X Factor is notoriously known for absolutely destroying the less talented hopefuls who try to impress the judges, but the New Zealand branch of the franchise apparently has its limits.
What would The X Factor be without knowing that at least a few of the fortune-seeking candidates who try to sing before the judges’ panel end up leaving in tears, their lives and self-confidence probably irreparably wrecked?
Whether or not someone has actual talent, it can sometimes be nerve-wracking to stand in front of lights and cameras, letting a panel of talented (or semi-talented) professionals judge their abilities. Sometimes the hopefuls just don’t have what it takes, sometimes their voice is shaking with nerves, and sometimes, the judges are just having a really bad day.
It’s the dark side of talent shows: for every winner, there’s an abundance of losers who have been shamed on national television for thinking they had what it took.
The X Factor franchise has carried this model of wide-scale humiliation tactics across the world, but apparently it is possible to go too far.
In New Zealand, judges and real-life married couple Natalia Kills and Willy Moon were both given the boot after launching into a cruel rant about a contestant during a live show:
In the video, Natalia Kills calls the contestant “cheesy and disgusting” for allegedly copying her husband, claiming it to be “absolutely artistically atrocious.”
“It’s disgusting, you make me sick,” she told the stunned Joe Irvine, who clearly had no idea how to respond.
Husband Willy Moon added, “it’s like Norman Bates dressing up in his mother’s clothing, it’s just a little bit creepy and I feel like you’re gonna stitch someone’s skin to your face and then kill somebody in the audience.”
Said audience was clearly not okay with listening to the pair tear the contestant apart. When Irvine tried to stand up for himself, trying to compliment Kills and admitting he thought he looked good, Kills’ nasty response was, “You look good because you’re dressed like my husband.”
Fellow judge Melanie Blatt had clearly had enough of the hateful ranting, and cut across with, “Actually, you’re dressed better than her husband.” The last judge, Stan Walker (who is a strong anti-bullying advocate), seemed to have been stunned into silence.
“I believe in you. You have what it takes,” Blatt insisted to Irvine. “You’ve got a beautiful tone, please don’t listen.” She put her hand out as if to push her fellow judges away, and that’s exactly what happened.
MediaWorks, the company which owns TV3, has now fired Moon and Kills from the show, effective immediately. According to the New Zealand Herald, this was in response to severe pressure from sponsors, and both Blatt and Walker.
Chief executive Mark Weldon called Kills and Moon’s comments, “completely unacceptable,” saying that his company, “will not tolerate such destructive tirades from any of the judges.”
Responding to MediaWorks’ decision, Blatt said, “It wasn’t about the talent last night and this show is all about that. I love this show so much. All the acts that were on last night, they’ve been working for weeks and weeks to get this right I feel like we didn’t talk about them enough. I just want to tell them that I’m so proud and they all smashed it.”
Blatt also opened up about the incident on Twitter, writing:
Ive tried to keep my cool and stay professional but really @nataliakills ? Sorry love , you're a twat https://t.co/l2lIE21G99
— melanie blatt (@melblatt) March 15, 2015
We’re happy to see that there’s some level of responsibility being shown by the broadcaster here, because The X Factor has long walked a fine line between being entertaining, and downright cruel.
With Kills and Moon fired from the show, only two judges remain. We have confidence that the network will find better alternatives, who will judge the contestants on their own merit rather than try to draw the attention back to themselves.
We also can’t help but wonder if Natalia Kills and her husband realize that Moon and Irvine’s style is extremely common among the metrosexual hipster youth, and that if anyone is copying anyone, surely it’s our entire generation copying this trend-setting gentleman:
Lesson learned: don’t be a bully on national television. Or on the internet. Or at all.
Source: The New Zealand Herald
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