Killer X Factor contestant eliminated

Masterton X Factor contestant Shae Brider was eliminated from the show on Tuesday in a segment shot in January. Photo/Nathan Crombie

Masterton X Factor contestant and convicted killer Shae Brider has been eliminated from the show after a storm of controversy erupted at his televised competition debut.

Brider, 29, was sentenced to eight years in jail for his part in the killing of 16-year-old Jeremy Frew in Wanganui in 2004.

He was one of four men charged with Frew's death after what the judge described as a "rampage of violence" where the group assaulted Daniel Grey, Greg Parnell and Robert Kerrigan on the same night.

Frew's mother, Donna Travers, said the family should have been notified the episode was going to air and ensured the facts were told correctly.

She confirmed to media the show producers had contacted her last Thursday to tell her of apologies that aired ahead of each episode on Sunday and Monday and "they indicated it [his appearance] will be limited".

Rachel Lorimer, group head of corporate communications for MediaWorks, said yesterday that Brider had disclosed his criminal record when he entered, although "Shae's interview on the show was only one side of the story and didn't allow for the victim's family to share their side".

"For that, we at TV3 unreservedly apologise for any hurt or distress that story has caused to the family. It was never our intention to cause any offence and for that we are truly sorry," she said.

"As of [Tuesday] night he [Brider] was eliminated from the show. The Bootcamp episodes of The X Factor were shot in January and all judging decisions were made at that time. The X Factor has remained true to the process and events of the competition."

Spokesmen for The X Factor franchise had admitted it was wrong to include a convicted killer on the New Zealand show and blamed producers for "a very poor editorial decision".

Representatives from FremantleMedia and Simon Cowell's company Syco Entertainment, which own The X Factor, said there were discussions with The X Factor NZ producers about Brider, and "a more rigid approval process" had been introduced to prevent a similar development.

McDonald's, Streets Fruttare, 2degrees, VO5 and SkyCity sponsor the competition and the NZ Herald reported several sponsors had considered withdrawing funding of the show.

Ms Lorimer denied there had been a drop in the number of viewers who watched the Sunday night episode, despite wide reporting that 253,000 had tuned that night, a drop of 100,000 viewers compared to the show featuring Brider last week - the highest rating episode of the series so far.

Brider could not be reached for comment.