Editorial: Harsh reality a little too harsh

X Factor judges Natalia Kills and Willie Moon have been sacked from the show.

Cyclone Pam may have dominated the headlines over the past few days, but it was a social media storm on the back of a torrent of abuse that had the nation talking.

X Factor judge Natalia Kills launched into contestant Joe Irvine on Sunday night's show, calling him "disgusting" during an extended tirade in which she accused him of copying her husband and fellow judge Willy Moon's style.

"You're a laughing stock. It's cheesy, it's disgusting, I personally found it absolutely artistically atrocious. I am embarrassed to be sitting here in your presence ... "

Such is the wide-eyed innocence of contestant Joe, it was like watching Kills stomp on a kitten in her stilettos.

We saw the dark side of the Moon man as well, as he added an ill-judged comment about psycho killers. Such shows are meant to have a token "mean" judge, a la Simon Cowell, but this was over the top cruelty.

Critics of reality television probably think this sort of thing is par for the course, but it's not. Viewers were horrified - and so, eventually, were TV3 bosses who reacted yesterday afternoon by sacking Kills and Moon from the show.

Maybe there's no such thing as bad publicity, but after a string of TV3 apologies after a string of issues with the judges, this must have been the last straw.

With Paul Henry set to launch his new show, TV3's complaints department, and maybe the odd lawyer, will soon be far too busy to deal with ongoing X Factor problems.

But seriously, The X Factor is a show watched and loved by kids as well as adults. Its stars are role models to both the contestants and the viewers.

We can expect a bit of banter, and even a spot of what might look like manufactured drama, but the nation's tolerance - as well as that of sponsors like McDonald's - would seem to only extend so far.