<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Simon Cowell consulted The X Factor&amp;#039;s executive producer Richard Holloway before making his controversial decision to vote against Lucie Jones, a report has claimed. According to The Sun, Cowell and Holloway were seen &amp;quot;in deep discussions&amp;quot; during an advert break following the announcement that Jones would compete against twins John &amp;amp; Edward in last night&amp;#039;s sing-off. A source said: &amp;quot;[Cowell and Holloway] seemed to be discussing what to do. Should they get rid of Lucie, who can obviously sing really well, or finally get rid of the twins?&amp;quot;  Jones was later eliminated after Cowell took the judges&amp;#039; verdict to deadlock for the second week running. John &amp;amp; Edward were saved because they had polled higher than their rival in the earlier viewer vote. The insider added: &amp;quot;The producers always claim that Simon doesn&amp;#039;t know how the voting goes before he makes his decision. But after the intense conversation with Simon, Holloway was seen whispering in the ears of judges Dannii [Minogue], Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh.&amp;quot; Cowell insisted that he had been surprised by the outcome while speaking on The Xtra Factor last night. He also claimed that Jones&amp;#039;s axing was not his fault. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/the-x-factor/news/a185845/cowell-consulted-show-boss-over-vote/>