A rather cynical view.. but possibly true..
The X-Factor is built up as being a show that YOU the viewer control. YOU control who wins, and who goes. The best act really will win, and become a mega star with a contract.
However.. you're helped along the way by the presenters. Here is a rather cynical view of it all.
The X-Factor is built up as being a show that allows anyone, young or old, to become a pop star, and earn a record contract. It's built around the idea that YOU control who goes and who stays, and YOU will decide who the winner should be. Which to a certain extent is true, but you're helped along the way by the judges.
The Judges:
Simon Cowell is an intelligent man who loves to make money, and loves to be right. He enjoys making a point and proving to others that he was right, and the others were wrong. He tosses this personality around and flips between making a point, and making money. He is the main man on this show, and it's his baby. In the end, he will be right. Great business man.
Sharon Osbourne is really only here because of her surname. She only got into the music business via Ozzy and frankly, probably has no managerial talent. But then, she doesn't claim to have any, either. Remember her "This isn't the end" to the Irish lad in X Factor 1? That says it all. We never saw him again. Sharon is a personality who compliments the show and balances it out. Three guys judging the show just wouldn't work. She loves money, and that is the only reason she is involved in the show imho. For the money.
Like Simon, Louis Walsh is very smart, and a very good business man. The closest to a real manager of any of the three judges. He knows talent when he sees it, clearly. The X Factor is a side project for Walsh. He doesn't really care much for it, it's just a way to make more money. He has his own businesses and his own acts to look after outside of the X Factor.
All three want to make money. They have pretty well paid contracts, and may even get a cut of the phone calls too.
What's it all about:
The main purpose of the X Factor is to make as much money as possible. This money is made via phone votes. The more people vote, the more money the production company get, and most likely the judges too. I imagine they all get a slice of the phone profits.
What does this mean? It means that the producers benefit if more people vote each week. And to try and give the best chance of high phone votes, they keep in the people who will provoke more people to vote. Ie, Chico. Chico is a poor act, but he draws in phone votes clearly. He is an asset to the show. Not a winner.
The acts can all be grouped into potential winners (1 from each group is chosen, so that each judge will have an act in the final), and the rest are classified by how many phone votes they can bring in. And this is how the judges decide who to "back" and who to "diss" during the post performance comments. For example, Simon Cowell has been "keeping Chico in". This is intentional, not because Simon feels Chico can win, but because Chico is good for the viewers and good for votes. He is "good for the show". Simon is actually pretty honest if you consider his comments.
Who goes? They decide:
The big signal that this show is controlled by the producers is of course, the final vote. The phone voters don't get the final say, THEY do. This is important, as if gives the three judges license to influence the final result, AND, next weeks show. They pick who they feel will be a better act to stay in for the show as a whole, and who may bring in more votes, and they select that person to remain.
It's all a little fake, isn't it:
To allow the judges to hand pick the acts, they establish a "banter" between themselves to make it easier for them to give positive comments to terrible acts. For example, one of Sharons acts may suck, but they all want that act to stick around for a few more weeks yet. So when Simon gets critical of that act, Louis can immediately use this to back the act, even tho deep down, Louis may think the act was dire. The "Sharon & Louis -v- Simon" thing allows them to blatantly ignore poor performances in favor of good comments.
They play on that a great deal. Louis out of all three I feel struggles most with this element. He's a real manager, he probably finds it most difficult to put acts through that he personally thinks are terrible.
What about the winners:
They are sent away with their contract, an album, and thats pretty much it.
What about the losers:
They never get a deal, because it doesn't bring the judges any money, so what do they care.
Waterman:
Check out what Pete Waterman has to say about X Factor, in particular why he snubbed a show invite and how he felt the producers influenced the result of Pop Idol 2.
In the end:
It's all about the money, but then, are you shocked? No. The only reason these shows exist is.. for the money. They are not around to do someone a favor and make them a star. It's to make money.
The only reason I'm A Celeb exists is to make money for the producers, for Ant & Dec, and for the contestants who are paid contracts to appear. The longer they stay, the more they get, most likely.
The only reason Big Brother exists is to make money for the producers, for Davina to make money, for the contestants to win a heap of money at the end, and to get famous, they hope.
More often than not, the shows actually break peoples lives, and leave them in tatters.
It's all about the money.
In conclusion:
Simon, Louis and Sharon will all have one act left in the final. This is the biggest sign for you all that this show is controlled by them, not you.
The X-Factor is built up as being a show that YOU the viewer control. YOU control who wins, and who goes. The best act really will win, and become a mega star with a contract.
