X doesn't always mark the spot.

Apparently there's no middle ground.  They say The X-Factor is one of those shows that you either love or hate.  I'm not convinced.

Personally, I think the live final rounds are amongst the best, most addictive entertainment television has to offer. It's simple, straightforward, no-frills, old-fashioned showbiz spectacle, combined with intense, sentimental story-telling and plenty of unexpected twists along the way as the voting public knocks out your favourite contestants yet again!

However, the early audition rounds are amongst the worst television can offer. The showbiz spectacle is weakened by having the good singers interspersed with talentless no-hopers. This is supposedly to make it more entertaining, in exactly the same way that having a delicious, gourmet meal interspersed with mouthfuls of mud and sawdust makes it more satisfying!

Worse, the audition episodes are all edited to a standard formula that means there's no surprise or unpredictability. In an interview the first act always boasts a lot about how amazing and talented he/she/they/it are, but then turns out to be a talentless no-hoper who gets a unanimous “No” vote from the judges. This is followed by a montage sequence of other no-hopers all getting “No” votes. “With all these Noes, can plucky [insert name here] turn things around?” There's an interview with the plucky little contestant who's always wanted to be a singer, and now, as the result of a terrible, tragic sob story in their life, has decided to follow their dream. They turn out to be a good singer, getting the “Yes” vote. “And now the Yesses are coming thick and fast.” There's another montage sequence showing good singers getting “Yes” votes. Then the whole thing repeats over and over again until the end of the episode, making sure to finish on a plucky little singer getting that “Yes.”

Thankfully all that's over for now.  This year's auditions (including the “boot camp” round) are now finished, and we can look forward to the proper contest starting soon. And I'm afraid I'm going to be posting my thoughts on each week's episode here. Those of you who only follow this blog for the transport-related stuff, might want to skip these posts because there's nothing for you here.