X Factor: Thousands of fans complain about the 'Fix Factor' as Simon Cowell saves Jedward

He once described them as 'vile creatures' and declared he would leave the country if they won The X Factor.

But as Simon Cowell must know better than most, nothing generates ratings like a good controversy. So it is perhaps unsurprising that his U-turn to vote for the Irish twins known as 'Jedward' has been condemned by viewers as a fix.

ITV chiefs last night said they had received an astonishing 3,000 complaints amid suspicions that Cowell knew the public had voted against Lucie Jones when he forced the 'deadlock'.

The broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has also received 50 complaints and could start an investigation.

The controversy came after Cowell had the deciding vote between the talented teenager Lucie and twins John and Edward Grimes on Sunday's show.

Instead of putting Lucie through, he went for the twins - leaving the four judges' votes tied and meaning their fate was in the hands of a record 16.6million viewers.

Despite the twins' questionable talents, the public opted for them - and Lucie was out.

Some claimed he wanted the twins to stay because - despite his criticisms of their act - they have proved strangely endearing to many viewers.

His decision added fuel to speculation that he secretly loves the twins, seeing their potential as a money-making novelty chart act.

There has also been discussion that he is protecting his own acts, all three of which remain in the competition.
Cowell justified his choice by saying he was thinking about which act he would rather see next week.

'I'd probably rather see the boys,' he admitted. This was despite telling them they 'couldn't sing' on Saturday's show, and describing them as 'horrors'.
Cowell last night denied he was aware beforehand that the public vote was in favour of the 18-year-old twins.

'I know there will be lots of people who will criticise the decision to let it to go to deadlock, but I honestly could not have predicted the way public voting had gone - I never get told the voting figures,' he said.
'The twins are good entertainment and there would be criticism either way. I really just couldn't make up my mind, that's why I left it to the public.'

A source close to Cowell said yesterday: 'At the end of the day, all we are doing is entertaining people. Simon actually thought the boys would go.

'Nobody voted for Lucie - and let's not forget that Simon had actually told her she had given her best performance of the series the night before.'
Ofcom will now decide whether to begin an investigation. A spokesman said: 'There are a number of complaints which we are looking into.'

It's the second time in two weeks Ofcom have been contacted over Cowell's decisions.

Last week he was blasted by viewers for forcing the vote to a deadlock after he picked Welsh teen Lloyd Daniels, 16, over 17-year-old Rachel Adedeji.

Cowell said he felt sorry for Lloyd who was suffering from a sore throat - even though the judges had been unanimous in their praise for Londoner Rachel.

Cowell's move prompted protest from thousands of X Factor viewers on websites, including the Daily Mail's.


Lucie's polished performance of One Moment In Time had won her the backing of her mentor Dannii Minogue and fellow judge Cheryl Cole.

Even Jedward's mentor Louis Walsh had told her: 'There's no way you should have been in the bottom two.'

Yesterday Lucie, 18, was philosophical about her exit from the competition.

'At the end of the day, it's not just a singing contest,' she said.

'It's called The X Factor so it is not just about having the best voice or being the best singer.'

She added: 'I just don't feel that me and Simon ever really clicked. Right from the start I don't think we ever really got on in the same way that he did with some of the other acts.'

And she refused to criticise Jedward. 'There was no way John and Edward had the least amount of votes... everyone loves them and I tried to deal with it before Dermot turned to speak to me... but I kinda knew,' she said.

Meanwhile, the Grime twins' mentor, Louis Walsh, said: 'I don't think that Simon got it wrong at all, this is a great television show and great entertainment.'

Lucie's elimination leaves her mentor Dannii with just one act, after losing Rachel Adedeji last week.

Finalists' betting odds

Olly Murs 2/1; Danyl Johnson 7/2; Joe McElderry 7/2; Stacey Solomon 9/2; Jamie Archer 12/1; John and Edward 12/1; Lloyd Daniels 66/1. Source: Ladbrokes

'Pub singer' Daniel Evans unanimously voted off The X Factor

Dannii Minogue finally lost a singer from her category in The X Factor after Daniel Evans was voted off the show by judges.

