First airing in 2002, the hit singing competition American Idol has established itself as a nationwide favorite. Almost a decade later, observations lead me to believe that it has met its match: FOX’s The X Factor.
When people think of a reality competition show based solely around singing, Idol is the first to come to mind. However, The X Factor has something new, refreshing and inviting. Simon Cowell, the man we love to hate (or hate to love?), has made his return as a brutally honest judge after leaving Idol last year. The X Factor is created by Cowell and his production company, which also created the original and very successful British version of The X Factor. After only four episodes, I see immense promise for this show.
When I decided to tune in for the first episode, I was sure quality talent would be showcased. I had recently been introduced to very talented artists discovered from the UK version of the show including Cher Lloyd and the boy band One Direction. If The X-Factor franchise had the ability to catch my ears’ attention from halfway across the world, the American version has got to be successful in detecting the next superstar (that’s correct so far). On the other hand, it almost embarrasses me to say that Idol has had several winners over its past 10 seasons who have failed to catch my attention since taking the title in the finale. Ruban Studdard, Taylor Hicks or Lee DeWyze, anyone? It’s all right, I forgot about them too (and I even watched all of their seasons). To say the least, if those “idols” made their way to the top in my own country, what does that reflect of Idol’s quality of talent?
Next to earning credibility based on its discovered talent in other countries, the format appears to be much more enthralling. Right off the bat I noticed The X Factor’s live studio audience that is present during the audition rounds, as opposed to Idol’s judge-only audition room. For a show so dedicated to finding talent hidden in a nation, it’s only fair for that nation to have input on choosing the next big thing.
Other format differences such as the minimum age to audition being 12 allow me to see more hope for The X Factor than American Idol. I do worry that at such a young age a pre-teen or young teen’s voice may change down the line, but it is more promising for finding talent than the restricted window of ages that Idol offers. The greater diversity in age of performers seen in the four audition episodes has been much more entertaining. Next to that, the rest of the season will most likely be exciting as the show has a completely different process to find its winner than Idol.
I realize that The X Factor and Idol aren’t exactly rivals as they are on the same network and airing at different times. Regardless, Idol has clearly lost its excitement and its inconsistency in judges has been a mess. We all know it won’t last much longer.
To Simon Cowell and all at Syco TV, thank you for bringing The X Factor to America. Not only for offering viewers a refreshing alternative to Idol, but let’s be honest: all my summer shows have ended and I need something to watch this fall.
