DS Forums

 
 

Why do I get the feeling the UK version is a testing ground?


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 10-11-2011, 00:10
Fudd
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 117,020

I'm starting to get the feeling the producers are trying out new twists on the UK version to see how they go down before moving them to the American version. If the big drop at Boot Camp had been successful we would've seen it appear in the US version next year. We've already seen the top 16 cut being used on both the UK and US versions, with the UK as a test run, and now I think this later 're-introduction' twist is to measure the public's reaction and, if it goes well vote and ratings wise, they'll use it on the US version if required.

From being the leading series of the show, I'm of the opinion that the UK show is little more than a lab rat now. The US is key for Syco.
Fudd is online now   Reply With Quote
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
Old 10-11-2011, 00:12
devlinacious
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 2,068
I'm starting to get the feeling the producers are trying out new twists on the UK version to see how they go down before moving them to the American version. If the big drop at Boot Camp had been successful we would've seen it appear in the US version next year. We've already seen the top 16 cut being used on both the UK and US versions, with the UK as a test run, and now I think this later 're-introduction' twist is to measure the public's reaction and, if it goes well vote and ratings wise, they'll use it on the US version if required.

From being the leading series of the show, I'm of the opinion that the UK show is little more than a lab rat now. The US is key for Syco.
If they try these underhand tricks in the USA they will be sued left right and centre. I hope they go bankrupt.
devlinacious is offline Follow this poster on Twitter   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 00:16
RabidWolverine
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Manchester, England
Posts: 1,168
Its definately an interesting thought! However I dont think they can really say that considering it was Simon's only version of the show he was a part of for 7 years...X Factor wise.

I think in this series they just have had some bad luck, trial and error.

Remember though Contraversy Creates Cash! All brings publicity!
RabidWolverine is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 00:18
Fudd
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 117,020
If they try these underhand tricks in the USA they will be sued left right and centre. I hope they go bankrupt.
I don't think so - they can only sue someone if they've broken a contract or rule and I bet there's nothing in the rules this year regarding returning acts. The public haven't lost any money on it so...sueing is not an option.

It's far too late to do this, though. After a couple of weeks, I can accept, but past the halfway point???
Fudd is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 00:19
Fudd
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 117,020
Its definately an interesting thought! However I dont think they can really say that considering it was Simon's only version of the show he was a part of for 7 years...X Factor wise.

I think in this series they just have had some bad luck, trial and error.

Remember though Contraversy Creates Cash! All brings publicity!
He's now part of the American version, though, and financially that has to be a success. No doubt ITV and FOX are both putting pressure on Simon to return next year, and there's no doubt where he'll be come the autumn of 2012. Why risk harming they're new baby when they can test trial a few things on the OAP to see if it works?
Fudd is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 00:27
RabidWolverine
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Manchester, England
Posts: 1,168
He's now part of the American version, though, and financially that has to be a success. No doubt ITV and FOX are both putting pressure on Simon to return next year, and there's no doubt where he'll be come the autumn of 2012. Why risk harming they're new baby when they can test trial a few things on the OAP to see if it works?
I dont think the show NEEDS Simon Cowell. Its good to have him there but its kind of like Channel 4 when they first axed Big Brother or coincidentally when BB announced Davina wasnt coming back. Channel 4 finally seem to be finding replacements and Brian Dowling is fitting in to Davinas place.

Neither Ch 4 or Brian Dowling had it right at first. Its just trial and error till they got the right formula. Same with X Factor UK without Cowell
RabidWolverine is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 00:28
InMyArms
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 39,227
They've always used the UK as a testing ground, inviting Paula Abdul as a guest judge in series three was a test for the four judge line up to come in series four with the introduction of Dannii Minogue.
InMyArms is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 00:39
James Martin 2
Inactive Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,192
US versions of shows are notorious for changing things for the sake of it, though.
James Martin 2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 00:54
Fudd
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 117,020
I dont think the show NEEDS Simon Cowell. Its good to have him there but its kind of like Channel 4 when they first axed Big Brother or coincidentally when BB announced Davina wasnt coming back. Channel 4 finally seem to be finding replacements and Brian Dowling is fitting in to Davinas place.

Neither Ch 4 or Brian Dowling had it right at first. Its just trial and error till they got the right formula. Same with X Factor UK without Cowell
I agree the show doesn't need Simon necessarily but they're either trying to over compensate for his absence or the production team have lost the plot...or, as I think, they're trying out new ideas to see how it goes.

They've always used the UK as a testing ground, inviting Paula Abdul as a guest judge in series three was a test for the four judge line up to come in series four with the introduction of Dannii Minogue.
But Paula did not hang around for a long period of time and it was an experiment for the UK version itself; not for another version.

US versions of shows are notorious for changing things for the sake of it, though.
True, but The X Factor has a very British base. So's American Idol and has it changed that much from series one?
Fudd is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 01:13
rivercity_rules
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 23,842
i think the initial live show idea of each judge losing an act was definitely a test run.

