P-Factor

The P-Factor minigame, in which Storkos is about to judge piñatas.

P-Factor is a fashion show mini-game in Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise. Four piñatas participate in the match and five judge characters will rate the piñatas in order, giving them points. The one with the most points wins first place. The first four judges are selected by the players, the fifth is selected randomly. If players take too long to select a judge it will automatically be selected, the timer appears as an unmarked clock that with a head that turns counter-clockwise.

The P-Factor results screen.

Most of the characters found in the game can be selected as judges for the show, and there are 36 judges to select from. If a potential judge is already playing as a competitor in the match, then the character cannot be selected as a judge in the match.

Some characters only appear in the mini-game modes, including the P-Factor. They are Carrie Chewdini, Sahari, Sparticus, Maxime, Nana Urf, Jeffe, Babochka, Eddie Lizard, and Bear. A. Maracus.

When the five judges are selected, they go in order judging. Each judge has different criteria for score. The judges will give more points to piñatas that meet their criteria the best. The piñata that meets the judge's criteria the best will get five points and a glowing particle effect surrounding them that lasts until the next judge is summoned. The second best will get three points, and the third best will get two points. The piñata that is the worst at meeting the judge's criteria will earn only one point, and they will start crying until the next judge is summoned. Players can earn up to 25 points, and these points are marked by a circular gauge around the piñata owner's label, or the character icon for a non-player character, which appears on the top of the screen.

Judge List

Bold in Introduction means advice.
Bold in Name means unavailable in Just for fun.

