X Factor: And the finalists are...

The X Factor’s Top 16 17 were revealed on Tuesday night’s show, and they are, in order of my favorite to least favorite:

1. Josh Krajcik, 30, Columbus, Ohio. The burrito-making soul man has an everyday appeal and a very powerful voice. It will be interesting to see how much of a transformation he undergoes, in terms of image, once the live shows roll around.
2. Chris Rene, 28, Santa Cruz, Calif. More than anyone else in the competition, the garbage collector and recovering addict seems to be a true artist. Expect his sobriety to be a big storyline over the course of the season.
3. Drew Ryniewicz, 14, Chino Valley, Ariz. The Justin Bieber-obsessed singer performed strong renditions of her idol’s “Baby” as well as Roxette’s “It Must Have Been Love” during the early rounds. Can she keep it up?
4. Melanie Amaro, 19, Sunrise, Fla. She has the pipes but doesn’t have an image. Will that change once the stylists get a hold of her?
5. Simone Battle, 22, Los Angeles. Brimming with overconfidence, the diva-in-training has a lot of work to do to back up her swagger.
6. LeRoy Bell, 60, Seattle. Very cool 60-year-old, maybe the coolest 60-year-old. But is he too cool? And is that even possible?
7. The Stereo Hoggz, 24-25, Houston. Don’t let the terrible name distract you. They’re the best of the groups, although the groups seems thus far like a throwaway category.
8. Stacy Francis, 42, Los Angeles. The question with Francis is whether the emotionally fragile over-singer has the stability she needs to be able to hold it together.
9. Phillip Lomax, 22, Seattle. Where does croony end and corny begin? His Sinatra style is played out, but don’t underestimate the value of a good personality and a winning smile.
10. Rachel Crow, 13, Boulder, Colo. The bubbly youngster is definitely cute, and has more poise than expected. But how young is too young?
11. Tiah Tolliver, 20, Bremerton, Wash. Right now the divisive contestant is all sex appeal. Simon Cowell sees something in her, though. Is it more than just a future Maxim magazine spread?
12. Brian “Astro” Bradley, 14, Brooklyn. How is a rapper going to survive in a singing competition? Plus, his attitude — he’s already said in five years he’ll be better than Jay-Z — is likely to be a huge problem.
13. Marcus Canty, 20, Bowie, Mary. So far he seems utterly generic. He needs a hook and doesn’t have one yet.
14. InTENsity, 12-17. A 10-person group? What is this, the Wu-Tang Clain?
15. The Brewer Boys, 12 and 17, Temecula, Calif. Cute haircuts, dudes. NEXT.
16. Dexter Haygood, 49, Memphis. The sympathy vote of all sympathy votes. This guy is a disaster.
17. Lakoda Rayne, 17-22. There were two groups of forgettable contestants thrown together by the judges. This is the less memorable of the two.

“The X Factor” live rounds begin at 8 p.m. Oct. 25, with a special two-and-a-half hour episode that’s sure to try the patience of even the most ardent fans of this British import.