[Kaz]

Found this little snippet in today's 'Shelleyvision' section of the Mirror online:

KNOCK 'N' ROLL

SINCE Christmas, Pop Idol has, sadly, not only copied Big Brother's format but replicated its fatal weakness - namely, that the more the unfavoured and flawed contestants are voted out, the more boring the show becomes.

Saturday's show had more padding than a Rik Waller lookalike contest, while next week's showdown sees Gareth Gates and Darius taking on Will "The Winner" Young - a freak of nature so fresh-faced, he appears to have a Greg Rusedski smilemask stuck on his face.

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I didn't think that Big Brother became more boring just because Stuart, Penny, Naz, etc. were voted out. We had the budding romance between Paul & Helen, and the unpredictability of Brian & Josh's relationship with each other to keep us amused after all.

Similarly, I don't think Pop Idol has become more boring either. The tension at the end of the programme is now unbearable, as the final few contestants are so good that it's impossible to predict who's going to leave. I also enjoy seeing behind the scenes, and what they have been getting up to between programmes.