Name	Criteria	Examples/Advices	Introduction
Weedling	Prefers small piñatas.	Yellow Flutterscotch and Whirlm	Yay. I love parties! All us little Weedlings like to play dress up too. Maybe some of these Pinatas could play with us? But only the smallest ones, otherwise their clothes wouldn't fit!
Leafos	Prefers lower level (or lower value) piñatas.	Whirlm and Bispotti	Hello there. After all the time I spent drawing and writing about Piñatas for the journal, I have the fondest memories of my first scribbles of those common little Piñatas.
Storkos	Prefers piñatas that can fly.	Sparrowmint and Taffly	My ability to fly came from an experiment where I tried to teleport myself to the other Piñata Island regions through a series of matter transportation pods I had devised. Little did I know a Taffly got into another of the pods...
Sprinkling	Prefers piñatas that can swim.	Quackberry and Newtgat	Water is so much fun to play in! I'm always jealous of those lucky Piñatas who get to swim around in it all day.
Seedos	Prefers piñatas that have walked (or flown) a lot.	Keep directing the piñata anywhere in the garden.	Hello I'm Seedos. I've travelled far and wide looking for new types of seeds, but I wonder if any of these pinatas have traveled even further than me.
Bart	Prefers piñatas that are evolutions of other species.	Reddhott and Candary	Salutations! Bartholomew the Transmogrifiable Item Technician ready to cast a critical eye over the competitors. I like to think evolving Piñatas is on par with the fine art of Tinkering.
Diggerling	Prefers non-swimming piñatas.	Kittyfloss and Pretztail	Gmph. Those waterborne Piñatas and their fancy ponds and lakes are flooding my tunnels. You can't dig through water, now can you?
Ruffian Minion #3	Selects a judge at random out of all available judges and copies their preferences.	Wait for the spotlight to select a piñata you want to copy.	I never wrote my own essays at school - I always copied as many girls and boys as I could. Why leave it there? I'm going to copy a random judge from all available instead! Bwa ha ha!
Ruffian Minion #1	Copies the preferences of a judge that is sitting next to them.	Wait for the spotlight to select a piñata you want to copy.	I never revised for my exams at school-I always copied the boy next to me. Why leave it there? I'm going to copy the judge sitting next to me instead! Ha!
Ruffian Minion #2	Selects a judge at random that is present during the round and copies their preferences.	Wait for the spotlight to select a piñata you want to copy.	I never revised for my tests at school - I always copied the girl next to me. Why leave it there? I'm going to copy a random judge sitting with me instead! Bwa ha!
Ruffian Minion #4	Prefers piñatas that can be tamed from sours.	Shellybean and Lemmoning	Ahh, aren't those salivating, snarling Sours so adorable? If I can find a tamed sour in the show, I can turn it back to its better ways. Just needs a bit of 'quality' time...Bwa ha ha ha
Doc Patchingo	Prefers piñatas that have been sick several times.	Have the piñata keep losing too many fights.	After years of education, I -Doc Patchingo- am well versed in judging the physiology of all species of Pinatas...especially those I have healed many, many times.
Miss Petula	Prefers 'cute' piñatas (apparently).	Galagoogoo and Bispotti	Hiyaaa! I so love catwalk shows, especially ones that have little pretty pet Pinatas I can cuddle and dress up and carry in my handbag.
Gatherling	Prefers piñatas with matching accessories (outfit).	Have the piñata wear a costume.	Hey there! Being a gatherling I like nothing more than a pinata that collects things: Pinatas playing cards, photos friends to play with... but mostly accessories.
Watchling	Prefers piñatas that are active during the day.	Buzzlegum and Doenut	A Watchling watching over the garden by day, that's my job! I love to see Piñatas appear in the day, so I get to scare them off! Aha ha ha... Oh.
Night Watchling	Prefers nocturnal piñatas.	Pretztail and Mothdrop	Ever vigilant over the garden by night-that's my job! I love seeing Pinatas in the night, so I get to scare them off! Hah ah ah...Erm...
Jardiniero	Prefers older piñatas.	Unknown	Many, many years ago, I had the finest garden on Piñata island, and I wonder if any of these here Piñatas are old enough to have visited my famous horticultural paradise?
Willy Builder	Prefers piñatas that have romanced many times.	Keep romancing the piñata(s).	Willy Builder takes pride in his handywork. Nothing makes me happier than seeing pinatas pounding the dance floor I built for them. More romancing, more pinatas, more work for Willy!
Dastardos	Prefers piñatas which have not been ill.	Avoid getting the piñata sick.	Oh my, oh my, fresh candy! Now, which of these have I not seen before? Even I get sick of hypochondriac Piñatas tempting me over and over again.
Professor Pester	Prefers higher-value piñatas.	Accessories and Wild-card	Well well, what do we have here? Lovingly cared for Piñatas paraded before me! I'll be sure to note the most valuable and make devious and dastardly plots to procure them for my... bashing stick! Bwaa ha ha ha!
Arfur Stout	Prefers piñatas that do not know any tricks.	Don't teach the piñata any tricks.	Arfur Stout here. Through my business I've known a lot of the local talent - so I know what I'm looking at. But I'll have none of them tricksters and show-offs, I tell thee.
Costolot	Prefers piñatas with no accessories.	Don't give the piñata any accessories.	Well hello there! It's nice for me to be the window shopper for once, although I'll not be best pleased if I see any Pinatas dress to the nines in my competitor's accessories.
Fannie Franker	Prefers piñatas who have not travelled many pinometers.	Avoid letting the piñata go around the garden too much.	Even though I send crates far and wide, I don't ever move further than the four walls of the Post Office! I can easily relate to those Piñatas that like to stay put.
Gretchen Fetchem	Prefers higher-level piñatas.	Dragonache and Roario	Nothing better than a good ol' regaling of my most glorious hunts of the rarest Piñatas. If I were to see some high-level Piñatas here, it might rekindle some fond memories...
Langston	Prefers piñatas with high candiosity.	Feed the piñata a Joy Candy.	Oh, what a fine opportunity to scout for some Piñata talent! Candiosity is the key, boys and girls. Of course, all weights must be verified at the factory...
Carrie Chewdini	Prefers piñatas that know both of their tricks.	Teach the piñata both tricks.	Alakandyzam! And the world famous conjurer Carrie Chewdini appears before your very eyes! What a trick! Do any of these Piñatas know any tricks greater than mine?
Sahari	Prefers piñatas that can be found in the Dessert Desert.	Sweetle and Desert Syrupent	Er. Hi. Bit cold in here, isn't it? Nowhere near as warm as my house in the desert. Boy, don't those Piñatas from the Piñarctic look odd? Wouldn't last a minute in my village with all that extra paper fur!
Sparticus	Prefers piñatas that can be found in the Pinarctic.	Robean and Arctic Pretztail	Phew! Could somebody please open some windows? Should've come in my bathers if I knew it would be this warm! The clothes store in my village makes more chocolate coins than any other. Layers, you see. Layers are the key.
Maxime	Prefers large piñatas.	Choclodocus and Elephanilla	My costume is an XXL... even though I only take a small size! You only get respect on Piñata Island if you are big and tall and strong. Absolutely nothing to do with me being the smallest in my family...
Nana Urf	Prefers piñatas that are of a lower level/value.	Whirlm and Bispotti	Those poor little Piñatas just need a good bit of care and attention, then each and every one of them could win any competition! Maybe I'll give any poor little soul a confidence boost if I see one in this show...
Jeffe	Prefers piñatas with lower candiosity.	Keep whacking the piñata as many times when not dizzy.	If you eat too much candy and pull a face while the wind changes, you'll turn into a Piñata. Just look at me! I don't want to see a piece of candy ever again, never mind a Piñata full of candy!
Babochka	Prefers young piñatas.	Unknown	My Mummy and Daddy made me this costume, so I can be a Flutterscotch. I will be a real Flutterscotch when I'm older, you know!
Eddie Lizard	Prefers variant piñatas.	Feed the piñata anything that changes its color.	I've always been fascinated by colors: the way the Jameleon camoflouges to suit his environment, the kaleidoscope of Flutterscotch, the sunset red of a Bonboon's behind. Variants are none too shabby either!
Bear. A. Maracus	Prefers non-flying piñatas.	Shellybean and Chippopotamus	I ain't gettin' on no blimp. Bear A. Maracus don't like flyin'! You seen a Fizzlybear with wings?
Loather	Prefers piñatas that have romanced few times.	Don't romance the piñata(s).	Hssss. Romancing, schmomancing. Nothing pleases us more than seeing Piñatas that have struggled to get through our mazes. Hssss.
Ivor Bargain	Prefers piñatas gotten from Xbox Live Vision.	Scan a card using the Xbox Live Vision camera.	Through the power of Xbox LIVE Vision, I can see the show in my well. Why somebody would throw an Xbox 360 down here I don't know. Lucky I always carry a stagnant-water-to-240V transformer with me!

Here is the list of multiple judges and their opposite preferences.

• Weedling - Maxime
• Leafos/Nana Urf - Gretchen Fetchem and Professor Pester
• Storkos - Bear. A. Maracus
• Sprinkling - Diggerling
• Seedos - Fannie Franker
• Doc Patchingo - Dastardos
• Gatherling - Costolot
• Watchling - Night Watchling
• Jardiniero - Babochka
• Willy Builder - Loather
• Arfur Stout - Carrie Chewdini
• Langston - Jeffe
• Sahari - Sparticus