Has the X Factor depleted the talent pool for contestants? We ask this question because the number of returnees to Factor X in 2013 appears to be huge. In the three weeks of being back on our screens there have been countless occasions when we have been reminded that a particular singer had already auditioned.

Amy Motram, Jade Richards, Melanie McCabe, Stephanie Woods, Dolly Rockers, all 2013 hopefuls and all the names that have sung before those judges before. But have they really gone off and honed their performance or are the X Factor producers now just scraping the barrel of talent?

Perhaps before slandering, though it should be a case of looking at it individually. Take Stephanie Woods, for example, she was only 14 years old when she first auditioned, perhaps too young to participate in such a competition, but the first time she made it onto the stage of the House of Judges competition. However, now 20 years old, she is back and wowing the judges, receiving a unanimous “yes” to take her to the arena auditions. It even made train mentor Sharon Osbourne cry! Perhaps Stephanie best summed up her return to competition, telling the judges, “I’ve said if I don’t make it today or this year, then it’s not meant to be, but I want it so bad now, I’m so ready.” “.

But on the other hand, let’s look at Jade Richards. Now 23 years old and four kilos less, Jade hopes to be lucky for the third time in 2013. But what about her weight loss, does Jade think her image was the cause of her failure in 2011 and 2012?

She was originally dropped from the show by Kelly Rowland on the Judges’ House stage in 2011, but after returning to the show last year, she didn’t even make it through Boot Camp. Now, after following a strict exercise and healthy eating regimen, she’s back, wearing long, sleek extensions instead of her jet black curly hair. However, her new look was well received by the judges, who barely recognized her, but is she perhaps more marketable?

Jade’s reasons for coming back are clear: “I worked in a supermarket for a while and everyone who came told me to come back,” she told the panel. “The more and more people said that, the more I thought, ‘That’s what I should do.’

It’s not just people coming back, either, groups are coming back, too. This year’s X Factor has seen the return of Dolly Rockers who previously competed on the third series of X Factor in 2006. The girl group, complete with a lineup change, was not as successful, however the judges sent them to home after her audition at the arena last week. Perhaps the Dolly Rockers are an example for others who wish to try their luck in the competition one more time? Maybe the Dolly Rockers, who have had little hits with their singles, “Je Suis Une Dolly” and “Gold Digger,” and maybe even other acts, should accept that X Factor is not the competition for them?