List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 8)
Encyclopedia
The eighth UK series
of The X Factor
is currently being broadcast on ITV
. The series started airing on 20 August 2011. The live shows started on 8 October 2011.
. Contestants in this category are males aged 16 to 24. The eight candidates were Frankie Cocozza, Marcus Collins, Craig Colton, Joe Cox, Luke Lucas, James Michael, Max Vickers and John Wilding. Barlow chose:
and was born to an English mother and a father of Italian
descent. He attended Longhill High School
. During the first live show, he sang "The A Team
" and was safe. The second week of live shows, he sang "The Scientist
" and was in the bottom two and had to perform against Nu Vibe in the final showdown, when he sang "Red
". Barlow, Rowland and Walsh all voted in his favour, saving him from elimination. In week three, Cocozza sang "Rocks
", and was at the centre of controversy after he swore live on air. He was announced as being safely through to the following week. The week after he sang "Should I Stay or Should I Go
", and during week 5 he sang "I Gotta Feeling
", after which, all four judges criticised his performance. On 8 November, it was announced that Cocozza had been asked to leave due to breaking a "golden rule". This made Cocozza only the second act ever to be removed from The X Factor, the first being Emily Nakanda of series 4
.
. Collins was a member of Eton Road
, a band that competed during series 3 of UK The X Factor
. Following their exit from the show in November 2006 and the departure of lead singer Anthony Hannah, Collins joined Eton Road as a replacement in August 2007. He stayed with the band for about 10 months before leaving to pursue a solo career. The Sun newspaper also reported that his boyfriend was Eton Road's David Heath.
and works in a biscuit factory in Liverpool
and is currently a student. He is openly gay. He was voted out of the competition on Week 7, after being in the final showdown with Amelia Lily and receiving the fewest amount of votes, due to the judges vote being deadlocked.
, Merseyside
) is from Thelwall
, Cheshire
. The unemployed singer taught himself a few songs on guitar while job-hunting after finishing school at 16. He describes himself as "not academic" but realised he had a love for music and went to college to study music technology. He sang "Ticket to Ride
" and was the first in the boys' category to be eliminated from the live shows on October 9 by decision of mentor Gary Barlow, as there was no public vote in the inaugural live show. After Frankie Cocozza was expelled from the show, the public voted for one act from the initial four eliminated from the first live show to replace him, but Michael lost out to Amelia Lily.
. Contestants in this category are females aged 16 to 24. The eight candidates were Misha Bryan, Janet Devlin, Sophie Habibis, Amelia Lily, Melanie McCabe, Holly Repton, Jade Richards and Sarah Watson. Rowland chose:
. Born to a single mother Florence, she was raised from 3-months old on by her aunt Lily, as her mother could not take care of her. To this day, she doesn't know who her father is. In week four, Misha B was in the bottom two and had to sing for survival in the final showdown against Sophie Habibis. After singing "Use Somebody
" as her survival song, she was unanimously saved by Louis Walsh, Tulisa Contostavlos and Kelly Rowland, with Gary Barlow also confirming he would have saved Misha B too, though his vote was unnecessary for the result. She landed in the final showdown again in week six against Kitty Brucknell and sang "Who You Are
" as her survival song. Walsh voted to eliminate her, but Tulisa, Rowland and Barlow voted to save her. Misha B ended up in the final showdown for the third time in week eight, with Walsh and Tulisa saving her, and Rowland refusing to vote between her and Janet Devlin, meaning Misha was saved. Barlow confirmed he would have also saved her.
, County Tyrone
. Janet had very little singing experience before The X Factor, only singing in school and local talent shows. She previously uploaded singing videos to YouTube
on a regular basis. Janet performed "Your Song
" by Elton John
during the audition stage of the competition. She was eliminated on 27 November, after ending up in the final showdown with Misha B, finishing in fifth place.
News stories soon began to break out that she had been offered a recording contract by RKA Records, a record company partly owned by Dragon's Den star and entrepeneur Duncan Bannatyne
, within 35 minutes of being eliminated from the competition. However, she will be unable to officially accept the record contract for a few months due to still being tied to Simon Cowell
's record label Syco
, which prevents her from joining another company or releasing new music for the time being.