I don't think this week is a test run though for USA, I think it's just a decent enough twist that's fallen into place
rivercity_rules is offline Follow this poster on Twitter   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 01:23
Fudd
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 117,020
i think the initial live show idea of each judge losing an act was definitely a test run.

I don't think this week is a test run though for USA, I think it's just a decent enough twist that's fallen into place
I think it's a twist that will be watched very carefully by the FOX execs in case the same happens over there. If it works it saves money on returning vote money or missing a week of results.

The first week twist was nearly brilliant. All it needed was a public vote...but then if it had that they wouldn't have been able to do this twist now. Hmmm.
Fudd is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 01:49
C14E
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 30,110
I don't think so. The top 16 thing wasn't trialled on X Factor UK, it was always going to happen on both shows this year. And the big bootcamp cull has been done on America's Got Talent.

This is just a reaction to current events. They've spotted an opportunity to get something out of it.
C14E is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 01:54
Fudd
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 117,020
I don't think so. The top 16 thing wasn't trialled on X Factor UK, it was always going to happen on both shows this year. And the big bootcamp cull has been done on America's Got Talent.

This is just a reaction to current events. They've spotted an opportunity to get something out of it.
I don't understand why they didn't involve the public in the twist, unless they saw the opportunity to have acts on 'standby'.

I'd argue that the two X Factor's are closer to each other than Got Talent is to the singing contest. FOX want the American version to be as successful as the British version was; if Simon's nervous about something, why not give it a trial run first on the version that's smaller in importance?

I have the feeling if the twist had completely died over here, they would've shoehorned the public vote into the American show.
Fudd is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 02:04
C14E
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 30,110
I don't understand why they didn't involve the public in the twist, unless they saw the opportunity to have acts on 'standby'.

I'd argue that the two X Factor's are closer to each other than Got Talent is to the singing contest. FOX want the American version to be as successful as the British version was; if Simon's nervous about something, why not give it a trial run first on the version that's smaller in importance?

I have the feeling if the twist had completely died over here, they would've shoehorned the public vote into the American show.
My guess is that the idea might have actually started in the US. They needed a week of shows between judges houses and proper live shows but could only do a performance show (World Series Baseball was on Wednesday and Thursday). So they came up with this "top 16" judges elimination twist and the UK show tried it as well. Of course, they could have done the public vote on the UK show. But judges voting has tended to be quite controversial in the past.
C14E is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 02:23
Ash's Man
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,989
In terms of television, I think you'll find the UK is just one big testing ground for American shows a lot of the time. The US remakes our shows far more than we remake theirs and usually the writers/producers/execs etc. are doing their best on the UK version in the hope that it will be picked up for a US version.
Ash's Man is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 19:47
Fudd
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 117,020
My guess is that the idea might have actually started in the US. They needed a week of shows between judges houses and proper live shows but could only do a performance show (World Series Baseball was on Wednesday and Thursday). So they came up with this "top 16" judges elimination twist and the UK show tried it as well. Of course, they could have done the public vote on the UK show. But judges voting has tended to be quite controversial in the past.
If the UK's approach had been a disaster, they could've opened the phonelines in the US and cut acts at the start of the next live show (like Australia's Got Talent). I think they were measuring how well it went in the UK, and now they'll be watching how this latest twist does when considering bringing back acts if required.

I would still say the UK version is a measuring stick for the US version; to prevent the US version taking too many risks in it's fledgling season.
Fudd is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 20:36
BumbleSquat
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Ireland
Posts: 6,522
I don't understand why they didn't involve the public in the twist, unless they saw the opportunity to have acts on 'standby'.
But how would that twist have worked with a public vote? An act from each category going? Each category would've gained different numbers of votes - so it would've been possible for the lowest ranking girl to still have more votes than a 2nd place group for example. It would've been a mess. The first week twist was just an extension of what happens at judges' houses - they were just judged on how they compare to their own category.
BumbleSquat is offline Follow this poster on Twitter   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2011, 21:57
Kromm
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 6,038
I'm starting to get the feeling the producers are trying out new twists on the UK version to see how they go down before moving them to the American version. If the big drop at Boot Camp had been successful we would've seen it appear in the US version next year. We've already seen the top 16 cut being used on both the UK and US versions, with the UK as a test run, and now I think this later 're-introduction' twist is to measure the public's reaction and, if it goes well vote and ratings wise, they'll use it on the US version if required.

From being the leading series of the show, I'm of the opinion that the UK show is little more than a lab rat now. The US is key for Syco.
If you mean there's indications they no longer CARE about the UK version, that could be true.

But in terms of twists being "tested" on the UK for the US... that's kind of impossible to prove with the US version being brand new. Give the same argument in a year or two (if either, or both versions are even still on the air) and we shall see.

In terms of the "top 16 cut", by the way, the US use of that was SO close on the heels of the UK version's use, its clear they were conceived and carried out on both pretty much simultaneously.
Kromm is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply




 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 22:51.