ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

‘X Factor’ Insider Admits Huge Portion Of Contestants Are Selected By Scouts

‘X Factor’ Insider Admits Huge Portion Of Contestants Are Selected By Scouts

Staff spend months looking for talented individuals and ask them to come on the show

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

When you're watching the reality TV singing competition X Factor, isn't hard not getting swept up in some of the contestant's stories.

Viewers watch them line up for hours and explain the sometimes long, hard, difficult, agonising, excruciating journey they've been on to get on the stage. It's a feel-good moment for everyone when they progress through the early stages until they're in the final 12.

However, what if (wait for it) reality TV isn't 100 percent reality.

Credit: X Factor/ITV

According to the Daily Star, an insider from the show said two thirds of the contestants who reach the judges houses got there because they were scouted.

The 'insider' told the paper: "The whole point of X Factor is that it gives anyone the chance to make it. But this series, it's like only ones cherry-picked by the show have got to judges' houses.

"It will feel to some like the process is fixed in favour of the ones picked out by staff."

Apparently, once the audition process is done for one season, scouts spend their days looking through YouTube and attending open-mic nights and ask anyone with a bit of talent to come in for an audition.

The ITV show is defended its use of scouts, however, telling the newspaper: "It's no secret, like many other TV talent shows, we approach people to make them aware of the auditions. Anyone who applies goes through the exact same process.

"All auditions are judged on the performance on the day."

via GIPHY

However, the news is likely to be a disappointed to those who spent an entire day for their chance to appear before a producer for their initial audition. If you want to know the ins and outs of a standard X Factor audition, click here.

The reality TV show isn't the only one that has been hit with claims that it uses scouts to help boost the overall talent of auditions. Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden told magazine Now: "The word 'scouting' is an interesting one because actually in terms of social media... there's so much out there.

"Before social media, people sent in video tapes of themselves to talent shows and now social media has replaced tapes as a way to showcase yourself.

"That's the changing world we live in now."

There's no doubt that these shows feature people with incredible talents, whether it be singing, dancing or performing, however it bills itself as a programme that anyone has a shot at if they go through the audition process.

Featured Image Credit: ITV/X Factor

Topics: Reality TV, x factor