A Show That Has To Go: 'The X Factor'

The X Factor/Wednesdays at 8:00EST on FOX (for now)

Quick – name ONE X Factor winner!

Thought so.

Simon Cowell can give the greatest sound bites in the world, fueled as much by well-earned success as they are by hubris, but he knows The X Factor is a dud, and essentially has been from the get-go. It skated for a bit thanks solely to the judges he cherry-picked, many times in hopes that they’d clash. (Case in point: Britney Spears and Demi Lovato, although it backfired. The former seemed as if she knew nothing of the latter, and surely did not deem her a peer in any way, shape or form.) Lovato, for what it’s worth, has offered a choice moment or two zinging Cowell, but it is typically ‘smart-aleck sitcom sidekick’ shtick.

In any event, the main thing is not one single victor emerged with ½ of the thunder of an early Idol winner.

Beyond Lovato, as far as the judges go, choosing Paula Abdul was nothing more than a headline to slick Simon; he tossed a life raft to his old Idol pal, only to tug it away not long after. Nicole Scherzinger got the boot after only one season, too. Yep, on Factor even the hosts have been a revolving door, with Khloe Kardashian getting “Dunkleman’d” after a co-hosting car wreck with Mario Lopez (Lopez got asked back, solo).

The revolving door may be exactly what’s biting Factor on its once advertiser-happy backside. The judges panel never looks the same, just as the contestants parading across the stage don’t. And, again, not one winner moved forward to deliver a hit song. The only fun for the majority of this show’s run has been to see a former Disney star talk about the industry like an old pro. With Camp Rock on your resume, that’s just silly.

Vinnie Penn (@VinniePenn) first hit the airwaves as co-host to Glenn Beck. By 2001 he was a regular on Howard Stern, and his work has appeared in national magazines such as Maxim, Hit Parader, and Cracked. He currently writes for MSN. Visit his websiteVinniePenn.net.

A Show That Has To Go: ‘The X Factor’