X-Factor Money Making Scheme?

Hey Guys, I'm talking about how the X-Factor and all the other talent searching shows are mainly money making machine?
I have found this very good article on how the X-Factor is such a money making scheme. I encourage you all to read it. Thanks to The Telegraph for the article.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/x-factor/8097727/The-X-Factor-a-money-making-machine.html
 Ok! magazine also discusses the possibility that the X-Factor is rigged, purely so people vote in to keep their favourite act in the competion but unfortuinatly for them the decision who will be eliminated has already been decided. Please read and coment on what you think?
http://www.ok.co.uk/xfactor/view/41799/X-Factor-2011-Fix-Factor-is-trending-on-Twitter-after-Frankie-Cocozza-voted-through
In November 2010 Dermot O' Leary (host of the X-Factor) let slip that the show was rigged. He said that the decision to save one of the contestants had been made before the judges voted. Here is the article curtiousy of The Sun.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/x_factor/3220195/X-Factors-Dermot-OLeary-It-was-rigged.html
It seems that the Talent searching shows are based on people voting in for their favourite contestant but not realizing that their vote doesn't mean a great deal in the bigger scheme of things. Are we being manipulated? Is this a huge scham? Are we involved in a money making scheme that is so disguised that we don't even know that the money we are throwing away for the enjoyment of others making a fool of themselves?
So is it rigged or not? Please comment on your opinions.
Don't worry I will get the video from lsat weekends results show.
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