The X Factor 2008 - Rachel Hylton Voted Off

I’ve resisted writing about The X Factor 2008 in any great depth up to now, mainly because the auditions don’t really fit in to the Brit Music Scene remit, being more a joke than anything. And even the start of the live finals was unlikely to yield a superstar. But now there are only six acts remaining, one of whom will win the damn thing, it’s time to climb on board.

I’ve watched the show from the start, and to be honest haven’t really been impressed with this year’s talent. The auditions were as fun as ever, but with the directors once again focusing on the bad acts rather than the good, this part of the show was a bit of joke.

And then the live finals began and we immediately saw the difference in those acts who had a serious chance of winning, and those who were going to be voted out quickly. And I agree with the majority of the voting so far, with Austin Drage maybe deserving to stay in a little longer.

Unlike some, I wasn’t upset to see Laura White go in week five as she annoyed the hell out of me. She had a half decent voice but she was trying too hard to make each word last for three notes. You’re not Whitney love, so stop trying to be.

So we came to week 7 where Take That were the guests of honor, and each contestant had to sing their choice of Take That classic. Unfortunately, the judges once again made the show about themselves more than their contestants, with constant bickering over who would get to sing Rule The World turning the show into a pantomime.

In the end, it was the two artists fighting over that song who ended up in the bottom two. The public once again demonstrating their dislike for the judges trying to take the attention away from the artists competing in the contest. And Rachel, who got to sing Rule The World, finally left the show after weeks of being in the bottom two.

It was the right decision, and in fact, Hylton should have gone weeks ago. She’s got a decent enough voice but is very genre-specific, a fact proved by her brilliant performance in the bottom two sing-off. But her personality stinks, and she just doesn’t have star quality.

So we’re now down to five acts: Alexandra Burke, Diana Vickers, Eoghan Quigg, JLS, and Ruth Lorenzo. I actually really like Ruth but I think she’ll be the next to go. And then it’s anyone’s competition from the last four, with each having a good chance of winning.

Unfortunately, I think the final two will be Diana Vickers and Eoghan Quigg, the pair rumored to be seeing each other off air. Vickers seems to have victory in sight, with a huge fan base, although personally I can’t stand her. She can’t sing very well, she has a very affected voice which would sound awful on record, and what’s with the hand turning by the face thing?

The X Factor 2008 (Series 5) continues on Saturday. Make sure to vote for your favorite contestant in my current poll.

[Photo Source: From Newscom with permission]