However.. you're helped along the way by the presenters. Here is a rather cynical view of it all.
The X-Factor is built up as being a show that allows anyone, young or old, to become a pop star, and earn a record contract. It's built around the idea that YOU control who goes and who stays, and YOU will decide who the winner should be. Which to a certain extent is true, but you're helped along the way by the judges.
The Judges:
Simon Cowell is an intelligent man who loves to make money, and loves to be right. He enjoys making a point and proving to others that he was right, and the others were wrong. He tosses this personality around and flips between making a point, and making money. He is the main man on this show, and it's his baby. In the end, he will be right. Great business man.
Sharon Osbourne is really only here because of her surname. She only got into the music business via Ozzy and frankly, probably has no managerial talent. But then, she doesn't claim to have any, either. Remember her "This isn't the end" to the Irish lad in X Factor 1? That says it all. We never saw him again. Sharon is a personality who compliments the show and balances it out. Three guys judging the show just wouldn't work. She loves money, and that is the only reason she is involved in the show imho. For the money.
Like Simon, Louis Walsh is very smart, and a very good business man. The closest to a real manager of any of the three judges. He knows talent when he sees it, clearly. The X Factor is a side project for Walsh. He doesn't really care much for it, it's just a way to make more money. He has his own businesses and his own acts to look after outside of the X Factor.
All three want to make money. They have pretty well paid contracts, and may even get a cut of the phone calls too.
What's it all about:
The main purpose of the X Factor is to make as much money as possible. This money is made via phone votes. The more people vote, the more money the production company get, and most likely the judges too. I imagine they all get a slice of the phone profits.
What does this mean? It means that the producers benefit if more people vote each week. And to try and give the best chance of high phone votes, they keep in the people who will provoke more people to vote. Ie, Chico. Chico is a poor act, but he draws in phone votes clearly. He is an asset to the show. Not a winner.
The acts can all be grouped into potential winners (1 from each group is chosen, so that each judge will have an act in the final), and the rest are classified by how many phone votes they can bring in. And this is how the judges decide who to "back" and who to "diss" during the post performance comments. For example, Simon Cowell has been "keeping Chico in". This is intentional, not because Simon feels Chico can win, but because Chico is good for the viewers and good for votes. He is "good for the show". Simon is actually pretty honest if you consider his comments.
Who goes? They decide:
The big signal that this show is controlled by the producers is of course, the final vote. The phone voters don't get the final say, THEY do. This is important, as if gives the three judges license to influence the final result, AND, next weeks show. They pick who they feel will be a better act to stay in for the show as a whole, and who may bring in more votes, and they select that person to remain.
It's all a little fake, isn't it:
To allow the judges to hand pick the acts, they establish a "banter" between themselves to make it easier for them to give positive comments to terrible acts. For example, one of Sharons acts may suck, but they all want that act to stick around for a few more weeks yet. So when Simon gets critical of that act, Louis can immediately use this to back the act, even tho deep down, Louis may think the act was dire. The "Sharon & Louis -v- Simon" thing allows them to blatantly ignore poor performances in favor of good comments.
They play on that a great deal. Louis out of all three I feel struggles most with this element. He's a real manager, he probably finds it most difficult to put acts through that he personally thinks are terrible.
What about the winners:
They are sent away with their contract, an album, and thats pretty much it.
What about the losers:
They never get a deal, because it doesn't bring the judges any money, so what do they care.
Waterman:
Check out what Pete Waterman has to say about X Factor, in particular why he snubbed a show invite and how he felt the producers influenced the result of Pop Idol 2.
In the end:
It's all about the money, but then, are you shocked? No. The only reason these shows exist is.. for the money. They are not around to do someone a favor and make them a star. It's to make money.
The only reason I'm A Celeb exists is to make money for the producers, for Ant & Dec, and for the contestants who are paid contracts to appear. The longer they stay, the more they get, most likely.
The only reason Big Brother exists is to make money for the producers, for Davina to make money, for the contestants to win a heap of money at the end, and to get famous, they hope.
More often than not, the shows actually break peoples lives, and leave them in tatters.
It's all about the money.
In conclusion:
Simon, Louis and Sharon will all have one act left in the final. This is the biggest sign for you all that this show is controlled by them, not you.
. It was an easy decision when I learned SC made £36 million the first year he was involved with Pop Idol. He doesn't need my phone vote money, and I can't directly influence anything so I sit on me hands and laugh. Probably cos I'm tickling me arse.
