Why we think wildcard Wagner has X Factor

Resistance is futile, the whole country has gone wild for Wagner. Elizabeth Joyce finds out why.

Is it the hair? The gold suit? The inappropriate backing dancers?

Whatever the reason, the entire country has gone loco for Wagner Carrilho. The Brazilian/Black Country wildcard has completely stolen the spotlight on this year's X Factor, much to the annoyance of a certain Mr Cowell.

Yes, you can keep your stroppy madams like Cher and Katie and oh-so-serious artists such as Aiden - We Want Wagner!

The 54-year-old brings a chaotic carnival to our screens every Saturday night with his retro song choices, indecipherable accent and, er, unique image.

While the other contestants sob and sulk their way through the contest, Wagner bursts on to the stage, stumbles through a song surrounded by the campest backing dancers known to man and somehow wins over the nation.

In the earlier rounds, even Simon himself told everyone to "embrace the madness".

However, Mr Cowell's patience may now be wearing thin after Wagner once again sailed through to the next round of the competition last night.

Simon's got his eye on the prize, he wants a cute and commercial pop puppet he can sell to the masses, not a long, haired, middle-aged oddball who lives in a bungalow in Pensnett.

But it's not just Simon Wagner needs to watch out for, there is a bigger backlash on the horizon. This is the stage where those boring X Factor purists get on their high horses and whine: "But he's staying in at the expense of 'real' singers."

Wagner's already triumphed over the likes of Storm, FYD and, last night, John Adeleye. Yes, all of them could sing and yes, all of them were as dull as ditch water.

They never stood a chance of winning the X Factor and were all getting the boot sooner rather than later, so why does it matter that they lost out to a former lion tamer from Brazil?

Wagner may be bonkers but he's got the whole country talking. The X Factor is all about entertainment and who can say they were not entertained when the ex-PE teacher strutted out on Saturday singing a mash-up of Spice Up Your Life and La Vida Loca dressed all in white except for a gold string vest? If that's not entertainment I don't know what is.

Wagner, like Jedward before him, is becoming a cult craze. Students, kids and the entire population of Dudley are voting for him because, lets face it, he's fun.

He is also brilliant value for money for the papers. Is he dating Mary? Did he really poison John with a can of deodorant in the X Factor house? Who knows? All I know is that he is unpredictable, slightly mad and exactly what Saturday night TV needs.

And his Black Country fans agree. At the Blue Brick pub in Stourbridge Road, Brierley Hill, Wagner supporters cheered and jumped for joy last night as his name was read out as one of the safe acts.

Landlady Karen Terry, aged 36, said she believed Wagner's spicy song choice had helped him survive for another week.

"I think Wagner is good fun," she said. "He makes you smile and laugh. It's just good entertainment and that's why everybody likes him."

Licensee Simon Terry, aged 35, wants the karate-loving crooner to be in the final.

"I am pleased Wagner has got through. He's not the best singer but he's from Dudley so we should support him. It would be great if he went all of the way to the final."

Forget Simon Cowell, the people of Dudley have spoken.