. She is the youngest of four children to a father of Greek descent. In week four, Sophie was in the bottom two and had to perform in the final showdown against Misha B, she sang "Shelter
" for survival. The judges voted 3-0 to eliminate her, keeping Misha B in competition. Gary Barlow also announced he would also have eliminated Habibis.
, where she attends dance school, also taking part in musical theatre. Her brother Lewis Bradley
is a musical theatre actor. She performed "Billie Jean
" and was the first of the girls' category to be eliminated from the live shows on October 9 by decision of mentor Kelly Rowland, as there was no public vote in the inaugural live show. The public voted, from the 10th until the 12th November, for one act, from the initial 4 eliminated, to replace the expelled Frankie Cocozza. Amelia Lily was voted back into the competition after winning 48% of the vote. She sang "The Show Must Go On
". In week 7, she landed in the final showdown with Craig Colton, and was saved by having more votes than Colton due to the judges vote being deadlocked.
. Contestants in this category are of either gender, aged 25 or over. There is no upper age limit. The eight candidates were Samantha Brookes, Kitty Brucknell, Goldie Cheung, Joseph Gilligan, Jonjo Kerr, Carolynne Poole, Johnny Robinson and Terry Winstanley. Walsh chose:
" in the final showdown. All judges apart from Tulisa voted to send her home, thus eliminating her from the competition.
Sami is openly lesbian.
. She used to be a Britney Spears
, Christina Aguilera
, and (more recently) Lady Gaga
tribute act, and featured on BBC Radio 1
BBC Three
and several American TV shows. In week one, Kitty sang "Who Wants to Live Forever
" by Queen
and was put through by her mentor Louis
. After the show, Brian May
from Queen spoke out in support of her and thanking her for her performance.
In week two, Kitty sang "It's Oh So Quiet
" with a theatrical Alice in Wonderland performance and was put through by the public vote. In week three she was in the bottom two after performing "Live and Let Die
", along with Sami Brookes in spite of universal praise from the judges. She performed "The Edge of Glory
" in the final showdown. Tulisa
voted to eliminate her, but Gary
, Kelly
and Louis
all saved her.
In week four for Halloween, Kitty took to the stage on a rotating wheel with pyrotechnics and a circus theme to perform "Sweet Dreams
" and was put through by the public vote.
In week five, she was in the bottom three along with The Risk and Johnny Robinson in a double elimination special. The Risk had the least amount of votes from the public and were eliminated. Brucknell and Robinson then sang again for survival in the final showdown. Her mentor Louis Walsh, Tulisa and Kelly Rowland all saved her and voted against Robinson. Although he wasn't required to vote as the judges had reached a majority verdict (like in the previous week), Gary confirmed he would have voted Robinson off.
On the sixth live show, Kitty wanted to sing "Born This Way
". Unfortunately, Misha B chose the song and had higher priority over her. Kitty then sang "Don't Stop Me Now
" by Queen
. Kitty was for the third time in the final showdown along with Misha B. She sang "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" but was voted off over a 3-1 majority verdict. Only her mentor, Louis Walsh, voted to save her. After her elimination, Lady GaGa
ran on stage in tears to comfort her and took her back to her dressing room for 30 minutes for a glass of wine and a chat. In addition to Lady GaGa
, Kitty has had support from Perez Hilton
, Kylie Minogue
, Nathan from the Wanted
and Brian May
from Queen
.
Since then, Kitty has appeared on Harry Hill's TV Burp
on 19th November 2011 in the end, singing "Born This Way" in the final 1 minute of the show.
, Lancashire
; aged 28) is an infantry soldier (in the Yorkshire Regiment
) from Coventry
(originally from Chorley
, Lancashire
). He was deployed to Afghanistan
as part of his duties. He sang "You Really Got Me
" and was the first of the overs category to be eliminated from the live shows on October 9 by decision of mentor Louis Walsh, as there was no public vote in the inaugural live show. The public voted from the 10th to the 12th November for one act from the initial four eliminated from the first live show, including Kerr, to replace the expelled Frankie Cocozza, but Kerr lost out to Amelia Lily.
, London.
