In this American version of the hit UK show, Simon Cowell and his fellow judges search for a singer who has the "X factor".
As part of the British The X Factor franchise, the show's format has numerous differences from rivals such as American Idol. The competition is open to both solo artists and groups and has no upper age limit. Each judge is assigned one of four categories - boys between 12 and 29, girls between 12 and 29, individuals 30 and over, or groups (some of which may be formed from rejected soloists after the audition process). Throughout the live shows the judges act as mentors to their category, helping to decide song choices, styling and staging, while judging contestants from the other categories; they also compete to ensure that their act wins the competition, thus making them the winning judge.
The original judging panel consisted of Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Paula Abdul, and L.A. Reid, with Nicole Scherzinger and Steve Jones as co-hosts. However, Cole was dismissed after just two sets of auditions and was swiftly replaced by Scherzinger, leaving Jones to host the show by himself. In January 2012, it was announced that Abdul, Scherzinger, and Jones had all left and would not be returning for the second season. On May 14, before auditions began, Britney Spears, and Demi Lovato were confirmed as the two new judges.
There are five stages to The X Factor:
Stage 1: Producers' auditions (these auditions decide who will sing in front of the judges)
Stage 2: Judges' auditions
Stage 3: Boot camp
Stage 4: Judges' houses
Stage 5: Live shows (finals)
The winner of the competition is awarded a recording contract with Syco Music in association with Sony Music Entertainment, which would include cash payments totaling $5 million. A press release on behalf of the show on February 7, 2011 called the recording contract "the largest guaranteed prize in television history." Unlike the British version of the show, the costs of recording and marketing the winning artist will be paid for separately from the $5 million initial contract payment. The $5 million will be paid directly to the winner in five annual installments of $1 million. Cowell said in a conference call with reporters on February 7, 2011: "I think it should be a life-changing prize and just to be clear, this isn't a dressed-up $5 million, this is a guaranteed $5 million payable to the winner. The recording, marketing, and video costs are completely separate to that. It will be paid over five years at $1 million a year." (Source: Wikipedia)
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General Information
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Status: Break - Between Seasons
Premiere: September 21, 2011
Classification: Reality-TV
Genre: Celebrities | Music | Talent
Network: FOX (USA)
Airs: Wednesdays, Thursdays at 08:00 pm
Runtime: 90 Minutes
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Season 3 -- Renewed -- Air Date Unknown/TBA
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On October 22, 2012, Fox confirmed that The X Factor will return for a third season.
Spears stated in an interview that she would "definitely" like to return for the third season. On December 13, 2012, Reid announced that he would not return for the third season in order to focus on running Epic Records. Other casting confirmations have yet to be made.
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Season 2 -- 27 Episodes -- Sep 12, 2012 to Dec 20, 2012
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Break - Due to Baseball - National League Championship Series
2x11 -- Oct 23, 2012 -- Judges' Homes #3 -- TUESDAY
2x12 -- Oct 31, 2012 -- Top 16 Perform
2x13 -- Nov 01, 2012 -- Elimination: Top 12 Revealed
2x14 -- Nov 07, 2012 -- Live Performance of the Top 12
2x15 -- Nov 08, 2012 -- Live Results
2x16 -- Nov 14, 2012 -- Live Performance
2x17 -- Nov 15, 2012 -- Live Results
2x18 -- Nov 21, 2012 -- Live Performance
2x19 -- Nov 22, 2012 -- Live Results
2x20 -- Nov 28, 2012 -- Live Performance
2x21 -- Nov 29, 2012 -- Live Results
2x22 -- Dec 05, 2012 -- Live Performance
2x23 -- Dec 06, 2012 -- Live Results
2x24 -- Dec 12, 2012 -- Live Performance
2x25 -- Dec 13, 2012 -- Live Results
2x26 -- Dec 19, 2012 -- Season Finale Part 1
2x27 -- Dec 20, 2012 -- Season Finale Part 2
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Date of last review or update: December 21, 2012
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