Who won ‘The X Factor’?
THE X FACTOR: Finale: Melanie Amaro performs on THE X FACTOR Dec. 22 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. THE X FACTOR Finale airs Wed., Dec. 21 and Thurs., Dec. 22 on FOX. CR: Ray Mickshaw / FOX.
Loading ...So season one of “X Factor” is over and we will never have to watch robo-host again!
Early favorite Melanie Amaro upped the Mariah quotient to the very end and won the $5 million. (Oh, and that pesky Pepsi commercial!)
She kneeled in prayer and was attacked by her friends and family as robo-host tried to get her to say something. He failed miserably.
“She will represent this country. She is a star,” Simon said instead.
After she sang “Listen,” robo-host finally got her to croak out a few words. “God is good!” she said. “This is something I wanted all my life!”
Amaro beat out Josh Krajcik, the wonderfully sweet rocker who growled his way to runner-up status. Third place was Chris Rene, the rap singer who recently got out of rehab.
The votes matched the polls, including the one here, which had Amaro winning, Josh second, Chris third.
“We’ll be back next year,” Robo-host said. Well, the show will be back.
Ratings for Wednesday’s night show were underwhelming, considering it’s the final week. The show drew 11.1 million viewers, below the season average and the 3.3 18-49 rating was worse than last week’s 3.4. I expect the final won’t do too much better.
Clearly, this show didn’t quite have the “X Factor.” It needs to look itself in the mirror and fix things for season two.
THE X FACTOR: Finale: Josh Krajcik performs on THE X FACTOR Dec. 22 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. THE X FACTOR Finale airs Wed., Dec. 21 and Thurs., Dec. 22 on FOX. CR: Ray Mickshaw / FOX.
“The X Factor” tried to outdo “Idol” by attempting to be hipper and sleeker with “bigger” stakes. Instead, I personally found the show frenetic, annoying and soul-less. It made me truly appreciate the charms of “American Idol” and “The Voice.” And we’ve learned that Simon Cowell isn’t all that when placed in charge, especially in terms of picking hosts and judges.
And somehow, Paula Abdul rose above the crud around her and came out as the relative voice of reason. You know this is Alice in Wonderland when I write something like that.
Now will Melanie Amaro create hit records and sell out arenas? I’m not so sure. But you know Simon is going to work his darndest to try to make it happen.
We also learned tonight that if Rachel Crow doesn’t get a Disney sitcom, she could host “The X Factor” next year!
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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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289 comments Add your comment
Fred
December 23rd, 2011
5:35 am
I meant to say a better career than both of them. Sorry for the typo.
itsme
December 23rd, 2011
5:58 am
I don’t mind at all that Melanie won, although I had hoped that Rachel of Josh would. However, I wonder if anyone else thinks that the whole thing with her getting booted then brought back by Simon seems a bit contrived.
Lurker
December 23rd, 2011
7:00 am
OMG, I hope this doesn’t flashback to Fantasia winning over Diana, or Ruben over clay, Melanie won, get over it.
Anf FYI, Xfactor is so much better than Idol.
X Maxster
December 23rd, 2011
7:06 am
Well I’m happy to see the ‘best’ singer won not like what happened on Idol where it was a popularity contest.
Cheryl H
December 23rd, 2011
7:23 am
All of the finalists have wonderful voices….Both Melanie and Josh stand singing. Chris is a true entertainer (and I don’t like rap, I’m more R&B) . Chris not only delivers a great performance by interacting with the audience but he writes much of his own music as well. His vocal range is so wide and he is the most versatile …..he can sing any type of music. You voted for the wrong choice America- hope we do better in the Presidential election!
Nutmeg
December 23rd, 2011
7:36 am
Hah–Rodney, love the comment that Robohost shouldn’t even have a Facebook page.
After this season, I am a certified The Voice fan. Idol isn’t awful, but there’s way too much America allowed in their voting… The X-Factor was *terrible*. I promised at the beginning of the season that I would give it a full season. MISTAKE. But The Voice really does it for me.
