Mel, 39, was recently announced as the fourth judge, while 30-year-old Cheryl is returning after previously judging the talent for three series’.
Despite Louis Walsh claiming last week that both singers ‘get on well’, it seems this is not the case with tensions apparently already growing between them.
Head judge Simon Cowell, 54, is reportedly happy with the frostiness between former Spice Girl Mel and Cheryl, and hopes warring judges will attract viewers.
A source told the Daily Star: “Cheryl did not want Mel B. She is just so loud and out there – she makes it very hard to compete. Cheryl is the queen of X Factor fashion but Mel has been getting a lot of attention.
“She is completely outrageous. She flirts with Simon, and flirts with the crew and contestants. Cheryl is not amused.”
Apparently Simon loves the hostility, and is purposely making things worse by showing up late to auditions to ensure everyone is in a bad mood.
The source continued: “So far the atmosphere has not been great to say the least. The only person who gets on with everyone is Simon but it’s as if he’s deliberately letting the fires build by being late and making everyone grumpy.
“Pretty much every member of the panel – apart from Simon – clearly didn’t want the other judges chosen for this year’s show. The theory is that his plan is to create havoc on the judging panel.
“He’s the first to admit the show has started to run its course and it’s harder to get viewers to engage with the acts. However, what does work are fights between the judges. He knows what he’s doing. He loves being the master puppeteer.”
Do you think fighting judges makes the show more interesting, or should it be all about the contestants? Let us know via the comments box below.