Norman Lebrecht:

"(...) the most disturbing X factor for me in the whole phenomenon is the show's similarity to that other form of adult entertainment, the one known as pornographic movies (of which I have also watched a few minutes, very few). On the X Factor we see a simulation of musical activity, fixed smiles and an absence of emotion. All the moves are choreographed and the noises produced to order. It doesn't take very long and the end is always the same."

How the X Factor manufactures musical porn