It’s not even the gimmick of the judges not seeing the contestants at first. That’s not it for me. What really *is* it is that the contestants on The Voice are really *good*, seasoned pros who for one reason or another haven’t yet caught a break. Turns out, I like it when that’s acknowledged and worked with. Another thing I like about The Voice: no kids. I don’t know their age restrictions (apparently no upper limit, at least), but I appreciate that The Voice doesn’t exploit kids who aren’t emotionally ready for this, lack the seasoning of the semi-pro circuit, and skew the perceptions of viewers with adorableness. Stacy Francis possibly and certainly Leroy Bell would’ve been good contenders for The Voice.
X-Factor was a mix of Idol and The Voice–”discovered” talent and second chancers. Problem with X-Factor was the production, the host, and the judges. Just awful, buckets of awful.
Oh, and the celebrity mentors being roughly equal also helps The Voice. Instead of a producer vs. a singer vs. a producer vs. a songwriter, etc.–it’s four performer judges with varied but all respectable careers. It puts them on equal footing, something *seriously* lacking in X-Factor. Simon this season really came off terribly: essentially a smug bully, especially in his dealings with Nicole. And Nicole was deeply annoying, with the way that every critique came back to her. The judging chemistry didn’t work.
Okay, I’m going to give Idol one more season. If it comes down to two country singers again, I’m outta there.
But I’m looking forward to The Voice!
I’m also wondering if the talent show that has the greatest focus on the music has been renewed: The Sing-Off. If you really love, love, love *music*, that’s the best of them all; the judges are knowledgeable and talk about the chord structures in arrangements, and of course, it’s all a capella. This year’s winners, Pentatonix, certainly do more amazing things with their voices than Melanie Amato, Scotty McCreary, and Javier Colon. But The Sing-Off had terrible ratings when picked up for a full season. This doesn’t surprise me. It’s a song for music nerds. If you haven’t had some kind of musical training, I don’t think The Sing-Off would really appeal.
Mercedes S.
December 23rd, 2011
7:37 am
Good Morning!
All you people who keep saying XF is so much better than Idol – please explain yourself!
Deirdre
December 23rd, 2011
7:37 am
Morning!
Rodney, this thread is not on the AI section of the blog.
Deirdre
December 23rd, 2011
7:42 am
I only saw bits and pieces of the show last night. Can’t really comment on production values although, if it followed the course it has been on for the season, the imagination boggles!
Again, I really don’t care who won. The show needs some serious adjusting to get my attention next season. I would think, after 9 years working in this country, that Simon would have figured out by now that American audiences and British audiences have slightly different sensibilities. Not saying that one is better than the other, just that they are a little different.
Highlander
December 23rd, 2011
7:42 am
Ummm, X Master, the person with the highest vote total wins. So how is that NOT a popularity contest? DOH!!!!
Highlander
December 23rd, 2011
7:54 am
Nutmeg, I enjoyed The Voice, too, but haven’t seen or heard much of Javier Colon since the show’s finale. He’s not exactly burning up the charts.
X-Factor was definitely a let down for me. I found myself not really worrying if I missed a performance show. I’m not going to say I won’t watch next season but I will probably pass on it if some MAJOR changes aren’t made.
Highlander
December 23rd, 2011
8:03 am
I’m also re-thinking my opinion of the whole judge-as-mentor thing. What we saw here was much, much, mucho more harping between the judges and far less real critique of performances. (Usually, even when a contestant had a weak showing, it was blamed on the mentor or the production.)
Oh, and to whoever posted that they believe Chris Rene had the strongest voice and widest (vocal) range in the competition – I’d like to try some of whatever it is that you’re on.
Deirdre
December 23rd, 2011
8:07 am
Here’s my take on the voting: If XF continues on the same path it is on now(unlimited voting using a number of devices) it will, if it gets popular enough, end up with the same problem Idol has. The winner will be whoever has fans capable of voting multiple times. The winner will be whoever has fans who will continue to vote over the entire voting window.
I don’t know about y’all but I have other things to do and will not waste the rest of my evening voting.
Just as Idol audiences managed to pick the right winner on it’s first try followed by subsequent seasons where arguments broke out that the wrong person won, XF will become a “popularity contest” in much the same way.
