14 DAY TRIAL // After a brilliant performance on the latest live X Factor show, Katie Waissel has more than proved that she deserves to be in the competition, as the judges also noted. However, she’s still at a disadvantage.
As fans of the show must know, Katie was targeted in the media and by the public because Gamu Nhengu was eliminated in the previous stage and she wasn’t.
She has already spoken out about that, saying she was made to feel as if she’d taken Gamu’s place on the show, but stressing that everybody was competing with everybody for the big prize, therefore no one should pick on her for what happened to Gamu.
Also then, Katie boldly announced she would silence critics with her next performance – which is precisely what she did with “I Would Rather Go Blind.”
However, even a perfect 10 performance can’t guarantee her a place in the next show, especially not when other contestants have unfair advantages, her mother says for the Daily Mail.
Katie’s mother is telling the media that Mary Byrne, who has worked as a check-out girl for Tesco for more than a decade, is being unfairly plugged and will get more votes because of her association with the supermarket chain.
“The row over The X Factor’s links to Tesco has been reignited by the mother of finalist Katie Waissel, who claims the supermarket has been plugging till worker Mary Byrne,” the Mail writes/
“The supermarket has sent emails reminding its 300,000 employees of 50-year-old Irishwoman Ms Byrne’s forthcoming appearance in the live finals,” the same publication says.
“It’s not fair – 300,000 is a lot of supporters. If it goes by that, it means Mary’s going to win,” Katie’s mother says.
However, Tesco insists it’s not doing anything more than showing support for an employee who needs support – it’s not telling people who to vote for.
Similarly, talk of how Tesco has paid good money to have either judges or Byrne herself mention the name of the supermarket chain is just rubbish, a spokesperson reveals.
“She has reached The X Factor finals on her talent alone. Any suggestions that the references have anything to do with a supply deal for the X Magazine are absolutely untrue,” the Tesco rep says in a statement.
Below are the performances of the two hopefuls on the most recent X Factor live show.
Katie Waissel “I Would Rather Go Blind”
Mary Byrne “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”