‘X Factor’ finals tonight

TANDINGAN. Don’t count her out just yet.

FANS of “X Factor Philippines” finalist Allen Sta. Maria were thrown for a loop last Sunday, when their bet was eliminated from contention, just before the Final Three title square-off tonight (with the winner being announced tomorrow). To make things worse for “girls” group mentor Charice, her other surviving bet, KZ Tandingan, shared bottom-dweller position with Allen.

So, to some extent, Charice could be forgiven for her emotional reaction to the one-two whammy that her category received. Still, she carried things too far, crying her “sisterly” heart out for her wards, who were stunned to realize that they had received fewer votes than the tilt’s male survivors, Gab Maturan and Daddy’s Home. Like Gary Valenciano before her, Charice has to remind herself that “X Factor” isn’t about its mentors, it’s about its finalists.

To her credit, however, Charice’s bets have generally survived longer in the competition than the wards of the show’s other, far more experienced mentors—kudos to her!

Going into tomorrow’s “final-finals,” who is poised to run off with the tilt’s top plum? Presumably, since Gab and Daddy’s Home got more votes last Sunday, they have an edge over KZ—but, don’t count her out just yet, because the (many) people who believe in her can be expected to mount a “do or die” effort to generate the most votes for her!

—Of course, Gab and Daddy’s Home definitely won’t take that threat sitting down, so let the penultimate and ultimate vote-generating games begin!