Hey Orgers what do you make of this? Dexter says he cut a deal with the X Factor to be freed from the show as they wouldn't let him be his rock n roll self....Personally I loved him on the show and was routing for him though I knew he wouldn't win. Xavion are the bomb. Burning Hot is such a great album and I still think he's talented.

http://news.yahoo.com/ex-x-factor-singer-says-deal-cut-exit-025724374.html

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former "The X Factor" contestant Dexter Haygood said he wasn't pushed off Fox's new singing contest. He jumped.

Haygood was among five contestants eliminated from the show last week. But the rock singer with the James Brown rasp said that what viewers saw didn't reflect the whole story, including a behind-the-scenes agreement to ensure the swift exit he wanted.

According to Haygood, 49, who was part of mentor-judge Nicole Scherzinger's group of age 30-plus contestants, he told Scherzinger two days before last Wednesday's live performance show that he was dissatisfied with "X Factor."

"I wanted to leave the show because I was unhappy that I was unable to be a rock artist. I grew up on rock," said Haygood, of Memphis, Tenn., who enjoyed the spotlight in the 1980s as frontman for the rock group Xavion, which toured at one point with Hall & Oates.

Being called on to do pop songs such as Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" and Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" was aggravating, Haygood said: "Can you imagine Steven Tyler, Mick Jagger, James Brown, doing (the 'Crazy in Love' chorus) 'uh oh uh oh uh'?"

Producers "seemed to have their way of doing things. I'm not sure why they wouldn't let me be me," he said Tuesday.

Scherzinger, former member of the Pussycat Dolls, took his complaint to the show's producers and came back the same day with an offer, according to Haygood: He would be bounced on Thursday's results show if he agreed to return for the season finale.

Neither Scherzinger nor Fox immediately responded to requests for comment.

Haygood said he was contractually bound to remain on the show and wouldn't have quit, but he appreciated the out he was given — despite the $5 million record contract that goes to the winner.

"They (producers) took the opportunity to cut me, to let me just fly and do things the way I want to do them," said Haygood, who said he communicated only with Scherzinger and didn't talk directly to the producers, including series creator Simon Cowell.

Cowell left Fox's "American Idol" so he could launch the U.S. version of "The X Factor," his hit British singing contest. Fox gave "X Factor" a lavish promotional launch but the show hasn't lived up to the 20 million weekly viewers predicted by Cowell, with 12.1 million watching last Tuesday's show.

Although Haygood said he was willing to play along before he was cut, he decided he owed it to himself and fans he made through "X Factor" to tell his side of events.

He also expressed frustration with how much the show highlighted his difficult circumstances, including "living couch to couch" in Memphis since he lost his home to foreclosure in 2007.

"I was treated more like a character than an artist. This is TV, they want a good story, you know? But they took that and I didn't get a chance to be an artist. I was doing things I would never do," he said.

For the approximately two weeks he was in Los Angeles, he was paid $250 for expenses, another $500 for the live show and cab fare for his ride to the airport after he was cut, Haygood said.

He voiced appreciation for the exposure "X Factor" gave him, which put him back in touch with members of his old band. They are in talks for a comeback tour and may appear on the season-ender of "X Factor," he said.

"The judges are great," he said, including Cowell, whom he called "a very nice guy."

"They understood me even though they couldn't give me what I wanted," Haygood said.

I never watched the show but reading this I'm glad he left! A show like that will be too limiting especially if you wanted to rock.

That guy is horrible. He never should have gotten past the first round.

No offense to the dude, but is he stupid? Did he not watch the original X-Factor BEFORE he decided to try out? Does he not understand how tv works?

This just seems like a dumbass to me... Especially with the entire 'I don't want to do pop songs. I'm a dadrock artist.' Wtf ever dude.

He would have been cut any way. Talent......less.

I still think he was more suited for the weirdos over at America's Got Talent.

I think I would "sell out" and sing pop songs if I was homeless (like he claims he was).

It was good to have an update on him, but the performance was not oustanding or amazing like anyone said. Wish him the best though. He really should be in a cover band or something....very eclectic and I still liked his style.

