[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Jack_

It matters in terms of creating an entertaining and engaging live show format, IMO. There were problems with the lives, absolutely, but the thing that makes X Factor better than The Voice is that you can get to know the acts over ten weeks and become invested in their journeys. 2015 proved that you can't over a shorter length of time, it was rushed, flat, and beyond predictable. This is even worse, how can acts develop when they're culling like four people in one week? It's tragic. Plus, the sing-off is without question the highlight of the weekend, if only for Louis' classic Deadlock dramas (the biggest loss tbh </3)

In terms of what else you said, under this format it is conceivable that one of the favourites could easily be lost in the one-act-from-each-category-leaves week if they have a bad night. Let's say that Grace or Holly has a bad performance and the other girls shine, meanwhile the fodder in the Boys category continue to underperform and would in a regular series be shoe-ins to leave in week 4. The former could end up being eliminated just because of a stupid arbitrary rule about keeping the categories at equal numbers, while the latter get to float on through just because it's completely unfair.

I was referring more to the second part, about culling the categories equally, as they do at every prior stage of the competition. Culling them quickly so it's over in a shorter time does allow less time for progression and getting familiar with the acts and also for building up fanbases in time for finale week when it's the last head to head.

But, in terms of a girl like Grace getting booted out due to a bad week whilst a mediocre boy floats through happens regardless every single year. Heck, how many times have the judges wilfully made that exact decision during the sing-off/deadlock?

When it comes to that, the problem lies in talentless dreck making it to the live shows at all. The show's standards when it comes to talent needs to improve, no matter the process of eliminating them in the live shows.

However, I still maintain 12th place or 8th place, they're elimination fodder for the only places anyone cares about - 3rd, 2nd and 1st. The rest of them are just "those people eliminated throughout the lives." The order in which that happens is inconsequential IMO.