Is "The Arrangement" A Hoax?

A comment at HecklerSpray.com, following on from a piece written by the excellent Paul Gibson, caught my eye:

Siobhan says:
April 26, 2010 at 6:00 pm

Just to say that I know the people in The Arrangement from our STATE sixth form college (no boarding anywhere). The whole act is meant to be a joke and to take the piss. The producers make them say all that crap.

Firstly, we do not know if Siobhan really knows The Arrangement. However, given the obvious online presence of various hooligan groups supporting this awful act, then maybe. If The Arrangement are actually there to "take the piss" should they be allowed to continue? It is worth remembering that people are going to be asked to phone in and vote and there is a cash prize up for grabs. If The Arrangement are just a hoax intended to wind people up, then why should the good folks in telly land be duped into parting with their money to support a puerile stunt. A stunt, which perhaps exists for the amusement of the few, also insults the many real acts who have worked so hard to try to acheive something positive.

It should be remembered that Simon Cowell did ask them to confirm that they were serious. I thought that rather telling. He also said “It was like you were performing at the school ball and somebody spiked your drinks” Paul Gibson called the act "a cushion-biting, sphincter-twisting, cat-hurling cloud of pain and despair"