Pop Idol
Cheap TV show in which the entire country is canvassed by a panel of pop producers in order to find people with potential. These people with potential are then told to come back for a second audition so that Cowell and co. can discern which one is the most easily manipulated. There then follows the premise of a public vote, but we all know it's rigged anyhow.

I feel sorry for the people who win Pop Idol. They get paid craploads to flood the music industry with half-arsed shite and to take it up the arse from Pete Waterman.
The life cycle of a Pop Idol Winner:

August - Wins programme, lots of jubilation, gets fat record deal.
September - Releases first single. It gets to Number 1 and then bombs the next week.
October - The Sun newspaper publishes a revelation about this winner being gay/having an affair with a model/engaging in sordid group sex practices/whatever. Public don't really give a shit.
November - Having had their interest sparked by the previous month's press frenzy, their second single rockets.
December - They get to Xmas number 1.
January - Their next single bombs and we (thankfully) don't hear of them again.
May - Pop Idol starts up again.