The X Factor TV show is a 60 minute competitive singer musical series that premiered on September 21, 2011 on FOX. Step aside American Idol! Simon Cowell is bringing his hit UK series to America. Singers will be competing on this series with no age limits with an "over 25" category. Judges will also aide contestants in song choices and styling/staging their performances. The winner gets a five million dollar recording contract!

The X Factor Cast:

Host: Steve Jones

Judges:

Simon Cowell
Paula Abdul
Nicole Scherzinger
Antonio Reid
Cheryl Cole (Episode 1 Auditions)

Season one:

Melanie Amaro ................... Winner
Josh Krajcik .................... 2nd Place
Chris Rene ...................... 3rd Place
Simon Cowell .................... Winning Mentor

The X Factor Trivia:

While the X Factor may be new to American audiences, at the time of the U.S. premiere its already been on the air in 17 other countries with a worldwide audience of over 500 million viewers! It's the #1 TV entertainment format in Europe!

Don't worry UK fans. Simon Cowell is not abandoning you. He will remain as the executive producer and judge on your version of The X Factor.

Corporate American seems pretty confident that the U.S. version of The X Factor will be just as big a hit as it is around the world. Pepsi, Chevrolet and Sony all signed on board as sponsors prior to the premiere and all also agreed to partner with the show in both on-air and off-air marketing!

If you would like to share your thoughts about The X Factor with other fans or simply read what they are saying about the show, please visit our X Factor Forum!