There are so many out there to choose from: American Idol, The Voice, and The X Factor are the biggest right now. But which one is your favorite?
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality show singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by Fremantle Media North America and 19 Entertainment. It began airing on Fox on June 11, 2002, as an addition to the Idol franchise based on the UK show Pop Idol, and has since become one the most successful shows in the history of American television. It was the most watched TV series from 2005 to 2011 in the Nielsen ratings, and it is the only program to have been number one for seven consecutive seasons. The concept of the series is to find new solo recording artists where the winner is determined by the viewers. Winners chosen by viewers through telephone, Internet, and SMS text voting were Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Scotty McCreery and Phillip Phillips. The series employs a panel of judges who critique the contestants’ performances. The original three judges were record producer and music manager Randy Jackson, pop singer and choreographer Paula Abdul and music executive and manager Simon Cowell. The judging panel is currently pending, with Jackson the only one confirmed for season twelve. Other judges who have been a part of the show are songwriter Kara DioGuardi, talk show personality and comedian Ellen DeGeneres, singer/actress and record producer Jennifer Lopez, and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. The series is emceed by radio personality Ryan Seacrest and originally co-hosted with stand-up comedian Brian Dunkleman (for the first season). The series was described by a rival TV executive as “the most impactful show in the history of television.” It has also become a recognized springboard for launching the career of many artists as bona fide stars. As Entertainment Weekly puts it, “It’s given us Kelly, Carrie, Daughtry, and J. Hud.. Idol rules the reality roost because the winners of Fox’s ratings juggernaut actually do go on to greatness. And Taylor Hicks? He’s the exception that proves the rule.”
The Voice is an American reality talent show that premiered on April 26, 2011, on the NBC television network. Based on the reality singing competition The Voice of Holland, the series was created by Dutch television producer John de Mol and is executive produced by Mark Burnett. It is part of an international series. The Voice immediately proved to be a hit for NBC and in May 2011, the network is currently airing the second and has renewed the show for a third season. The second season premiered February 5, 2012, immediately following NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl XLVI.
The X Factor is an American television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a $5 million recording contract with Epic Records. The show is produced by SYCOtv, a partnership between the show’s creator Simon Cowell and Sony Music. It premiered on September 21, 2011 on Fox. 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.
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