Topic: Simon Cowell

X Factor is a wildly popular British singing-competition reality show similar to American Idol. Unlike Idol, the show features contestants getting one-on-one mentoring and even house visits from the judges, who have more of a say in who makes it to the next round than Idol judges do. One of this year’s most popular contestants was an 18-year-old woman named Gamu Nhengu. Now living in Scotland, Nhengu’s family originally hailed from Zimbabwe.

In what must be a contender for ‘worst week ever,’ Nhengu was eliminated from the show and was then told that she and her family needed to leave the country or face deportation. Judge Cheryl Cole was reportedly told not to select Nhengu for a slot in the finals because her citizenship status was unclear. More »