In their drive for "controversy equals ratings" they have finally shot themselves in the foot with a twelve bore shotgun.

There were two many twists to get rid of contestants at the beginning so when one of the contestants goes out without a vote they find themselves in a mess and have to go back and ask those they already axed to come back to make up the numbers so they can carry on to the final.

If they had tried not to be "exciting" and have double elimination, sixteen contestants at the start and four go out at the very beginning - has given them a massive problem when one contestant doesnt go out the normal way..

I thought it was bad last year with Cowell swinging ti with his favourite acts get preferential treatment.

But this isnt corruption this is sheer incompetence. To paraphrase the famous Irish Times headline...

Useless Gobshites!

I have a plan. Nobody vote.

Tell that to the returning rejects and their families.

If only.... Personally I think it would have shown a lot more integrity on Cowell's part if he had made this new vote an 0800 (free) number, instead of using it to screw even more money out of the viewing public. (Oh look at the pig sailing past the window)

I agree. I am getting sick of all the conspiracy theories. The truth is they wanted shake things up this year and it seriously back fired.

People keep claiming that bringing back one of the first elimintated contestants is a fix. However it is merely a poor patch up job to make sure there will be more than just 2 in the final week.

Rosie_Nixon Rosie Nixon
Ooooh an urgent X Factor press conference has suddenly been called for 1pm today - all judges attending. What can it be??
3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
Retweeted by MrPaparazzi

That's worth a separate thread. I'll start one and credit you with it.

OK

Leaving conspiracy theories aside, it seems like the producers made the mistake of choosing someone who actually did have a wild uncontrolled lifestyle rather than someone with 'a bad boy image.'

Also, ISTM without Simon Cowell around there was nobody to make a threat that Frankie would take seriously so his behaviour escalated to the point where he did actually have to leave to protect the show.

Who knows why Gary said 'I don't want him to behave', but giving a contestant permission to do whatever they liked - presumably for publicity - has certainly misfired.

Unless Frankie was in on all this I feel sorry for him, he's an 18 year old and most 18 year olds don't major on common sense if they're offered a good time.

In their greed to provide more and more outrageous twists they left themselves short if someone went home via a different route.

Brains in their shoes.

I wonder when they knew about the drugs? obviously only an idiot would have not predicted he was likely to be involved in drugs, but i wonder when they knew it might present a problem to them. I wonder if the whole reason for the double elim was to get rid of him quietly, but it went wrong and they had to publicly axe him.

Says it all, really.

On the other hand, quite a lot of 18-year-olds, when presented with the chance to do something that allegedly they've been dreaming about for their entire life, can manage to at least try to achieve what they want. Frankie didn't put in the effort, it's an important lesson for him. I hope he also learns that he can't actually sing, and goes off and does something else.

I do find it ironic that so many people slag off Kitty for being what they refer to as "desperate" (i.e. she actually does work very hard), while being happy to find excuses for Frankie being a lazy little git.

Personally I think you do most of our young 18 year olds a disservice. True most of them are only half cooked, but then most of them also have sense enough not to s**t on the feet of those who give them a great opportunity.

Apparently he's been quite open about it, telling people in the house etc. He must've been very naive if he thought the production team wouldn't do anything about it!

I have a plan. watch Strictly, at least you get some good letch !

It reminds me of the end of that movie 'Burn After Reading':

CIA Superior: What did we learn, Palmer?
CIA Officer: I don't know, sir.
CIA Superior: I don't f*ckin' know either. I guess we learned not to do it again.
CIA Officer: Yes, sir.
CIA Superior: I'm f*cked if I know what we did.

if the production team are like any other group of people in the media, half of them are proably doing it as well, but are just more discrete.

I agree OP but I don't suppose they care. They toss people's lives and careers around like confetti. They chew up the wanabees and spit them out. I would much rather they had 2 in the final, or they finished a week early and did a special of some kind to fill the gap the following week, or they didn't send someone home one week. But their solution is infair, uninteresting, and the person coming in won't stand a chance, esp if it's Amelia because she'd have to knock both Janet AND Misha out to come in as top girl, and that's impossible.

Thinking of which, bet Janet's worried as this could split her vote!

I think your first statement answers your question.


When Garry said he wanted him to misbehave, I think they thought Frankie was a "cheeky chappy" who was probably all mouth and no trousers; as most teenagers are.

I don't think they expected him to actually be as you put it " someone who actually did have a wild uncontrolled lifestyle rather than someone with 'a bad boy image.'"

I think Frankie caught them completely off guard, they played a dangerous game and it went rather arse up.

Sums it up.

They do seem to think they're running Big Brother this year, apparently copying all the twists and casting 'risky' characters, without having worked out that it ends in tears.

They got just about everything wrong with Frankie. They thought he'd be popular with the public and loved by teenage girls. Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine he'd be the object of scorn and ridicule for his complete lack of talent and that he would be loudly booed by the studio audience.

They're so used to scripting the show and telling the public who to like and dislike, but they totally lost control of the situation with Frankie and have been left with egg all over their faces.

I wonder what they would have done in 2007 had Emily Nakanda been thrown off after that planned double elimination rather than before it? There were no acts voted off by the judges that year so what could they have done?

There was no need to have had the double elimination last weekend even if Frankie's exit hadn't been imminent. The viewing figures were not that bad in the previous weeks and anyway last year there were four in the final. They will have to now hope that whoever wins the reject vote on saturday night doesn't last very long in the live shows thereafter.

Good question, I would have thought they have a reserve in case something happens? Maybe someone from judges houses?

They got these 4 together quickly really so I would hazard a guess that they knew they could be called upon?

Dunno though, this scenario has been a complete and total farce, the producers have clearly messed up massively. It was never this extreme in previous years though.

Yeah, except I'd call it incompetence from folk with uh.. "questionable" values. When respectable folk mess up it's different, their heart was usually in the right place etc.