If you look at the charts this week, it’s dominated by X Factor contestants, but not the ones you’d expect. No, I’m not talking about talent. None of them have that. But it seems that winning the X Factor has become a bit of a curse.

Since 2008, here’s the winners and runners up:

2008: Winner – Alexandra Burke; Runner Up – JLS; 3rd place – some kid called Eoughan…?

JLS’ debut album went 4 x Platinum in UK, and 2 x Platinum in Ireland. JLS have also since had 2 albums, their second album going double platinum, and third album (released last month) already going platinum. Alexandra Burke’s debut album went 1 x platinum in the UK, and she has yet to release another album. Eoghan has done less than fuck all.

2009: Winner – Joe McElderry; Runner Up – Olly Murs

Olly Mur’s debut album 2 x Platinum in UK and Gold in Ireland. His second album, released last month, has already gone Platinum in the UK. Joe McElderry’s debut album didn’t even get silver. Oh, and Olly Murs now presents the Xtra Factor, so he must be doing well…

2010: Winner – Matt Cardle; Runner Up – Rebecca Ferguson; 3rd Place – One Direction

Rebecca Ferguson’s debut album, which was released last week, has sold over 128k in it’s first week, compared to Matt Cardle’s debut which sold 70k in it’s first week. One Direction did even better than both, with 138k album sales in the first week.

So why do the runners up seem to do better? It’s not just in X Factor. Britain’s Got Talent runner up, Susan Boyle, had a 7 x Platinum debut album, and became one of the years highest selling artists, not only in the UK, but worldwide.

Maybe us Brits favour the underdog. Maybe once people have forked out to vote for a contestant to win they realise they’re actually shit and don’t want to support them any more. Maybe getting to the final is enough. Generally, artists that have long, successful careers work their way up, rather than having overnight success. Now, I’m not saying that any X Factor contestants have anything other than overnight success, but the one’s that don’t win don’t have to put out material straight away, get a bit less of the limelight and can work on actually ‘writing’ decent songs, rather than recording an album of covers that we’ve heard covered a million times before…

I can’t see Amelia Lily doing much, but I wouldn’t be surprised if next Christmas Misha B and Marcus Collins outsell Little Mix with their debut albums. Maybe it’s because the act that wins gets so much publicity, and eventually the public get bored of it, and them. Whatever happens, the X Factor will be clogging up the charts with shit for years to come…

I do love Simon Cowell though!