Simon sticks the Boot in
Return of Mr Nasty as Cowell lays into useless X Factor contestants
SIMON Cowell has seemed a far gentler judge since he became a dad three years ago – until now.
The X Factor supremo reverted to Mr Nasty at the filming of Boot Camp on Saturday as he blasted “stupid choreography” and trashed acts with acid put downs. He told one five-piece band to ditch two members. And he dismissed hopefuls at Wembley SSE Arena in London with the withering stinger: “It was like eating water, goodbye.”
He told another contestant: “We’re in danger of losing the entire audience if you sing again.” With another crushing blow, he told a third: “You’ve let yourself down. It looks like you don’t care and you didn’t come here to win.”
Another act, who put everything into a frantic dance routine, also failed to impress. After they waited expectantly for approval, Cowell, 57, destroyed them, saying: “Can we hear something without the stupid choreography?”
A show source said Simon felt the need to make sure only the best contestants made it through to the final stages.
The insider said: “He has never lost his focus but Simon has definitely been more relaxed in recent years. But when things went wrong, the old acid-tongue and killer put-downs were back.
“He’s a perfectionist and wants to make sure the right people go through.”
In April, during the Britain’s Got Talent auditions, Amanda Holden claimed Cowell had softened since he had son Eric with Lauren Silverman in 2014. She said: “It’s really unnerved me. He’s being really nice. I don’t like it.”
X Factor returns on ITV in the autumn, with Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne and Nicole Scherzinger.