What songs from The X Factor would you most like to see Cher sing on tour?

This one never had a plot twist. "Stay" opened with 49% on day one, and while its cushion thinned as votes piled in, it stayed in front through all 182 days without interruption — finishing at 38.7% (922 votes) to "Love The Way You Lie"'s 30.5% (725).

The remaining ballot split behind them: "Hard Knock Life" took 17% (405) and "Empire State of Mind" closed at 13.8% (328). No lead change, no late surge — just a preference that held from the first ballot to the last.

• Front-runner from day one · Stay opened at 49% and never dropped out of first
• Cushion shrank, lead held · Margin narrowed from 49 points to 39 but stayed positive
• UK vs US split · UK voters leaned Stay; US and Ireland leaned Love The Way You Lie