Born to an Irish
mother and an English father, Robinson has one older brother and an older sister. He is openly
gay
and took part in Stars in Their Eyes
when he was 24, as Boy George
, and got through to the grand final. The Daily Mirror
also revealed that he performs as a female impersonator in transvestite clubs around London under the name Sarah Lee. The Mirror also put a video of one of his performances in the clubs as a drag queen
. In week five, he was in the bottom three along with The Risk and Kitty Brucknell. The Risk had the lowest amount of votes, and were eliminated. Brucknell and Robinson then sang again for survival in the final showdown. He was eliminated by his mentor Louis, Tulisa and Kelly.
. Acts in this category are duos or vocal groups. All members must be aged 16 or over. The eight candidates were 2 Shoes, Estrella, Girl v Boy, The Keys, The Lovettes, Nu Vibe, Little Mix (formerly known as Rhythmix) and The Risk. Contostavlos chose:
, made up of Charley Bird (23), a telesales worker, and Lucy Texeira (21), a retail assistant. Bird is currently expecting her first child. They sang "Something Kinda Ooooh
" and were the first of the groups to be eliminated from the live shows on October 9 by decision of mentor Tulisa Contostavlos, as there was no public vote in the inaugural live show. They were in the running to replace Frankie Cocozza after he was eliminated from the contest, but Amelia Lily received 48% of the public vote, which brought 2 Shoes tenure to an end.
barmaid Jesy Nelson aged 20, High Wycombe
waitress Leigh-Anne Pinnock (19), and South Shields
students Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall (both 18). Originally known as Rhythmix, the band was formed at bootcamp from singers who auditioned as soloists. On 26 October 2011, Rhythmix announced that they would change their name due to pressure from a children's music charity of the same name, after the programme tried to trademark "Rhythmix" in Europe. A spokesperson for The X Factor said, "At the request of the charity Rhythmix, the members of the girl group Rhythmix have decided to change their name, a decision which has the support of Syco and TalkbackTHAMES. The group's new name will be announced in due course". It was reported that the group decided to make the change, despite no legal reason to do so, to avoid any difficulties for the charity. They announced that they would now be known as Little Mix on 28 October 2011 following on from this, the band said: "We all agreed on it, including Tulisa, because it just felt right"..
They are the first girl band in The X Factor to reach the semi-finals.
), Stefan Romer (19, from Hampshire
), Bradley Johnson (16, from Rainford
) and Richard Milford (16, from Birmingham
). The band's members successfully auditioned as soloists, but at bootcamp they were knocked out of the competition. The judges then called them back and put them together as a group. They were put through to the live shows by their mentor Tulisa. For the first live show they sang Chris Brown's "Beautiful People
". Tulisa then sent them through to the first public vote after the first live show. For the second live show Nu Vibe sung U2
's "With or Without You
". After the first public vote, Nu Vibe were in the bottom two and had to perform in the final showdown against Frankie Cocozza. Nu Vibe performed "Promise This
" by Cheryl Cole
and were then eliminated from the competition with only their mentor, Tulisa voting in their favour. On 28 October, it was announced that fellow group, The Risk member Ashley Baptiste had left The Risk and was replaced by former member Ashford Campbell.
), car salesman Andy Merry (20, from Ayr
), Burger King
chef Derry Mensah (21, from London
), and Charlie Healy (25, from Coventry
). Healy originally auditioned in another group, The Keys, while the other three auditioned as soloists. Andy previously auditioned for The X Factor in 2008
, and came second in the United Kingdom selection
for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
in 2004.
On 28 October 2011, just before week four's live show, it was announced that original member Ashley Baptiste had decided to leave the band after stating that his heart did not lie within a boyband anymore. He was replaced with Campbell, as a fourth member. Campbell had been previously a member of Nu Vibe, but his original band had been eliminated on 16 October in week two of the competition.
The band came under criticism from a Scottish band from Prestwick
, who have been performing together for several years as The Risk. They asked The X Factor management to change the name of its contestants to avoid confusion. In Week 5, they received the fewest public votes and were sent home, after finding themselves in the bottom three with Johnny Robinson and Kitty Brucknell.
