X Factor: "Hallelujah"; Strictly: No Dance-Off

Hey. Do you remember when everyone was tipping Alexandra to win this year's X Factor, after it became obvious a few weeks into the live shows that she was, y'know, the best singer? Well, gosh darn it, Alexandra has only gone and won X Factor. Whoda thunk?

Yes, despite attempts by Simon Cowell to make us think Eoghan was anything other than a pie-faced Irish nob, and Diana was a good singer who didn't just yelp every word, the Great British public voted Alexandra as the best. JLS made a valiant effort to finish second, but nobody really wanted another clean-cut boy-band releasing covers, did they? Evidently not, as Alexandra won by a million votes.

Don't you feel a fool for spending months watching the inevitable pan out? It was more like an endurance test than entertainment at times! In terms of business, it makes sense to drag X Factor out for months and grow fiscally fat on the phone profit, but it's frustrating that a nationwide vote around Week 4 could have crowned Alexandra early. Then ITV could sink the remaining X Factor budget on... oh, I don't know, drama? Or a light entertainment show that doesn't involve singing and an extortionate voting element?

While the outcome of these reality shows can't always be predicted, it's true that peoples' gut instincts tend to be right most of the time. I remember the year Leona Lewis won, and my feelings then were much the same as this year: people know who the best singer is after about six weeks to account for nerves, vote for the person they could most imagine buying an album of, and rarely change their mind -- so the only uncertainty over the end-game comes from a concern that other voters aren't as discerning as you.

So, you help your favourite act in the only way that you can: by voting. Or, like me, you don't bother – because it ultimately doesn't matter. Music was doing perfectly well decades before artists had to be discovered on television talent shows, thank you. There's a reason the winners tend to take a full year off before releasing an album, too: we're actually all a bit sick of the sight and sound of them by Christmas.

But, well done, Alexandra: hopefully you'll be the up-tempo, sexier version of Leona you were groomed to be in performances like this. Commiserations, JLS: a rushed consolation album for Mother's Day awaits. Sorry, Eoghan: it turned out the majority of voters weren't tweenage girls who have High School Musical on repeat-play in their bedrooms.

Over on BBC1, it was the semi-final of Strictly Come Dancing – which, unlike X Factor, gave us an unexpected result. After the three dances had been performed by Rachel/Vincent, Tom/Camilla and Lisa/Brendan, the judges scores put Lisa and Rachel as joint first on the leaderboard with 75 points. Tom was just behind them on 67. When the lines were opened, it became obvious that nothing could prevent Tom being in the dance-off – so, when the show returned for the results later in the evening, Tess Daly told viewers to stop voting as the lines had been frozen. The results segment was shortened by ten minutes, as viewers were told that all three celebs will be back for the final next week. Which was a fair decision. All votes for this week will count towards next week's final.

The BBC released a statement, saying: "Due to the unprecedented outcome of the judges' vote, the audience vote could not have saved one of our couples from the dance-off. We took the decision that all the votes cast tonight should stand and be carried through to next week's final. So the audience has had the usual chance to vote on the performances of all our semi-finalists. All the votes cast tonight will be rolled over. Tonight's vote has been independently verified."

The X Factor was the big ratings winner of the night, too, peaking at 14.6 million viewers (the highest rating in its five-year history), while Strictly attracted 9.9 million.


X Factor – ITV1, 7.10pm & 9.40pm
Strictly Come Dancing – BBC1, 6.10pm & 8.55pm