The X-Factor USA: Does The Show Rely On ‘Planted Contestants’ To Dupe Viewers?

<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6668388333120289282" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6668388333120289282" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtBZxSspThsghE0iPLnaNm7nAGE4dVHR9ccTUH3xjjMrMNBGcK7yATesf2YUJWxwuw5bFhUjdU8L7gMhh41YVce-9pzCJh9-gqYYQwZ5m1xbc9hbw1lftTORxDasE7i9la7YG4HvMirA/s1600/X_Factor_USA_season_21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtBZxSspThsghE0iPLnaNm7nAGE4dVHR9ccTUH3xjjMrMNBGcK7yATesf2YUJWxwuw5bFhUjdU8L7gMhh41YVce-9pzCJh9-gqYYQwZ5m1xbc9hbw1lftTORxDasE7i9la7YG4HvMirA/s1600/X_Factor_USA_season_21.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Could it be readers? Could our favourite show in the world actually be one big lie? There have always been rumours loitering around The X-Factor USA about possible “planted” contestants – and no, we don’t mean cacti with brilliant vocals. Celeb Dirty Laundry did some sneaking around and we came up with several remarkable X-Factor secrets.<br /> <br /> First, let us define the definition of “planted contestants”. A planted contestant would be a vocalist who is included in the audition, boot camp and live rounds. These contestants are usually planted by the producers of the show in order to: 1 – Up the production value of the show with a specific back story. 2 – Offer a melting pot of vocalists and personalities to the audience at home. 3 – Create drama on the show (Kaci Newton). 4 – To put the control back in Simon Cowell’s hands and deliver an eventual winner which he pre-chose for the show to bring about amazing record sales for Syco.<br /> <br /> Are these mere conspiracy theories drummed up by fallen pre-audition contestants? Are these “plants” made self-aware of their plant status (Plants vs. Zombies)? Are there any pre-mentioned clauses in their “plant” contracts? Is this the Little Shop of Horrors? It could be.<br /> <br /> What could this mean to the integrity of our favourite show on the planet? Well, firstly, it’s fraudulent to dupe viewers into believing they’re “changing someone’s life”. Secondly, this completely takes the “reality” out of reality television. Lastly, X-Factor just isn’t picking up in the viewership numbers, so if these rumours were to be more cemented, it could be the final death blow to Simon Cowell’s television career.<br /> <br /> Let’s take a look at the other side of the argument. There were rumours during the first season that the gospel-infused-wailing-scream-eyed Stacy Francis was actually one of these planted contestants. Popdust wrote an article about this conspiracy and made it glaringly obvious that Stacy Francis was not<br /> a plant, “So when people call Francis a plant, what they’re really saying is that they don’t like what they’ve been shown of her personality; that she isn’t what they think an ideal contestant should be. She’s too effusive, too emotional, too much of a diva. ‘Plant’ has always been shorthand for ‘contestant you don’t like.’” They make a valid point and we so wish to believe them, but we’re not too sure anymore. Celeb Dirty Laundry found the spoiler list of contestants for this year and we’re not going to affront you with a surge of names and goody-two shoes promotional images, but one thing we know for certain, several of these “contestants” seem too good to be true. Several of these contestants seem to be pulled straight from a Hollywood casting call and most of them have resumes which span for centuries. One of the final contestants in this season was a member of the now defunct inTENsity, a group which failed so miserably during season one that not even Simon Cowell, in all his glorious wisdom, could save them. They were a super group which left early and died in the death rattle of over-stylized pop tunes. Is this a case of second chances? If we’re not mistaken, most reality television talent shows have a “live round” and/or “top 12” clause in the contracts, which states that a contestant may not audition again if they made it to a certain point in the competition, otherwise the talent pool would be recycled every year. Why did this specific contestant then get another chance? Yes, we know he made it through as part of a super group after auditioning solo, but does this clause then not apply to him? He was still “an act that made it through to the final live rounds”. Was inTENsity so miserable and relentless that the producers decided to toss one of their fallen members into the second season mix?  We can just imagine how this contestant’s back story might be produced in the future episodes…<br /> We’re not blaming it on her, nor are we saying that she is a “plant”, but 21-year-old Paige Thomas made it through to American Idol’s 10th and 11th season Hollywood rounds. Yes, we do understand that the talent pool is divided by The X-Factor USA, The Voice and American Idol, but doesn’t someone also smell some Fantasia Barrino boogie? Fantasia was 19-year-old, with a daughter, at the time of her American Idol win. Simon, having production and casting agent connections on both Idol and X-Factor, might have reached into the historic reality television pool and whipped out a very familiar back story.

The X-Factor USA: Does The Show Rely On ‘Planted Contestants’ To Dupe Viewers?

Could it be readers? Could our favourite show in the world actually be one big lie? There have always been rumours loitering around The ...

