Plot Synopsis

Aspiring singers compete against each other in an elimination competition as they vie for the grand prize: a recording contract with Syco/Sony Music. The competition is open to performers age 12 and above, with no upper age limit, and singers may perform as solo artists or in vocal groups. Singers begin the competition in the audition phase, advance to the boot camp after which the judges collectively select 24 total acts with six acts in each of four categories: girls under 25; boys under 25; individuals over 25; and groups. Each judge is assigned to one of the groups to mentor, and, with the help of celebrity guests, each judge reduces their group to three acts. These 12 acts compete in the finals, which are a series of two-episode live events during which the contestants perform on the first night and one competitor is sent home at the end of the second night. These live shows continue until only one act remains. In Season 1, judges attended open auditions in Los Angeles, Miami, Newark/New York, Seattle, Chicago, and Dallas, and THE X FACTOR used mobile, state-of-the-art studios to allow hopeful singers perform in Honolulu, Phoenix, Nashville, Anchorage, Denver and more cities across America. Plus, Cheryl Cole was originally on the judges panel in Season 1, but she was replaced by Nicole Scherzinger after the first episode -- the first 60 minutes of the 120-minute premiere. Before joining the judges panel, Scherzinger was originally the shows co-host with Jones, but she did not appear on-screen during that first episode. For Season 2, teen pop stars Britney Spears and Demi Lovato joined the judges panel, replacing Scherzinger and Paula Abdul, as the four judges attended open call auditions in San Francisco, CA; Greensboro, NC; and Providence, RI. Plus, hopeful contestants could have visited MyStudio booths across the country (Aiei, HI; Los Angeles, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Tempe, AZ; Franklin, TN; Paramus, NJ; and Mashantucket, CT) or entered online by uploading a 30-second introduction and a 90-second a cappella video performance.
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X FACTOR returned for its third season on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at 8-10pm ET/PT on Fox with the first of a two-part season premiere. Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio joined the judging panel, replacing Britney Spears and Antonio 'L.A.' Reid, while Mario Lopez returned to host, but without a co-host for the new season.