Christopher Maloney well worth backing in X Factor final

Christopher Maloney is the current 7/2 outsider to win the X Factor – and that looks like a cracking bet.

While the judges (except mentor Gary Barlow) have remained resolutely unimpressed throughout the competition, Christopher’s cheesy tunes have struck a chord with the voting public.

He was once again thought to have been the most-voted-for contestant on Saturday’s show, with boyband Union J being the final act booted off, and there are a couple of reasons to suspect the 7/2 offered for him to win looks well worth backing.

Firstly, as Peter Robinson pointed out in the Guardian, Christopher has the twin threat of being both a novelty act and a granny-pleaser.

His renditions of ‘classic’ songs have been far from subtle but, when looking for kitsch value that hardly matters, while his nice-guy persona plays well with the Blue Rinse Brigade.

Also, there’s the sense that, while James Arthur and Jahmene Douglas are undoubtedly more talented than Christopher, they could split the vote of people looking for at least an illusion of authenticity in their X Factor winner.

If you’re the type of person who’s going to vote for Christopher then you’re not going to be swayed by the talents of either of his two competitors, while the type of person who votes for James may warm to the boyish charm of Jahmene.

While a win for Christopher would be a nightmare for Simon Cowell (surely another reason people may vote for him) it could be excellent for your pocket.

The 7/2 offered for him to win looks rather generous and looks well worth lumping on.

If you can’t see him coming through to win though, then Jahmene is the 6/5 favourite, while James is 6/4 to be the 2012 champion.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date.