will.i.am to mentor Britney Spears' wannabes on The X Factor - report

Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am is set to switch sides in the ongoing international war between talent shows The X Factor and The Voice after signing on to become a mentor on the second season of Simon Cowell's hit series.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the hitmaker has served up a Boom Boom Pow to producers of The Voice after serving as a coach on the British version of that show earlier this year (12), and now he'll help the young talent Britney Spears picks for her team of wannabes perfect their live acts on the X Factor, which debuted on Wednesday night (12Sep12).

Will.i.am has already tasted talent show success - his contestant, Tyler James, was one of two runner-ups on The Voice in the U.K. He has also served as a mentor on American Idol.

The rivalry for ratings between the two shows began last week (ends07Sep12) when producers of The Voice opted to go head-to-head with the first episode of Cowell's second season for its first hour on Wednesday night.

The Voice won the battle by landing almost three million more viewers than The X Factor.