The doors open, the dry ice clears and the great rivalry begins again in The X Factor. One of them has a clothes stylist, a hair stylist, a make-up artist and a bloke who carries her umbrella. The other trusts her look to camp Zimbabwean (hair stylist Christian Vermaak). Around 16 million viewers are waiting to deliver their verdicts.
So, who will X Factor 2010 belong to? Cheryl Cole or Dannii Minogue?
Hair and make-up
Cheryl
Cole uses make-up artist Caroline Barnes. She says: "Working with Cheryl is a delight. We have known each other since the early days of Girls Aloud. Obviously she is stunning which makes my job easy, but she is always open to new ideas."
The whole hair and make-up for the live shows takes between two-and-a-half and three hours and the team stays on alert with powder and hairspray until the end of filming.
Dannii
She also has a team of two, led by flamboyantly coiffed Christian Vermaak.
He described her hair last year as a fierce "Cleopatra rock chick look", and gave her at least five different styles, each loopier than the last with quiffs and curls. Vermaak will share make-up duties with Karen Alder, well-known for her statement red lips.
Verdict: We predict that Cole will edge it, by a false eyelash.
Because I'm worth it
Cheryl
On-screen glamour is a major investment: some clothes are bought by the girls, others are lent to them by designers. Cole, who will be paid £1.5 million (Dh8.7 million) this series, has a hair and make-up budget said to be an astronomical £80,000, while she spends £70,000 on clothes.
It's safe to say that Cole will spend a fortune to outdo Minogue "It's all about that moment when the screens open and the judges walk out," says stylist Frank Strachan.
Dannii
She has a relationship with two Australian labels, Ralph & Russo and J'Aton Couture, who lend her gowns, but she buys the others. She likes Aussie designers and hopes to showcase new talents. Last year she spent around £2,000 per live show for her wardrobe. This year she has tripled her budget.
Verdict: Cole outspends Minogue hand over fist.
Clothes
Cheryl
One stylist per girl is paid for by Talkback Thames, a British television production company, but Cole relies on flamboyant Frank Strachan, the Ferrari of stylists.
Strachan has been in charge of her on-screen look since the Girls Aloud days — he loves feathers, leather and sequins. This year he has been told to go shorter, sexier and prettier. There will be lots of embellishment and she may find it hard to move. Think the doll in a jewellery box.
Dannii
Vermaak gives Minogue advice on clothes as well, but rather surprisingly she doesn't have a professional stylist. "I style myself and choose all my outfits," she says. This year Minogue is apparently planning to be more fashion-forward than even last series, having seen how much positive press it generated.
Verdict: Cole is trying too hard, so underdog Minogue could win with her more laid-back approach.
Sharon's back
Make the most of Dannii Minogue in The X Factor. Simon Cowell has made a shock decision to reinstate Sharon Osbourne in the finals, and as a result Minogue has told him she plans to make this series her last.
The two women have been feuding for years, and Osbourne erupted after Minogue lifted the lid on their battles in her autobiography.
"Dannii is furious Simon expects her to work with Sharon after all that's happened,' says a source. Osbourne will mentor one of Louis Walsh's groups in the finals. The source says: "Dannii sees it as a snub. She feels Simon has no respect for her. She feels she's come to the end of her time with The X Factor."
The careers
Cheryl
The numbers do not lie. Cole has enjoyed 20 consecutive Top 10 singles and two No 1 albums as a member of Girls Aloud, while her debut solo record sold over a million copies last year.
Dannii
The total number of records sold by Minogue in a music career dating back 20 years is barely half that. Having started out as a soap opera actress, she has certainly made the most of limited talents. And Cole can attest to the fact that, in this fame-obsessed age the ability to sing comes way down the list of priorities for a pop star.
Verdict: Cole is undoubtedly the pop princess.
The surgery
Cheryl
She vehemently rejects claims that she has had a breast augmentation.
She has, however, had extensive dental work. She wore an invisible brace for two years and had porcelain veneers fitted to straighten her smile. Earlier this year she had her teeth whitened by a further shade to prepare for a US publicity blitz.
Dannii
There is no such timidness from Minogue, who happily owns up to having a boob job in the mid-'90s. Minogue claims to have given up Botox, however, after the irascible X Factor judge Louis Walsh reduced her to tears by calling her "frozen face" in 2008.
Verdict: Cole is a decade younger than Minogue and currently surgery-free, but time will tell.
The C Factor
Cheryl
Never mind public opinion, as far as these two are concerned only one person truly matters: Simon Cowell. He made them and he could just as easily break them.
Previously Cowell's favourite, Cole is showing signs of falling out of favour. Her tendency to publicly contradict the show's supremo, which he initially found amusing, has begun to grate. "You only have to look at the way she's been hung out to dry over the Gamu Nhengu controversy for evidence of that," says a crew member. Dannii
Danni
Having emerged victorious from a vicious tussle with former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne, Minogue has survived repeated calls for her head and still fears that this may be her last series.
Verdict: Cole remains his favourite, but for how much longer?
Significant others
Cheryl
Now single following her "faux-mance" with handsome Derek Hough. The dancer was her shoulder to cry on after she split from husband Ashley, but she is now putting some distance between them.
Dannii
She seems to have finally found her soul mate in the Mancunian model and former Rugby League star Kris Smith. Three months ago the couple — as yet unmarried — had their first baby, a son named Ethan.
Verdict: Minogue's love life is far rosier than Cole's .
Diva
Cheryl
No one is welcome in Cole's space unless they have been invited — which means her entourage, plus Cowell. But she has by far the smaller dressing room this time because Minogue has baby Ethan and partner Kris Smith in tow.
Dannii
Down-to-earth Minogue has a reputation for chatting to even the lowliest member of The X Factor team.
Verdict: Cole trounces Minogue when it comes to diva attitude.
Diet
Cheryl
She is a follower of the blood group diet and, of course, absolutely tiny. She has told her stylist that she wants to play up her curves, and is apparently eating rather more these days although she remains a UK size 6.
Dannii
She only had baby Ethan in July and says she gained 23 kilos while pregnant — but is already looking trim. She doesn't eat meat, has avoided dairy for some time, and favours salads and wraps, although she says she has developed a sweet tooth.
Verdict: Minogue seems healthier and curvier, so definitely wins.
The money
Cheryl
With a footballer ex and a raft of No 1 hits to her name, Cole should, by rights, win this category hands down.
Dannii
Minogue is rallying fast: £500,000 contract with Marks & Spencer, her own fashion line, Project D, with an accompanying reality TV series and a best-selling autobiography. Coupled with a hefty £700,000-a-year fee for her X Factor duties, this has seen her personal fortune rise to £5 million.
Verdict: Cole's bank account is fatter, but Minogue is catching up.
The arguments
Cheryl
She irritated Cowell so much with her catty remarks during auditions that he called her a "brat" and left a saucer of milk outside her dressing room.
Dannii
For a woman who smiles so much it makes your jaw hurt just to look at her, she has a surprising tendency to fall out with colleagues. Sharon Osbourne despised her so much that she left the show, saying, "I couldn't stand her. "
Louis Walsh made reducing Minogue to tears into an art form, criticising her singing ability, and clashing with her over song selection for contestants.
Verdict: Cole, until now, hasn't run into any serious trouble.
