Last week there was a dramatic end on “X-Factor” as 15-year old hip-hop contestant “Astro” was added to the list of bottom two performers on the popular talent competition created by Simon Cowell. Astro broke into tears and when asked to comment on what he was thinking he said, “If you’re gonna put me on the bottom two, then I don’t wanna be here…”. This statement was followed by audience boos and a flood of comments on Twitter as Astro became a trending topic. The public opinion was that Astro was “spoiled” and “ungrateful” and even some people compared him to a little Kanye West in the making with his childish outburst.
News flash: Astro is a child.
Astro later went on to comment his side of the story saying that before the results came in there were some backstage disagreements which he feels may have had a play in him being picked for the bottom two performers. According to PerezHilton.com, Astro allegedly wanted to wear a particular brand of headphones as a part of his wardrobe that was not being sponsored by the show. Product placement and name branding is very well planned and is taken very seriously when it comes to shows with high viewership. After being told by Simon Cowell that he could not wear the headphones because there was deal set up with the company who made them, Astro proceeded to wear the brand anyway during his performance.
Side note: The bottom two is not necessarily those with the least amount of audience votes. Only one of the performers has the least amount of votes and the producers reserve the right to pick the second person. It’s all about ratings ultimately. At the end, the last two have to do a “survival” performance, after which the judges ultimately decide.
After the drama backstage, however, Astro ended up on the bottom two. The judges claimed that he was being disrespectful and then came infamous “Astro rebuttal”. To the audience, it appeared that Astro didn’t care anymore but it may have been because Astro knew that his placement on the bottom two was the result of his outright defiance to Simon Cowell’s orders. After all, it is Simon’s show and nothing happens until Simon says.
Will Astro make it through another week and regain the love of his fans or is he just a spoiled kid who doesn’t appreciate a five million dollar opportunity? “The X-Factor” will be airing earlier this week on Fox due to the Thanksgiving holidays. Check your local TV listings for more details.