American Idol snags Nicki Minaj, prepares to crush The Voice and Flop Factor

After endless rumors, Fox finally confirmed the official judges for the upcoming twelfth season of American Idol. In addition to the already announced Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Australian country singer (and Aussie The Voice mentor) Keith Urban will join the show, on top of Randy Jackson, who will return yet again to fill the fourth spot on the panel.

The announcement comes after rival talent shows The Voice and X Factor went head-to-head in the ratings, with The Voice destroying Simon Cowell’s struggling series. Flop Factor is in serious trouble now, with its premiere episode suffering a 32% ratings drop compared to its season one opener, despite the pricey addition of Britney Spears, who appears to have done nothing to save the doomed show.

With American Idol a proven ratings winner, it looks like X Factor will likely end up in a lowly fourth place on the talent show food chain, behind Idol, The Voice, and even America’s Got Talent, which has also been pulling higher ratings.

I tuned in for both X Factor and The Voice’s premieres, and I have to say that I definitely preferred X Factor. Despite heavy scripting from both shows, X Factor was definitely faker, and I found myself struggling to tell if anything at all –from the judges comments to the auditions to the backstage feuds– was real. However, it still made for a more entertaining watch overall, while The Voice almost put me to sleep.

My money’s on Idol remaining not only the highest-rated talent show, but also the best. Despite sappy sob stories and some set up situations, they have yet to reach the point of almost complete scripting like X Factor. Mariah will be a hoot to watch (and a nightmare backstage, I imagine), and Randy really flipped his personality and became interesting in the last two seasons of the show. Keith will probably be relatively inoffensive and will appeal to the country fans like Blake Shelton does on The Voice, but Nicki Minaj is an unpredictable and interesting addition to the show. I always thought she’d be a perfect talent show judge, but for X Factor, where the main focus is trashy drama and the talent of the contestants doesn’t matter. Idol is still a classy family show that has unearthed increasingly diverse talent in recent years; is the manufactured Minaj actually going to be able to offer any practical advice or understand any genres of music outside of rap, R&B, and top forty pop?

Mariah’s narcissistic diva antics and Nicki’s bird brained ratchetness run the risk of turning Idol into an X Factor-esque sideshow, but with the grounding influences of Keith Urban and Randy Jackson, the show might have just found the magic middle-ground to keep its crown.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 16th, 2012 at 4:56 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • http://twitter.com/FauxKingLuke Luke

    This is totally lame tbh… NICKI?! She has one hit album and cannot even rap live let alone sing so how can she judge anyone? She’s not a performer either so she doesn’t have that excuse… I hope Mariah gives this bitch so much shade lol
    Anyway, Glad “The Voice” shat on X Factor because at least they’re looking for talent and have capable judges.

  • KeepMovin

    This is such a badly written article. Eep.

  • Icee

    something about this article comes of really bland and fake. I don’t like it.

  • FreakyFlyBri

    God, I LOVE how people use the excuse that if a singer/performer isn’t allegedly talented then they have no business judging a performance competition. That’s like saying you have to be a trained chef to be able to ascertain that dog shit smeared on a bagel is disgusting. It makes no sense. Most people are discerning enough that they can tell when someone is a good singer or a bad singer, regardless of their own capabilities as performers. End of.

  • animasaurus

    I actually really like Nikki Minaj as a person so I am excited tbh. As a performer and a singer is another story, but she’s a sweetheart and actually interesting. Definitely worse celebrities out there imo.

  • Iceberg

    I watched the X Factor premiere, and I agree with proph that I didn’t quite get what’s scripted and what’s not. I cringed at the Britney fan at the start of the show (scripted for sure). The Voice was entertaining in a good organic way. I am happy they are now showing unsuccessful auditions.

    WHEN WILL THAT “YOUR BODY” REVIEW COMING?

    10M spins on the 1st day alone

  • http://www.twitter.com/themusicprophet The Music Prophet

    FLAWLESS.

  • SerferTJ

    LOL, but they don’t deserve $15mil or whatever for stating the obvious. They’re supposed to be critiquing and helping contestants better themselves as singers/performers as time goes on.
    If you are not looking at your old performances and consistently trying to improve yourself as a performer, what gives you the right to judge some one else for not doing the same thing???

  • http://www.twitter.com/themusicprophet The Music Prophet

    The Voice was great in a strictly talent show way. It’s obvious though why Christina Aguilera has chosen to depart. Let’s face it, we’re 3 seasons in and not one of the contestants has been truly memorable.

    The X Factor is a huge, huge joke. I love me some Britney, always will, but good God, could they have exploited her any more? I mean honestly there’s a 5 minute period where you literally hear nothing from any of the other judges accept Britney. Plus, all you hear is fake, snyde comments from her, which makes it even worse. It’s a cheesy, expensive (at $2o million) attempt for ratings. Don’t get me wrong, it was an enjoyable piece of entertainment, LOL at the dude in the brides veil making it through … but I’m glad I recorded it and watched it at a later time lol … There’s no way it deserved the ratings …. sorry Simon, let’s rack em up and play try again… or don’t.

