Australia's version 2.0 of The X-Factor is over, and despite being blitzed in the ratings by kids cooking shows and a number of behind-the-scenes dramas, at least the voters got it right.
Altiyan Childs was far and away the best performer out of a not-so-amazing bunch on the Channel Seven singing contest. Despite going AWOL for a bit and intially forgetting the lyrics at his first audition - Ronan Keating's new BFF gradually found his mojo, as his compelling stage presence and rock star characteristics shone through. And in terms of song choices - he took on several rock classics and did them justice as well.
Don't get me wrong - I'm the first to admit that X-Factor hasn't been the big-budget, post-Idol ratings hit which Seven hoped it would be. Most of the acts in the final 12 had nothing special about them at all - and some of the acts who made it to the final 6 in each mentor's group were undoubtedly better than the ones who were actually selected for the live shows.
Guy Sebastian learnt this the hard way by not selecting the very cool Jamacian duo and the rap/soul act for his top 6, and eventually he was the first judge eliminated from the contest. In the end, it was probably karma for feasting suspect acts on us like his former backing singers Mahogany, the ho-hum Kahrisma and the excruciating Luke and Joel.
And of course there was the Matthew Newton host sacking scandal which nearly derailed the whole thing completely. Home and Away star Luke Jacobz stepped up to the role in the nick of time - however, the execs at Seven obviously didn't see him host the trainwreck that was Popstars Live five years ago. He was margainly better this time around, but still has nothing on Andrew G, Darren McMullen and other former music hosts turned general TV presenters.
Finally, there was Kyle Sandilands' controversial no-shows at some rehersals and live shows for 'illness and exhaustion' reasons. While this may have genuinely been the case - it's a hard sell when you're able to back up for radio shows and other commitments within a few hours of X-Factor.
On the other hand, Guy Sebastian and Natalie Imbugria's fantastic personalities shone through and made them brilliant judges - and despite a few suspect nice guy comments at times, Ronan Keating also handled his judging duties well.
It's a big call, but Altiyan might just hang around a bit longer after his tv-show-winning-honeymoon-period if Sony BMG market him correctly, capitlise on his strengths and give him his space. As proven on the show, Altiyan is a commanding performer in the live environment, and is much more of a rock star than the Shannon Nolls, Wes Carrs, Damien Lieths and (shudder) Lee Hardings which Australian Idol produced during its time on air.
Who knows if there will be an X Factor 2011 and if the same dramas will clog the show again if it does return. However, the producers can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that in terms of putting a full stop on things, at least the best man won.
