To members of our generation, there were a few common debates that raged among middle-schoolers: Backstreet Boys or N*SYNC? Pokémon or Digimon? And, perhaps the most divisive, Britney or Christina?
Earlier this month, gossip sites abounded with a renewed version of that same fight for queen of the pop princesses. Britney and Christina, who are both far from the weirdly sexy teenage selves of our sixth-grade memories, are now respective judges on The X Factor and The Voice, two competition reality shows that aim to discover America’s next pop sensation. The Internet speculation was as to which former teen idol’s 30-year-old self would win more viewers for her show. However, according to the ratings, in the battle of Britney vs. Christina, America chose to change the channel.
The tank in ratings, with the premieres of both shows gaining dismal scores among their shared target demographic, comes as no surprise. Although loyal viewers might argue otherwise, it is difficult to deny that both shows are, at their heart, knockoffs of cultural phenomenon American Idol, set to begin its 12th season next year.
Despite the gimmicks that they pulled to keep themselves a little bit different, The Voice and X Factor face the challenge that every reality-TV piggybacker faces—market saturation. Over the years that reality TV has existed, we’ve seen successful shows give rise to failing knockoffs dozens of times: Models of the Runway and dozens of dating shows that tried to differentiate themselves from The Bachelor, just to name a few. In the minds of producers, the motivation is simple—Jersey Shore is mega-successful, so let’s take some ridiculous Jersey residents, put them in a hair salon, call it Jerseylicious, and the money should flow in. Right?
Wrong, The problem is that in other markets, knockoffs make perfect sense; if you love a dress at Anthropologie but can’t afford it, you can buy a similar one at Forever 21. But TV doesn’t cost us anything, so knockoff shows need to compete even harder for the attention of viewers who either won’t like their show to begin with, or who are already fans of the original.
That’s where the celebrity judges come in. The younger generation of singing talent shows are trying to reel in viewers with the oldest trick in the book—famous people plus television equals ratings. If so many millions of Americans liked Idol with a mean British dude, a seemingly random man who calls everyone “dawg,” and a singer from the ‘80s who’s constantly wacked out on some unknown substance, then they’ll surely like the same premise with some swivel chairs and some actual celebrities.
This is all fine in theory, but for would-be singing show sensations, the problem is in the execution. It is the nature of reality television that the “celebrities” who join their regular casts are those desperate to stay (or become) relevant—try to imagine Lady Gaga on Stars Earn their Stripes and this point becomes obvious. That’s why nearly-middle-aged former teen sensations Britney and Christina are jumping on the reality TV bandwagon now, when their voices and bare midriffs are no longer vehicles for success.
But despite the has-been factor, some shows do translate celebrity cast members into significant, long-lasting success. Where The Voice’s flailing third season and X Factor’s flailing second (in the U.S.) are going wrong is that the show they’re mimicking, the cultural behemoth of Idol, is already up to their tricks. The show now features a cast of celebrity judges that rotates by year, featuring stars like Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler who are more successful, current, and/or entertaining than their counterparts on other shows.
Add in the massive fan base that the show already has—even despite a significant drop in popularity over the past few years—and its unique history of occasionally producing an actually successful pop star, and Idol has become Dancing with the Stars, while the other two are in the realm of Skating with Celebrities, which only survived one season.
But all hope isn’t lost for these floundering rip-off reality shows. Sure, America loves talented singers and famous people, but it loves freak shows and crazies even more—hence the length of Paula Abdul’s judging run on Idol. If Britney’s up for shaving her head again, X Factor just might succeed after all.
