Pretend popstar Frankie Cocozza

We were holding out high hopes for the X Factor this year, after reports emerged that bosses were planning to work on increasing the credibility of the show, in a bid to rival BBC’s The Voice, but it seems that we are to be disappointed.

Viewers who attended the nationwide auditions over the last few months reported that there was a definite increase in singers performing their own self penned songs and playing their own instruments, leading many fans to speculate that this year, the ITV show would be making the talent and not the personalities central to the competition.

However, The Sun has reported today that on the contrary, Simon Cowell has told bosses to look out for more wannabes like last year’s controversial contestant Frankie Cocozza.

The Brighton lad was the first to ever be disqualified from a series of the talent show, after he was allegedly found to be taking illegal drugs at all night parties, while competing for the big SYCO record deal.

He was without a doubt the least talented contestant from the 2011 bunch – and considering that the final group included Johnny Robinson that’s no mean feat – however, insiders have claimed that bosses are desperate for as many column inches as they can command this year and so, will welcome outrageous characters of Frankie’s nature.

“The X Factor is supposed to be a cool programme, with young people having the time of their lives,” one source said.

Frankie Cocozza

They added:

“Last year it was decidedly flat — only Frankie got up to anything newsworthy and he ended up pushing it too far.

“But he had the right idea. Pop stars don’t stay in and ‘work on their vocals’, that’s just rubbish.

“They go out and get trashed and fall out of nightclubs.”

It is reported that bosses will not be going out of their way to hide this year’s finalists in a remote mansion, but will book them rooms in a central London hotel. This will allow for more partying and socialising and the source added:

“No one is saying we want to be irresponsible but if you’re over 18 you should be allowed to do as you please as long as you keep within the show rules and don’t cause problems for anyone else.”

Things are bad when Frankie Cocozza is being used as a bench mark for a talent show don’t you think? Or are we being too harsh? Leave your comments below….