Outspoken X-Factor judge Sharon Osbourne has topped a poll as the best reality TV judge of all time.
The comeback queen pipped current X-Factor judges Nicole Scherzinger and Gary Barlow to take the top spot in the survey by money saving site SaleLand.co.uk.
Over a fifth, 21%, of respondents voted Mrs O as their top judge claiming her wicked sense of humour and outspoken opinions were a winner with them.
Love him or hate him, X-Factor supremo Simon Cowell took second place with 17%, followed closely by ballroom legend and Strictly’s head judge, Len Goodman on 15%.
Nicole Scherzinger came in at fourth place with 12%, followed by former X-Factor judge Cheryl Cole on nine per cent. She was closely followed by Gary Barlow on seven per cent.
Star of The Voice, Will-i-am took seventh place with six per cent, with Mary Berry, David Walliams and Arlene Phillips making up the rest of the top ten.
At the other end, serial judge Alesha Dixon was named the worst judge ever by 19% of respondents with ex X-Factor judge Tulisa taking the second spot with 16% of the vote.
Dannii Minogue came in at third place with 15% followed by funny man Michael McIntyre for his brief stint on Britain’s Got Talent with 12%.
The X-Factor’s longest serving judge, Louis Walsh took fifth place with one in ten voting him the worst judge ever.
Dancing On Ice judges Jason Gardiner and Louis Spence took sixth and seventh place respectively with 10% and nine per cent.
Craig Revel Horwood, Kelly Rowland and David Hasselhoff propped up the bottom of the table.
One respondent said: “I’m so pleased Sharon is back on the X-Factor – she’s just hilarious. You never quite know what she’s going to do or say next – her unpredictability makes for great live TV. That said, she always comes across as genuinely nice – the kind of person you’d love to sit and have a gossip with.”
Another added: “Len Goodman is balanced, fair and is never rude to the contestants. Instead he gives constructive advice and always has something positive to say. The highlight for me is when he awards a ‘seven’ – brings a smile to my face every time.”
A third said: “There have been some bad judges over the years but Alesha Dixon and Michael McIntyre are among the worst for me. Both were out of their depth and don’t have anything of any use to say.”
A spokesperson for SaleLand.co.uk said: “We all enjoy a bit of reality TV and whether you love them or hate them, the judges are an important part of that. There are some great judges and some that are always going to annoy us.
“Sharon Osbourne is certainly a breath of fresh air on the X-Factor and we can’t wait to see what she’s going to get up to during the rest of this series.”
ENDS
Results in full:
Best reality judges of all time
Sharon Osbourne 21%
Simon Cowell 17%
Len Goodman 15%
Nicole Scherzinger 12%
Cheryl Cole 9%
Gary Barlow 7%
Will-i-am 6%
Mary Berry 5%
David Walliams 3%
Arlene Phillips 2%
Others 3%
Worst reality judges of all time
Alesha Dixon 19%
Tulisa 16%
Dannii Minogue 15%
Michael McIntyre 12%
Louis Walsh 10%
Jason Gardiner 9%
Louie Spence 5%
Craig Revel Horwood 4%
Kelly Rowland 3%
David Hasselhoff 1%
Others 6%
