A TASTE OF THE X FACTOR

by Carla Farrow

I'm on the plane heading back to England and nobody, apart from my family, knows why I'm going back. I've decided to keep it under wraps. You see curiosity has got the better of me and I've just got to find out if I've got the X Factor!!! I arrived at the O2 arena in London at 6.50 am on a warm spring morning in May. It's not so bad there were about 400 people in front of me but within 15 minutes there were 4000 people behind me it wasn't long before I couldn't see the back of the queue!

Camaraderie is in the air everyone is excited at the possibility of being the next big thing! There's people there who are convinced their bathroom singing sessions are enough to take them through, repeat offenders who think “this time they'll see the star in me” and there's a woman in the biggest pinkest Barbie dress I've ever seen. It seems anything goes if you want to get noticed...

Two hours pass by and we are informed that we are waiting for Dermot O'Leary to appear before we can enter the arena. While we are waiting the cameras are filming and the chauffeur's drive the judge's black 4x4's through the crowd whilst the X Factor crew are instructing us to scream as if the judges are really in there!

We also had to do a lot of pretend screaming (as in doing the action but without the noise) this is so they can add the screaming later in between Dermot doing his talky bits!

11.30pm, hooray! We're on our way to the arena. I'm feeling a little like cattle now being herded but very excited as I've never been to the O2 Arena and I'm looking forward to seeing inside, but unfortunately this will have to wait for another 2 hours as we have to do another session of pretend screaming, clapping and waving. My arms have never had such a great workout!

Dermott O'Leary is there and the atmosphere is great, cameras on boom arms are flying around the X Factor flag is being pulled over the top of the crowd by everyone and then were told that the camera will be coming in for close ups. It's at this point I duck down onto the floor, retrieve my
make up case and put my face on, well it was 5am when I left the house that morning and I'm lucky I managed to put my clothes on the right way round!!! Then I realize no mirror! Thank goodness for digital cameras. I take my own photo check the picture and decide I'm semi presentable. Vanity is a fickle thing!!

At last were in the arena, by 2.30pm everyone is seated, all 14000 people. There's more clapping and screaming and were informed that if we don't participate we will be asked to leave as its all part of the X Factor experience, fair enough, in for a penny in for a pound!.

The auditions begin. Row by row the people are taken down to the 24 booths on the stage area, I realize I'm in for a long wait so I take a wander around. About 10,000 young women are singing songs. Aleasha Keys and Frank Sinatra seem to be everywhere. I head for the back of the arena where I can see into the booths. The contestant steps inside the booth and stands about 4 feet away from the judge or judges. Pleasantries are exchanged then they are asked to sing, most of them were asked to sing two songs. To receive a golden ticket means you've made it through to the next round.

It's 7pm, 12 hours after I'd first arrived, and I'm off to do my thing. My judges are two very nice men, we chat and then I sing ‘Who's loving you' by Michael Jackson. To my surprise they don't ask for a second song, they hand me a golden ticket and inform me “Congratulations you're through to the next round” I'm a little stunned at this point but off I skip singing “I've got a golden ticket”.

One week later and I'm back on the plane again, but this time I'm heading for the Emirates stadium, home of Arsenal Football Club! There are about 1,000 hopefuls at this audition and I'm
fortunate to be one of the first 15 in, in fact I was second. 15 girls are sat in the corridor. The first one goes in and comes out shaking her head. I found out later she didn't even get to sing!
I enter the room feeling calm. I chat with the 2 very young long haired male judges whilst they sit with their feet on the desk. I sing my song and then they ask me to sing another so I burst into pinks, “Who knew”. The judges are having a silent argument at the table and now I'm shaking!!
Suddenly it seems important to me to get through this round! I finish my song and one judge tells me “I'm on the fence about you, I might put you in with another judge, can you step outside for a minute”.

Outside the remaining 13 girls are all questions while I'm trying to stop myself feeling like a pneumatic drill! All of one minute passes which felt like hours and they call me back inside. Lo and behold they hand me a red ticket whilst saying “Congratulations you're through to
the next round”. I run from the room whooping, everyone cheers outside. Only 2 of us got through from this group.

I'm then led to a room they call the pod. On the way we pick up a mini McHammer impersonator and the biggest transvestite I've ever seen in my life! This is the room where you do all the “I've got the X Factor things” with actions. This is mainly for ITV 2's Xtra Factor! I have an interview so they can find out all my details and any sob story's or dirt they can use. It's only then that I realise I'm so normal it's embarrassing!

Time for the third round and this was done in front of the Executive Producer of the X Factor and a camera. I think it went well but they inform you if you're through by letter 2 weeks later. And that was it for me, back to Spain, back to work and a patient wait!

Whilst I was away my very excited hubby told everyone. So much for discretion, but I'm glad. I really enjoyed everyone's enthusiasm and had to keep reminding myself not to get caught up in their excitement. I am a realist and I didn't think I would go any further. I was right!

My thanks, but no thanks, letter arrived and I felt a pang of disappointment that I wouldn't be meeting Simon Cowell at the next audition. I have no regrets about going, and experiencing the auditions and I'm happy that out of the 28,000 people that auditioned in London alone, I got down to about the last 1000. Mind you, so did mini McHammer and big scary transvestite.
I'm still really looking forward to watching the X Factor this year especially as I've had a taste of what could have been, felt that flutter of excitement and I get to watch it from the pool.
Who knows! I may have even had a conversation at some point with next X Factor winner!