The X Factor Final: Sunday live show - Rak-Su beat Grace Davies to win X Factor 2017
Rak-Su, the urban boy band from Watford, win X Factor 2017
Grace Davies, the early favourite to win, is runner-up
Pink, Sam Smith and Little Mix also perform at the live final
It's over - the public have spoken and voted Rak-Su the winners of X Factor 2017. Let's look back at their victorious night...
What a feel-good result!
Yessss, Rak-Su did it! X Factor has been dominated by solo artists - often of the middle of the road variety - and manufactured bands over the years, so we're delighted that Rak-Su, who got together all by themselves at school in Watford, have won it. We could tell from their first audition that they were being lined up to do pretty well on the show - perhaps they were even invited to take part by talent spotters - but for a while it seemed like Grace Davies would do it. However, in the end, Rak-Su's infectious, feel good songs, easy charm and, to steal a 2017 X Factor cliché from Simon Cowell, RELEVANCE, took them to a well-deserved victory.
To be honest, we should have known all along. There's no way Simon Cowell would have allowed himself to be lumbered with the often tricky groups category if he wasn't 95% sure he could win it.
This one's for all the X Factor nerds out there...
The full stats are in! ITV publishing the full results from each live show is our favourite part of every X Factor final, so do indulge us. One slight issue: it's all a bit less interesting this year since a lot of the mystery was removed with the top acts being announced each week, and all of the decisions being down to the viewers, rather than the judges (of course, this removed all the "it's a fix!" hysteria, too - every cloud and all that). As you'll see, Rak-Su and Grace were pretty popular all along - but they had some hot competition from Kevin Davy White, Lloyd Macey and even Holly Tandy at times.
Grace Davies was a worthy runner-up
Some of her performances were a little dull, but when Grace Davies was good, she was very, very good indeed. She also got quite a hard time from the press during the course of the live shows, which could easily have turned viewers against her, so good on her for making it to the final. Whether she makes it as a popstar in her own right or ends up writing songs for other people remains to be seen, but she deserves a career in music. And we reckon her duet with Paloma Faith could end up being a hit anyway, even without the "winner's single" stamp...
Talent: high. Viewing figures: low.
It's been a good X Factor year in terms of singing talent. Sure, there were plenty of mediocre acts who made it way further than they should have done (coughSamBlackcough), but the final three or four acts did feel like a cut above previous years - especially with this fresh new focus on acts who actually write their own songs. And yet the show has lacked impact. Endless weeks of auditions and all those unnecessary format tweaks have turned viewers off - which seems unfair on acts like Rak-Su, Grace, Kevin and Lloyd, who put in strong performances every week. We assume Simon Cowell will respond to this by making even more format tweaks next year...
Nicole had to find a way to steal the show...
She didn't sing at the final - we assume all microphones have taken out a restraining order against her after her thunder-stealing antics in previous years - so instead Nicole Scherzinger made sure all eyes were on her by wearing a baffling outfit which appeared to involved several hundred discarded drinking straws - well, she does like to party, perhaps she just smeared herself in glue and rolled around her dressing room for a few minutes. Naturally, she was also first to storm the stage halfway through Rak-Su's victory performance, while the rest of the judges jiggled politely from the sidelines. This is not a criticism, you understand - the show would be a lot duller without her.
Is Simon peckish?
Wow. Usually the judges at least try to give heartfelt speeches when their acts win the show, but Simon Cowell skipped the pleasantries and instead declared his gratitude for... show sponsors JustEat. Free chow mein for life?
And this is why he's our favourite member of Rak-Su
New talent show concept: The Bez Factor?
As it happened...
And the winner of X Factor 2017 is...
... RAK-SU!
Yeah!
And Simon wants to thank... JustEat. SERIOUSLY.
Phew, someone's supporting Grace
Pretty much everyone on the show tonight has said they want Rak-Su to win, so we feel a bit less awkward now that Sam Smith has evened it out a bit and declared his support for Grace. Serious songwriter business, obvs.
But still. RAK-SU TO WIN!
All we can hear is screaming
But we think Rak-Su just sang Mona Lisa again, and we think the judges are saying nice things about it. Standard.
Oh come on, they've got to win it.
Now we have approx 20 minutes of filler to get through before we find out if they have...
Grace's "song of the series" is Too Young
And it is indeed one of her best. There's confetti, which is usually reserved for victory performances. Even more premature than the Love Actually music.
Meanwhile, Nicole Scherzinger is gushing about Grace's "big balls" while wearing some drinking straws.
Oh man, not the Love Actually music
It's December 3rd, guys. TOO SOON. Plus we can't weep and live blog at the same time.
Nice montage of Grace's friends and family though. We'll choose to believe those cute kids are really her cousins and not child actors paid to add humility to Grace's journey.
The guest acts are getting looooong slots tonight
Little Mix sang about ten songs in one, and now Pink appears to be doing a medley too. Presumably this is so Simon Cowell can sneak off for a nice long fag the finalists have time for elaborate costume changes.
This Rak-Su song doesn't mention popular television streaming services OR Mexican foodstuffs
Quite the departure. It was all very jolly. Grace is decent, but we hope they win.
Not everyone's a fan though.
Grace is a SONGWRITER you know
We know this because she's performing in front of a wall of giant handwritten lyrics. Subtle. She also appears to be wearing pyjamas and a dressing gown, which means we're feeling a new affinity with her, although hers are pink and silky and ours are grey and bobbly.
That song wasn't the best we've heard of her own material, but it doesn't matter - tonight the judges will just shriek compliments at her regardless.
Speaking of 22 year olds in leotards...
Here come Little Mix, although they're not wearing leotards this time, but trouser suits.... which will probably be whipped off midway through the performance.
It amuses us when Little Mix are described as "the world's biggest girl band" since they're pretty much the world's ONLY girl band right now. They have done pretty well though.
Yep, they've taken some clothes off. Well, it does look hot in there, with all those dancers and shiny lights and Latino boy band members invading their personal space.
"The Dermotots" eh?
Dancing children in tuxes are cheaper than dancing 22 year olds in leotards, presumably.
Ah, we see, the budget's gone on Grace and Rak-Su entering the arena in snazzy vehicles. Fair enough.
It's nearly over
Wow, that went quickly. The X Factor live shows, that is; the auditions, on the other hand, limped on for decades. Tonight, either Grace Davies or Rak-Su will be crowned the winner of X Factor 2017 - and while Rak-Su are the bookies' favourites, it really could go either way.
In an X Factor first, both acts will perform only original songs, rather than covers, on tonight's extravaganza. The judges and viewing public have really embraced songwriters on the show this year, which makes us wonder if the format could change entirely for future series.
But let's get the final out of the way before we start speculating wildly. The show starts at 7.15pm on ITV and will also include live performances from Pink, Sam Smith and Little Mix. We'll be assessing the action live right here, so do join us as we shout "TEAM RAK-SU (ALTHOUGH GRACE IS OK TOO AND TBH WE'RE TOO OLD AND JADED TO BE THAT BOTHERED)!" at the telly.