X Factor: backstories with bite
Shark attack victim, stabbed in the heart , and more.... X Factor isn't holding back on the backstories this year.
- Published by David Knox
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Admittedly I haven’t checked other international seasons, but I think we can safely say no other X Factor season has ever had a shark attack victim as a backstory.
But the Australian version sure does.
With the value of backstories an essential element of audition shows, this year X Factor is rolling out: the girl who survived a shark attack, the guy who was stabbed in the heart (he will be familiar to some viewers) and the girl who lost her father only a week before she auditioned. It’s high drama, folks.
Oddly there are others who are rather light on…. such as the contestant who hasn’t told their family they are auditioning (…..and?). One reckons they are so ordinary they have no backstory -that’s a talent show first. And one is even a pal of host Luke Jacobz.
Thankfully, with or without backstories, there are many good vocalists proving once again that yes, talent shows still can uncover promising voices amongst our 23 million.
In fact it’s the contestant performances who are more engaging than the judges -as it should be- in the early episodes. While Dannii Minogue and Guy Sebastian know how to turn it on for the cameras, new additions Chris Isaak and James Blunt are yet to make their mark. Blunt even admits we may know him as a singer of “effeminate songs.” Not helping….
The judges get a little carried away with declaring some singers as Top 12 or Top 3 contenders, TV does not always work so neatly. In the past we’ve seen many talented voices eliminated after being coerced into genres that are square pegs in round holes. All of that is part of the drama Seven will be counting on.
X Factor begins 7pm Sunday on Seven and the first episode is available on limited release via Facebook today.
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12 Responses
Backstories more important than talent? Ugh!
I maybe wrong but I think all the contestants that we see in the promo’s would come mainly from the state that is advertising the X-factor, so therefore people in different states would see the singers basically from their states, think this would be the marketing ploy, when Samantha Jade won, she was from WA and don’t remember seeing her being shown in the NSW one prior to the starting date.
I wonder which contestant again will loose their voice this season and who will get stressed out in the groups etc it’s always the same with X-factor, they needed a superstar line up of judge’s & a new host…It didn’t happen . I don’t think the ratings will come near of The Voice.
You can guarantee that all the acts getting high rotation in the promos progress deep knto the competition. X Factor does not do sublety.
Can’t remember who it was but The Voice had a girl whose back story that she was too beautiful and it was a curse – enough. Get up , sing the song and leave it at that .
From interviews with him I’ve seen, and his social media, James Blunt has a wickedly dry sense of humour. Hopefully we get to see a bit of it!
He did say he was totally fan-girling over one boyband act, so there you go…
His twitter account is amazingly funny!!!
Yep get rid of the best ones early by mentors who insist they sing a completely different and unsuitable genre each week claiming viewers want to see them as all-rounders.
In the UK they are allowed to sing their style all the way through like Olly Murs.
Sounds good to me..that is one thing that annoyed me…when I did watch…
The first thing that puts me off a reality show is excessive back stories. The second thing to put me off a reality show is when its all about the judges. I’m over reality shows anyway.
I am getting so sick of hearing these stories now. Where are the normal people without any backstory? It is almost now these shows have to top themselves to see which one has the most tragic compete. I thought The Voice was bad, now X-Factor has managed to beat it, what will be next.