1. The winner will already be picked and promoted throughout. Austin and Laura seem to have been picked.

2. The desired acts to leave in a set order will already be decided. Themed weeks are excellent at manufacturing outcomes

3. All the judges comments are scripted

4. Strategic media leeks of certain stories will co-incide with certain acts they want rid of at what time

It surprises my why folk still take it so seriously.

If it's fixed or whatever your saying then why the hell didn't Rhydian win last year?

Was Leon really the desired winner last year?

Were Faryl Smith and Escala really meant to finish outside the top 3 on BGT this year?

Was Taylor Hicks really Cowell/Fuller's "chosen winner"?

Would any script actually have told Dannii to say after Leon's performance that Simon thought he was crap?

Why have you picked 2 potential winners when apparently they have decided that one will win?

There is certainly some truth to what you say, but there is only so much they can do and history has shown that the winner is not always the ideal one for the record label.

I agree. Cowell can prety much manipulate the viewers to do whatever he wants.

Simon knew very early on that Leon was getting the highest votes and then came out with his mystic revelation on the final night that there might be a "shock". Cowell wanted a Buble clone. He wouldnt have the first clue what to do with an original artist like Rhydian.

Ok..yeh I see your points now lol

Ah well, I still love it.

Then why didn't Simon praise Leon heavily every week and build him up like he did with Leona? Why instead did Rhydian always get put in the slots that either followed SCD or closed the show while Leon was the last out of the top 5 to close the show and opened the show twice? Why was Simon busy praising Rhydian while being either insulting or half hearted towards Leons mediocre performances?

And why did Syco then sign Rhydian up to a record deal with an album due to be released in the busy Christmas period after recording for a year?

Its not fixed, but Simon does try to manipulate viewers with his comments.

Of course it is!

Of course they have plans, manipualtions, favourites etc. They wouldn't want somoene fat, ugly and old to win... they wouldn't sell!!

It's a reason I don't vote on X Factor (first and last time was for Leona to win) as I know they have their agendas etc. Of course there a blips but they can genuinely manipulate the public into thinking how they think.

It's clear it is manipulated by choice of songs amount of exposure they get etc but I doubt it is more then that. The judges can also decide which of the two is booted out.

They can probably manipulated it down to 3 peope but thats about as close as they can get.

X Factor is so far from reality TV it beggers belift than anyone thinks its "real"..

And no ..once the public humilation of the staged audtions is over..I dont watch it..And no that does not exclude me from commenting..Just to answer the questions that I will be surly asked...and yes I do have a off button ..and i use it..

There is no spoon.

Overall i would say its more cleverly manipulated than as blatently done as that, they do at the end of the day (even if they try to manipulate the viewer how to vote and give the chosen act to go a bad song, bad place, bad comments) they have to stick to the phone voting so there are upsets. I have a feeling the phone vote has been able to be "manipulated" a little less than legally in some past series but obviously they have ITV/Ofcom breathing down their necks at the moment.

Never mind.
Last edited by demonllama : 12-10-2008 at 22:37

it's not fixed because they don't care who wins.

the real money is not in the winner. cd sales hardly make a mint unless you're doing huge business internationally.

the real money is in getting the show commissioned. which they've done.

but it's carefully orchestrated, different to fixing. only the truly gullible would buy the "judges having tense moments with each other" and the contestants undoubtedly act out their traumas on cue.

the songs are chosen to ruin certain acts, not promote them.

but it's not a fix. it's just a rather lame set of fake situations.

I tell people this every year but they never listen. It's NOT a fix, you are right - there would be no point in fixing a winner who won't sell afterwards.

Mind you, I used to bleat on about Eurovision not being political and now look at it.

Leona ???

I agree their main priority is the show itself, but if they can get a winner who sells big , if there is that possibility (perhaps with Laura or Diana) then obviously they will try to get that outcome.

You are right. I know people (acts and employees) of the XF and it is fixed. The contestants are told exactly what to say for their vt's and the judges decide their scripts before the rehearsal, and only veer off script to say something negative.

Leon was not "the chosen one" last year but Cowell knew that he was loved and so when he was picking up the votes, it worked in his favour for Leon to win and for Rhydian to come second - eg 2 lots of money. Cowell wouldnt have signed Leon had he have come 2nd imo.

It is very obvious that some acts are "removed" in a certain order in order for other acts to get further.
Some acts last year had huge fan bases eg FutureProof, Daniel DeBourg and Andy, but were not the chosen ones, and so were removed (given poor songs and poor comments)

XF is certainly only for Cowell and how much money he can make

The Show may be unreal, but I still love to watch the process of eliminations. It's also great entertainment.

Same here, someone very close to me was in the final 12 during XF2 and one of my best friends partners was in final 12 last year, heard exactly the same. Not just from them but from knowing people who work on it as well.

Still, all good fun, even the people who work on it have a good laugh at the contestants

People that analyse the show as much as this really can't enjoy it.

Because Leon was the Chosen One.

They have a winner chosen from auditions onwards or have their winner asked to audition

IMO they knew they had a potential winner when Alex was asked to audition again but Diana and Laura came along to upset the apple cart

Does a proof-reader enjoy a book? I agree with what you say, people can't really enjoy watching the show if all they're doing is analysing it.