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The X-Factor: Strange, Strange Decisionsby Sting7 -- 10/22/2007
View Printable version of this article When 24-year old Katie Boothand strode across the audition conference room, with a shy but beaming smile despite the atrocious condition of her teeth, she probably didn’t know she would be the lynchpin to a great big fat controversy. But, she did know that winning X-Factor would make a seismic improvement on her life. She shares a one-bedroom flat with her fiancé. She’s also five-and-a-half months pregnant. "I'm working out the dates here, not great dates are they?" Simon sighed. Katie joked that she could have the first child ever born on X-Factor, which was funny at the time, but later, less so. 
Katie did a brilliant job singing “There You’ll Be,” which seemed to be a surprise to the judges. She was one of those contestants who just didn’t look like she sounded. Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne gave enthusiastic yeses. Dannii Minogue gave a chilly no, adding, “you have to consider the baby.” More on Dannii later. Simon was honest enough to say those ghastly teeth were a problem. Not just telegenically, but because it was causing her to lisp. Despite that, Simon admitted Katie was “very likeable.” So his was the third yes, and a thrilled Katie dashed out to share her great news with her fiancé. But as quickly as he said yes, Simon was having regrets: “A part of me thinks we shouldn't have just done that because she's five-and-a-half-months pregnant. That should have been a 'no.' It doesn't feel right, I'm almost inclined to change my mind now. I think we've made a mistake.” Finding a still celebrating Katie and fiancé, Simon gave a brief wry smile and said quietly that they needed to talk. “Oh no.” Katie muttered, sensing something very bad was about to happen. "I'm thinking about you and the kid and everything and I think this is absolutely the wrong thing to do." He concluded by stating plainly that the yes is now a no. Sorry. That is a mere pillock in a mountain range of odd decisions. We have already discussed the firing of Kate Thornton and Louis Walsh, the hiring of Brian Friedman and Dermot O’Leary, the un-firing of Louis, the demotion of Brian. Then came the oddness of Dannii Minogue’s chilly critique of ex-BBMak member Stephen McNally. Considering that McNally has had greater recording successes than Minogue, her stiff criticism that he has problems with “performance” rang as bizarre. Then came accusations that Simon Cowell may be trying to influence the outcome of the show. A number of promising contestants choked in the boot camp rounds. In typical Simon fashion, he told them they blew their shot and away they went. Or not. Concerned about the quality of the entrants who seem to be emerging, Simon told a number of boys and girls that they could get a second chance… if they formed groups. So five of the boys and six of the girls formed Futureproof and Hope, respectively. Remember: X-Factor judges are not just judges – they are also mentors. Each of the four are given a demographic. This year, Dannii Minogue gets the males; Sharon Osbourne got the girls; Louis gets the over-25s; and, of course, executive producer and show creator Simon Cowell “gets” the groups. Both of the newly formed groups made the top 12. There were a lot of people unhappy with this result. Some rejected contestants have been making a lot of noise to the press crying foul. Simon got a little pie in the face as one of the members of Hope, Cece Jghalef, had a criminal conviction which made her ineligible for entry and was disqualified. (Point to ponder: CeCe is best friends with equally controversial Charley Uchea of Big Brother UK.) Then there is Rhydian. Never before has Sharon Osbourne so openly despised a contestant. Rhydian has never passed a mirror he didn’t flirt with. Dannii selected him for the top 12 and it seems all of Britain lined up to hate him. On the night of top 12 performances, operatically trained Rhydian brought the house down with his rendition of “I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That).” 
Sharon, try as she might, couldn’t find fault with his performance, just calling him “weird” and asking for a peek at his chest (he rightly refused). Her night would get worse. Two of her three ladies, Kimberley Southwick and Alisha Bennett, ended up in the bottom two after the public vote. A crushed Sharon sighed, "What I did was no good and I think I'm going home now, Dermot." By rule, Sharon would have to choose between the two, as would the other judges, to determine who would be eliminated. Sharon not only refused to do so, she would say she was done with the show! “I’m out! Gone!” she yelled from the shadows to a rattled Dermot O’Leary, whose first night of live television was going swimmingly until then. "At this point in time Sharon has said she is no longer a judge on The X-Factor. We are hoping she will be able to sleep on her decision and calm down," News of the World quoted an X-Factor insider as saying. Chris Moyles from Radio 1 is reported to be on standby in the event that a judge should leave the unexpectedly during the season. But that same X-Factor insider seems to think Sharon will be back once she has had a chance to calm down. There is a contract to honor, after all. "Sharon is aware that she would be in breach of her contract if she did not return to work. We do not anticipate things will reach that point." Whatever else might happen, the winner of X-Factor will receive a recording contract and will release a debut single in time to compete for the vaunted Christmas number one on the charts. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent articles on Foxes On Idol:
Sting7 has been a respected published writer for many years, as a music editor, entertainment critic, columnist, and interviewer. He also has a curious love for pro-wrestling! You can email Stinger at stingseven@yahoo.com. Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! For all of our articles, check out our sections on American Idol, American Juniors, Nashville Star, and Canadian Idol. Also make sure to check out RealityNewsOnline for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows. For even more news about this show, be sure to check SirLinksALot: The X-Factor and Reality TV Fever! View Printable version of this article
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