Cowell tried to stitch up Louis Walsh?

Simon Cowell tried to stitch up his fellow X Factor judge Louis Walsh by putting talentless acts through to the show's next round, according to The Mirror today.

TV's Mr Nasty had assumed that Walsh would be managing the groups once again, so used his vote on the judging panel to put unimpressive bands through to the boot camp stage.

"We were told we would be getting the same categories as last year," Sinitta, a stylist for Cowell's acts, told the newspaper.

"So Simon picked groups he thought were crap because he thought Louis would be managing them. When he found out he had the groups he threw such a tantrum - he wasn't happy."

However, Cowell apparently hopes to have the last laugh by picking 4Tune as one of his final acts, as Walsh decided to drop the band in last year's series.

"Simon's revenge will be sweet if 4Tune become massive after Louis threw them out," a source revealed. "Simon managed last year's winner Steve Brookstein, but he has faded away, while Louis's band G4 are now even bigger."