X-Factor - Is This Really About Talent?

That's it, I'm done. I'm tired of X-Factor and their TV show pretensions. DOH, it's a TV show! I hear you say? Yeah, you're right. That's exactly why I can't watch any more.

The reason I watch the live shows, once we reach a final 12, is to see singers perform and improve. This season's talent on the UK show has been superb, by and large. Definitely check out clips on youtube if you don't believe me. But for me, the show is about finding real talent- plucking something raw from the mines and developing it, hoping to find a diamond. For tweener girls with a serious crush and plenty of pay-as-you-go minutes, it's about voting for the cute guy with the blonde hair and baby blue eyes. For a sizeable chunk, it's voting for a talentless but chipper pair of odd blond Irish twins you feel sorry for at the expense of kids who bust a gut giving strong performances. For the previous two weeks, it was the consistently strong Rachel Adedeji in the bottom two. The Twins? Never there. Rather like their singing and dancing. That's when it hit me: this is a TV show, and right now, it's nothing but a glorified popularity contest. How silly of me? The "talent" portion of this pageant hasn't yet started!

This week's evidence? The strongest performer, Danyl Johnson, found himself in the bottom two with Miss Frank, a sassy girl group who gave their best performance this week. Neither should even have been there, yet- here we are once again, with a decision that beggars belief. A decision that comes from the well pool of Englands moronic love of The Loser. Time and time again, the nation has shown if you're crap but plucky, if you're cute but dim, if you're something that resembles an underdog, then a significant portion of the public will get the Mariah Carey 'I'll Be There's' on and sing that deadbeat to safety. In this case, voting for duds and dunces.

Is it harsh to react this way? Maybe. But it's hard to not feel for people with talent who get up and deliver performances. Danyl and Miss Frank gave gutsy performances, the former arguably the best on the night with his performance and singing. Yet it's a fallacy to believe that any of those things make a difference in stating your case to stay. How else can you explain the continued popularity of The Twins? It isn't their fault. They try their best and it's a blessing that they are so young and oblivious. It's the public at fault. I don't usually vote until the final, and made exception this week- for Miss Frank and Rachel. Unfortunately, Miss Frank didn't make it. I truly hope they stay together and get a deal. We have no fresh, edgy girl bands at the moment: multicultural, multilingual, singing and rapping. Love them.

My mistake. I'll tune in again when the show reaches the stage where it's about finding the best performer. When the judges stop crying because they've picked the wrong song (Cheryl!), get mock-offended when Simon Cowell is Simon Cowell (Dannii!), when Louis has no more ponies in the stable. When my expectations are in line with what's happening in front of me, then it will be safe to return. The eventual dismissal of the twins will signal that, although knowing this country, that might not be any time soon.