'The X Factor's Astro: Bottom-two finish was rigged by the producers

The X Factor contestant "Astro" Brian Bradley is alleging that his bottom-two finish in last week's live results show was rigged by the show's producers as punishment for a prior backstage incident. 


"[It] was X Factor's way of punishing me," the 15-year-old rapper from Brooklyn, NY told The New York Post.

"I don't see how you can have the most followers on Twitter out of everybody in the competition and get voted in the bottom two. So, I thought something was jiggy."

Although Bradley didn't offer any specifics on what the alleged payback was for, according to The Post sources, he and producers had sparred earlier this season when Bradley wanted to wear a pair of headphones from a brand other than Sony -- who have a sponsorship agreement with the show.

While Bradley is insisting he was almost eliminated because of dispute, The X Factor producers denied Bradley's claims and said his bottom-two finish was strictly based on a lack of home viewer votes following Wednesday night's performance show.


"After the public vote, Astro was in the bottom two last week. All votes are collected and tallied by an independent vote management firm. The results were certified to be true and accurate," a spokesperson for the show said, according to The Post.

Prior to his new allegations, Bradley had apologized for his "disrespectful" behavior during the results show in which he initially refused to perform his "sing for survival" song because he felt he shouldn't have to prove himself if America didn't want him in the competition to begin with.

Bradley said if he lands in the bottom two again, he'll take a different approach to the bad news. 

"I'll handle it differently because I'll know people actually voted me in the bottom two," Bradley told The Post.

In addition, Bradley said his mother Cascia Thompson had urged him to quit following the incident, but he decided to give the show one more chance.


"She knew what was going on," Bradley explained. "She was telling me, 'Just leave. You need to leave and go home.' It's stupid, you know. But I told my mom, 'Let's at least try it one more time. Let's get one more week in.'"






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski