[Wasted]

I don't think so, really. Saturday was the only time he's ever criticised them, but on every other show he's supported them and evidently wanted them to get the votes. I think by last week he realised that Hope weren't going to win him the competition, and he knows SD were his best chance of winning, so maybe that's why he gave SD that little bit of extra praise.

I don't think he favoured one over the other though. It was clear he wanted Hope to do very well, and he even said they were the best group the X Factor has ever had. If anything, it was probably the other way around until the previous show.