As the seventh series of X Factor kick starts our Saturday night schedules ready for the rainy autumn months, Simon Cowell and X Factor bosses are facing criticism over the alleged use of autotune during Saturday’s episode.

Whilst such controversy is no surprise from X Factor, claims that autotuning has been used to tweek the talent in the competition has caused a massive influx of complaints. Comments appeared on the official X Factor facebook page such as ’ Why are the contestants having their vocals fixed with autotune post production?… I know it’s all fixed but come on be a little less obvious about it’. Acts such as ‘Gay and Straight’ (G&S) only confirmed the X Factor’s ploy to manipulate its viewers with rumours that the two were paired to encourage a positive response to  ’Straights’ mediocre talent in comparison to the car-crash performance displayed by her partner, ‘Gay’. Afterall, it is hard to believe that anyone with an ounce of musical talent would ever choose to associate themselves with someone who can only be described as entirely tone-deaf. The question is whether the X Factor have taken the outcome of the show too far into their own hands, taking away any sense of agency once felt by its avid audience? It appears that Simon Cowell and co. are no longer attempting to pull the wool over the audience’s eyes but instead highlighting its faults ready for their viewers to react.

Under the face of such extreme scrutiny, the X Factor fails to falter, in fact further flourishing as it once again succeeds in creating its all-intended media buzz.