Readers' Poll: Did You Watch 'The X Factor'?
Though much of the show looked and felt quite similar to Idol (they even brought notoriously wacky judge Paula Abdul along for the ride), there were still a number of format tweaks to help separate it from America's top-rated show.
Among the many: the contestant age limit is 12 and up (yes, that means 83 year olds can audition, as we saw last night); groups are allowed to enter; and each judge is assigned a group (boys, girls, 30+ and groups) to mentor throughout the season.
So, with the age range almost infinitely stretched, viewers at home were treated to a wide-range of contestants, from 13-year-old Rachel Crow to 42-year-old single mother of two Stacy Francis (see below). We even saw a bit of a softer side from Simon, who mostly left his notoriously hard-hitting comments at bay. (Based on nine seasons of American Idol, something tells us that will change pretty quickly.
Tell us: Did you watch The X Factor? And if so, is it better than American Idol? Or is it too similar?
Vote now in our poll, then voice your thoughts in the comments below.
LOVE ITT
I can't wait for there dayview in South Africa on the 8th October. Must be fun
I was so excited for it's dayview in the USA, but then they fired Cheryl Cole and I'm not to happy with that decision.
I hope they still bring Cheryl Cole in as a guest judge one day on the U.S. version of The X Factor as well as Dannii Minogue, Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow, Kelly Rowland and Tulisa Contostavlos from the UK X Factor.