Is 'X Factor' Priming Chris Rene to Win by Giving Him More Screen Time?

A shot of Chris Rene from 'X Factor's' October 6 episode.

Is X Factor playing favorites already? We couldn’t help but notice that on last Thursday’s episode, one contestant -- trash collector Chris Rene -- got an awful lot of love from the cameras.

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How much love? Six close-ups in the opening segment alone! And during the next 80 minutes, another 50 screen shots -- everything from a cutaway of his biceps to a montage of his home life -- plus a replay of his audition.

Now, don’t get us wrong. We’re not knocking the guy whose audition video has already become a YouTube hit, but between him and his sister Gina, the Rene siblings seem to be ruling the X Factor roost. To top it off, we also already heard the judges proclaim, “We’ve got a star here,” after one performance during the group rounds, while Nicole Scherzinger opined “the girls are going to love him,” as the "Young Homie" crooner delivered a sultry -- and slightly shaky -- take on Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing.” 

Additionally, Simon Cowell hasn’t exactly been shy about his Rene endorsement in the press, calling the Top 32 finalist X Factor’s “most important contestant.” And, of course, we all know the heartwarming back-story: recovering drug addict and new dad with 90-plus days sober.

We can’t deny Chris Rene’s talent, either -- his rendition of The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” was sweet as honey -- but could X Factor be any more obvious with its favoritism? What do you think, Factor fans? Is this trash can Sinatra the show’s presumptive winner or are we just being hyper sensitive to a new series’ editing?