Simon Cowell has axed the X Factor Boot Camp stage of the reality singing competition.
The 54-year-old mogul - who is returning to the show's judging panel with Cheryl Cole - is changing the format in order to lure back viewers and has opted to axe Boot Camp in favour of the controversial six-chair challenge which was introduced last year.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "Simon thinks the boot camp process can drag on a bit and isn't very exciting.
"The plan is to axe it and just focus more on the six-chair challenge. Simon loves it -- the drama and controversy is right up his street."
The six-chair challenge sees the judges' reward contestants with a seat - and a place in Judges' Houses - right after their performance if they are impressive enough. However, no act is safe as another singer can replace seated contestants as the callbacks continue.
The six contestants lucky enough to have seats by the end of the day go through to Judges' Houses to fight it out for a place in the Live Shows.
It's thought Simon is a fan of the drama of the challenge and thinks it makes better TV than the "tedious" Boot Camp stage, which saw around 200 contestants whittled down through various singing tasks.
The six-chair challenge came under fire for being cruel by some viewers last year, but Simon has previously championed the format change.
He said in October: "This is some of the most exciting TV we've made on one of these shows. It is dramatic, it is controversial, but we all love that. People went nuts, half loving it and half hating it."
Tagged in Cheryl Cole Simon Cowell