in here, because analysis has revealed that early favourite Andrea Faustini has seemingly dropped out of favour, on social media at least. Although he remained popular at the weekend, he is now getting the least amount of attention of all three, and will have to do something special if he's to take this year's crown.

Ben Haenow is proving surprisingly popular this week, considering what he's up against

Talking about doing something special… Fleur East did just that at the weekend, and was rewarded with a burst of fresh fanship and favour all across Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. Her version of 'Uptown Funk' even went to the coveted number one spot on iTunes - deserved reward for a great song, and a stunning, athletic performance that wouldn't have disgraced any international star on the show.

But… despite all that, it seems the enduring appeal of Ben Haenow has yet to desert him, with fans recovering from their Fleur-fest to give him more mentions than either of the other two in the last couple of days. Something about hair gel and a leather jacket never failing… and remember it is mostly teenage girls who have the most to say about these things.

Andrea Faustini was an early favourite, but will have to do something special this weekend

So, in overview then, it's Fleur East who has received the most attention, from critics, peers and fans, but… it's a lot closer than you might have thought. Looks as though the X Factor final this year might just be a clincher. Now that should keep the grin on Simon Cowell's face!

All TV trends data referred to in this article has been supplied by Virgin Media, which provides access to up to 260+ channels including Freeview Channels, Virgin Movies, Sky Movies and Netflix.

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