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The X-Factor USA: Tricky Editing And Production Bullying Exploits Gay Contestants And Rigs Results

<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6668388333120289282" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6668388333120289282" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6668388333120289282" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6668388333120289282" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6668388333120289282" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6668388333120289282" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6668388333120289282" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkfBnQeNS-NWw86mhcIgJ6Ebwd0zGXLJC_vACPVJ5Y_wyyRvfXhL25ZZszmVRczM0d5m1BYnqht-7ftlCG1EfJ3TuLzTnFuqmA3Ir3FoNy2GP3H4vTQCbMBSMyczEDsg3OvVlcnSsEP0/s1600/don_philip1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkfBnQeNS-NWw86mhcIgJ6Ebwd0zGXLJC_vACPVJ5Y_wyyRvfXhL25ZZszmVRczM0d5m1BYnqht-7ftlCG1EfJ3TuLzTnFuqmA3Ir3FoNy2GP3H4vTQCbMBSMyczEDsg3OvVlcnSsEP0/s1600/don_philip1.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> The X-Factor USA served up some of the most memorable contestants during its two episode premiere last week, but none of them stood out as much as Don Philip, the lisping-scratch-voiced Britney Spears duet partner. His story was remarkably maudlin and teary-eyed, especially when he dripped to the floor like a wet rag and moaned about “hurting Britney”.<br /> Viewers were enthralled by his 10-year story of hardship and Britney obsession, but the poor Don did not make the cut. His voice was actually quite horrible in the end. Don spoke out about his infamous audition and the production secrets that might make X-Factor lose another few million viewers. According to Popspoken, there are also serious censorship and editing issues doing the rounds on X-Factor, “While Fox edited out one contestant’s reel where he was allegedly forced to come out to a former duetmate (and X Factor judge, mind you), Channel 5 was more selective with the censorship, deciding to air footage of San Fransisco’s Castro belt and air the rainbow flag but cutting out affirming messages of self-expression by a cross-dresser contestant.”<br /> Editing has come a long way! They use to remove risqué open-mouthed kissing and ingénues attacked by mad men on television, but selective editing in today’s day and age cannot be kept under wraps for too long, especially with YouTube and internet. Editing like this does not only result in a misaligned view of certain contestants on shows such as X-Factor, but it also limits the way in which we watch television, most specifically in the cases of Don Philip and Quatrele Da’an Smith, the wedding dress wearing Lady Gaga singing San Francisco resident. Allegedly, certain Quatrele scenes and judges’ comments hit the editing room floor to make way for a symbiotic and fluent relationship between contestant, television screen and judges. These weren’t swear words or sexual references, but an extension of Quatrele’s personality that was signed, sealed and tossed in the garbage to eliminate any “questionable”<br /> tuning-out. We all know that Quatrele’s dubious audition and loving personality might have been a red herring for viewers and a chance for producers to draw the numbers, but removing parts of his personality through editing is not the way to go.<br /> We digress. According to Don, he was not only edited to be a sympathetic martyr, but he was also forced by X-Factor producers to “reveal his secret”<br /> to the judges.  He revealed this shocking news to Access Hollywood and said, “Backstage, I’d talked to the producers about what was my secret was. And I mentioned that my secret was I was gay, but I really didn’t want to talk about it on the show. So, minutes later when I got on stage, L.A. Reid said, ‘What’s the secret? What’s the secret?’ over and over again. And I had to say it. I just felt like they were going to say it so I felt like I needed to say it first. And I was just so emotionally distraught, I couldn’t pull it together to actually sing.”  Should this even be an issue in today’s day and age? Did the producers really exploit and force him into an uncomfortable position?<br /> Firstly, this is reality television, which means that nothing you see is actually as “real”<br /> as you’d want it to be. Secondly, Don really wasn’t the greatest singer in the history of music, now was he? Lastly, if you sign on to audition for one of the biggest show formats in the world, you better be sure that you don’t have any skeletons in your closet, because the producers will latch onto them and exploit them for all it’s worth. We disagree with the alleged exploitative manner in which Don was brow beaten to reveal his sexuality, but he knew what he was letting himself in for. If you can’t take the heat, you bloody well stay out of the kitchen.<br /> Don’s revelation was counter-argued by Fox, who released a statement regarding his revelations and said, “The judges were not given any information at all about Mr. Philip prior to his audition. The personal information that Mr. Philip quickly volunteered at the start of his audition was a surprise to the judges, who asked what had happened during the past 10 years, as they were interested in Mr. Philip’s career. While we understand his decision to discuss his personal life, Mr. Philip’s sexual orientation was not something that any of the judges or producers felt was relevant to this audition.” Don Philips, you just got owned by Fox.<br /> <br /> What is happening to X-Factor this year? Why are there sudden rumours of over-the-top editing techniques? Is X-Factor merely a voyeuristic mise-en-scène concocted in the minds of clever producers and directors? Could there be production secrets which subtly force the viewers into forming a final live broadcast group of contestants? Could we have been duped all along?<br /> <br /> Perhaps, but we leave it up to you to decide. Let us know in the comments below if you think X-Factor is a load of bull and should be taken off the airwaves. Do you think questionable editing techniques and reality television exploitation still have a place in today’s television arena?<br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDetGnZot0aizHMjkAnwFc9uVWvr_KEk0yFGP-Tlux3SW1-h0Kty1Uo_8_VxrW3FK30HpNVEwMoG_LV4j3r1-I0Ftm0V10MAjvBl9cro8Sw5iMy6VK9N9zo6W9947o-vGGm4BhFsBRVhs/s1600/bride1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDetGnZot0aizHMjkAnwFc9uVWvr_KEk0yFGP-Tlux3SW1-h0Kty1Uo_8_VxrW3FK30HpNVEwMoG_LV4j3r1-I0Ftm0V10MAjvBl9cro8Sw5iMy6VK9N9zo6W9947o-vGGm4BhFsBRVhs/s1600/bride1.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Photo credits: The X Factor USA

