To be fair Nicole followed Cheryl on X Factor USA. She did terribly. Everyone hated her.

None of the judges "create a star". If we look at Cheryl's acts, almost all of them want nothing to do with her since the show.

Either the producers favour you or you make your own luck on that show, and good luck if you end up as one of the acts the producers "have it in for".

The judges are just there as a front for the production decisions. They are paid to sit there, look pretty and assist the producers with the acts. Some judges go further i.e. Nicole, but there's no point pretending it's anything more than it is. Unfortunately, Cheryl has been fake in the past, pretending to be friends with her acts for TV, while cutting them off as soon as the show ends. With her latest album sales falling far lower than what they used to be, it's quite clear why she has returned to the show, and I highly doubt that it's to "create a star".

I just think it's become more and more evident how scripted the show is.
It's clear the judges already know something about the contestants when they prompt them for certain personal details. Heck they have probably even watched them perform. Because I'm presuming contestants have already been filtered initially and/or have even had a rehearsal.
So I'm not impressed by the fake 'rolls eyes' when they get an oddball.
The oddballs themselves are chosen for the audience and judges to snigger over.
Or just for 'the controversy factor'.
Scripted scripted scripted - and that goes for most of the dialogue and 'falling out' between the judges.
Plus sometimes there just seems to be a lot of unaccountable padding.
Imo it's a tired formula. It could do with being turned in o a serious talent show with less play acting between the judges.

X Factor is too contrived these days. I don't favour this 'constructed reality' thing they have going on. They introduce an act and then there's a scene with them having a cuppa in their house? What is all that about?
And also having some of the audience talking through an audition? Is that spontaneous or set up?

They over-egg the thing when all they need to do is to show the talent!!!

Agree - and what is worse than the rolleyes is the smiles when someone turns out to be ok. It's so cringe it reminds me of this scene from airplane:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMh9hPGNGKE

From about 50 secs in.

Exactly, and I totally agree with you Zack. I was replying to a previous comment about there being magic between Dannii & Matt and the bit about mentors who create stars - that's all

Tulisa had a really good relationship with Little Mix, but I wouldn't go as far as to say it was magic.

BIB - Agree.

The Susan Boyle audition on BGT generated global attention - Cowell isn't stupid, he knows it creates drama and headlines, he is never going to stop that happening in either the X Factor or BGT anytime soon.

In your opinion.

I think X Factor has now reached a stage where so much has been scripted/ manipulated in previous series, that people will accuse every audition, every judges comment, and every result as being fake.

The biggest issue for me is putting people through the pre-audition stages solely so that they can be laughed at by the judges and audience, which is effectively bullying.

BIB - Yep, and it has been occurring for quite some time.

Who can forget Ceri Rees from series 11. What Barlow did to her was cruel and degrading, the woman obviously had mental health issues

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct...75775273,d.ZGU

Same for me. What killed it as you say is the smugness and self promotion of Simon and What's her Name Now. The treatment by her of Wagner was so out of order and betrayed exactly who and what she was. How she can be brought back in to pontificate over people who can actually sing, is beyond me and again betrays the lie that X Factor is about Talent. If it was a Modelling Contest or a Pub Karaoke Competition it might be more understandable.

As I haven't watched it maybe she has changed, but judging by comments here, she is predictable, empty and cheesy as ever.

[quote=Andy_Smith1;74894421]
But only one of theme was a presenter, the other came in when Brucie was ill. Not understanding your point.

I'm pretty sure I had a thread last year saying what I felt was wrong with Sam Bailey and you commented saying I didn't like Sam because I liked Dannii and Sharon was Sam's mentor

And you make out like you don't pay any attention to my posts....righty then

Yes, and I haven't changed my mind either

You don't just like Dannii, you LOVE her

It's the highlight of my day to see you slag off Amanda Holden and Cheryl - can't get enough of it You really hate Amanda don't you?

I'm home sick from work, so I'm going to make it my mission to spend ALL DAY looking at your posting history - can't wait!!!

Yes I cannot stand Amanda Holden one bit. I'm surprised you're spending your day looking at my posts - thought you'd be more interested in watching Dannii, Gary Barlow and The Beckhams videos on Youtube

Lolololol

Dannii summed this up perfectly tonite I thought. The contestants are on x factor to learn, they need guidance and help hence why theres a mentoring role for the judges. If they were perfect they wouldnt need the show. Her and all the other judges job is to teach them how to make it in the business and turn them into recording artists.

Nobody is perfect, everybody need guidance in life. Those who made it without talent shows have had other type of mentoring, from managers, agents and stars they looked up to when then began.

Oh, you're much more interesting

BIB - You do understand the word sarcasm don't you?

Yes, shockingly I do, yet for someone who pays no attention/interest to my posts you seem to know an awful lot about who I like and who I don't like

Oh and saying I don't like Sam Bailey because Sharon Osbourne is her mentor is beyond immature. I didn't like Sam Bailey because she didn't have the STAR quality that the likes of Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, JLS, Olly Murs etc have. And I stick by that. Neither did Nicholas McDonald. In terms of talent, last year was very poor and this year doesn't seem much better from what I've seen (maybe it will change in the live shows).
I loved Brenda Edwards in 2005, Sharon was her mentor so that kind of proves your theory false. Seriously, saying I didn't like someone not because of their apparent lack of star quality, but because of who their mentor was is just embarrassing

BIB - Ah, but that was before the feud with Dannii, Sharon would have been okay back in 2005

Jeeeez, do you ever give up?

Sharon was ok last year in my opinion, even if she was just back for the money and to sell a few autobiographies and slagged talent shows off just a couple of months after she got her pay check for X Factor 2013, at least she brought some humour and entertainment.

Like a lot of people, if I like a contestant, I like them on them, not who their mentor is. And vice versa.

I like Nicole - didn't like Abi last year
I like Dannii - didn't like Rhydian.
I don't particularly like Tulisa - I liked The Risk
I don't particularly like Cheryl - I voted for Alexandra

It does work both ways you know..

The only way they could make X Factor work again is by going back to basics. Strip it all back to circa 2006.

There were no backstage "conversations", there were no "profiles" of the auditionees before they've even sang a note. By having these profiles, their basically showing you in advance who has made it through to judges houses - maybe even the live shows, I've hardly been watching it this year.

They need to scrap the live auditions as that doesn't work. The acoustics in a small room and a large stadium are so different. In a small room, a bum note stands out like a sore thumb. In a stadium, with 50k people in the crowd cheering, masks any bum notes that are performed. If you're in the stadium with people screaming all around you, someone could sing slightly off key and everyone will think "wow, they sound good" but then you watch it back on a TV set with very different acoustics and those bum notes and off key vocals really start to stand out.

Then again, X Factor is no longer a singing competition. It was in the early years before they started introducing the novelty acts like Jedward and Wagner.

I think the reasons for the decreasing viewing figures has been summed up in this thread. It's all about the glitz and the glamour and no emphasis at all on the contestants. They're basically there to play a role that the producers have decided to align them with. Even if they're nothing like that in real life, they're moulded into a character.

As for The Voice, I don't think that's hindered the success of X Factor because The Voice itself has failed to generate any success. Hence why none of the winners have actually done well and the closest thing to a success story there, is Becky Hill who was eliminated before we got to the final.

BIB - Excellent point.

The minute Simon changed the panel from 3 to 4, it became about the judges more than the acts, I've always thought that. Simon wanted to stir things up, and it changed from then on.