I’m afraid to tell you that this has been bubbling for a good few years now and I think it’s time to just let it out: I’m literally so done with The X Factor.
It’s taken me a while to get to the point of admittance. The X Factor is one of those shows you just can’t avoid; everyone and their neighbour seems to have an opinion on it and you can’t even touch the internet around each episode. ‘You wouldn’t believe this guy…’ I see on a regular basis.
Well, actually I would, because I saw someone basically identical to him on last year’s series. You see, this is the major problem with The X Factor: no longer is it about contestants, but it’s more about characters. Each year, without fail, you’re going to get such clichés like, ‘the slightly-more-inclined-to-rock guy’, ‘the “you-don’t-know-how-good-you-really-are” girl’ and of course, ‘the sob story’.
Yes, I will admit that the infamous ‘sob story’ appears on just about every talent show, but The X Factor has really perfected it. By dedicated a full fifteen minute segment to a sob story on the first audition, you just know that this one is going to end up in the final, crying about how they could never have expected to get that far given the impact that *insert tragedy* has had on their lives.
The X Factor is really that predictable. There hasn’t been a real shock since Calvin Harris burst on stage with a pineapple on his head whilst Jedward performed (words I never thought I’d type). Even with every change of panel, I fail to find any excitement. The latest, Nick Grimshaw, Rita Ora, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Simon Cowell, doesn’t seem to be making much of an impact.
To put it plainly using our Cheryl’s hit, ‘I Don’t Care’. Watching The X Factor these days is like a chore: from the live auditions to bootcamp to judges’ houses, I couldn’t care less who got through because in the end, it’s not up to the judges who go through; it all merely depends on who fits the correct role.
To add insult to all of this injury, Dermot and Peter ‘RACHEL ADADEJI’ Dickson left the show this year. Now, when two staples like that jump ship, the writing is on the wall. Many have come over the years: Nicole Scherzinger, Tulisa and even the man himself, Gary Barlow, but all have failed to give the show any real longevity. The problem is not with the presenters or the judges, but it’s with the extremely dated format. Now, don’t be too sad, X Factor; pretty much every show gets outdated. Look at Deal or No Deal: ace show that got very old, very quickly. It’s just the way that TV works. Sorry X Factor, but you just don't have that certain ‘x factor’ any more.