It has been a series of ups and downs on X Factor this year. With the new panel of judges, the controversy surrounding Frankie Cocozza and the return of contestant Amelia Lily - the show is now down to the final three.

With the news that Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Danni Minogue would not be returning for this series there were doubts that the new panel of judges could live up to the success of previous years. With the media out to get them, nothing could have prepared Gary Barlow, Tulisa Contostavlos, Kelly Rowland and Louis Walsh for this season. With rumours of fallouts over the competition, this year’s X Factor has been on par, if not exceeded previous years’ drama.

Now down to the final three, Amelia Lily, Little Mix and Marcus Collins will be fighting it out to be crowned the 2011 winner this weekend. Although fourth place contestant Misha B had been in the bottom two on several occasions, critique from the judges was consistent; with a few negative pointers she always gave a strong performance. Her exit was made more shocking as it was down to the public and she was beat to the post by the ‘comeback queen’ Amelia Lily.

Amelia Lily returned to the show after being booted out in the first week. She returned when Frankie Cocozza left the show for breaking the rules. Many have criticised that she does not deserve a place in the final three as she had an advantage of gigging whilst away from the show and that the other contestants had fought for their place every week. Regardless of this criticism, Amelia Lily has pulled off excellent performances with the public voting for her over more favoured acts including Misha B and Craig Colton.

This year is a first in X Factor history where a girl group are in the final. Little Mix have had their own ups and downs this season, with online bullying and having to change their name. They have given strong performances throughout the competition and are currently favoured to win.

No matter who is favoured, as each act bringing unique strengths to the show, this weekend’s live final from Wembley will undoubtedly be a close call and an entertaining end to a remarkable year on the X Factor.