The new season of The X Factor can only look up as it battles with other talent competition shows around it.

Mel B Announced As Newest 'X Factor UK' Judge

The X Factor has one item the rest do not have, and that is Simon Cowell. He has taken the reins of the The X Factor in the United Kingdom to try and get the show back on track ratings and content wise. The United States version of the show was canceled in February, and the UK version suffered a large ratings drop after Cowell left, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

On the show, Cowell is a judge along with Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Mel B and Louis Walsh. Recently, the age limit was dropped from 16 to 14, allowing for younger contestants to participate on the show. One shocking happening on the last episode was an elder contestant auditioning with a younger girl was not accepted, while the younger companion was. Cowell also seemed to go on a rant about foreigners on the show.

Why Simon Cowell Had To Clarify One Direction Remarks

Independent U.K. sums up what Cowell said to one particular foreigner with, "Why do you compete on the UK X Factor when you have your own version in your own country?" One particular foreigner, Andrea Faustini, was passed through by the judges after a seemingly flawless rendition of a Jackson 5 song.

Cowell's main focus is making The X Factor the more preferred show in Britain, as he told The Guardian, "our job is to do the best job we can so people prefer X Factor..."

Tags: Simon Cowell the X Factor UK The X Factor