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1. The Judges
Sharon Takes over from Tulisa
After her second stint judging on The X Factor, everyone was convinced Tulisa was getting the chop. Her lacklustre efforts on the panel and the poor performance of her category led show boss Simon Cowell to find a replacement. After much deliberation, previous judge Sharon Osbourne was given her old job back.
Who else could have taken her spot?
Spice Girls Mel B and Geri Halliwell were reportedly offered the job, but Sporty Spice joined the panel of Simon's other show, America's Got Talent, instead. Geri did the same Down Under.
Geri recently admitted: "Thank God sometimes I don't get what I want when I want it. I'd have probably f**king it up."
Also apparently approached was Charlotte Church. The singer tweeted: "I got asked to do the X factor job. I'd rather poke my eyes out with sticks than be a part of the machine that kills music."
Other than this one spot, the judging panel remained unchanged: Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow and Nicole Scherzinger are back.
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2. The Categories
Now that we've got the judges sorted, we want to know what categories they're given - and let's be honest, no one wants the overs.
Insiders claim Simon favoured Gary and Louis when deciding who gets what, using the better categories as bargaining chips to help ensure the judges would sign on for another year.
Gary Barlow: The Groups
A source told The Sun: “The groups are really strong and Gary knows all about how to get the best out of them - because of his experience with Take That."
Louis Walsh: The Boys
The insider said: “The boys are also always a strong category, with Nicole winning with James Arthur last year, so Louis is thrilled.
“And for Louis, this has been a long time coming, giving him his best chance of winning since the second series."
Nicole Scherzinger: The Girls
Female pop star Nicole "is happy with her category, saying from the outset she wanted the girls after doing well with the boys last year."
Sharon Osbourne: The Overs
Last to the party, Shazza has the overs, "which has not been too lucky over the past few series.
“But if anyone can knock them into shape, she can.”
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3. The Contestants: Return of old faces
This year is reportedly set to be full of previous rejects from the show.
A source told The Sun: "There have been so many recognisable faces on this year’s show it’s turned into something of a ‘best of the rejects’ special."
Those returning include Rough Copy, Melanie McCabe, Jade Richards, and Amy Mottram.
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4. Last year's top performers: Where are they now?
James Arthur is all set to release his second single, You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You.
He recently released footage of himself working on his new album.
Jahmene Douglas came second last year and released his first album, Love Never Fails, on 22nd July. He scored a No. 1 hit with it.
Ella Henderson shared her first song, called Waiting, on Twitter in May, with a message explaining a bit about the ballad.
She said: “Kinda relates back to my experiences of the past year. Hope you enjoy."
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5. Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell was planning on getting in front of the camera once again for this year's UK X Factor. But since the news of his love child broke, he's cancelled his appearance.
All four judges were set to fly to St. Tropez on a private jet to meet Simon, but the 53-year-old has allegedly cancelled the idea.
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