Worldwide Talent – Countries with the X Factor

The hot topic in the dealchecker office this morning, and probably many offices across the country, is the conclusion of this year’s X-Factor competition. Matt – a painter decorator from Essex was crowned the king of pop last night and awarded with a £1 million record contract courtesy of Mr Simon Cowell (who is reported to be worth £125 million himself!). So is there really no business like show business? Are we all missing a trick? Granted the guy could sing but could I brush up on my scales and stand a chance of making it through to the live shows in 2011? Could that £1million prize be mine?? If not in the UK and Ireland perhaps there are alternative talent shows around the world with lucrative prizes that might be worth a punt….

Variations on the x-factor theme and appropriately named shows are already running in up to 30 countries around the world. Colombia has been hosting the show since 2005 and was the first of the Latin American nations to do so. The first winner in Denmark broke the record for being the youngest contestant to win at just 15 years old. If you fancy your chances, try buying a cheap flight to India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Serbia or Poland where new series are set to start in 2011.

If singing isn’t your thing but you have another talent to showcase, Britain’s Got Talent is another live show that has been repeated in a number of other nations. The latest version of China’s Got Talent saw a hopeful who had lost his arms in a childhood accident shoot to fame by playing the piano with his toes. Rumour has it that Simon Cowell is considering a World’s Got Talent Show similar to the Eurovision Song Contest. The prize money is said to be £1 million along with a projected audience of 300 million and a live performance at the Royal Albert Hall. We had better start brushing up on our harmonies!

Top image from tibchris