X Factor 2012: Half of final 12 – including Jahmene Douglas & MK1 – head hunted by producers
Half of this year’s X Factor finalists have been recruited by producers it has been revealed.
It has been confirmed that at least six out of the final 12 acts that will be performing on tomorrow night’s first live show, were approached by staff of the ITV series and asked to come and audition for the judges at their nearest venue.
An X Factor spokesperson told BBC Newsbeat that yes, many singers were head hunted after being discovered online or through word of mouth but they insisted that these performers had to go through the same process as those who applied via the website, or by post in the normal manner.
The spokesperson also revealed that Gary Barlow, Louis Walsh, Tulisa Contostavlos and Nicole Scherzinger had no idea when they first heard the acts perform, who had been invited and who applied themselves. This seemingly made the audition process more fair.
The news that some of the contestants were invited to try out shouldn’t come as a shock, as the recruitment technique was mentioned in the terms and conditions of the application for this year.
It stated: “Please note that outside of this application process, acts may also be invited to audition for the programme by researchers acting on behalf of the producer.”
Although at least half the acts lined up to perform tomorrow night were asked to audition, only Jahmene Douglas and MK1 have admitted it so far.
Douglas revealed that he was approached, after producers saw some of his youtube videos. He told BBC:
“For me it was being found on YouTube but we all went through the same process.”
It is thought that MK1 were contacted through their record and management agency.
Jade Ellis applied off her own bat but she said she isn’t upset that some of her fellow competitors did things differently.
The mum of one said:
“Personally, speaking as someone who did just go to an open audition I don’t think it’s any less fair.
“I’m quite happy to go into the competition with people who were scouted.”
Tulisa Contostavlos defended the move too, saying that all producers were doing was advertising auditions to talented singers that they thought would shine.
She added:
“It’s just simply notifying people about the auditions.”
Although we have no idea which other singers the producers approached in their UK talent hunt, we’d guess that Lucy Spraggan, Ella Henderson and possibly James Arthur were on that list as they all fit exactly with the direction that bosses wanted to take the show in this year, especially after singer songwriters proved so popular on Britain’s Got Talent and they found themselves competing with The Voice.
The X Factor live shows begin tomorrow and all twelve acts, along with the returning wildcard will perform for the judges. One will be eliminated on Sunday night.
What do you think of this story? Is it fair to invite people to audition for the show? Leave your comments below…
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GMD3 and George Shelley were almost certainly head-hunted, as they had large fanbases prior to their auditions and used to perform dual gigs together fairly often.
no it aint fixed
There’s a big difference between who the producers want to win and who the public actually make there winner,the shows not fixed itv would not want another scandal specially after the voting scandal years ago,it’s plain and simple if you like someone pick up the phone and vote if you don’t then there’s a little less chance they’ll win.
is ella still preforming tomorrow caue shes my favorite
LMAO at Dan Carney.
Er, no. It does not prove anything!How can it be fixed when the final 12 are voted for by the public? Well, unless they are going to phone every member of the united kingdom and tell them who to vote for! Ha Ha!
was Caroline told to come back or did she come bt herself
Just hoping Ella will not be preforming; performing is all she will be asked to do.
Seriously, this is major non-news. When you see an act audition with a specially adapted background track you can be pretty sure that they have been given advice to get that sorted because they will be televised. This season I see signs that at least the judge’s house acts were mainly pre-arranged, and that the judges knew which categories they would be mentoring pretty much from the get-go. In particular Louis knew he would not mentor Jahmene, but Nicole knew she would.
Is that a problem? Not for people who understand that prime-time television advertising rates depend on TV audience ratings, which are hyper-sensitive to program content. There’s too much money on XF for “TV amateurs” like the judges to be given any real powers of decision. As we have seen more and more closely as the seasons pass by even the public powers of decision are “modified”, even between the end of one show and the beginning of the next.
As long as serious talents like Rebecca, Misha B and Jahmene get launch-pads for their careers the rest is detail. But let’s stop fooling the public, all the same
fact MK1 were approached via there management team and the process was not the same they were gaurunteed through to live shows and thats a fact I know because have involvement
Re the fact that MK1 have a “Managenent Team & Record Company” bothers me, thought they were all meant to be amateur performers. Same as Kye has been performing for years & has records out!!!
Re the fact that MK1 have a “Management Team & Record Company” bothers me, thought they were all meant to be amateur performers. Same as Kye has been performing for years & has records out!!!
“She would ‘ov’ been”… What does that mean? And what does it change whether a contestant comes alone or with an army of fans? Sure some invitees are thrown out, because they quite really get a bit upset, and some non-singers get a good run. It all makes great confrontational TV with consequent positive effects on the TV station’s income. X Factor is a TV show loosely based on a search for a recording singer/group. It is not a talent show that happens to be on TV, where everyone gets a fair shot at being judged on singing ability. Enjoy it for what it really is, but don’t get sucked in by the fictional elements.
it happens with every show…but i do think in the XF is more fair and available to ‘ordinary people’ than in The Voice, this is only my opinion.
Yes. Most of the contestants on The Voice were referred by local radio and TV stations, their agents, etc, and only one or two by their families, friends, whoever… What happened to reduce the hundred or so candidates to the forty who were auditioned by the judges is a bit of a mystery. Not an interesting one, since the real magic trick was in getting the most expensive judge to keep one free place on his team until the last, and possibly the best, contestant came along.
Anyway the effect of the public vote on the careers of the contestants will prove to be just as unpredictable for The Voice as it is for the X Factor… Enjoy your favourites but don’t get too serious until they get to the semi-final round, whatever the program.
MK1 was an act from Newquaywith a guy called Nathan back in 2007. They performed in Office club and at my school. MK – FAKE. BRING BACK NATAHN.