It's a Saturday night singing competition, supposedly 'light entertainment'.

Yet the live shows have the atmosphere of a crucial A-level exam. Everything is ridiculously tense right from the start. The dramatic music and voice over, presenters that look like they've been fitted with a cork 10 minutes before going on air.

I get that there will need to be a tense climax to the show as we find out who goes but the intensity is there from the very start from the Saturday broadcast from minute one. There's nothing light about the show at all, nothing fun. It's VERY heavy right from the start on Saturday 8pm-ish and that doesn't really end until after the show goes off air on Sunday.

Even during the audition stages the 'fun' was completely eliminated and replaced with a 'this 19 year old must nail this Whitney Houston song or her life's dreams are over' tension all the time.

It's supposed to be light-entertainment, isn't it?

I was watching series two the other day (just parts of the live shows) and the vibe definitely screamed 'Saturday night light entertainment show' - it was actually really nice to watch. It had a cosy, 'fluffy' feel to it, whereas now it's all 'life or death situation' type vibe.

When Cowell and Co decided that stadium auditions were the way forward they sent the show into this downward spiral. I miss those fun and intimate room auditions where only three/four judges would be present. When I look back to the most enjoyable auditions, it's those that stand out to me, either for attracting hilarious applicants (Ant n Seb, Chicken Man) or truly fantastic and unique A Capella performances (Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, Laura White etc...).

Even Bootcamp used to be performed in high spirits but they've sacrificed it for the TOWIE style drama that apparently we all now love in the UK. Amateur production at best

I also think that part of the problem is Cowell. In the early series, you truly believed that his comments were off the cuff, outright honest and unique to a TV talent show.

What he's become in the last few years is nothing more than a cliche-ridden, money-obsessed manipulator and the show suffered for it. Say what you like about Gary Barlow's time in charge as a judge but at least I felt he delivered an honest opinion on the contestants.

Wonder if it's the reason why Dermot left the show, he could see where things were going and it was turning from a joyous light entertainment family show to something darker with aggressive audiences and humiliation of contestants.

I think the show would benefit by throwing Cowell and Cole off the show and replacing with the likes of Barlow and mel b, who were not scared in voicing an opinion that might upset the mob audience, in fact even dannii, Rowland and god damn tulisa seemed to be more honest and ruthless, it really is a god awful panel isn't it I'm just glad nicks not getting the blame as he's the only one I like.

I think this is part of the problem. During the Pop Idol days, everything Cowell said you could believe in (even when he was being cruel). He had integrity. That seems to have gone now. He seems bored, especially this season.

He KNOWS the writing is on the wall.

All that talk to praise to his judges on Saturday...Why do that? I think it was more in response to the show's critics rather than praising 'his fellow judges'.

All the comments now seem contrived and rehearsed. I just want to get through a live show these days without 'rolling my eyes'.

Well said Tony! This is one of the biggest issues with the show atm.

Yep its not fun

Strictly for me is a fun program and very light hearted, that's what XFactor used to be

Then Cowell and the producers got too involved, manipulated everything and its now become the farce it is

People only watch it out of habit

They need to drop this serious "looking for the next biggest selling superstar" thing. It should be about enjoying some good singing and performances and the love of doing that. If afterwards a huge career happens then great, but stop making it about that and putting that pressure on. It completely removes any enjoyment, magic or feeling out of it. The viewers are just as bad, there are forever threads and comments about "so and so will never sell records" or "so and so will never fit into the charts"... So what? Why do you care? Just enjoy it, or is some fatcat record boss making millions all you care about? I really wouldnt know why.

I think this is another issue. We're constantly told that a certain act won't sell records by these judges in their criticisms of performances, but why should we as the British public, enjoying a 'light entertainment' show, care about whether Simon Cowell's making £1 million or £10 out of an act? This motivation of Cowell's to deepen his pockets, without hiding his desperation for that is so obvious and off putting.

If we like an act and want to hear from them again, we'll vote for them again. I don;t care what they sound like in a recording studio or how good their songwriting ability is, I just want to see interesting performances and honest old-fashioned critique. Without a crowd full of Chavs ruining the experience ideally.

Yup, no fun. Even the songs are dreary, slow dirges most of the time.

Which is why, as I keep saying, Reggie and Bollie are doing so well.

It is not that they are great performers (one can sing a bit, one cant at all), and its not that they are a novelty act.

Its that they are fun, don't take themselves too seriously and are memorable in a show that is totally devoid of just that almost everywhere else.

Louisa sounded much, much better during the group performance, singing an uptempo song, than she has every done with the slow ones. Probably because she liked the song. Its not just presenters and atmosphere, even the song choices are all so dull these days.

Spot on, OP. The bombastic music and dazzling gold lights on the screens at the back of the stage right from the word go are unbearable - I had the sound off throughout the show on Saturday night apart from the performances as everything else is just too distracting now.

Good post. Does anyone really care about chart music these days? From what i've heard of it over the last few years it is mainly trashy disposable songs/acts that are forgotten and replaced very quickly.Cowell is only interested in this market and to make a quick buck and the acts are equally to blame in their desperation for instant fame the "This one song can change my life" nonsense just heaps pressure on these desperate wannabes and Cowell knows it. the programme has lost it's way and people have become bored with all the bullshit.

Basically you'd think Anton was in charge of it with his comical faces of intensity. I know what the OP means. It's all ramped up to the max, no more so than during the 6CC weeks. People reacting like the decision to get a chair or not was like life and death.

I think the biggest sign is, normally on the forum we have one topic about what a dreadful show it is and how it needs to be axed

However today there are 3 or 4 people with similar topics and most are in agreement

Maybe at last this is the end

It may be entertainment for the audience, but it's always been business for Simon and SYCO.

Look at the SYCO artist roster. 95% of the acts come from one of his TV talent shows, with XF being the largest contributor. The show functions as SYCO's artist development and promotional arm.

I can't remember the forum ever being this dead during a series before. I remember there being pages and pages and pages per day when it was on air a few years ago.

Nobody seems to really have any opinion of any of the remaining 7. Maybe it is because of how rushed it has all been this year.

That could be it

It is incredibly rushed - this is how I generally feel with the contestants on The Voice, you have no time to connect or form a fully fledged opinion on them. They are just there and they are either good or bad that week, nothing else really factors in.

Tense drama is the new light entertainment.

I've barely watched this year at all, just 1 or 2 youtube performances. It feels as if the live shows have barely started to me, yet we already only have 7 acts left.
I agree the show is just not fun anymore (if it was at all)

Best post of the series so far. Sums up for me how horrible the show has become. I havent reall watched the last two seasons but got sucked in again this year, mainly because I thought there was some talent. But the show is actually unpleasent to watch, Simon seems to be getting off on humiliating people and his interest or like of contestants seems fake/and over the top like he is over compensating for the level of cr@pness of the contestants.

Cheryl also sums up how bad the show has become - she is devoid of personality and emotion. The 'chemistry' between her and Simon is really wierd and strange, her cutting remarks supposed to be funny when its just akward for all her beauty which is starting to fade, she is one miserable girl.


Very good point too. For me the best chemistry Simon had with any judging panel and where he seemed happiest was with Randy and Paula on Idol. There was so much talent in the first few seasons on Idol, and it was a much more positive show, it was like they didnt have to rely on the sob stories because the contestants could sing! And there was a lightness between Simon, Randy and Paula which seemed fun and natural - the only time we saw true lightness on the XFactor panel was Season 1 and 2 i think. Danni and Sharon obviously hated each other, and then when Cheryl came it was like Simon became her b!tch.

The show has gone beyond jumping the shark.