6. Wagner
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Madonna. Kylie. Mariah. Wagner. Okay, so one of those names does not belong there, but with the help of his mentor Louis Walsh, Wagner had several of the jaw-dropping, show-stopping moments of the series. Wagner has a voice made for opera, but Louis Walsh decided that kitsch would sell Wagner to the British public, and that theory carried Wagner through to week 8, where he lost in the final showdown to fellow Over 28-er Mary Byrne.
5. Mary Byrne
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Mary Byrne thrilled viewers early on with her big voice and commanding stage presence, but it was her backstory of being a checkout clerk at Tesco that seemed to create a lot of goodwill going into the first few weeks of the competition. In fact, she received the highest number of votes the first week of the live competition. While Mary Byrne wasn't stellar every single week, she set the bar high for consistency and class amongst the X Factor contestants with covers like Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me."
4. Cher Lloyd
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Cher Lloyd's detractors were just as loud as her biggest supporters, but love her or hate her, she is an undeniable star. Her initial audition of Keri Hilson's "Turn My Swag On" became an Internet sensation with views well past 10 million, making it the most-viewed clip of any X Factor performance from series 7. Many of Cher Lloyd's performances were over-the-top spectacles, but at the heart of them was a 17-year-old singer who could also rap, causing all four judges to identify her as current and viable in today's music marketplace.
3. One Direction
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The second of the X Factor's two manufactured groups made it into the top 3 based on a combination of decent vocals, good looks and screaming girls all across the UK. However, some of the hype about One Direction appeared to be more speculation than fact if the actual voting numbers are to be read with any type of analysis. The future looks bright for the five guys in One Direction, with Robbie Williams of Take That fame singing their praises.
2. Rebecca Ferguson
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Right from her first audition, all of the judges noted that Rebecca Ferguson had a studio-quality voice and deserved to be a star. However, there was the issue of self-confidence which seemed to be lacking. Fortunately, as the series went on, Rebecca Ferguson developed that confidence and stage presence, and she quickly became a contender to win the whole competition. While her original material seemed to be more in line with Corine Bailey Rae, she developed a more club-oriented sound with covers of Robin S and the Eurythmics getting her into the finals.
1. Matt Cardle
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From his first audition looking like he'd just shown up from a job site, Matt Cardle proved to be both a worthy competitor and a true gentleman. With a unique voice that can reach notes that many female vocals will not even attempt, Matt Cardle soared on traditionally female vocalist choices like "Firework," "Here With Me," You Got the Love" and "Bleeding Love." The highlight of the series for Matt was "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," which had personal meaning that showed in his emotional delivery. Matt Cardle's debut single "When We Collide" was released in the UK on December 13th.