So the big TV news today is the house clearing at The X Factor, as host Steve Jones and judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul were shown the door. From what I can gather, Jones was thought to be too hard on contestants, Scherzinger never connected with fans, and Abdul was too "soft," which could hardly have been a surprise given the light touch she used for criticism on American Idol.
As much as this shake-up puts the show in the news, I don't think it will do anything to correct what I saw as the main problem with the show when it first aired: the format is tired and the show itself too derivative of the other music performance reality shows. I think what's really hampered the show was The Voice, which beat The X Factor to featuring live performances and teams mentored by an industry heavyweight. The only twist The X Factor could come up with - having the teams be all of one type - didn't bring enough interest, especially with the team made of groups. If you have to create two groups out of rejected individual performers, then you may want to reconsider if you need a team of groups at all.
I suppose some really big names may bring in more viewers - Mariah Carey is getting mentioned quite a bit as a future judge, and there's been some idle speculation about Ryan Seacrest moving over to host - but regardless of who they bring in, what the show really needs is a truly fresh approach. I have no idea what that would be, but I'm not the one getting paid millions by Fox. Good luck, Simon.
