After a stunning loss on the finale of the show to a dance group called “Diversity,” Susan appeared to have a breakdown and spent five days at a rehab center. Meanwhile, the media pondered whether the show had exploited Susan who was obviously not a fame hungry diva – just a woman who loved to sing. 

Simon Cowell: The Evil Ringmaster?

Judge Simon Cowell weighed in on the public conversation with an open letter to the UK’s Daily Mail in which he admitted that he and producers of the show wrestled with allowing Boyle to continue on in the show’s competition after she showed signs of stress, but it was not until she lost in the finale that he realized that it was all just too much for her. He wrote that it was not until the final moments of the show that he realized she was in over her head; “ I looked over at her face and thought: Christ, she doesn’t know how to deal with not winning.”

It seems that no one thought to prepare Boyle for the possibility – no matter how slim most thought it to be – of losing. And while the focus has been on Boyle’s apparent breakdown,  the press and media in the U.K. has been in an uproar over the show’s handling of other BGT contestants, who have visibly cracked under the pressure. Their case is particularly controversial because they are young, school age children.  In the case of 10 year old singer Hollie Steel, she broke down in tears mid-song, during a live semi-final performance –  weeping uncontrollably and begging for a do-over after forgetting the lyrics.  Cowell lamented that many liken the show to a “cruel circus,” starring him as the “evil ringmaster,” but he pointed out in his letter he received more criticism for letting little Hollie Steel sing her song a second time than for putting her under such intense pressure.

Despite that, out of concern for the fragile self images of young children and less experienced adults like Boyle, Simon and the show’s producers have revised the show’s practices to require mental health screening for contestants as opposed to simply making mental health care professionals available on staff for contestants to use voluntarily.

Surviving the Cruel Circus

Despite Boyle’s rocky start in the sometimes brutal music industry she is back on her feet, touring with the Britain’s Got Talent Live Show, and laying tracks in a recording studio with Cowell  not far away.  Cowell confirms that her voice sounds “fantastic on record,” and promises that this album will explore more than just the show tunes that made Boyle famous – she auditioned with “I Dreamed a Dream” from the play Les Miserables – although he would not discuss the album’s direction much further than that.

If looks are a good measure of mental health Boyle’s latest extreme makeover is a sure sign that she is doing well. A recent photo shoot for Harper’s Bazaar Magazine dons SuBo in designer threads as she sports a brand new haircut and a face that is nearly unrecognizable compared to the first time she graced the world stage. She has left Blackburn behind and now resides in a trendy London apartment, with an assistant of course, to help her sort through the many interview requests she receives from all over. There are also reports that a run in Vegas is in the cards for the karaoke diva. The owner of Planet Hollywood is in talks to have her headline a show there and Boyle’s idol; Donny Osmond, has already personally invited her to join him on his own show in Vegas.

For now, the fame machine is chugging along for Boyle. She has her own call sign “SuBo,”  her own website and Twitter account as a testament to her status as a pop culture icon. And yes, people are already traveling to her hometown of Blackburn to sit in her spot at the Happy Valley Hotel’s karaoke night perhaps for inspiration for their own karaoke dreams. But SuBo’s story should serve as a reminder of that time honored warning; be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it. SuBo sure did.

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