Just my tuppence worth, but 2007 has to have been the absolute worst X Factor ever.

Approximately 3 billion people applied for this year’s show, but the talented ones were siphoned off before the judges auditions even began, in favour of mediocre acts who had better sad stories to tell.

Come on people, do you really believe that the final 12 represent the finest talent Britain has to offer? And is it a coincidence that they were all:

• Doing it for their kids
• Doing it for their dearly departed
• Doing it for their mothers
• Bullied within an inch of their lives
• Bullied other people within an inch of their lives

Forgetting about the other contestants, this year’s final three had to be the poorest bunch in four years of X Factor. You weren’t so much voting for the act you wanted to keep as for the act who irritated you the least.

Same Difference were fun, but a total joke. Rhydian was a fine singer, but his wild Welsh eyes, zany hair and painful theatrics became tiresome after a while. Remember, this is a talent competition to win a recording contract. Are either act credible recording artists? Really?

Then we have Leon Jackson, the shell-shocked winner of this year’s show. They essentially modelled him on Ray Quinn from last year, but with about 20% of the talent. Interestingly, Ray Quinn’s own record deal didn’t last a year, so why expect more from Leon?

We don’t need any more kids churning out shitty swing albums, do we?

The Reaction To Leon’s Win

We got the results sitting in a room of press, and when Leon was crowned the winner, the reaction was complete disbelief. The general reaction was “What the hell?”

Leon himself is apparently still wandering around the studio, mumbling “It hasnae sunk in yet, ah dinnae believe it…” Rhydian’s reaction was almost a complete psychopatic episode. Did you see the look in his eyes? No doubt he’s lurking around the London sewage system plotting his revenge on the phone voters.

In other quarters, even Max Clifford on Xtra Factor sounded underwhelmed about Leon’s win, and there was noticeably less talk of him becoming an international megastar in the style of Ms Lewis. Let’s face it, he’s a nice guy, but he’s not going to sell records.

Am I Down On X Factor?

I hate to be negative about X Factor. It’s the first show we covered here on Unreality TV and Lisa and I both are fond of the show. It’s usually the highlight of the reality TV calendar for us. This year it wasn’t. I found it missable for the first time ever.

We love sharing gossip about the finalists and critiquing the contestants, but the producers have let the standard slip on this series.

Why? Because in the last two years, X Factor has spawned two pop stars in Shayne Ward and Leona Lewis. Leon officially breaks that winning streak. The judges categorically failed to find the best talent in Britain.

We want to see X Factor keep its crown as the best reality talent show. Please producers, next year we need to see the absolute best talent in Britain, not some cynical exercise with emotional back stories. Not pop puppets - why not give us people who can play their own instruments and maybe even write their own tunes?

I’m so disappointed this year, it’s been the worst series of X Factor yet. Let’s hope 2008 is better.

Do you think this is the worst X Factor series yet? Join in the debate over on our forum.