It's been like this for a few years now, but it seems worse than ever this year.

A bunch of professionals masquerading as nervous amateurs.

'Ooooh I forgot the words, can I start again?' 'I am so nervous I'm shaking!' 'I work in Costa for minimum wage but really wanna be a star!'

Turns out they have agents/equity cards/managers, and have previously had record contracts and have toured with Ed Sheeran! (Well maybe not all of that, or EXACTLY that, but you catch my drift yeah?!!!)

The second you hear and see the acts perform, it is BLATANTLY obvious that they are professionals; polished, sassy, obviously well rehearsed and confident, and ...well.. professional!

I cannot be the only one who is sick of this now.

I appreciate that everyone deserves a chance to be seen and to have a platform, but this is taking the p1ss now. At least be bloody honest about it X Factor, and stop conning the public into believing that the acts are amateurs who have never (or rarely) sung in public before!

And each year, I am convinced more and more that the final 12 is picked before the auditions start!

Contrived tripe; all of it!

for me your last point is by far the most relevant

i do think that alot of the acts that will make it to the final 12 has been decided before the auditions even start and barring an absolute meltdown all the initial stages are just a con

the competition element of the show to whittle the acts down to a final 12 feels like a farce these days with behind the scenes deals already having been done and the show just being used as a marketing tool for the acts syco wants to promote, and using the x factor is a very cheap way to get maximum publicity for those acts

Wakeup most of what you mention has been going on since the start.

It's not just the fakery, this program now is a complete mess. In fact it's so bad it actually makes Celebrity Big Brother seem quite good.

What's with all the crowd yelping at every word, the corny music over the top. Cameras in audience members faces just in time to see a startled expression. Big screen intros that the shows producer Cowell pretends he knows nothing about. Chery with her total scripted stares and expressions. It's pathetic

Since series 1 acts have been scouted. Seek out year old posts and you'll find that people have been crying fix since day 1. It's a TV show

That boy group with bloody video at the start ...Wth. ...amateur???? Yeah right...

We know that but this year after just 2 shows its so blatant it's untrue

Which begs the question

should Jay from "The Wanted" be doing Strictly - or could he go on X-Factor as a "producer's choice".

Presumably he is not signed to Cowell's record label or we woudl know the wanswer

I'm not daft and I know that there was an element of people being scouted even from the start, but even so, no way in hell were there a quarter as many people pre 2010-ish who were so blatantly professional already. Even Sam Bailey was presented as a dumpy and plain mommy/prison guard who had not sung in public before, and it turns out she was semi professional and had done a number of professional recordings and had toured with several famous singers.

Like the four cute little shy Filipina girls looking all nervous and excited to be performing, with a proud mommy in the wings; yeah right! These girls are seasoned professionals. Nobody even had to tell me that; I just knew. Same with the majority of the other acts who have got through to the next round.

For all the reasons people have already highlighted (farcical, fixed, judges pretending they don't know what's coming, fake judge reactions, well timed gasps from the audience, sob stories,) X Factor is utter tripe!

I really don't think I am going to bother watching any more episodes. It's pathetic really.

The only way the show will change is if more and more people stop watching, and then they will have to change the format, and the way it is put together.

Did we not all realise this years ago?

I just watch it for what it is, a piece of entertainment drama. That way I'm not being really sad and watching something that annoys me, I criticise every five minutes, and ultimately something I don't even like.

Agree. Producers know fully well most of the names they want in the live shows. Everything else is just smoke and mirrors. Problem is that many viewers have grown wise to all the machinations.

That is the best way really. I know full well that there will only be one or two acts at the most that i will like throughout the series, and that the rest will not appeal to me. It's always been that way.

This in a nutshell.

i know it's scripted but I enjoy it regardless.

Wasn't Leona Lewis "scouted" back in 2006? Possibly Alexandra Burke in 2008 too?

To be honest, I actually like the scouted acts because regardless of all the cover ups that goes with the X Factor territory at least you know when they perform, they're gonna be good.

If nobody was scouted, then it would be a sea of endless crap and without any stand out performers, would people really want a final 12 in the live shows consisting of all below average singers.

Last year they put together that 8 piece boyband - 7 of those members would never cut it as a solo artist. For me, it's when they put a bunch of crap singers together just for the sake of the "groups" category that I cringe because most of the put together groups are hideous - especially the boybands. They've been doing this for years and will no doubt put another boyband together this year just to make up the numbers. :yawn:

Well exactly. Let's not pretend that the majority of finalists are normal people who have just walked in off the streets. And even if they are, they go through countless producer auditions before they even get to the judges.

Speaking of Alexandra, didn't Louis reject her in 2005? And Fleur East was kicked out of Series 1 early on as part of a group. So even if they've already been on the show, they've obviously not been able to make it on their own.

If you want to see and hear good music, perhaps you could stop watching XF on a Saturday night and go out and support a local band or artist playing at a local venue?
That's where the best and most creative artists are anyway.

All good things didn't come easily, you need to have scout agents. even supermodels were scouted from public places like market.

There is very few surprises anymore with X Factor and most of the acts for the latter part of the show are already sorted out, scouted acts use the show to boost their profile but it still seems to attract only a certain kind of act and is no place for singer /songwriters, talk to any serious musician and they won't go anywhere near the show as there is a stigma attached to it, most find the show would do tremendous damage to their credibility and they keep well away.Cowell takes the blame here as is idea of a good act is something that can sell instantly by mainly a very young audience but is disposed of when kids get bored and you end up with a conveyor belt of fly by nights, karaoke contestants who lack any musical depth and are nothing more than money making puppets for Cowell's cash cow.

This.

I agree with all this in full any serious singer songwriter/musician would not be seen anywhere near this show.

If people stop watching it they will stop making it thats for sure.

The producers miss the point. The excitement of the show is to audition 'nobodies', spot the potential and find an actual star. That's what caught the public imagination when Pop Idol 1 was running all those years ago. The show grew and grew because the contestants genuinely applied, queued up, had auditions, got selected down to the final 50 by the public etc. People felt properly invested in the outcome. I heard an interview with Will Young recently when he said that prior to Pop Idol, he had never sung with a microphone! At least The Voice is open about it's scouting for talent.

The producers do know what people want, that's why they are faking it.

The question is then, why not do it for real? I would guess it's a contempt for the public and a belief that most people won't notice.

Also it might be that many genuine amateur acts with potential just won't go on the X-Factor because of it's reputation as a pile of poo that will destroy you for fun.

I'm pretty sure many did back then, it's only that recently the nation is starting to see right through it.


Exactly, those who avoid X Factor are more likely to go on The Voice.