    Now, American Idol has always been a fave of mine. I swear they get the recipe right. There’s the obvious scripted jokes at the beginning, but there’s also some truly talented people that end up on the show. By the time the top 5 are announced, it’s almost impossible to vote, because they’re all usually amazing. Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler were great additions to the show. I was sad to hear of their departure. Mariah Carey and Keith Urban are both unique additions … I’m actually quite impressed that MC even decided to do it….

    Now, Nicki Minaj though? WTF? Again, this feels like a cheap attempt at ratings. Let’s bring in the Hot 100 clown for a judging seat and see what happens. I get why they did it, she’s hot right now…. ya ya ya … she makes starships fly and shit … but honestly, the show is looking a little more stale each year they keep it running. While J.Lo and Steven were fresh jolts for the ratings … I’m not sure this new lineup will have the same effect.

  • SerferTJ

    See, I’m ok with non-singers as judges (I stan for JLo and Cheryl), but the fact that Nicki can’t sing or perform and only has 2 years in the industry…is just not a good look. Either have the talent (Jessie J, Demi Lovato) or have the experience (JLo, Paula Abdul). [Or both like all 4 mentors on The Voice, lol]

    Seriously, what are her critiques gonna be like?
    “Yo voice is like yo ass…FLAAAATTTTT! You gonna need to either invest in a vocal coach or a plastic surgeon if you wanna get anywhere in this industry. Try again next year tho. Yung Munny!”

  • Bruno

    DEAD!!!

  • Hokie

    And yet I bet anyone the only show that will actually produce a star is X-Factor thanks to Britney. Have you guys seen her on that show? She looks so bored judging basics because she know they will flop. Her judgement is the only one I trust TBH.

  • Hokie

    OMG for the last time you flops the show is called the X-Factor. You can better yourself as a singer/performer all you want but without that “it” thing no one will care. Britney has “it” and should be trusted to see it in others.

  • garth

    absolutely dead @ jessie j

  • i die.

    some big burly bear top seriously needs to punish you for that one. fisting all around. “like Nikki Minjas as a person” …. head implodes. pooooof.

  • vjx89

    The voice is simply boring. I only watch because adam levine makes me ovulate and i’m not even a girl.

  • http://twitter.com/nickynacker nicky

    “Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler were great additions to the show.” LOL anything you say is invalid after that comment. They were both AWFUL judges. They didn’t do any actual judging. They were even worse than Paula. Especially Steven.

  • http://twitter.com/nickynacker nicky

    “Destroyed” – let’s not exaggerate. The Voice only got a couple million more viewers. And The Voice is underperforming wayyyyy more compared to its last season than X Factor is. X Factor is only down a few million from its last season. The Voice is down several million. The 2nd episode of the last season got 17 million. The 2nd episode of this season only got 10. Eek. The X Factor could still gain momentum over the course of the season, but The Voice always takes a huge drop in the ratings after the blind auditions, so it’s only gonna do worse. As for American Idol, I couldn’t care less. I’ve already been over it since Paula & Simon left. When they said Mimi was joining I got excited, but then they had to ruin it with the addition of Nicki. Nope

  • Greg M

    As reductive and silly as Minaj’s music is, she is quite intelligent and well-spoken in interviews etc. I believe that between Nicki and Mariah, Idol will stay pretty interesting. As for The Voice, I’m over it. And The X Factor, I was over it before it even began despite the addition of Britney and sweetie pie Demi Lovato whom I both love.

    Basically, I will be watching NONE of these silly shows which, even together, have barely churned out any great/even decent artists. Carrie, Kelly, Jennifer Hudson uhmmmm, who else? :P

  • animasaurus

    Haha okay, fair enough. She still seems pretty okay to me though. Can never call myself a fan though as I hate pretty much everything else about her… like her music, plastic everything, and style… but as a person she’s alright to me.

  • SerferTJ

    “The Voice only got a couple million more viewers.”
    LMAO!!!!! Is that how you’re defending the X-Factor? Really now???
    http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maatd9k67w1qh8rjyo2_500.gif

  • Bleahim

    I love me some Voice, especially because judges are so funny, talents are also pretty great and of course because I’m Xtina stan… but the truth is that we all know that after winning the show, we will hear about winner nothing at all.

