‘The X Factor’ UK: Did Nicholas McDonald really lash out at Gary Barlow, Louis Walsh?
Welcome to this latest edition of “The British Press Making Something Out of Nothing,” where we talk about how the comments of a teenage boy about a singing competition suddenly becoming earth-shattering news that nobody in the known world would actually believe.
Today, we are talking specifically about Nicholas McDonald’s comments to the Daily Mail about this past season of “The X Factor” UK, where he has been made out to look ungrateful and frustrated about his time on the show. In reality, he’s just being honest, and not giving the sort of answers that you would expect of a media-controlled Syco robot.
Exhibit A of the press’ obsession – This quote from Nicholas about Louis Walsh saying that viewers should want to vote for Sam and pick up her winners’ single:
“I don’t know what that was about and it was rude of him …. He should have been backing his own act and not encouraging the public to vote for their opponent.”
Are there a little bit of sour grapes here from Nicholas? Sure, but at the same time, it’s hard to really blame him for it. Then again, it’s hard to really be that upset at Louis, either. He’s just programmed to say things like “get out there and vote” (how many times has he said something original?), and he probably said it without even realizing that it could come across as a slight to his own act.
Exhibit B – McDonald supposedly going after Gary Barlow in the same interview for some of his harsher criticisms on the show:
“Gary had a problem with me throughout the whole show. He never seemed to like me and whenever I gave a good performance he would pick up on the smallest things in the world.”
First of all, is that really this big of a deal that he’s upset at Gary? It really shouldn’t be, but this could be a case of everyone constantly telling this guy that he’s amazing, and not acting like there is anything still for him to work on. What Gary was getting at is that unless he becomes more creative, there are hundreds of similar sort of young guys with ballad voices out there. It’s hard to have success with that; just ask some of the other former “X Factor” contestants of this variety like Jahmene Douglas and Joe McElderry.
What do you think about Nicholas’ comments: Big deal, or no deal? Share below, and be sure to also click here if you want to see where Nicholas stood in the public vote for most of the season.
Photo: ITV