The X Factor: is it time to face the boot?

It’s the show that you either love to hate or hate to love. The X Factor seems to be dividing audiences more than ever recently, and not without good reason. I ran a few twitter polls on the subject, and 73% of people who did one of them said that X Factor is getting old and boring now, whereas only 27% of them said they still loved watching it. I know this isn’t the most accurate representation of the public’s opinions, but it seems that whenever you ask someone if they watch The X Factor they either admit to it but roll their eyes and complain about how annoying it is, or say that they’d never watch that rubbish. I personally fall into the first category. I’ve always loved the X Factor and have watched every series since it started. It’s always been an integral part of a Saturday night for me, but I have to agree that in recent years it’s become a bit of a joke and maybe gone a bit too far. I’m going to weigh up some of the pros and cons to see if it really is time that X Factor called it a day.

Successful artists

Starting off with a good point, it’s undeniable that The X Factor has produced some of the most popular and successful artists of this generation. One Direction, Little Mix, Olly Murs, Leona Lewis… the list goes on. I do believe that the show is a really good platform for people to get the big break they’re looking for no matter how cringey that sounds. It really irritates me when people put successful artists down just because they made their start on X Factor. To me, this does not mean they got given their success and career handed to them on a plate, in fact I think it shows the exact opposite. The acts on X Factor have to work hard every week, learn new songs and perform live every Saturday night. I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds like extremely demanding and hard work. Most of the successful acts haven’t come first on the show either. One Direction and Olly Murs being the most famous of these – only coming third and second in the show. The fact that they didn’t even win and are some of the most successful artists the show has produced shows how hard they work and that the show is actually a great opportunity for people who would otherwise not get the chance to make it in the world of music.

Joke acts

Of course, despite all the genuinely good singers on the show, there are always ridiculous joke acts. Wagner, Jedward, and of course the latest offering Honey G all spring to mind for all the wrong reasons. I get it; they’re hilarious in the auditions. That’s half the reason why most people watch The X Factor auditions, because they’re funny and I’ll admit I do love having a good laugh at the delusional people who are obviously tone deaf as they’re convinced they can sing. But there’s a point at which you have to draw the line, and The X Factor just doesn’t seem to understand that. I find it completely stupid that these awful acts get through to the live shows when more talented people who could have a shot at winning are sent out. I don’t find it funny when they’re on the live shows, because it’s a whole different stage to the auditions. The auditions are for laughing at, the live shows are for people who actually have talent to show they have what it takes to win. So in my opinion the fact that the judges seem to find it entertaining to put these joke acts through is just beyond me, and it doesn’t amuse or make sense to me at all.

Lifeline vote

If you’ve been watching the current series, you’ll know about the new addition of the ‘lifeline vote’. For anyone who doesn’t know, in the results show when there are three acts left who got the least amount of votes, the lifeline vote opens. Viewers are given a limited amount of time (I think it’s five or ten minutes) to vote for the person they want to save from the sing-off using The X Factor app, then whoever gets the most votes on that alone gets through automatically. Completely and utterly ridiculous, right? It’s crazy. It’s totally unfair and stupid. The person who got the least amount of votes could literally be saved from going out because of stupid people voting on an app. I’m sorry, I’m starting to rant but this is definitely an addition to the show that has made it even more stupid this year and I have strong feelings about it! Mostly because for the past few weeks people have been getting through who don’t deserve it. The more talented two acts have been in the sing-off because people are voting to save the wrong person. I could probably write an essay on how much this new feature has annoyed me, but I’m going to leave it there for now. But this is definitely an aspect that has added to my overall growing dissatisfaction with a show that I used to love.

Entertainment

Alright, as much as you hate to admit it, The X Factor is entertaining. Despite all its annoying points, I do still enjoy watching it. I’m that person who complains and screams at the TV when someone good goes home, and then tunes in the next weekend in excitement like nothing ever happened. That’s the thing about reality TV – it draws you in and makes you want to keep watching. Maybe that’s a bad thing, but as lame as it sounds my Saturday nights wouldn’t be quite as entertaining without The X Factor. Wow, that sounded even lamer when I wrote it down than it did in my head. But seriously, I’ve watched every single series and I’ve always loved sitting around the TV on a cold, dark winter night, with the fire on and a cup of tea in front of The X Factor. It’s like a tradition to me now. Even though there’s awful acts through to the final rounds and it might be predictable and cringey and getting a bit old, I’ll probably always keep watching and enjoying it until they finally decide to stop making it. At the end of the day, somebody good always wins, the joke acts go out eventually and it’s a great opportunity for people to achieve their dreams. Everyone enjoys complaining about it, but as I said at the start, you love to hate and hate to love it, and if nothing else, it gives you some small talk to break the awkward silence in the staff room or at school.

Do you watch The X Factor? Do you share the same view of it as me or are you getting bored of it now? I’d love to hear your opinions and thoughts about both the show and this post so please leave your comments below!

Thank you again for reading and I promise I am trying to plan my posts in advance so that I can post more frequently than I am at the moment. x