The X-Factor USA: Tricky Editing And Production Bullying Exploits Gay Contestants And Rigs Results

The X-Factor USA served up some of the most memorable contestants during its two episode premiere last week, but none of them stood out ...

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The Voice: Christina Aguilera Rips-Off Contestants and Leaves

<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6668388333120289282" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6668388333120289282" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WSLfpvskOadY0DBRPtF2gT4l17DJHLBIDqzvwgbc78dcGxTMjZB2n62aPAk2poapgUnI4jwt1SEb6PYYDEUpFqLvG7m0UqfR1DTXNKI4HlBigyaUx6wpi56A6iByUiYQIeSK8VgssRI/s1600/christine_aquilera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WSLfpvskOadY0DBRPtF2gT4l17DJHLBIDqzvwgbc78dcGxTMjZB2n62aPAk2poapgUnI4jwt1SEb6PYYDEUpFqLvG7m0UqfR1DTXNKI4HlBigyaUx6wpi56A6iByUiYQIeSK8VgssRI/s1600/christine_aquilera.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> The Voice has been a fixating television event for the past three seasons, with season three quickly gearing up to become one of the most exciting seasons to date. Unfortunately, two of the current The Voice judges (Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green) have decided to take a hiatus and the new judges (Usher and Shakira) will be welcomed in season four of the show as new interim judges. However, in the true self-indulgent fashion of The Voice, the last episode was riddled with a self-congratulatory vanity project, namely a sneak peek at Christina Aguilera’s new music video for Your Body. The potential future stars of the show had to take a back-seat in the perfumed spotlight of the greatest vocal artiste on the planet, or so Christina fans claim…<br /> <br /> See, reality shows such as The Voice, American Idol and X-Factor USA are as much about the production value of the show as the self-indulgent judging panel. Imagine this: Once, long ago, back when teenagers were still parting their peroxide hair along the middle and listening to pop tunes by a no-name with neon eyebrows, you became a singing sensation.  Your songs were heard all over the world; you went big in Japan and released a deluxe version of your debut album with added techno remixes of your biggest hits. The years went by, Al-Qaeda and terrorism became part of popular culture as much as the technological revolution back in the early 90’s did, and the arena of popular music left the clichéd beats and moved to subtle Adele/Duffy vocals. Your career burned with the transition and now you’re stuck with lazy production techniques and a record label which forces you into a corner. You release a hit, but it charts in 60th position and refuses to budge. What do you do? Easy breezy! You become a judge on a reality television show, showcase your talent on a monthly basis and kaboom, you’re more popular than Fukushima!<br /> <br /> The same happened to J.Lo. You cannot deny that her career hit stratospheric levels after American Idol. Look at Paula Abdul – she became one of the most recognizable faces in the world after Simon Cowell gave her a chance on the premiere season of American Idol. Oh, and look at Christina Aguilera, who has always been a chart topper, but lacked a significant popularity before her appearance on The Voice. She starred in Burlesque, but was utterly demolished by film critics. She released her Bionic album just before that, which delivered in every sense of the word, but still somehow missed a certain spark of Aguilera magic. The Voice changed all of this for Christina. The three season platform accentuated her assertive and sincere personality. Her vocals were given a platform unlike never before and for the first time in history, it wasn’t raining men – it was raining fake eye lashes and vocal runs.<br /> <br /> The Voice drew 10.7 million viewers last week during its three episode premiere special. That’s a potential 10.7 million people who forgot that you’re a singer. That’s a potential 10.7 million people who have been one song away from becoming your biggest fan. That’s a potential 10.7 million who lost out on your style of music. 10.7 million people – that’s the population of Swaziland (a land-locked nation in South Africa), ten times over.<br /> <br /> We conclude that self-indulgence in reality television does pay off, especially when it is mixed with the snobbish and corny format of The Voice. Hey, if all else fails, Christina could swing her chair around in Swaziland? Let us know in the comments below if you think The Voice is a self-indulgent celebration of the judges’ careers.<br /> <br /> Photo Credit:<br /> Juan Rico/FAMEFLYNET PICTURES

The Voice: Christina Aguilera Rips-Off Contestants and Leaves

The Voice has been a fixating television event for the past three seasons, with season three quickly gearing up to become one of the mos...

+ Read more »