Dannii Minogue's X Factor Hell: Cheryl's Popularity, Leon's Disappointments, The Rachel Controversy, and Her Future

Things aren't looking good for the Aussie pop star.

Dannii Minogue, who joined the UK's X Factor talent show in 2007, is reportedly in danger of losing her job after serious gaffes with her contestants and the insane popularity of new judge Cheryl Cole.

Dannii's place on the show has been in serious question ever since Girls Aloud member Cheryl was revealed as Sharon Osbourne's replacement in the summer. Rumors of serious battles between the two have been UK tabloid staples since the show began its new season. Both have denied any rows (as fights are called across the pond) and have talked about how they get along. Still, Cheryl's popularity has made its mark.

Another factor in Dannii's possible termination is Leon Jackson, who she mentored to a win last year. The Scottish contestant already had high expectations after the meteoric rise of his predecessor Leona Lewis, and so far, he has failed to reach any of them. The first blow was losing the number one spot on the UK charts, debuting at #3 behind Pink's "So What" and reality show parody single "The Winner's Song". The next week, which saw Girls Aloud top the chart, the single fell 7 spots to #11, still behind "The Winner's Song". His debut album has done even worse; it debuted at #4, and then fell to #20. It is not a good look for Dannii to have her act become the first X Factor winner to have their album fail to reach number one.

On the current season, Dannii has been criticized for the song choices made for popular finalist Rachel Hylton, who wowed the country during the auditions. Her first live performance, of Robyn's "With Every Heartbeat", was panned by the judges. Her second, a cover of "Dirty Diana", also failed to impress. She received praise for her performance of "Felling Good" in the third week, but last Saturday, Rachel landed in the bottom two for the first time. The shocking decision reportedly launched Rachel into a fury.

Many UK tabloids, including th Daily Mirror and the Daily Mail, reported that Rachel "fired" Dannii after holding crisis talks with the show's producers and Simon Cowell. Show reps announced that Rachel would have more control over song choice and styling, but would not say that Dannii was dumped. Both Dannii and Rachel denied that assertion. If it was true, Dannii would be the first "fired" judge in the history of X Factor.

With all of these issues coming to a head at once, it appears that Dannii's future on the show is severely in doubt. In an article by the Daily Mail, a close X Factor source said that "[Dannii] no longer serves a purpose". Only time will tell, but when you look at the evidence, it seems like Minogue should begin looking for other gigs.