The Fix Factor? What was producer Richard Holloway whispering to Louis Walsh before judge controversially CHANGED his mind... and took vote to deadlock
- Louis chose to save Carolynne, but then took the vote to deadlock
- As Rylan Clark went through, Carolynne's mentor Gary Barlow stormed off
- Devastated Carolynne said she is 'very cross' about the situation, and won't be auditioning for The X Factor again
Louis Walsh caused outrage on Sunday night's X Factor as he changed his mind after initially choosing to save Carolynne Poole from elimination.
After Louis initially told host Dermot O'Leary he wanted Carolynne to go through to next week's show over controversial Essex contestant Rylan Clark, he then backtracked and shouted that he wanted to take the vote to deadlock.
Louis' last-minute change of heart caused outrage among viewers, with many pointing out that he was spotted chatting to the show's executive producer Richard Holloway during Carolynne's sing-off - prior to the judges' decision on who should go home.
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Fix? Louis Walsh caused outrage on Sunday night's X Factor by changing his mind and taking the vote to deadlock
Bending his ear: Louis was spotted chatting to X Factor executive producer Richard Holloway as Carolynne completed her sing-off
When Nicole Scherzinger voted to keep her act Rylan in the competition, Tulisa Contostavlos and Gary Barlow opted to send the eccentric star home, instead giving Carolynne another chance to impress next week.
And when Louis was left with the deciding vote, he said he wanted to save Carolynne, only saying that he changed his mind when the 32-year-old began celebrating her narrow escape.
Pleased with yourselves? Louis, Nicola and Richard Holloway were seen having a late dinner together at C restaurant
Battling it out: Carolynne Poole was in the sing-off alongside controversial Essex contestant Rylan Clark
Louis' retracting of his decision took the vote to deadlock, with Rylan then making it through to next week's show as he received the most public votes between the pair.
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The result also saw judge Gary Barlow express his disappointment by dramatically storming off the stage in support of his act Carolynne.
However, viewers were quick to take to Twitter to comment on Louis' unfair behaviour.
Anger: Gary has words with Louis, Nicole is out of her seat, and Tulisa silently sits out the drama
Who's going to go? After Louis took the vote to deadlock and Rylan was voted through, Carolynne's mentor Gar Barlow was seen storming off
Fuming: Gary leaves the stage as soon as the decision is revealed, prompting gasps from the audience
Coronation Street star Alan Halsall, who plays Tyrone Dobbs in the ITV soap, tweeted: 'See Louis getting a pep talk from producer?'
He later added: 'Gracious & dignified @CarolynnePoole yes @TheXFactor is a competition we knew that, it's just a shame about the controversy !! #gutted.'
It's all over: Carolynne is devastated after being the first to be booted off the show
Make your mind up! Louis appeared visibly torn as he dragged out making his decision despite host Dermot O' Leary pressuring him for an answer
And Dancing On Ice judge Louie Spence added: 'Why bother being a judge if you can't do the job, big mistake huge mistake #xfactor what a load of S**t.'
However, Louis defended his decision on Sunday night, insisting it was the 'fairest thing to do'.
He added: 'I was torn. I think Rylan's a great entertainer and Carolynne's a great singer.
Dignified exit: Carolynne managed a smile and a wave as she headed home following her X Factor exit
Safe for another week: Rylan, seen here with Jade Ellis, has divided opinion with his unique voice
Divided: Gary looked stony-faced as he was photographed after the show, while Rylan's mentor Nicole Scherzinger flashed a peace sign for waiting photographers
'I couldn't make up my mind. So, finally, I decided that the fairest thing to do was to go to the public vote and Rylan had more votes than Carolynne. It was sad but it was the fairest option.'
And while many speculated that Louis was told to take the vote to deadlock by producer Holloway ahead of the sing-off, an ITV spokesperson denied the claims, insisting: 'Carolynne had the least amount of public votes so the public's choice to stay in the show was Rylan.
'Producers always chat to Judges during the show.'
Xtra Factor host Caroline Flack also defended Louis' actions on This Morning on Monday.