The X Factor (UK series 8)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The eighth series began airing on ITV on 20 August 2011. Louis Walsh is the only judge from the previous series to return, as the other three, Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole, all left to join other...
of The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
is currently being broadcast on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. The series started airing on 20 August 2011. The live shows started on 8 October 2011.
Boys
The "Boys" category is being mentored by Gary BarlowGary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
. Contestants in this category are males aged 16 to 24. The eight candidates were Frankie Cocozza, Marcus Collins, Craig Colton, Joe Cox, Luke Lucas, James Michael, Max Vickers and John Wilding. Barlow chose:
Frankie Cocozza
Frankie Cocozza is from BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
and was born to an English mother and a father of Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
descent. He attended Longhill High School
Longhill High School
Longhill High School is a technology specialist school, located in Rottingdean, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex. It is led by head teacher Haydn Stride.- History :The School was officially opened in 1964, although took its first intake in 1863...
. During the first live show, he sang "The A Team
The A Team (song)
"The A Team" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released as a digital download in the United Kingdom on 12 June 2011, serving as the lead single from his debut album +. The track debuted at number three on the UK Singles Chart, with sales of 57,607 copies.The song was written...
" and was safe. The second week of live shows, he sang "The Scientist
The Scientist (song)
"The Scientist" is the second single from British alternative rock band Coldplay's second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. The song was written collaboratively by all the band members for the album. It is built around a piano ballad, with its lyrics telling the story about a man's desire to love...
" and was in the bottom two and had to perform against Nu Vibe in the final showdown, when he sang "Red
Red (Daniel Merriweather song)
"Red" is the second single by Daniel Merriweather from his second album Love & War, which was released on June 1, 2009. The single was released on May 18, 2009. It was produced by Mark Ronson, like the rest of the songs on his album...
". Barlow, Rowland and Walsh all voted in his favour, saving him from elimination. In week three, Cocozza sang "Rocks
Rocks (song)
"Rocks" is a song by UK group Primal Scream. It is taken from the group's fourth album, Give Out But Don't Give Up. The song was released as a single in 1994 and reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart, acting as a double A-side with another of the band's songs, "Funky Jam"...
", and was at the centre of controversy after he swore live on air. He was announced as being safely through to the following week. The week after he sang "Should I Stay or Should I Go
Should I Stay or Should I Go
"Should I Stay or Should I Go" is a song by the English punk rock band The Clash, from their album Combat Rock. It was written in 1981 and featured Mick Jones on lead vocals. It became the band's only number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, a decade after it was originally released. In November...
", and during week 5 he sang "I Gotta Feeling
I Gotta Feeling
"I Gotta Feeling" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album The E.N.D., produced by the French DJ David Guetta. The song was released on May 21, 2009 and debuted at number two on the Canadian and Billboard Hot 100 on the week of June 27, 2009, behind the group's "Boom Boom...
", after which, all four judges criticised his performance. On 8 November, it was announced that Cocozza had been asked to leave due to breaking a "golden rule". This made Cocozza only the second act ever to be removed from The X Factor, the first being Emily Nakanda of series 4
The X Factor (UK series 4)
The fourth UK series of The X Factor was broadcast on ITV in autumn 2007. The first show aired on 18 August 2007 and the series was won by Leon Jackson on 15 December 2007, with Rhydian Roberts the runner-up and Dannii Minogue emerging as the winning mentor...
.
Marcus Collins
Marcus Collins (born 30 August 1988) is a 23 year old hairdresser from LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. Collins was a member of Eton Road
Eton Road
Eton Road was a group from Liverpool that took part in 2006 in the third series of the British The X Factor. The band, stylized as Eton Rd during the show's captions was originally made up of Anthony Hannah, Danny Morris, David Heath and James Edwards...
, a band that competed during series 3 of UK The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
. Following their exit from the show in November 2006 and the departure of lead singer Anthony Hannah, Collins joined Eton Road as a replacement in August 2007. He stayed with the band for about 10 months before leaving to pursue a solo career. The Sun newspaper also reported that his boyfriend was Eton Road's David Heath.
