People still don't get it. X-Factor, BGT, AGT, they're all just entertainment programmes on a Saturday night. There is no integrity, they don't care about what's happened in the contestants personal life, it's all about what makes good TV and sadly they seem to think prying into someone's personal life makes people want to watch.

I'd rather they didn't, also it's up to the contestant NOT to reveal deeply personal details of their past lives, such as the death of a child - it should be kept between themselves and their families. I find that aspect of the show very distasteful.

If the contestants didn't say anything about their personal life then the tabloid papers would soon be digging it out anyway. All rather sad.

Well yeah, but at the same time, I am not gonna vote for someone purely because their nana died last week, or their brother died 5 years ago, As sad as it is that this happened, (and I am not taking away their obvious grief!) someone losing someone to death is not going to make me vote for them on X factor.

I don't think that is the reason they do it anyway actually; it's just for effect, and to hold people's interest. (Though it does actually bore most people LOL.)

I think what it is, is when we had Pop Idol with Gareth Gates all those years back, he was someone who was bullied because of his stammer, and against all the odds, he made it big, after coming 2nd on a massive TV talent show, The TV makers have clung onto this with dear life, and now feature sob stories on EVERY bloody talent show, and even things like 60 minute makeover, and DIY SOS.

It's very annoying!

Maybe. I suppose that's a warning, if you want to keep your private life private, don't go on one of these shows.

They know the back story as she would have told them it in 2007.

You guys really have no clue how this programme works.

was she forced to tell them it in 2007 or did she have the option to keep it private then too ?

I really didn't think she was that good.Certainly not worthy of closing the show, the Finnish girl was much better, altough she apparently appeared on The Voice Finland.

Unless of course her child passed away after the previous audition

The problem is most contestants are seriously gullible. In the several prior auditions they do before this stage the show asks a lot of personal questions and most answer without thinking about how it will be used.

e.g. In the lives we're likely to discover one of the contestants has a criminal record. The show will already know this, but will wait for the appropriate time to release the information to the press for a headline. The contestant will then become a hate figure, be vilified & then be eliminated.

Her singing was shocking. I'd have walked out.

just watched on a repeat

I just didnt think she was that good, she may have had passion (you are going to get that singing that song and thinking of a dead child) but a poor rendition of both songs IMO

I dont get carried away by the sob stories (it may have worked the first couple of times) as we have heard them all before

average singer put through for a sob story

she will probably be in the final

Ive just quickly looked through x factor 2007 and she was given no air time , She was at bootcamp 1&2 in the back ground and it didn't show her sing for the judges .She made the final 12 in the over 25's but the judges Louis , Simon , Sharon and Dannii did not put her through to the final 6 to go to judges houses .
Its amazing who you see in past shows . In 2007 Stephanie Davis auditioned at just 14 and there was a brief glimpse one of the guys from Reggie n Bollie .

Ridiculous though, isn't it, that Simon & Sharon act as though they'd never met her before?

X Factor is a very manipulative show, and they think nothing of manipulating contestants, trying to get these sob stories out of them, saying they'll turn the cameras off (they don't).

I'm sure if people got the show they wanted, it would be about 45 minutes long and they'd complain that an endless stream of auditions was too boring

Anyway, I was surprised to see Rebekah Ryan as well. I've still got all three of her singles on my iPhone. She did a very good version of "Woman in Love" back then as well.

Toe honest I had never heard of her before last weekend, and I doubt if we will be hearing more of her after this series either.

the audition wasn't what I expected