DC
December 23rd, 2011
8:32 am
Had a drinkiing game…every time Rodney post about the x-factor judge we took a shot…needless to say..everyone blacked out…
Mo Schreibman
December 23rd, 2011
8:40 am
This X Factor television program lacks that certain something that says Hello everyone look at me I am not wearing trousers like my Uncle Sy used to do every year on my fathers birthday when he entered the door. Not something you necessarily look forward to beforehand but you know it when it is not there. They did not get along so well but when Uncle Sy passed away my father stopped celebrating his birthday or we stopped going I can not remember which but nonetheless there is a lesson there I think.
RxDawg
December 23rd, 2011
9:00 am
Well the right person won in Melanie. She may be the best pure singer I’ve seen on any of these shows.
Nutmeg, I’m with ya about The Voice. I think it’s the best of the 3.
I also like a lot of things about X Factor over Idol. I like X Factor’s voting system more. I like that it somewhat puts a little power into the judge’s hands. I like that they give us special effects, lights, and dancing. Some of you refer to this as “over producing”. Bah, whatever I think it’s entertaining. Sometimes it doesn’t all work out but for the most part it did. I’m also tired of the kids. Have a damn talent show for kids if that’s what America wants. For whatever reason X Factor didn’t seem to flow as well as Idol did. I can’t really tell you the reason, maybe it’s because of the host you guys love to hate on. The show seemed rushed and forced or something. They really could do with less filler… I watched that 2hr finale in under 1 hr on the DVR.
mike
December 23rd, 2011
9:04 am
Chris’ story is certainly compelling, but 5 years from now no one will remember who he is. My hope for him is that he stays sober & healthy. It was obvious from the outset that the competition was Melanie’s to lose.
DanJ
December 23rd, 2011
9:10 am
Even though all the singing talent shows have flaws I enjoy them because I enjoy music and there’s usually not much else on television. Every show tires to distinguish itself in one way or the other. Some things I like others I don’t but I see them(the shows itself) for what they are. Entertainment!
The voting system on Idol is severely flawed. Because of that singers like Sanjaya stay longer than they should. Now it seems that a genre (Country Music) is taking Idol over. I like country music to a degree but if the final two singers on Idol this year are country music singers Idol will see massive declines in the future. I know Scotty is selling albums but he only appeals to country music fans.
XFactor is a different story. I don’t like the over production. I think they went they route with the hope it would appeal to those looking for something different than Idol. I like the no upper age limit. I do think they should change the policy on allowing 14 year olds to compete. Like him or hate him Simon is smart. He tried to stand out. Steve Jones was picked in hopes women would be attracted to him. I think Simon saw him as a James Bond type. Problem is the had the warmth and personality of a green persimmon. I didn’t mind the groups in the competition. Brithish XFactor has/had a group in the top 3. I would like to see votes picking 3 of the 4 singers for each catagory with Judges picking the 4th. And the first week(top 16) I’d like to see the votes remove one from each catagory.
I think the judges at each others throat is stupid. I think Simon must have watch Jerry Springer 10 years ago and how the audience seemed to love and thought he’d try it on XF. What I find most incredible though are the people who comment here. Most are sincere and express their thoughts and I do enjoy reading your opinions. However I don’t understand why people (trolls) who claim they don’t watch the show even bother to post on something they haven’t watched or don’t watch anymore. Are you that lonely?
In all honestly I liked X-Factor even though it has major flaws. The best 2 singers made it to the final. Something I can’t say about Idol. Yes Ryan Seacrest and the judges are better on Idol but I can’t say the show is. If I could only watch one show I’d pick XFactor, maybe it’s because I drink Diet Pepsi.
Pitchy
December 23rd, 2011
9:12 am
I thought Josh would win, but still glad for Melanie. The lady can truly sing.
I enjoyed the show last night. I love The Voice and looking forward to Idol. Still love STyler, just hope he has a new catch phrase this season.
G
December 23rd, 2011
9:30 am
Nutmeg’s 7:36am comment is a pretty spot on assessment of how I feel too.
Although the Sing-Off is my favorite of all the shows, I understand it may be the least popular on the blogs because of it’s geeky/technical nature. The absolute best talent and judges are found on the Sing Off.
The Voice comes in next for me. It simply set’s itself apart from the other shows. That’s what it should be doing, right? Best part about The Voice……..no kids!
