THE HEAT is on for lucky Tyrone teenager Janet Devlin after she defied the odds to make it through to the final seven contestants on TV talent show, the X Factor.
The 16-year-old divided judges on Saturday night with an underwhelming performance of I Want You Back, by the Jackson Five, in which she fluffed her lines and looked nervous. But the public vote carried her through.
Boyband The Risk and housewives’ favourite Johnny Robinson were eliminated in last night’s results show, while Kitty Brucknell was granted a last-minute reprieve after winning the sing-off. The search will now intensify for the winner capable of turning around falling ratings for the programme and bagging a Christmas No 1.
Nerves got the better of a few performers on Saturday night, including the formerly safe bet Robinson and Pete Doherty-wannabe Frankie Cocozza, whose – admittedly woeful – rendition of I Gotta Feeling, by the Black Eyed Peas, met with booing from the audience. It also prompted Louis Walsh to carp: "The only thing that's big about you is your hair."
By contrast, Brucknell has been improving week on week, making her close shave last night all the more surprising. Her cover of Like A Prayerrevealed her to be a better singer than Madonna.
Also through to next week’s heats are the Tina Turner-esque Misha B, crowd-pleaser Marcus Collins, who delighted the audience with an energetic and confident rendition of Reet Petite, and Craig Colton, owner of probably the best vocal cords in the competition.
The judges were cattier than ever this week, with Walsh and Gary Barlow engaging in open warfare and snapping at each other to “shut up”.
Devlin is now the youngest competitor by some distance and, while she was originally tipped as a winner, the cracks are beginning to show as more experienced performers show off their versatility.
She will be under enormous pressure next week to prove she is not merely a charming cailín who can turn around a sweet ballad at the school concert.