The X Factor (American TV series) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids The X Factor

Genre	Reality television
Created by	Simon Cowell
Creative director(s)	Brian Friedman Jamie King
Presented by	Mario Lopez Khloé Kardashian Steve Jones
Judges	Simon Cowell L.A. Reid Paula Abdul Nicole Scherzinger Britney Spears Demi Lovato Kelly Rowland Paulina Rubio
Composer(s)	Simon Cowell
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	80
Production
Executive producer(s)	Simon Cowell (uncredited) Cecile Frot-Coutaz Siobhan Greene Richard Holloway Andrew Llinares Rob Wade
Production location(s)	Various (auditions) CBS Television City (live shows)
Running time	60–150 minutes
Production company(s)	FremantleMedia North America Syco Entertainment
Distributor	FremantleMedia Enterprises
Release
Original network	Fox
Picture format	720p ( HDTV)
Original release	September 21, 2011 (2011-09-21) – December 19, 2013 (2013-12-19)
Chronology
Related shows	The X Factor

The X Factor was a popular reality television music competition show in the United States. It was created by the famous TV producer Simon Cowell. The show looked for new singing talent, including solo artists and groups. People aged 12 and older could try out.

Contestants competed against each other. Viewers at home voted for their favorites using phone calls, the internet, or text messages. The winner received a special prize: a recording contract with Simon Cowell's record label, Syco Music. This contract was worth a lot of money, like $5 million in the first two seasons. The winners of the show were Melanie Amaro, Tate Stevens, and Alex & Sierra.

The show first aired on September 21, 2011. It was shown every year from September to December.

How the Competition Worked
Judges and Hosts
Famous Acts from the Show
Images for kids
See also

How the Competition Worked

The show used a group of judges. These judges would watch and give their opinions on the contestants' performances. Each contestant was placed into one of four groups. One group was for all the singing groups. The other groups were based on age or gender.

For example, in the first season, the groups were girls, boys, groups, and people over 30. Each judge was put in charge of one of these groups. They became a mentor for the singers in their group. The judges helped their contestants choose songs, decide on their style, and plan their stage performances.

The judges also gave feedback on contestants from other groups. They all competed against each other to have a singer from their group win the show. This made them the "winning judge."

Judges and Hosts

The first group of judges included Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Cheryl Cole, and L.A. Reid. The show's hosts were Nicole Scherzinger and Steve Jones. Later, Nicole Scherzinger became a judge instead of Cheryl Cole.

For the second season, some new faces joined the show. Demi Lovato and Britney Spears became judges. They took the places of Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger. Khloé Kardashian and Mario Lopez became the new hosts.

In the third season, more changes happened. Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio joined as judges. They replaced L.A. Reid and Britney Spears. Mario Lopez became the only host for that season.

Famous Acts from the Show

One of the most successful groups to come from The X Factor was Fifth Harmony. All the members of this group later started their own solo singing careers.