    Now, I only watched the last AI season, I have to say it’s really awesome, and the talents absolutely wowed me, from top 10 on…

    I don’t understand how x factor gets these leftovers of “talents”, because in the UK that show is brilliant from talents to judges, anyhow I’ll always love me some Britney, so I’ll keep on watching… :) )

  • http://www.twitter.com/themusicprophet The Music Prophet

    There’s no way either of them were worse than Paula. Paula said the SAME thing to EVERY contestant. She just sat there with that awkward drunk stare and that weird hand-clap of hers …

    I’m not sayin either J.Lo or Steven were amazing judges … I simply stated they were the right fit for the show, and it’s ratings. They were witty, charming, and entertaining to watch. And please, both of their careers speak for them. Nicki Minaj is fine for a younger audience … but both J.Lo and Steven were a better fit overall. That’s all i meant.

  • http://www.facebook.com/LeeTeckYing Landon Lee

    while I’m not really into her music, I must say that Nicky has lots of personality. I think she’s gonna do fine.

  • DeadMoney

    haha! :D

  • Yumm

    Well without Britney the X-Factor wouldn’t have even been in the top 5 in the ratings so she deff helped the show, but I feel that the show is tainted because the first season was so shitty and tbh the show sucks…..I’ll only continue to watch it to see Britney!

  • D M

    Nicki will more than likely leave after this season i bet.

  • Popblock

    I usually agree with your posts, but I think you have it dead wrong on this one. The majority of American comments (who will make up most of the audience) are mad as hell that Nicki as a judge.. it is going to loose them viewers. Her appeal over here is not what it is across the pond Proph and A.I. has been loosing ratings for the past two years.

    Also “The Voice” did not destroy ‘X-Factor’ in ratings.. they barley beat them. You can’t look at last years ratings for a fair story because TV ratings are down across the board like music sales. Everyone watches online or records it.

    A rare miss for you.

  • GunsInTheAir

    no one gives a fuck about the FLOP-Factor and britney has nothing left but a handful of dumbass stans.

  • Hokie

    Uh huh. You’re right. I mean Britney’s career and success is pretty much comparable to Ciara’s.

    I mean when was it the last time Britney had a successful album or song? She’s a flop :(

  • FreakyFlyBri

    The show is called the X-Factor. Britney was at one point the living embodiment of the X-Factor. If anybody knows what the X-Factor is, it is her. The Voice is about finding someone with a huge voice, AI is about finding someone to be America’s next sweetheart, XF is about finding someone with the whole package, someone that doesn’t necessarily have the best voice but has that quality that makes people pay attention and want to see/hear what they will do next. It doesn’t matter if she’s lost what she once had, Britney at one point had the whole deal going on, so if anybody’s cut out to be a judge for this show, it’s her. And you’re being naive if you don’t think she’s gonna get paid a huge sum of money, she’s Britney Spears, and unlike most of the talent they get to go on these reality competitions, she still had a career prior to signing up. Christina, J-Lo, and Paula didn’t, they were all badly in need of career revivals. It doesn’t matter that XF is underperforming currently, what matters is that Britney has been proven to bring in higher television ratings in the past, THAT’S what they were paying for. It’s my guess that if they hadn’t gotten Britney they’d probably be doing even worse than they are right now.

    And what’s with the shade at her critique? I’ve seen the other judges critique similarly or not have the balls to do so at all. J-Lo had a hard time saying no, as did Paula, and Britney’s own critiquing methods are on par with Christina’s. What’s the problem?

    /End

  • http://twitter.com/FauxKingLuke Luke

    Most people can tell if people are talented or not but these JUDGES / COACHES are meant to be people in the industry with tallent / experience which is why THEY are to advise you. How is Nicki “I can’t sing / rap or perform live or be original” Minaj gonna sit and turn someone more talented than her away?! It’s dumb.

  • http://twitter.com/FauxKingLuke Luke

    By leave I assume you mean get fired because that bitch won’t willingly give up a pay cheque when her albums are flopping like they are lol

  • http://twitter.com/FauxKingLuke Luke

    Nicki is well spoken in interviews? She sounds like a stuck up high school bitch with two brain cells lol

  • http://twitter.com/FauxKingLuke Luke

    Um hello… The Voice ratings always go up and down but they are steady, The 2nd episode only got 17m because they were people who had watched after the Superbowl and decided to try it again. X Factor was a flop first season and is a flop now with WAY more hype / money spent than “The Voice”.

  • http://twitter.com/FauxKingLuke Luke

    She’s a stupid hoe… and I said that before her stupid song.

  • Christian

    All of these shows are sell-outs. They all just compete to see who can get the most “in” judges on their panel to draw ratings, while trying to remain as mainstream as humanly possible and fit in as much product placement as they can. Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to continue to watch the X Factor simply because I’m a huge fan of Britney. But all of these shows are trash when u really boil it down.

  • http://davidsask.wordpress.com/ DavidSask

    Hey Proph your next post has to be on the new set of judges for American The Voice in winter season 4, replacing Ceelo and Xtina will be Usher and Shakira!!!

  • simonseziam

    Luke, I think I come to this site to see you beat down on folks, just as much as I come for the Proph’s take on things haha!

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