The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent, contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. Created by Simon Cowell, the show began in September 2004 and has since aired annually from August/September through to December. The show is produced by FremantleMedia’s Thames and Cowell’s production company SYCOtv. It is broadcast on the ITV network in the United Kingdom and TV3 in Ireland, with spin-off behind-the-scenes show The Xtra Factor screened on ITV2. It is the originator of the international The X Factor franchise. The X Factor was devised as a replacement for the highly successful Pop Idol, which was put on indefinite hiatus after its second series, largely because Cowell, who was a judge on Pop Idol, wished to launch a show to which he owned the television rights. The perceived similarity between the two shows later became the subject of a legal dispute. The “X Factor” of the title refers to the undefinable “something” that makes for star quality.

The original judging panel was Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh. Dannii Minogue joined the panel in series 4, and Cheryl Cole replaced Osbourne in series 5 after her departure. After series 7, Cowell and Cole both left to judge the American version of the show whilst Minogue left the show due to commitments on Australia’s Got Talent. Kelly Rowland, Tulisa Contostavlos and Gary Barlow then joined Walsh on the judging panel for series 8, though Rowland announced she would not return for series 9 and was replaced by Nicole Scherzinger. Osbourne later returned in 2013, replacing Contostavlos. Since 2007, the show has been presented by Dermot O’Leary, who replaced original host Kate Thornton. The show is split into a series of phases, following the contestants from auditions through to the grand finale. In the original televised audition phase of the show, contestants sang in an audition room in front of just the judges. From series 6 onwards, auditionees sing on a stage in front of the judges and a live audience. Successful auditionees go through to “bootcamp” and then to “judges’ houses”, where judges narrow down the acts in their category down to three or four acts to mentor for the live shows, where the public vote for their favourite acts following weekly live performances by the contestants.

Gold miners Dakota Fred and his son Dustin are back – returning to McKinley Creek Alaska, determined to make a fortune no matter the risk. But to find the big gold payout, they’ll put their lives on the line by diving deep beneath the raging waters of one of Alaska’s wildest creeks.

Paranormal investigator and documentary filmmaker Steve Shippy visits Midwestern towns that have been traumatized for generations by ripples of fear. Shippy uses his own personal experiences to make intimate connections with the families who’ve reached out to him for help. He then puts the puzzle pieces together to identify and decipher the larger mystery of the town’s haunting.

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Exploring the recent trend of house flippers scooping up foreclosed and often abandoned “zombie houses” and renovating them to return neighborhoods to their former glory.

Doomsday Preppers is an American reality television series that airs on the National Geographic Channel. Dräger Equipment, Wise Food Storage Company and the United States Gold Bureau are sponsors of the show.

The superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment’s “SmackDown” brand collide each and every Friday on WWE Friday Night SmackDown.

Hosted by rock legend Dave Navarro and judged by icons of the tattoo world, Chris Núñez and Oliver Peck, a group of the country’s most creative and skilled tattoo artists compete for a hundred thousand dollars and the title of Ink Master. The stakes couldn’t be higher with “living canvasses” donating their skin to be permanently marked in this adrenalized competition elimination.

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This 20-episode series shares the remarkable, positive change several young heroes are making in their own communities across the country. These inspiring kids have dedicated their lives to selfless acts of bravery and kindness, and now, Marvel celebrates them as the true Super Heroes they are by welcoming them into Marvel’s Hero Project.

Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick is one of England’s top veterinarians. “Supervet” showcases Fitzpatrick and his staff treating hard-to-cure ailments with innovative care and surgical techniques. The program gives the often-emotional stories of pets, owners and the passionate team that pushes boundaries of medicine to save animals from life-threatening conditions. Nicknamed the Bionic Vet, Fitzpatrick employs more than 100 people at his neurosurgery/orthopedic clinic in Surrey, England.