The X Factor!
The X Factor is the best know reality singing competition known worldwide but is the success of the show losing it's shine?
Many people say it is the judges that make the shows a success and others say it is the contestants but what is it that really makes these shows a success? Could it be the press writing about all the controversy that takes place in the shows?
Lets compare the two formats of the shows in the UK and Australia.
First up, The X Factor UK:
The 9th season finished in December 2012 and crowned James Arthur as the winner. Many people complained about the contestants of this series (especially Christopher Maloney and Rylan Clark) and said the producers of the show should just give up. Although this was the case, people still vote for who they want to win each week and James Arthur's winning song (Impossible) not only went to number 1 but also sold over 1 million copies. Does this show that people want the show to stay or do people just like the artist?
What does confuse me is how the importance of the show has change from the contestants to the judges. After Kelly Rowland was sacked after the 2011 show a replacement was needed and journalists had a great time speculating who was going to be her replacement. Before a final replacement was found, guest judges were brought in (Anastasia, Geri Halliwell, Melanie Brown, Rita Ora and Leona Lewis). Nicole Scherzinger was a guest judge too but she was chosen to be a permanent judge (after she came 2nd in The X Factor US) and joined the judges Louis Walsh (Mr X Factor himself), Gary Barlow and Tulisa.
The show has provided the music industry with some talented contestants such as James Arthur, Jahmene Douglas, District 3, Union J and Times Red. Many of these contestants have been signed to record labels and will be releasing music very soon.
The final question is, Has The X Factor lost its shine or will the success continue in series 10?
The X Factor Australia Season 4:
When thinking about The X Factor Australia, I would say it is the biggest rival to the UK show. The contestants seem to have a lot more talent and there is not much contraversy (the show just seems to run a lot smoother).
The thing I like about the judges is the fact that they seem to work together and they are more honest with the contestants (if the contestants do a good job, they get praise and if they don't, they are told what was wrong with the performance). The judges also have strong opinions and like to get their points across (especially Melanie Brown). The judges are Melanie Brown, Ronan Keating, Guy Sebastian (australian singer/songwriter/producer) and Natalie Bassingthwaighte (australian singer). But enough about the judges, its the contestants that really make this show. The winner of the 4th season was Samantha Jade and she had already been signed to an American label in the past when she was 15 but the label decided never to release one of her songs. The X Factor was her last chance to show what she had to offer and boy did she do that. Covering songs such as Scream (Usher), Wide Awake ( Katy Perry) and Breakeven (The Script) she showed Australia she had the right to be the winner (even though she found herself in the bottom 2 three times!). The good thing about The X Factor Australia is the fact that the winning single is an original song. Samantha Jade's winning song 'What You've Done To Me' went straight to number 1 in Australia and she has also had a number 3 with an album of cover songs which she performed on the show.
Other contestants to watch out for from the show are The Collection, Jason Owen, Angel Tupai and Bella Ferraro.
I would be very interested to find out what you think about The X Factor and who your favourite contestants are!
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