Long gone are the days of The X Factor. The short-lived singing competition show only lasted for three seasons. Airing on Fox, the show rivaled the long-running American Idol by bringing a new dynamic to singing competitions. Though none of the acts on X Factor became as popular as some of Idol’s stars, the show still showed some competition as Simon Cowell tried to take over the states. The show was full of inconsistency starting with the hosts. The first season saw Steve Jones as host, but he only lasted for one season. The second season brought in Khloé Kardashian-Odom and Mario Lopez to take over. Only Mario stayed for season three, which was the final season. The judges also switched seats like musical chairs. Stars including Britney Spears, Demi Lovato and Paula Abdul all served as judges for at least one season on the show. Take a look at the top ten moments of the show and what makes them so memorable.
1.Melanie Amaro’s audition
The first season of The X Factor brought out the best talent the show saw. Season one winner, Melanie Amaro brought down the house with her rendition of “Listen.” It even brought judge, Nichole Scherzinger to tears.
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2. Britney’s awkward dancing
Season two brought out all the stops to get Britney Spears as a judge. After a long negotiation and $15 million dollars later, the pop star agreed to appear as a judge for one season. Moments like this from Spears made the show worth watching. Her dancing in this clip became a widely talked about scene from the show for months.
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3. (You Better) Ask Me to Dance
The auditions process for singing competitions is always some of the most entertaining moments of the show. In season three, we saw the duo known as Second Hand High sing an original song. It made judges, Kelly Rowland, Demi Lovato and Paulina Rubio get up and dance along to “(You Better) Ask Me to Dance”, but it wasn’t enough to get them through to the next round.
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4. Rachel Crow’s elimination
The elimination of Rachel Crow in season one was one of the saddest moments in competition show history. After a passionate last attempt at being put through to the next round, she came up short. Nichole Scherzinger had the deciding vote, but chose to not vote and instead took it to America’s vote which ultimately sent Crow home. Crow, devastated, fell to the floor in agony and created a backlash against Scherzinger.
5. Fifth Harmony’s judges house performance
Fifth Harmony is currently on tour with Demi Lovato as her opening act. The five-girl group composed by Simon Cowell in season two brought out all the stops to make a powerful girl group: beauty, vocals and personality. They performed “Impossible” in front of Cowell and Marc Anthony to secure a spot in the final acts of the show. They later performed a pumped up version of the song to snag a spot in the final round.
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6. Melanie Amaro’s un-elimination
In season one, Simon Cowell did one of the most unheard of actions in singing competition history. In a preliminary round of auditions, he eliminated Amaro, who ended up winning the entire competion. He soon realized he made a mistake, so he flew to her Florida home and asked her to come back to the show. She, of course, agreed and went on to take home the crown of the first winner of The X Factor.
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7. Paulina Rubio’s “peachy” accent
Season three brought in new judge, Paulina Rubio. Her heavy accent sometimes made it hard for her fellow judges and viewers to understand her. This, however, didn’t cause Simon Cowell to fire her, like he did to season one judge Cheryl Cole. Here’s a few clips of Paulina’s heavy accent.
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8. Cheryl Cole is replaced
Speaking of Cole, her role in the US version of The X Factor was very minimal. Simon Cowell thought her accent was too heavy for US viewers to understand her. He felt so strong about it, that he went ahead and fired Cole in the middle of auditions. Nicole Scherzinger, who went on to complete the rest of the first season as a judge.
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9. Khloé gets a little cold
Khloé Kardashian-Odom landed a co-hosting gig for season two along with Mario Lopez. The duo took turns reading from a telepromter, but for Mario, it came more natural. One of Khloé’s most infamous moments on the show was when Simon Cowell called her out on twitter when after the first live show. Her nipples were showing through her shirt, causing much controversy to surround the Kardashian-Odom.
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10. Alex and Sierra’s “Toxic” audition
Alex and Sierra took season three by storm. Their audition predicted their everlasting time on the show and their ultimate win. They took home the $1 million dollar prize after winning the show and became the show’s third and final act to win. They are currently recording their album and plan to release new music within the year. Their rendition of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” brought out a new sultry side to the show and made them an act to remember.