The X Factor: Cheryl vs. Nicole

A big to do was made before The X Factor even started about a shakeup on the judges panel. Originally, Cheryl Cole was slated to judge alongside LA Reid, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. Nicole Scherzinger was originally supposed to co-host the show with Steve Jones. This was back in the day when everyone was happy and The X Factor was a world filled with unicorns and rainbows. Then the show snapped back into the real world, where unicorns dont exist. Cheryl was sacked, Nicole replaced her on the judges panel, and everyone was supposed to forget Cheryl even existed. Well, not here at The Josh Factor. We dont let things go so easily. So since Wednesday nights episode was delayed by baseball, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to whip out the blog Ive been sitting on for weeks: Cheryl Cole versus Nicole Scherzinger. In one corner, we have Girls Aloud member, Cheryl Cole. Cheryl is in the world record book as being part of the group with the most top 10 singles in a row in The United Kingdom. Between 2002 and 2009, the group scored 20 top 10 singles in a row. Thats pretty amazing, if you ask me. With songs like Sound of the Underground, Biology, and Love Machine, its easy to see why Girls Aloud were so successful.

In the other corner, we have former Pussycat Dolls lead singer, Nicole Scherzinger. While The Pussycat Dolls werent around near as long as Girls Aloud, they still racked up 12 worldwide hit singles and were likely equally as commercially successful as Girls Aloud because their albums and singles sold in more countries. Who could forget hit songs like When I Grow Up, Dont Cha, and the favorite of my friends, Buttons? Classic songs for many years to come.

Hmm. Their group backgrounds didnt really help me to distinguish if Cheryl or Nicole is better. Perhaps their solo careers will? Not likely. They seem to be taking similar paths to solo superstardom. I think both of these ladies have been groomed for solo careers from their debuts on reality television. Cheryl came to the spotlight via Popstars: The Rivals, and Nicole came to be known through Popstars, which created the group Edens Crush. I cant even break them apart based on the reality shows they were on. Im starting to think this versus blog idea was more of a challenge than I first thought, but Im going to carry on. Nicole tried to branch out into the solo world before Cheryl back in 2007 with a string of failed singles. She was supposed to release her debut album then, too, but it was shelved after the singles failed to garner much airplay. However, Nicole tried again in late 2010, with her debut single, Poison. The single hit the top 3 in The United Kingdom and was quickly followed by three more top 20 singles. Her album, Killer Love, was released in Europe earlier this year and is slated to be released in mid-November in the United States. Currently, Nicole is promoting her already top 40 single, Dont Hold Your Breath, hoping to mirror the success of the song in her home country; it went to number one in England.

Cheryls path to solo success was a little easier than Nicoles. By the time Cheryl released her debut single, Fight For Th! is Love in 2009, she had already locked in a season as a judge on The X Factor, which helped to develop her persona outside of Girls Aloud. Fight For Your Love debuted at number one on the British charts and ended up becoming one of the top selling singles of the decade. Cheryls first album, 3 Words, was also a huge seller in her home country, ending 2009 as the 11th highest selling album of the year. It ended up going three times platinum, meaning sales nearing one million copies. Cheryl followed the success of 3 Words with her second album, Messy Little Raindrops, which contained another number one single, Promise This.

So really, when it comes to comparing Nicole Scherzinger and Cheryl Cole, its a tough call as to who reigns supreme. Their careers have followed extremely similar paths, which have led them to where they are today. I dont know if I can say if one has a stronger X factor than the other; they are both very qualified to be judges on the show. When it comes to comparing the two, I think its a toss up as to who is better. You can see how Cheryl and Nicoles X factors stack up against this seasons competitors tonight (Thursday) on Fox 4 at 7. Because of baseballs rain delay on Wednesday night, The X Factor will also be on Sunday night at 7 and again Tuesday night at 7 because of the World Series. Write all those down on your calendar. You dont want to miss who the judges select to be in their top 16.