A tie for second is Sundays’ Best. It’s a gospel singing show that’s really has some soul stirring performances. It’s the only show that really gives me the chills.
XF was kind of like the Dr. Evil of AI. Better yet, AI on steriods. Same bucket of talent as AI, but it was a blatent attempt to compete with AI. I noticed that XF wasn’t interested in country acts this time around. Maybe that was a play on AI. I’m sure they will make sound improvements to the show in terms of the host and overproduction. The judges should just be themselves and that pannel should improve. Making Nicole the host would be a great bailout for her. Besides, she’s great eye candy.
If anything…..American Idol has morphed into the most polarizing sing shows on tv. Maybe that’s why it’s so popular. They could stand to make some improvements too. All I would say for AI is they need a judge to provide balanced critique, and the voting process must improve. The voting process is too wide open. They should also raise the age to 17.
Don’t know if I can include AGT, because there is a wide spectrum of talent. I like Lando, but the overall pool of singing talent comes in last place imo. I do like the judges for AGT. Can’t wait to see Howard Stern on AGT. He fits.
nicka
December 23rd, 2011
9:31 am
My meline. Won
G
December 23rd, 2011
9:33 am
DanJ, I’m with you on AI, to the letter. Yeah, I agree that XF did a better job of voting their best 2 singers to the final than AI……much better job.
Pitchy
December 23rd, 2011
9:48 am
nicka, you might need to go back to school…just kidding.
met torme
December 23rd, 2011
10:04 am
Show sucked,judges sucked,contestants sucked hopefully Tivo ing the show to watch josh didn’t help the ratings wont we watching next year
Mercedes S.
December 23rd, 2011
12:00 pm
AI went country, XF went the rap route.Too much of either helped borify the shows. (Borify? Did I just make up a word? Went to Honeybaked Ham earlier and watched one customer pick up “the large mini-ham)
Of the Christmas movies opening today, I enjoyed “We Bought a Zoo” the most.Well-cast, well-written screenplay about Real Issues, no cutesy ending. And lots of animals to be amused by and commiserate with.
Sam-A, you asked me earlier about “War Horse”. Friends had recommended the play, which they had seen on Broadway or on a London stage. Movie is way different, it’s more shocking and upsetting to see live animals being tortured and killed… even if it’s just “acting”, the creatures are pretty good at playing abused. I would not recommend this movie to a horse lover.
Mercedes S.
December 23rd, 2011
12:04 pm
“Adventures of Tintin” are for folks who never read the classic Hergé comic books. The motion capture bit doesn’t work for me – I kept thinking, why not either animate the film OR do a live action version.
Mercedes S.
December 23rd, 2011
12:06 pm
“The Artist” is a lovely ode to the silents, in black and white. Will be remembered at Oscar time.
namvet61
December 23rd, 2011
2:08 pm
To Jubie: She DID win, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! So, get over it!!
riley
December 23rd, 2011
2:17 pm
Melanie has a great voice, and it sounds like the same ol’ same ol’. Josh I hope gets a record deal out of all of this as he is an artist that I would turn up the volume on as well as buy a cd.
riley
December 23rd, 2011
2:20 pm
and by the way, I think one vote per phone line. In a real contest you only get one vote per judge. It would be interesting to see the results. I don’t think I’ll watch next season because of the unfair voting.
Sam-A
December 23rd, 2011
2:34 pm
Mercedes; will probably cry all the way thru “War Horse” – most animal-oriented films/tv shows do that to me. I’m sure hoping for an uplifting ending for this horse and his boy.
And I agree 100% with the capture motion stuff. Much rather see real humans in their true form, but if you can’t do that, then do a full blown cartoon! It’s gotten really good reviews, but I don’t like that sort of film.
Seth T.
December 23rd, 2011
4:00 pm
As we look back on The Voice, and how some of the contestants are doing — here’s a little sketch of info :
Beverly & Frenchie became friends and have done some work with others in the group, beyond.the initial tour. Frenchie was talking about an album.
Nakia said he greatly enjoyed the tour, and is evidently getting some bookings in his local area, etc.
Vicci Martinez quit touring for a while and is currently songwriting and working to finish an album.
Casey Weston has moved to Nashville, is doing some gigs and working on her own songwriting and projects.
