Simon Cowell - Angry Simon Cowell Slams ‘The Voice’ For Dirty Tactics

Things might be hotting up in the reality television world. Simon Cowell has reacted angrily to news that ‘The Voice’ will air at the same time as ‘The X Factor’ season two. The two shows appear to have overtaken American Idol in the ratings, though if Cowell thought he was the new king of the television singing contests, he may have thought wrong.

During a conference call on Thursday, Cowell told reporters, “It is a spoiling tactic and it’s very simple – [NBC doesn’t] want people to see this first episode…I think it’s mean-spirited and I hope and I pray that it backfires on them because this is one of the best shows we’ve ever made”. In all fairness to Cowell, he’s assembled an A-list judging line-up for his new season, with Britney Spears and Demi Lovato joining L.A. Reid on the panel. The UK version of ‘The Voice’ started strongly, before tailing off against the more mainstream offering ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, and it’s likely that something similar will happen across the Atlantic. Cowell wasn’t finished there, venting, “And I am pissed off about it because I think there’s kind of a gentlemen’s agreement, but you have to rely that the viewers will make the right selection”. The Voice is starting its new season with a three-night premiere, which Cowell described as “too much” for the viewers”, adding, “I think there’s a lot of interest, rightly so, in our show because of Britney, Demi, the way the show is going to look, so we’re gonna see what happens…But I’ve learned don’t make any predictions!”

In 2011, the music mogul went on record as saying he would ne disappointed if the show premiered to less than 20 million viewers – it eventually drew 12.5 million. Recent reports suggest show bosses are chasing Khloe Kardashian as a potential host, to bring some added star-power to season two.