X Factor: Alexandra Burke favourite, Girlband to go first

X Factor: Alexandra Burke favourite, Girlband to go first The final 12 at the popular UK show the X-Factor are selected and for us it's time to look at the odds on who will go and who will win the talent programme. For this purpose we will look at the X Factor betting odds offered by the British-licensed online sportsbook SportingBet.

First, let's see who the punters consider to hold the best chances of winning the 2008 X-Factor. Although we don't have a clear favourite at this time, the punters are taking Alexandra Burke over the rest of the X-Factor contenders, she is currently listed with 7/2 odds on winning the show outright. "You need an edge and if you ain't got it, you don't get a deal," the solo singer said and clearly the odds makers believe Alexandra, whose mentor is Cheryl Cole, has the edge to win the competition.

But reality show veteran Austin Drage is right there with Burke, Drage is listed with odds 4/1 on winning outright X-Factor. Austin Drage made acting appearances in the 2000 movie Snatch as well as a number of TV shows including The Bill and Casualty. After a brief stay at boy band 5Boyz he auditioned and won a place in E4's gender-swap reality show Boys will be Girls, aired in 2006. Looking at the 2008 X-Factor odds, Drage will be the top competitor of Alexandra Burke. At Sportingbet Laura White comes third in odds to win the X-Factor outright with odds 5/1, followed by Diana Vickers at 7/1, while JLS and Rachel Hylton share odds of 10/1. Visit the bookie for the full list of X-Factor odds.

Girlband is this year X-Factor ultimate underdog, the four girls sitting on odds 66/1 on winning the show. Not surprisingly Girlband are the favourite to be the victim of the first round of X Factor eliminations this Staurday, they are 2/1 on leaving first with the online sportsbook SportingBet. Girlband singer Marisa Billitteri, 19, broke down in tears as she described how she was bullied as a youngster over her singing dream, but neither the punters nor the odds makers feel anymore sympathetic and the girls are 2/1 on being the first eviction, which you can compare to the second odds-favourite to be eliminated, Scott Bruton, with odds 9/2.

Published on 10/08/2008