There's some interesting stuff in here including a suggestion that Nicole went rogue on Saturday!

http://sofabet.com/2016/10/26/x-factor-week-3-review/

Nicole didn't go rogue, she wouldn't be allowed back on the show if she ever went rogue.

It has happened before apparently Gary Barlow used to do it a lot.

In terms of value i would guess that Nicole is the most valuable judge right now as Gary Barlow was back then so maybe she can get away with just a slapped hand for it from time to time.

Don't know if you read the sofabet link i posted but it was interesting that she stood up to applaud Ryans performance and Simon was saying sit down to her....I hadn't actually noticed that although I don't buy the heart to heart with Ryan analogy

Sofabet is brilliant. I've been following it since Little Mix's year.

It sure as hell opened my eyes !

Over-analysis doesn't even begin to describe that pathetic website.

Of course there is manipulation on X Factor but some of the conspiracy theories he comes out with are just ludicrous. Shame some buy into it.

He once speculated that BGT (which is almost completely genuine, btw) producers were trying to lose an act votes by putting electric sparks on the screen behind her, creating the illusion she was being electrocuted so fewer people would vote for her. I mean, WTF??? Does anyone really buy that?
It's like when he said that in 2013, Richard & Adam were standing further apart in the final to allow the egg girl through the gap to the judges, and to signify that perhaps they were 'growing apart' (again, WTF??). Except, they were actually stood closer than in their previous performance!!

I absolutely agree that there is certainly some over analysis on there but there's also some very valid stuff without any emotional attachment.

The guy has made a fortune betting on this stuff so he must be getting something right!

Loved that article, fascinated by it as everything it says is very plausible and some good detailed analysis- I think it's a sign of how far the show has fallen that the cracks are so obvious, in its heyday you might have forgiven the odd contrived moment but you can smell producer desperation and it's starting to show in the production- They've always favoured people (Alexandra duetting with Beyonce anyone) but everything they do seems so much more obvious now

100% agree don't know if you've read the articles on their site How to watch the X factor and the undoing of Abi Alton both are also really interesting reads and are recommended.

that simon and nic moment looks obvious now - after reading Cheryls autobiograhy amongst other things, i relly dont think hes a nice man to work for unless your flirting with him.

Can anyone explain about Gary Barlow?
Though personally i never thought he bought into the whole manipulation aspect of the show and was surprised he lasted 3 years. When he walked off when that gal was elimianted over Rylan i geniunley to this day think he was ****ed off

Gary Barlow was the best judge imho he cared about talent it seemed. It is why he and Cowface can't coexist I look forward to Mr Barlow's talent show.

BGT, the show that routinely scouts and tries to persuade established fringe and cabaret performers to come on their show and pretend they're just Joe or Joanna Bloggs who works in a supermarket is 'almost completely genuine'?

i have no doubt whatsoever that the producers do use gimmicks to try and influence people's perceptions but i have a couple of problems with sofabet

they write their conspiracy theories with the benefit of hindsight and then "reverse engineer" those theories to fit what they already know happened

and secondly there is no real evidence their theories mean that was why people voted the way they did, you could make a sofabet style argument against almost every contestant, every week, in fact we see fans of every act moaning about their favourite "getting thrown under the bus" almost every week but get voted safe

i just think the level of effect all these theories and gimmicks have are over-estimated and amount to nothing more than confirmation bias

They do write the review with hindsight of course but it is is more of a guide of possible indicators for the following week rather than a traditional review . They also do a weekly predictions post

Sofabet is not intended to be an X-Factor conspiracy website. It’s for giving people advice on how to make money by betting on the show. That’s why it is prone to over analysis and some wild theories, because they don’t have insider knowledge of the show and have to speculate (which is part of gambling). I don’t read it regularly, but the writing in their posts is has never come across as anti-X-Factor and they encourage people to discuss their theories.

I’ve never been sure whether certain judges have really “gone rogue” in the past. It’s very difficult to get people to stay on script when it’s live TV. You also have to factor in the judges’ own egos. Gary Barlow in particular came across to me as rather egotistical.

Same, so spot on!

Agree with others sofabet is a brilliant site. It was founded to discuss betting strategies and betting opportunities. Its X Factor reviews focus on the treatment of acts in the previous shows because thats the best indicator of future treatment. Anyone who doesn't believe that its not totally manipulated must live in cloud cuckooland.
If you read Dans Eurovision reviews and his reviews on other shows theres very little mention of manipulation the reason for that is its very low level in SCD and BGT and non existent in Eurovision.
Its interesting that the shows with most manipulation X Factor and Big Bro are the ones losing viewers. The clean shows are gaining them.
Cowells problem is that younger contestants are more savvy now Ryan knows hes being stitched up and is rehearsing his retorts, Thought he did well on Saturday.
The open hostility to the show and certain acts is only going to get worse and theres little Cowell can do.
He could try having a singing contest with decent singers I suppose.

Obviously the judges have to play the game, but I think Gary Barlow really did want to find talent. Like or loathe him, James Arthur was and still is bloody talented, and you could see Gary Barlow's delight at how good he was and actually seeing him develop.

Now it's just panto.

Tenth rate down the end of the pier panto at that. Not surprised the viewers are voting with their remotes.

When he first agreed to do the XF, Gary asked the producers to let him bring his friend, Eliot Kennedy, on board and they agreed. Eliot quit the show after the first year and has, since, spoken, on his facebook page (before he deleted his account) about how horribly treated contestants are. Eliot has never gone into specifics, but it was pretty clear he and Gary were not happy at all with the way some things were manipulated on the show. Gary continued to do the show, because he truly wanted to make a difference, but he finally gave up. That's why he's doing this new show now - he does not promise to find the next big thing, he just promises 5 job contracts for one year, which is a lot more honest than what the XF is promising.

" Frankie said neither he or Gary Barlow got to choose his songs.

He said: “They wouldn’t let me choose my own songs. Gary Barlow didn’t
choose my songs. He used to say, ‘Come on, mate, you can do this s***.’ If
it had been up to him, he would have let me sing one of the songs I
suggested.

“As far as I’m aware, the producers give them (the judges) a list of four
songs to choose from.” https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/ne...e-bully-claim/

Marcus Collins, who is very good friend with Gary, also spoke, in a radio interview, about how Gary prepared him, before the final, and told him he would come in 2nd, before the results were announced, so he wasn't surprised at all when Little Mix were announced as the winners.

For all the backlash he got, Gary actually cared about his acts and not only. Sam Bailey even dedicated some songs to him, to pay him respect for all the help he gave her during the show, even though he was not her mentor.
That's why he and Simon will probably never get along - Gary's record company was shut down, because Gary lost a lot of money investing in acts he truly believed in, while Cowell drops them like flies at the first fail.

I’m not so sure about Gary. I think he cared about his own acts, but sometimes he came across as biased or blinkered. Frankie is a good example where he talked a lot of nonsense. He could also be very nasty towards some of the acts not in his category and I wasn’t sure whether he was being honest or there were other reasons. In my opinion, he played the game most of the time. A good example is when he voted Jade Ellis off instead of that awful boyband in James Arthur’s year, because she didn’t “want it enough”. I do think the producers got sick of him towards the end, as a lot of negative stories about him started to make their way into the papers.

Frankie Cocozza.

Interesting stuff there Amanda thanks for posting it

It's a website that publishes unfounded rumours and gossip about a show.

But it seems some people believe everything they read.

It's a website that looks at the show from a betting perspective without any emotion or allegiance to one act or another.

It's not about gossip but about making money from betting on shows like XF