.....I think everyone has realised it has reached its peak in terms of the contestant's success (Leona, JLS, Alex, Shayne etc), and with Leona in particular, there's no-one that will really match her in terms of success/talent/breaking the US.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy watching it, and have done this year. But I've got no real favourites this year, except for maybe Stacey.

I'm actually enjoying the fact that J & E are still in it, compared with last year when Daniel kept on surviving - it really bugged me! Which I think is evidence that I'm not too bothered about who wins.

I don't think that makes any sense at all. Even Leona Lewis isn't the biggest selling artist in the world. And why would her success blight the show?

It's just like the Evening Standard said today in a review of Leona's performance in Hackney last night: "She makes this year's contestants seem like a bunch of buskers."

It's either a case of the talent pool has momentarily gone dry or, more likely, the producers have lost their ability to divine talent from the masses.

I would be very surprised if they managed to find another contestant that gets anywhere near Leona's success. Maybe I will be wrong....

And I didn't say that Leona is the most successful artist in the world. In terms of the X Factor, yes she is she is the most successful.

It is a very, very weak year this year. Whether it will improve next year, who knows? The show has become far too much of a pantomime now anyway.

I think having the audience at the auditions has messed it up, to be honest. The judges more often than not look behind them to see their reaction before they speak about the auditionee. I'm not sure that relying on the audience is the way to go. With Susan Boyle, that was a whole different kettle of fish along with the reasons for it, but I think them using the audience to gauge talent is making them not go by their own gut feelings. I think they may have let go some talented singers just because the audience didn't give any big reactions to them during the audition.

I've feel this is an incredibly weak year. Which is weird because some of them in there did some brilliant first auditions (Stacey, Lucie, Danyl, Jaime) but none have lived up to expectation.

I kind of feel though they went wrong with who they picked in the judges houses, they could have went with such better acts, but instead of going for the best voices they went for likely voter appeal (most certainly in Cheryl's and Simon's case). They've gone for the ones they hyped up in the audition stages (like Danyl) but who have not been able to follow through.

Rachel was the exception here - not hyped up through the early stages cos she didn't 'shine', but got through on the strength of her voice. All we have left now are a few personalities, some dullards, and no good voices

I don't think that there was really a strong favourite last year either or in series 2. I may be in a minority but I've actually preferred those series, including this one, better than the ones where there's been a strong contender/favourite near enough from the start.

I kind of think they tried to recreate the susan boyle effect this year, with it all being produced in away so as theycould be shoved up on youtube, trying to make bigger stars of them by virtue of clever editing from the auditions.

But they haven't achieved this because nearly all the contestants cannot recreate the 'magic' of their first auditions - particularly Stacey and Danyl, who in my eyes get weaker the more we see of them. Its like they cannot grow or develop because so much was made of them from the start.

Some years they get lucky, others they don't. Leona is an exception and Alex also (to a much lesser degree). The winners in other years have hardly been been the most talented have they? Steve Brookstein, Shayne Ward, Leon thingy. The general standard this year is much lower than last but not so much that it would put them off doing it again. After all, look at the ratings.

I'd agree with this as well.

There was potential talent in the auditions this year however the producers plumped for image over vocal talent to an almost embarasing level. In their quest to find the "complete package" they have left themselves badly short in regards to acts with genuinely brilliant vocal ability.

This is the truth of it.

Last year they had several outstanding acts, this year the best acts they have couldn't compete with those from last year.

This year we had 3 boy acts which were/are boy-band at best, 3 girls who are above average, but none have the vocal range necessary to rival the top female vocalists, the groups were a flop as usual and the overs are all pub singers (think about it, Louis is absolutely right).

The real stand-out act this year is Danyl, like him or hate him, he is the only one with a distinctive voice, style and notable tallent....when he is on his game that is.

Is he cocky, is he confident, arrogant, a bully? Who gives a damn, he can sing, the guy can really perform as well.

Problem is, would you buy his singles/albums? I wouldn't.