Another of Dannii's acts, Rachel Hylton, was also in the bottom two following the public vote but the mentor was spared having to chose between the pair after the other three judges all voted for Daniel to leave the competition.

Voting off Daniel seemed the obvious choice for Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh, who have continually slated his performances on the live shows.
Cheryl Cole also said she wanted to send the 38-year-old pool cleaner home in favour of Rachel.

In the sing off, Daniel sang 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' which finally won him a compliment from Simon Cowell - but it was still not enough to keep him in the competition.

Simon said: "You chose a good song and I believe you mean what you're singing.

"But this may come as a surprise, the person I am sending home is Daniel."
Taking defeat graciously, Daniel, who first auditioned for the show after being encouraged to do so by his late wife, said: "It has been the best experience I've ever had - ups and downs. Thanks to everyone who voted."

He added his family and Dannii had kept him going through out the competition after he had been criticised every week by Simon and Louis.

Evans said: "I couldn't honestly picture myself winning the show, and obviously now it's the case. Winning was never in my mind. I just dreamt of getting to the final. I was upsetting the odds every week by staying in. The public kept me there. I'm upset to be out. I was hoping to push on a little bit longer for us older people.

"To be honest, I didn't expect to get this far and every week when the public kept me in, it was best feeling in the world. Thanks to the public I got this far."

Evans said: 'It's no secret the judges are not my biggest fans. I've been through worse than that, I can take a few words from those two. It's no problem. They're entitled to say what they want, they're entitled to their opinion.

'Maybe I'm not their cup of tea. But the public showed for six weeks that they liked me. I do think I had something to offer. The public saw that but the judges didn't, that's the way it goes.'

Evans hit back at criticism in the tabloid press that X Factor producers had played on his 'sob story' of the recent death of his wife, leaving him to bring up his one-year-old daughter, Ana Maria, alone.
He said: 'Of all things I heard that was the one that hurt me the most when someone said I was only progressing because of the death of my wife and I would never ever play on that story. But the reason I came into this competition is my wife had passed away and it was her wish. I only mentioned it because I was asked.'

Evans was also accused by the tabloids of hiding his two other children from previous relationships.

He insisted: 'Right at the start, on my first audition it says 'Daniel father-of-three' and my daughter and my son's mother were there. So why people think I'm keeping them a secret I don't know. They were there. I would never make a secret of my children I'm proud of my kids, I love all my kids. My kids know I love them. I've got nothing to prove to them.'

Earlier in the show, Daniel had performed 'It's Not Unusual' alongside a troupe of female dancers and a mini.

Simon said of his Tom Jones cover: 'It was like watching a drunk dad at a wedding.'

While Daniel had so far sailed through each round on the public vote, despite Simon and Louis' opposition, this week he found himself in the bottom two with Rachel.

She had failed to win over the public with her version of Amy Winehouse's You Know I'm No Good.

The 26-year-old had first impressed the judges singing the song in her audition and did enough to convince them she should remain in the competition.
Last night's show also saw the return of Diana Vickers, 17, who didn't perform last week after coming down with laryngitis.

She was overjoyed to be voted through to another week after she admitted her performance suffered from her recent illness.

Meanwhile, JLS got the audience on their feet with their Beatles medley and Alexandra Burke wowed the judges with her rendition of Joe Cocker's You are so beautiful.

After controversially surviving last week's sing-off against Laura White, Ruth Lorenzo proved her worth with a powerful cover of Robbie William's Angels.

And the judges tipped 16-year-old Eoghan Quigg for the final after he impressed singing George Michael's One More Try.

“I can see the star quality in you. You scare me for the final!” Cheryl said.

In the results show, Leona Lewis, who has become a global star since winning The X Factor in 2006, returned to perform a cover of Snow Patrol's Run.

Simon Cowell commended her for an 'incredible' performance after the singer admitted it was 'frightening and exhilarating to be back'.