".........Cocaine is a helluva drug!!!!"- Rick James (1948-2004)

And PERSONALLY, I'd rather see MAZARATI get back 2gether b4 XAVION!!!!!

woogiebear said:

And PERSONALLY, I'd rather see MAZARATI get back 2gether b4 XAVION!!!!!

Damn, I thought more people here would be behind him. It's the Org that introduced me to Xavion. I think Dexter has a great voice but needs some work. I personally would love to see Xavion getting back out there. He has a great rock voice.

dancerella said:

woogiebear said:

And PERSONALLY, I'd rather see MAZARATI get back 2gether b4 XAVION!!!!!

Damn, I thought more people here would be behind him. It's the Org that introduced me to Xavion. I think Dexter has a great voice but needs some work. I personally would love to see Xavion getting back out there. He has a great rock voice.

Sounds like he's too old and stubborn for someone to work with him. If he was smart, he would have kept on singing pop songs and listening to the professionals and let them teach him how the music industry machine works.

daPrettyman said:

dancerella said:

Damn, I thought more people here would be behind him. It's the Org that introduced me to Xavion. I think Dexter has a great voice but needs some work. I personally would love to see Xavion getting back out there. He has a great rock voice.

Sounds like he's too old and stubborn for someone to work with him. If he was smart, he would have kept on singing pop songs and listening to the professionals and let them teach him how the music industry machine works.

If............

Graycap23 said:

daPrettyman said:

Sounds like he's too old and stubborn for someone to work with him. If he was smart, he would have kept on singing pop songs and listening to the professionals and let them teach him how the music industry machine works.

If............

daPrettyman said:

Graycap23 said:

If............

I thought he was clowing on the show but after watching that video he was being true 2 himself.

Graycap23 said:

daPrettyman said:

I thought he was clowing on the show but after watching that video he was being true 2 himself.

I had no problem with him being true to himself, but he seemed to be after the exposure and thought that he knew how it all worked. I don't think he does. He knew that this was a popularity contest and should have gone with the flow somewhat.

Leroy Bell is the best example to me. The guy had one really big hit in the 70s and is trying to use this show as a kick-start to rebuild an audience. I hope it works for him. I really like his voice. However, he is a boring performer.

woogiebear said:

".........Cocaine is a helluva drug!!!!"- Rick James (1948-2004)

dancerella said:

woogiebear said:

And PERSONALLY, I'd rather see MAZARATI get back 2gether b4 XAVION!!!!!

Damn, I thought more people here would be behind him. It's the Org that introduced me to Xavion. I think Dexter has a great voice but needs some work. I personally would love to see Xavion getting back out there. He has a great rock voice.

......it's like watching Gator (Samuel L Jackson) in "Jungle Fever" do the "Gator Dance", and sing James Brown!!!!!!!

I thought Dexter was interesting but I knew he didn't have a shot. He really wasn't a singer compared to everyone else.

Plus in the music industry, being "over 30" is too old to try and make it. But it's cool that the X-Factor has that category for singers that still have that dream.

Without Xavion, the mainstream may have never heard of Living Color and many of the black rock bands that came along afterwards. They definitely carved a path, being one of the first (and at the time, the only) black rock bands on Mtv. Even Prince borrowed from them. Lots of people fall off in life but that doesn't detract from their past contributions.

BlaqueKnight said:

Without Xavion, the mainstream may have never heard of Living Color and many of the black rock bands that came along afterwards. They definitely carved a path, being one of the first (and at the time, the only) black rock bands on Mtv. Even Prince borrowed from them. Lots of people fall off in life but that doesn't detract from their past contributions.

I was surprised Dexter was even on the show. Judging from some of the more recent Xavion clips on YouTube he was still active with the reformed band within the last year or two. No doubt he's seen some hard times but it seems his story was played up a bit for the show. It's like they needed wild card or an underdog for the competition I'm not a fan of these type of talent shows anyway. Too stagey & synthetic like nearly all these so called "reality" based series.

Xavion's "Burnin' Hot" was a decent debut album. I really would have liked to have seen the band go much further than they did.