Simon Cowell has re-instated The X Factor's live show twists in a bid to boost ratings.
Simon Cowell
The show boss is said to be bringing back the Sunday night sing-off, judges' vote and deadlock when the live episodes commence this weekend, after axing the options in 2017 following their 13-year appearance on the series.
A TV insider said: "Simon and the producers took a big gamble last year when they overhauled the live shows.
"They hoped the new format would intrigue viewers but, instead, they rejected the changes in a big way.
"Simon hopes going back to the old format will recapture the magic of classic 'X Factor'."
Another change will see the prize fight, in which the weekend's most popular acts faced off to win a luxury reward, ditched.
The insider added to The Sun's Bizarre TV column: "The prize fight didn't take off either - perhaps because viewers felt being on the show was reward enough."
Only half of the acts performed on each of the Saturday and Sunday episodes last year, but this has also been scrapped with all categories set to perform on the Saturday this weekend.
The competition between Simon and his fellow judges, Robbie Williams, Louis Tomlinson and Ayda Field is hotting up - and she is hoping to give her acts a helping hand by bringing some "Hollywood glamour" to the live shows to inspire viewers to vote for her artists.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, she said: "I'm going to win! I've got so many ideas. If I'm not bringing the Hollywood glamour than I'm not doing my job. I'm going to bring it."
Show host Dermot O'Leary also fancies Ayda's chances of triumphing.
He said: "Ayda knows the business, she's the greatest underdog of all time. She's got s**t tons of ideas."
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