Review of Ratings after First Week

The ratings are in, and the numbers for X-Factor are pretty good...or are they? The ratings havn't quite held up to Simon Cowell's expectations. Perhaps 20 million viewers was setting the bar a tad high, but I am not sure I would be completely down on having 12.5 on both nights in the first week. Sure they were not the highest rating on either night, but they lost to proven shows. People still didn't know exactly what to expect from the X-Factor. As the weeks go on, perhaps the word of mouth factor will begin to play a role and more viewers will tune in. I think it is too early on for Cowell to be referring to this season as a failure.

 As for the format of the show being similar to that of American Idol, it turns out that only auditions seem to be where the similarities end. It was revealed last week that the show will pass people through to what is being called "Boot Camp". I am not sure exactly what this will entail, but I am sure it will be the final narrowing of the field before the fan voting begins. This also might be where the newest twist comes in. Each of the 4 judges are going to become coaches for different categories. There will be a male, female, group and over 30 category. Each judge will coach the people that fit into their category. So it starts to be like "The Voice" in that regard. Whether or not the format will be exactly the same as The Voice is yet to be seen. My guess is that it will not be, but only time will tell.

So to wrap this weeks blog up, we have learned that the format is not exactly like that of American Idol and that the ratings are good, but not up to par with what was expected. I don't want to rule anything a failure though until the fan voting gets involved because I think that could be when the show hits its stride. One more thing to pay attention to when tuning in, the bit of a rivalry Simon and L.A. are developing when it comes to who to let through. It seems both look at the contestants in different ways. This is comical at this point of the show because they are just passing people through to boot camp. But when they assume the coaching role, I'm curious to see if their coaching tactics are as far apart as their opinions of the auditions. Just something to consider and look forward to.

X-Factor Preview - 9-16-2011

The X-Factor is set to premiere Wednesday, September 21st at 8p.m.  Its being produced by Syco Television and Freemantlemedia North America. More information about the Origin of the show can be found here. As seen in that link, the show was initially started in the U.K., where it was the top rated show. Based on previous shows to come over from the U.K., I think this serves well for this show because other shows have been successful. The "X-Factor" of the X-Factor has to be Simon Cowell in my opinion. There are numerous singing shows that get air time, but Simon Cowell is the most popular and controversial in my opinion. He was a big reason American Idol became so popular, and although some may think the X-Factor is just another knock off of American Idol, they would be wrong. As opposed to American Idol, groups can compete together on The X-Factor. The stakes have also been raised. The winner of the X-Factor will receive a 5 million dollar recording contract.

Here is a link to bios of all of the judges.  As seen, there a two familiar faces to this type of singing competition. But there are two newer faces as well. We are pretty aware of what Simon and Paula will bring to the table. But newcomers Nicole Scherzinger and L.A. Reid should bring different personalities to the show, it is just unknown what those personalities will be. I do not know much about L.A. Reid so he is the one I'm most interested to see.  Nicole Scherzinger is a member of the Pussycat Dolls singing group. From what I have seen from her on TV from interviews and such, I get a feeling she might be Paula 2.0. I'm hoping I am wrong because one Paula is enough, but that is just the vibe I get. I'm hoping L.A. plays a role similar to Randy Jackson did on American Idol, but then again, I also don't want it to feel like American Idol with a different African American judge. The way these two new judges act when analyzing the contestants could be important to the kind of start this show gets. Towards the end people watch to see the talented singers, but in the beginning, the analysis and rudeness of the judges is very important in my opinion.

The X-Factor vs. American Idol comparisons have already began. I think that the comparisons to American Idol help reel in audiences for at least the first couple of episodes. After that, it will be the viewers decision on whether or not the like the changes from Idol to the X-Factor. I think FOX is the perfect network for the X-Factor since they are the network to air American Idol. It helps to have that time slot locked into two shows that are similar but different. Fans of voice competition shows will tune in to any sort of show in my opinion. With other shows like the Sing-Off and The Voice doing well, it shows that as long as the talent is there, people will tune in.

I'm looking forward to the first episode this coming Wednesday, and looking forward to following the ratings and blogging about this show. I personally am a huge Simon Cowell fan, which is why I really wanted to discuss this particular show. So remember to tune in Wednesday and Thursday at 8p.m. and see what you think about it.