Leggy ladies: Tulisa opted for a bizarre hooded dress as she left the studios, while Xtra Factor host Caroline Flack stuck to her favourite outfit in tiny shorts
Smiles all round: Melanie Masson and Jahmene Douglas made it through to the second week of live finals
She said: 'The producers always speak to the judges all the way through the show. They need to be told what's going on - if there's a technical fault or whatever, that's what happens because they don't have earpieces.
'The shot of Louis speaking to Richard may have looked like that but I wasn't there so I can't say what they spoke about.'
Caroline also said defended host Dermot, who had been accused of not taking Louis' decision to save Carolynne and pushing him to change his mind.
Familiar faces: Leona Lewis performed on the show, while last year's contestant Amelia Lily also put in an appearance
She said: 'It has been the same over the whole nine years that we have been doing X Factor. Dermot has to wait until he hears the judge say, "I want to send home...". He has to wait to hear that phrase before he can accept the decision.'
After last night's controversial show Louis and Richard Holloway were seen enjoying dinner with Ryaln's mentor Nicole at C restaurant.
The trio appeared to be in great spirits and were seen beaming as they left the eatery.
Firm friends: Perhaps Nicole was paying for the meal as a thank you to Louis for helping Rylan to be kept in the competition
'Cross': Appearing on Daybreak on Monday morning, Carolynne insisted she would not audition for X Factor for a third year running
Outrage: Carolynne spoke to Lorraine Kelly, Richard Arnold and Aled Jones about the Twitter reaction to her exit
Following last night's decision, Carolynne took to her Twitter page to apologise to her fans for not making it further in the competition, writing: 'Sorry for letting u all down x’
But speaking on Daybreak on Monday morning, Carolynne admitted she was 'cross' about the way things had played out on the show.
Boyband: Union J give it their all alongside their fellow contestants
Saved: Jade and Jahmene impressed during their first live performance and were saved through to next week
Celebrations: Union J were criticised after Louis' song choice for them but were ecstatic to learn they had gotten through
She said: 'I'm still gutted - I haven't had a chance to have a proper cry yet to be honest. I am cross, but I guess it's just the nature of the beast.'
Carolynne added that she wasn't the only angry one following the decision, and said her mentor Gary was furious, saying: 'He really was really cross.'
Country singer Carolynne also revealed that she could see Holloway chatting to Louis during her sing-off, adding: 'I could see that - it was quite off-putting to be honest.'
Stand out performance: Teenager Ella Henderson wowed the audience and the judges with her rendition of Take That's Rule The World
Singing his heart out: Kye Sones was one of the favourites following his performance during the first live show
Star act: Former X Factor winner Leona Lewis made her return to the show on Sunday night dressed in a flamboyant purple gown to sing her new track, Trouble
But despite making it through to judges' houses last year, and to the live finals on this year's X Factor, Carolynne said she wouldn't be auditioning for X Factor again.
Emotional: Carolynne was reduced to tears when she was shown her 'best bits' from the show on This Morning on Monday
She said: 'I just couldn't put myself through that again.'
However, in a later interview on This Morning, Carolynne said she doesn't blame Louis for his decision.
She said: 'I do like Louis, I've always had a soft spot for Louis. I know what he's like and he's been like that forever.'
And one of Carolynne's family members insisted it was when they saw Holloway speak to Louis that they knew 'something was wrong'.
They told MailOnline: 'We saw a production executive speak with Louis during her performance, and we sensed something was wrong then. She was in tears afterwards. She isn't a sore loser, and was prepared to be voted out at some point, but the way it was done was uncalled for.
'At least now everyone who watched the show last night will know that The X Factor is most definitely not a singing competition.
'Carolynne is a professional musician and songwriter, and in a way we are glad she is out of the X Factor because now she will be free from the constraints of what is really a limiting and predictable light entertainment show.'
Calm before the storm: Louis looked in good spirits as he arrived at the television studios ahead of the X Factor live shows on Sunday
VIDEO: Louis is whispered to during performance...
VIDEO: Watch Louis make his controversial decision...
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