Simon Cowell is making some huge changes to The X Factor this year, in a last ditch effort to save the struggling series.
The talent show’s ratings have slowly dropped over the years, and now Simon is planning to cut the live weekend shows from ten to six episodes.
In a bid to revamp the show, “tedious” performance-only Saturday episodes will be axed, and contestants will now be voted off on both Saturdays and Sundays
The music mogul will also hold auditions at Thorpe Park in Surrey, hoping to change things up, and will finally discourage novelty acts like Honey G and Wagner.
Revamp: Simon is making BIG changes to The X Factor | WENN.com
An X Factor source told The Sun, “Ratings plummeted and Simon knew a drastic revamp was needed. The Saturday night show became so tedious as there was rarely any drama which an eviction would bring.
“ITV believes transforming it is the right decision. It means all singers will perform on both Saturday and Sunday evenings, with acts being eliminated both nights. They are doing the Thorpe Park auditions early on, too, because producers think the unconventional location will create some funny footage.
“They want to get shots of the judges on white-knuckle rides. Ultimately, show bosses are determined to make another star. They don’t want the show to be a laughing stock again like it was with Honey G,” they added.
They’re back: Sharon, Nicole and Louis will join Simon on the judging panel once again | ITV
Parts of the Bootcamp stage will also be filmed in front of a studio audience.
This year, Sharon Osbourne, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh will return to the judging panel alongside Simon.
At its peak, The X Factor was watched by 14.13million an episode back in 2010.
However, the show’s ratings have significantly dropped – as last year’s final episode only attracted 7 million.
 Watch the latest episode of #TheDailyGoss here:
