They don't need to fix the votes - if they get a winner they don't like they just don't support them - and support their preferred act(s) instead.

its not fixed otherwise how did the judges golden boy land in the sing off?

Nikita was given very poor song choices, but let's not go nuts. She would never have beaten Leona.

The worst one for me was when they changed the elimination process for getting in to the final just so Cher Lloyd made it over Mary. Previously the semi finals had all ways been the person with the lowest vote goes out but at the last min on the sunday show they changed it to a sing off when Mary had more votes than Cher. Looked massivly suspect when throughout the saturday and sunday shows you had Dermot saying that votes alone will get your favourite act safely through to the final and on screen graphics saying act with fewest votes would leave competition

Indeed. Plus you had Louis giving radio interviews in the week saying there would be no sing off and Mary performing Man's World Again in the sing off as they hadn't prepared a new Save Me song for her after she went bottom 2 the week before. Think it did a lot of damage to the X Factor brand as they were so obviously lying their asses off to the public.

Yeah in my circle of friends this was around the time people just stoped bothering with the show (Never mind that Cher shouldnt have even got past judges houses) I remember at the time that will.i.am had even been booked to perform in the final with Cher in the week before the Semi as well

The show lost all credibility the moment they saved Jedward over Lucie.

Sure, we had 'controversial' moments before such as Chico, Simon sending home his own act (The Conway Sisters), Maria's and Laura's eliminations, but the whole facade came crashing down the moment they saved John & Edward in that sing off.

Cowell had gone on and on about hating them all series and then voted to save them. I believe a lot of viewers saw the show for what it was in that moment. Simon lost so much respect and the show just became incredibly transparent. How could anyone believe a word out of Simon's mouth from that point on?

Whilst I had seen bits and pieces of 'manipulation' in the first five series, for the most part I felt it was pretty genuine. Sure, Leona's win was really pushed upon us, but at least the show was backing someone who clearly had talent and was clearly the best (of who was shown on TV). Go and watch back series five and it's pretty clear they throw Laura under the bus hardcore, and subtly pushed for a Diana win (until she got ill).
Manipulating the votes for Same Difference in the semi final with the sob story etc.

But for me, it never really crossed a line until the Jedward moment. The show lost me then and has never really won me back. I've only watched it very casually since then - haven't seen a full series since.

Simon chose headlines over the reputation of the entire show. The show might have dominated headlines and had everyone talking at the time, and it might have brought in even more viewers for series seven, but ever since the show's been in decline, so was it really worth it? It might have naturally died a death anyway, but it might still have been flying high, pulling in similar ratings to Strictly? Who knows?

The show was way more light hearted and fun back in series one - five, so had they kept the vibe like that (i.e. Strictly), then maybe the show would be performing much better.
Instead, each year, they just try to be more outrageous with the results, and overall have a bit of cruel, humiliating edge to them.

It makes things worse when they introduce 'twists', like the bottom three idea this year

Their have been some weird results over the past few years, it makes you wonder at times. In truth i have stopped voting, just because i don't trust the show. Why waste my vote on an act, if the producers have already decided who they want.

Anyhow i refuse to vote especially when i watched acts such as Honey G and Bravvatio is it?, make it through to the lives. When the judges gave Honey G those standing ovations you know something dodgy's going on.

Agreed, although the Jedward vote was foreshadowed when Maria Lawson was eliminated over the Conway Sisters. Obviously, the Conway Sisters were far more talented than Jedward, but it was still an early indicator of the show's desire to create shock results to boost ratings. Nowadays, the joke act surviving over a more talented act feels almost inevitable.