each act is not revealed, nor even the order until after the season's conclusion. However, a twist occurred in season two where the rankings of the acts based on the public vote for the week were revealed after the eliminations on the show. Once the number of contestants has been reduced to four, the act which received the lowest number votes is automatically eliminated from the competition (the judges do not have a vote; their only role is to comment on the performances). Twists After The X Factor The winner of the competition is awarded a recording contract with Syco Music in association with Sony Music Entertainment, which would include cash payments totaling $5 million. A press release on behalf of the show on February 7, 2011 called the recording contract "the largest guaranteed prize in television history." Unlike the British version of the show, the costs of recording and marketing the winning artist will be paid for separately from the $5 million initial contract payment. The $5 million will be paid directly to the winner in five annual installments of $1 million. Cowell said in a conference call with reporters on February 7, 2011: "I think it should be a life-changing prize and just to be clear, this isn't a dressed-up $5 million, this is a guaranteed $5 million payable to the winner. The recording, marketing, and video costs are completely separate to that. It will be paid over five years at $1 million a year." Cowell said in the same conference call that the specific music label within the Sony family that the winner signs with depends on which label could provide the best support to the winner with regard to the type of music the winner chooses to perform. Series overview To date, three seasons have been broadcast, as summarized below. Notes Cheryl Cole originally served as a permanent judge for the Los Angeles and Chicago auditions but was dropped and replaced by Nicole Scherzinger who was originally a co-host. Louis Walsh served as a guest judge for only the Kansas City auditions to replace Simon Cowell who was ill. Judges and hosts Judges At the time of announcing the U.S. version of The X Factor, Simon Cowell was the only confirmed judge for the show. He later said that he was taking the choices of whom to join him on the show very seriously, saying, "It's