“It’s easier to get rid of Chlamydia than it is Katie Waissel”- 227,023 people Like this

It seems particularly harmless at first; the onset of Christmas, hopefuls providing the family with barrels of Saturday night laughter, and the opportunity for the public to make an aspiring talent’s dreams come true. Yet after 6 series’, The X-Factor has bigger issues on its mind: Who’s better dressed, Dannii or Cheryl? Should Gamu be allowed to stay in the UK? How much botox has Simon had? And should 2010’s biggest scapegoat, Katie Waissell still be in the competition?

Does Britain need another female solo artist?

Let’s face it, the figures don’t lie. Thousands have expressed their disapproval of Waissell’s remarkable survival on Facebook. Whilst Waissell has been in the bottom two in four out of the six live shows, with the judges often controversially choosing her quirky style over the likes of popular Aiden Grimshaw, once thought to be the favourite for the competition.

But there must be something the judges and 34,432 Facebook fans see in her. Slander and gossip columns aside, Katie’s quirky style is reminiscent of a toned down Lady Gaga, with her voice providing a nice cross between not quite as soft as Diana Vickers, but not quite as soulful as Alexandra Burke. Musically, she has also displayed great variation, from auditioning to Queen, to performing the likes of The Monkey Song, Waissell cannot be accused of being a one trick pony.

Yet there is no smoke without fire. For all of her entertaining performances and on screen smiles, there are be underlying secrets and unsavoury characteristics that not even the power of Cowell or charm of Dermot O’Leary can hide. Talent aside, the Londoner has been a hub of controversy. Having forgotten her lyrics on three separate occasions and muttering ‘sod it’ during a performance, the singer lacks credibility. Outside of the show, Waissell has falsely claimed to be romantically involved with 7/4 favourite Matt Cardle. Behind the scenes, she was overheard exclaiming ‘I’m the f**king best singer here. I’ve had to put up with s**t on this show. Everyone else has got it f**king easy’, in a drunken tirade.

Something tells me Waissel name will not be a popular name on Christmas Card Lists across Britain

After all, it does not take a genius to realise that a contestant as unpopular as Katie would not be a chart success- even the winners struggle, ahem, Steve Brookstein, Shayne Ward and Leon Jackson. Out of six winners, only Leona Lewis has achieved global success, whilst Alexandra Burke has been prolific across Europe and Joe McElderry is still recording his debut album- Furthering the idea that Cowell relies on the X Factor’s viewership and advertising capabilities as his main source of revenue, not the winner’s eventual success.

She’s hardly the best advert for Christmas Number 1, but with entertainment websites such as Digital Spy listing Katie Waissell amongst their top searches, and X Factor viewing figures pushing the 15 Million mark, it is clear that Cowell and co, are utilising the oldest trick in the book, ‘controversy creates cash’.