Three former X Factor UK stars recently participated in a roundtable discussion on the We Need to Talk podcast. Two of the contestants revealed they were “blindsided” when the show aired private information about them without their knowledge.
The X Factor Dug Up Dirt on the Show’s Contestants
Jahméne Douglas competed on Series 9 of The X Factor in 2012, finishing the show in second place. Along with his siblings and his mother, he had been in a witness protection program before the show for safety from his abusive father.
Douglas told We Need to Talk host Paul C. Brunson that he never told the show about his family situation. However, because it was public record, The X Factor found out about it and aired his story without his knowledge. He only found out when he watched the video package immediately before one of his live performances.
“I’m a sob story now,” Douglas remembered thinking at the time. “And I just remember shaking just thinking, ‘Everybody knows.'”
Douglas chose to turn the experience into something positive by becoming the first youth ambassador for Women’s Aid. Whenever he was interviewed about his experience, he “made sure they donated” to the charity.
Fellow Series 9 contestant Lucy Spraggan shared that she experienced something similar to Douglas when the show uncovered something she hadn’t shared with them. It happened when her grandmother passed away while she was competing on the show.
Spraggan attended the funeral but “didn’t talk about it” with the production. She ended up being interviewed on camera and asked how her week had been. Although she resisted talking about her grandma’s death, she was eventually asked about it.
Spraggan said a tear fell down her face and she “couldn’t speak.” Later, as she was preparing to go on stage for a live performance, she saw the interview being played in her video package. Spraggan said she was “blindsided” by it.
“What they wanted was sensationalism, all the time,” Spraggan said. “And I do believe it was in some ways a very difficult psychotic experiment on 12 acts every year. It was an abusive relationship.”
What do you think about the stories shared by these former X Factor contestants? Let us know in the comments below.
Words by:
Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
