In last week's Nielsen Ratings The X Factor was not in the Top 20. In this week's The X Factor the Wednesday performance show managed to tie for the 20th spot in the Top 20 with Rules of Engagement.
The Thursday X Factor results show did not make the Top 20.
In the latest Nielsen's The X Factor drew 11.8 million viewers to the Wednesday performance show. That is a drop from the season average of 13.2 million.
Simon Cowell has been quoted in the press saying he expected The X Factor to attract over 20 million viewers and would be very disappointed if it did not.
I'm guessing Simon Cowell is feeling a bit disappointed, then, at what appears to be an epic fail.
I think there may be several reasons The X Factor has not caught on with the American TV viewing public.
One reason is that there have been way too many of these singing competition type shows. And other similar type Reality TV competition type shows. Some sing, some dance, some perform any type of oddball act. All perform in front of a panel of judges who judge them. At some point the viewers vote.
Another reason The X Factor may have turned American viewers off is the host, Steve Jones. He is from the UK, not the US. He seems a nice enough guy, but lacks the Ryan Seacrest charm/amusement factor.
Another reason American viewers may have not liked The X Factor is it is way too slickly produced. And not in a good way. Way too many canned pieces. Even on the live shows.
The X Factor is filmed in the same studio as American Idol. American Idol makes much more subtle, sophisticated use of it staging pyrotechnics. The X Factor seems to constantly be launching every flashing light in the building. Way too visually noisy.
The competition between the judges seems phony and forced.
The first The X Factor results show was a train wreck level of bad. Way too many canned un-live bits for a live show. The group number was horrendous, poorly staged, badly choreographed and again with the over the top pyrotechnics.
Because The X Factor is not a hit, unlike American Idol or Dancing with the Stars, The X Factor, apparently, was unable to book someone currently popular, like Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber, to sing on the first results show. Instead The X Factor had a group I've never heard of and who's name I do not remember.sing a song I did not like.
And then there were the results. Steve Jones says something like "We will now reveal the first person who is moving on to next week's live performance show," pause pause pause pause pause, "after the break."
Then after the break, still no results, more boring stuff, and then back to the it is time to reveal the first person bit, and again with the very very very long pause til finally a name is revealed. This process was repeated over and over and over again with the long long long long long pauses and then either a name or another commercial break.
This made for very very very very bad TV.
And then we get to 2 remaining. They have to sing again. It is two of Paula Abdul's boring groups. They sing. The judges then vote who to send home. If it is a tie, the group who gets the lowest public votes goes home. Simon votes for the group of a couple 100 kids called Intensity. The other 3 judges vote for Stereo Hogz, with L.A Reid being slow to vote, with Steve Jones telling Reid to hurry up, time is running out.
Which had me thinking, where was valuing time as precious when we had all those long long long long pauses waiting for Jones to name a name?
Unless the ratings pick up I don't see why FOX would bring back The X Factor for a second season. The show just does not have the X factor.
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