Dia Frampton has a new album out, some songs co-written with her sister. She and Xenia are friends and may do some work together down the road. Blake Shelton may have them doing some “guest-in” on his next tour.
Javier also has a new album on the shelves of Music Stores and has a touring schedule.
Jenny
December 23rd, 2011
5:21 pm
I’m not sure that X-factor is *better* than Idol – at least not the way Idol used to be back in its very early days, when a truly good singer usually won – but XF definitely gained some credibility in my eyes with Melanie winning and Josh in the final 2.
To me, Melanie was so much, much better than the others – my husband and I both think she may be the best voice we’ve heard on any of the music shows so far, besides Carrie Underwood and maybe Katharine McPhee. And I thought Josh was the clear choice for second. (Not sure who I would’ve put in third… although it would surely not have been Chris. I never really understood his appeal.)
Anyway, given the way Idol has been turning out lately, I didn’t have much hope that Melanie might actually win…. much less that the 2 best singers would actually be the final 2! What a nice surprise, and thanks to that, now I’ll watch again next year. Wishing that Idol would make some tweaks to their voting, so maybe the best person can win again there too…. well, we can always hope.
Highlander
December 23rd, 2011
7:09 pm
The voting process is flawed on every one of these shows. As long as unlimited voting (and X-Factor was guilty since you could vote many different ways), the results will always be a popularity contest.
How about limiting FREE voting to 5 votes? Anything over that you pay for …maybe the price of an online CD of the contestant. In other words, put your money where your mouth is. If you think that contestant is all that, and truly deserves that two hours of voting you’re going to do, then commit to that performer with your wallet! (It’s quite obvious that all the folks who voted for Lee Dewyze and Scotty McCreery haven’t transferred that fervor into buying their CD’s.)
As with most things, if it’s free, it really doesn’t have as much meaning or value.
Highlander
December 23rd, 2011
7:10 pm
Make that “as long as THERE’S unlimited voting…”
Seth T.
December 26th, 2011
2:40 pm
The exposure gained on X-Factor or other nationally televised talent shows provides a lot of value for a contestant. Each exposure they get has an “advertising my talent” monetary value, from the auditions through each round.
With a recording and promotion contract, the winner is gauranteed success, as long as they remain healthy and committed to the tour, then recording schedules with pro songwriters. Melanie will be highly promoted, and a hit song almost guaranteed through marketing budgets and insider connections to radio stations and TV for guest apperances for increased exposure.
So, the odds of success for the even the bottom half of the competition should be far, far above the average artist trying to break-into the upper levels of the business.
Two years from now, however, I doubt that we will see much action in the Billboard Top 40 for anyone other than Melanie, with Josh a smaller possibility. Rachael may get her shots with Glee, Disney channel shows, etc. Drew is young enough to be a project, if Simon and the promoters want to give her a promo budget and a pro management team.
To measure success for the groups, this can’t be altered by replacements, add-ins or reductions in the group – still using the group name. If we see the Stereo Hogzz or Lakoda Rayne with 1 or two different members, or add-ins – then it’s not what was presented (even though they needed back-up singers sometimes to get through the number) during the show.
Jenny
December 26th, 2011
4:08 pm
Highlander, I so agree! The voting is definitely flawed on XF too… but I think the show, being new, wasn’t hurt by that as badly as Idol has been the last few years. But if XF stays on a few more years with unlimited voting, it’ll turn into nothing but a popularity contest, just like Idol. They had several good years with Kelly, Ruben/Clay, Carrie… before the downslide started when Taylor won. (In my opinion, anyway.
)
I think they’re all eventually going to have to limit voting if they want to keep any sort of credibility. Idol has become very frustrating to watch. Although I’ll be watching in January right along with you all!
Bill A
December 28th, 2011
7:51 pm
Well, the show needs lots of work. As it’s been pointed out.. the show needs a new host, some new judges (Nicol has to GO after the crow cop-out!) and new format…. What is there left that is likeable?????
jynn
December 29th, 2011
6:21 am
They REALLY need to get a new host!! He SUCKS that’s why i quite watching the show cause he kept gettin on my nerves; honestly i had to stop cause the host was so misarble to watch.He did nothing for the show.He was boring,scary and jus plain blah!!