If one is under the impression that a minimum age of 16 or even 18 on shows like the xfactor, would eliminate performers having emotional meltdowns, I say, balony. We need only look to earlier this season on the xfactor to an over 18 year old Jillian Jensen to see that becoming a blubbering mess can and does happen to performers who cannot handle the pressure, regardless of their age.

The fact is these shows pull the viewers in, and then tug on the viewers heart. Whether it is Scotty or Philip crying at their coronation, or Lauren being tearfully upset at being in the bottom two, or Hayley holding back her tears after a scathing Randy rips her choice of an inspirational song, or James being emotionally perfect, these programs want you to empathize with the contestants. The only problem with 13 years olds (and to the producers this is a positive not a negative) is that the audience feels even more emotion when a 13 year old cries than it does when a 23 year old cries. The producers have one goal: MONEY. If Beatrice, Cece, Paige and Jillian have to shed a few tears for the producers to make more money, guess what, there are going to be tears shed. Keep in mind, it is only a tv show, and most of what we see is staged, and designed to make the viewer feel. Exploiting contestants is what the producers do, regardless of their age. The viewers of these shows are drawn to the hot mess meltdowns of the contestants, much as Nascar viewers are drawn to the 10 car pile ups, or the car hitting the wall and rolling over a dozen times.

To hold it against Carly Rose that she is only 13 is silly. These shows are singing contests for the most part, and there have been very few singers on these shows the last couple years who can actually sing as well as Carly. Will she buckle under the pressure because she is only 13? I doubt it. Will she cry if and when she is eliminated? Absolutely. Will she cry if she wins? Absolutely. Will Vino or Emblem 3 or Tate cry if they win? Absolutely. Crying is almost as important to these shows as singing is LOL, that is why we keep watching :)

There’s a big difference between shedding a few tears of joy (or disappointment) and having a total meltdown. There is no way to know definitively who might rack, but if the producers and coaches see someone — like Rachel or Beatrice — showing signs of doing so, they should try to find a way to try and prevent it, rather than use it for ratings (which, I cynically believe is sometimes the case)

Note to Britney’s doctors – her medication level needs to be adjusted.

The producers have one goal: MONEY. If Beatrice, Cece, Paige and Jillian have to shed a few tears for the producers to make more money, guess what, there are going to be tears shed.

thedeviledadvocate, I’ll swear on a stack of whatevers that Cowell went on record a few years ago, (I think I read it on TWoP) saying Idol should NOT drop their minimum age requirements below where they were, and why – but he was an employee then, not the owner of the show – so now it’s ok to have 13 yr olds on XFUS? I think XFUK doesn’t even go that low.

During Cowel’s tenure on Idol, he would often give the younger contestants a hard time, saying they sang songs too old for them – now, as producer, look at the ‘mature’ songs HE hands out. The capper had to have been when he handed “Billie Jean” to Drew.

The man is a glorified Used Car Salesman! And icky, too (technical term). IMO.

I think the reason why Simon Cowell decided to reveal the ranking stuff is to make people vote for Emblem 3 more.  They ranked low during the first week.  But his plan backfires.  You can’t force people to vote for jackasses.

If she is bi-polar (which usually appears in early 20s), as some reports have said, then she’s probably on a combination of several different drugs such as an anti-anxiety drug, an anti-depressant drug, others to bring her back down when she’s too manic, and ones such as lithium or zyprexa to treat the illness itself.  It’s very difficult to find the right combination that will allow her to function normally and have independent thinking but still keep her symptoms under control.  It’s been my experience with people with this disorder, that it’s difficult to think for yourself when you’re on those kinds of medication, so I would think that most of her responses are scripted as much as possible.

The only remaining contestants whose music I would possibly purchase is Emblem3.  Paige is  a possibility.  I think she is so commercial its crazy and her voice is good enough for them to work with.  i actually like Paige a LOT more than CeCe in all areas, including vocals. I like Tate and vote for him and think he does his thing well but he is really true country( like Scotty) and I won’t buy his music. 

He recovered from his cancer (rumor was that DC helped him out financially, as did others).  He’s still singing – had/has performances in Branson, MO.  Here he is, on the left.
http://piercearrowtheater.com/

I think you are right about the Simon of the past. I remember him being very critical of the young hopefuls. Like you said, he would constantly say the song they sang was too old for them, and he would also be very critical of their clothing and makeup. Of course, he was a judge then and perhaps even believed he was giving them constructive criticism. To be honest, he was usually correct with the bad news he was giving, the problem then as it remains to be now, is not so much his criticism, but the way in which he delivers said criticism.

It seems Simon has changed his stance on teens, at least a little, or at least to try to get more drama on his show LOL. I like the technical word you used in describing the used carsalesmanesque Simon…. ICKY (that made me chuckle). I still like Simon, even though I think he is full of it nowadays. I suppose after 10 years of playing televised games of bullship, he may think he can do no wrong. The ratings may tell a different story though.

Thanks for the info, wordnerarchie and Incipit. OMG, “The Four Horsemen” – another thing that seems like a million years ago. Lovely to hear that Luke got support from Cook and others (plus the fans). I’m glad it all ended well.

Hijack over. Back to the evil ways of XF!  }:-E

In 2 years she can audition for Idol. :D

Children who perform in school plays, Christmas programs, and peewee sports get tons of phony applause and OTT excitement about how they performed, all the while pushing themselves to do more than they probably should be at their age. I have witnessed a few meltdowns at the jr high and high school talent shows. Poor kids, practice all year, then the big day comes and some of them fall apart.

I totally agree with you that a 13 year old would not have enough experience to possibly understand what they are signing up for. That is why we have child labor laws. The under 18′s on these shows have either parents or guardians. They are supposed to be looking out for these kids. The adults have to sign the papers to allow their kids to be exploited or is it a chance for their kids to follow their dream? Xfactor is giving a 5 million dollar contract. My brother would not allow his kids to go on this show. He thinks fame and fortune is overrated. If one of my children had the talent to make the top 12 on one of these shows, I would have a long, long talk with them about both the possible upsides, and downsides. If they wanted to proceed, I would allow them to follow their dreams.