Simon Cowell scraps The X Factor jukebox to focus on "what's real"
"All these crazy things we used to do with themes have gone, no more jukeboxes, none of that rubbish this year"
Somewhere near the X Factor studio a jukebox is sitting sadly in a skip, because Simon Cowell has decided there will be "none of that rubbish" in this year's show.
The last couple of series have seen the introduction of more gimmicks, with the jukebox attracting the most ridicule for "randomly" selecting appropriate themes for the next week.
It used to be spun at the end of the Sunday night results show to select a theme, when the jukebox happened to choose Fright Night for the week of Halloween fans weren't convinced.
According to The Sun, Cowell announced at X Factor auditions in Wembley on Sunday: "All these crazy things we used to do with themes have gone, no more jukeboxes, none of that rubbish this year.
"The public are smart enough to know what’s real, that’s what we are focusing on this year."
The talent show judge is reportedly trying to make this year's edition of the ITV talent show more credible, focusing more on genuine talent and less on novelty acts.
An insider told the newspaper: "Without the jukebox contestants will be able to sing to their full potential, without being constrained by a certain theme.
"This year has seen more acts sing their own music and Simon thinks this will be the best way to find original talent."
