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TV talent show judges from around the world: The good, the bad and the bizarre
X Factor Australia turned F-A-N-C-Y for its final series! For the show's eighth season in 2016, returning judge - and Australia's pioneering Eurovision entrant - Guy Sebastian was joined by American Idol star Adam Lambert and Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea.
Now we're all aware that Scary Spice herself was a formidable face on The X Factor... but did you know she has also graced both the Got Talent and The Voice shows too?
Mel B is a current judge on America's Got Talent, and she's even served her time as a coach on the only season (so far) of The Voice Kids in Australia.
Britain's Got Talent has been on our screens a looooong time, since 2007, so you'd be forgiven for forgetting that Baywatch and Berlin Wall climbing legend David Hasselhoff served on the judging panel in series 5. Given his superstar status over there, perhaps The Hoff should give the German version a go…
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Yes, it's these two. Married couple and general rays of sunshine Willy Moon and Natalia Kills set tongues wagging in 2015 as judges on the second season of X Factor New Zealand alongside All Saints legend – and head judge may we add – Melanie Blatt.
Everything kicked off when one of Melanie's acts Joe Irvine was accused by Willy and Natalia of copying Willy's style and persona, comparing Joe to fictional serial killer Norman Bates and branding him "disgusting" and "artistically atrocious". Props for speaking their minds, maybe, but it was a bad move – the two were swiftly fired by Simon Cowell.
Since Natalia got the boot, she's been working with Rihanna, co-writing Kiss It Better from Anti.
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Sticking with our friends Down Under, the 2015 season of X Factor Australia featured the interesting choices of acerbic Brit James Blunt and US star Chris Isaak alongside veterans Guy Sebastian and Dannii Minogue. James's sarcasm often worked up his fellow judge Chris, and Guy Sebastian stated in an interview that the two "legitimately hated each other".
Season 9 of American Idol drafted in Ellen Degeneres as a permanent judge to replace Paula Abdul. Although she signed a five-year deal, Ellen went her own way after one season, admitting that the show "didn't feel like the right fit for me". It also wasn't the right fit for one of the guest judges that season...
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Slated for being "the night's saddest failure" by the Los Angeles Times, Victoria Beckham guested on Season 9 of American Idol, a brief spell that may have been erased from memory as time has gone by. "Let Your Head Go" may have been the advice for VB, but she was polite and reserved – she is such an innocent girl, after all.
Nena is famous for her 99 Red Balloons, but did you know she served as a coach on The Voice of Germany for three seasons? Although the acts she mentored didn't manage to win any of them, it's nice to see a friendly familiar face pop up unexpectedly!
Remember these cuties? As the vocal coaches on Fame Academy, married couple David and Carrie Grant offered a helping hand, but pulled no punches either. Their invaluable teachings moulded the careers of the likes of Lemar, David Sneddon and Alex Parks. On the subject of Fame Academy, remember the songwriting element of the show – is it time modern talent shows introduced that?
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Now, you'd be forgiven for thinking this is a random picture of John Legend, Kelly Clarkson and Robin Thicke posing together – at a celebrity-studded toothpaste launch, perhaps. But, nope, this trio, along with Jennifer Nettles, were actually judges on a short-lived US show called Duets from 2012.
The premise saw the four mentors travel across America to pick two singers each to duet with every week. The winner would then receive... a solo record deal. Um, OK. Blurred Lines indeed. The show wasn't renewed after its first season.
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Britney Spears' unique judging style and Khloe Kardashian's unique presenting style are what X Factor USA became famous for, but it was in Season 3 that the show was truly unique.
Paulina Rubio joined the lineup to represent Latin pop, a genre usually ignored in most Western singing show formats. The "3 women to 1 Simon Cowell" panel was also interesting. As much as Seasons 1 and 2 were so bad they were utterly AMAZING, we would love to see X Factor USA get a second chance.
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Remember this short-lived talent show? Sky launched its own singing contest, Must Be The Music, in 2010, with Jamie Cullum, Sharleen Spiteri and Dizzee Rascal acting as judges. What a marvellously random trio.
Despite being popular with critics, a mere 370,000 viewers watched the final, and the show was cancelled in early 2011. The winner was Emma's Imagination (just one person, not a group like Destiny's Child) and her single This Day reached Number 10 on the Official Singles Chart. She then went on to reach Number 7 with second track Focus.
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So this one happened and we have no idea why. Not a bloomin' clue. Skin, the lead singer of British rock band Skunk Anansie, took to the judging table of X Factor Italy. What made it all the more remarkable was that Skin didn't seem to know that much Italian – or indeed any. Her favourite phrase, which must've taken hours to learn, was "Fantastico", but sometimes that's all you need, eh?
Kesha is looking mighty glam in this promo shot for Rising Star, another recent US reality show that ABC hoped would become the next American Idol in 2014. Although it had the star power of Kesha, Ludacris and Brad Paisley, it wasn't enough. After the US version was canned, that led to ITV deciding not to air a UK instalment. Womp womp.
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We guess Mika didn't suck too hard on any lollipops as life hasn't gotten him down recently. The singer's music career may have quietened down in the UK, but that might be down to the fact he was both a coach on The Voice of France and a judge on X Factor Italy. So much for Relax, Take It Easy...
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LMFAO's Redfoo was ushered in as a judge for 2013's season of X Factor Australia, a move that worked out well for him - he topped the ARIA Singles Chart with his solo single Let's Get Ridiculous. He stuck around for two seasons before party rockin' to pastures new.
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Cast your minds back to 2002 and one of the most exciting Christmas Number 1 races of all time. Even more iconic? Geri Halliwell was a judge.
Ginger Spice has since appeared on All Together Now, American Idol and The X Factor UK as a guest judge, and a permanent panelist on Australia's Got Talent (alongside Dawn French!), but it was Popstars: The Rivals were she first dipped her toe in the water. Girls Aloud was the result, job well done we say!
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Eva Simons has ditched the orange mohawk for lilac locks and a seat on Idols 2016, the Dutch version of Pop Idol. The singer, who appeared on will.i.am's Number 1 single This Is Love in 2012, has also collaborated with Chris Brown, Afrojack and Sidney Samson. Her 2012 track I Don't Like You had so much potential, but at least her home country appreciate her!
Sweet Dreams My L.A Ex... and hello The Voice of Ireland. Irish folk clearly wanted More, More, More of Rachel Stevens, and as seen in this promo shot, she delivered some serious class!
Now here's a guest judge we'd love to see back on the X Factor panel. Anastacia enjoyed judging duties in Glasgow in 2012 and was a natural sweetheart. We wouldn't get Sick and Tired of seeing her again!
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