Craig Colton
Craig Colton is from KirkbyKirkby
Kirkby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in the metropolitan county of Merseyside in England. The town was developed from the 1950s through 1970s as a means to house the overspill of Liverpool. It is situated roughly north of Huyton, the administrative HQ of the borough and about...
and works in a biscuit factory in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and is currently a student. He is openly gay. He was voted out of the competition on Week 7, after being in the final showdown with Amelia Lily and receiving the fewest amount of votes, due to the judges vote being deadlocked.
James Michael
James Michael aged 20, born James Michael Stillings in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
) is from Thelwall
Thelwall
Thelwall is a suburban village in Warrington, North Cheshire, England, close to the Lymm junction of the M6.-Geography:Thelwall nowadays borders the villages of Lymm and Grappenhall, and , Latchford. It is also one of the two principal settlements of Grappenhall and Thelwall civil parish...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. The unemployed singer taught himself a few songs on guitar while job-hunting after finishing school at 16. He describes himself as "not academic" but realised he had a love for music and went to college to study music technology. He sang "Ticket to Ride
Ticket to Ride
"Ticket to Ride" is a song by The Beatles from their 1965 album, Help!. It was recorded 15 February 1965 and released two months later. -Composition:...
" and was the first in the boys' category to be eliminated from the live shows on October 9 by decision of mentor Gary Barlow, as there was no public vote in the inaugural live show. After Frankie Cocozza was expelled from the show, the public voted for one act from the initial four eliminated from the first live show to replace him, but Michael lost out to Amelia Lily.
Girls
The "Girls" category is being mentored by Kelly RowlandKelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
. Contestants in this category are females aged 16 to 24. The eight candidates were Misha Bryan, Janet Devlin, Sophie Habibis, Amelia Lily, Melanie McCabe, Holly Repton, Jade Richards and Sarah Watson. Rowland chose:
Misha B
Misha Bryan is from ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Born to a single mother Florence, she was raised from 3-months old on by her aunt Lily, as her mother could not take care of her. To this day, she doesn't know who her father is. In week four, Misha B was in the bottom two and had to sing for survival in the final showdown against Sophie Habibis. After singing "Use Somebody
Use Somebody
"Use Somebody" is a song by the American alternative rock group Kings of Leon. It was the second single from the band's fourth studio album Only by the Night , released on December 8, 2008....
" as her survival song, she was unanimously saved by Louis Walsh, Tulisa Contostavlos and Kelly Rowland, with Gary Barlow also confirming he would have saved Misha B too, though his vote was unnecessary for the result. She landed in the final showdown again in week six against Kitty Brucknell and sang "Who You Are
Who You Are (Jessie J song)
"Who You Are" is a song by English R&B and soul recording artist Jessie J taken as the fifth single from her debut studio album of the same name. The song was written by Cornish, Toby Gad and Shelly Peiken, while the production was handled by Gad...
" as her survival song. Walsh voted to eliminate her, but Tulisa, Rowland and Barlow voted to save her. Misha B ended up in the final showdown for the third time in week eight, with Walsh and Tulisa saving her, and Rowland refusing to vote between her and Janet Devlin, meaning Misha was saved. Barlow confirmed he would have also saved her.
Janet Devlin
Janet Devlin (born 12 November 1994) is from GortinGortin
Gortin is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is ten miles north of Omagh in the valley of the Owenkillew river, overlooked by the Sperrins. It had a population of 360 at the 2001 Census.-Geography:...
, County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
. Janet had very little singing experience before The X Factor, only singing in school and local talent shows. She previously uploaded singing videos to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on a regular basis. Janet performed "Your Song
Your Song
"Your Song" is a ballad composed and performed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by his long-time collaborator Bernie Taupin. It appeared on John's self-titled second album in 1970....
" by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
during the audition stage of the competition. She was eliminated on 27 November, after ending up in the final showdown with Misha B, finishing in fifth place.
News stories soon began to break out that she had been offered a recording contract by RKA Records, a record company partly owned by Dragon's Den star and entrepeneur Duncan Bannatyne
Duncan Bannatyne
Duncan Walker Bannatyne, OBE is a Scottish entrepreneur, philanthropist and author. His business interests include hotels, health clubs, spas, media, TV, stage schools, property and transport. He is most famous for his appearance as a business angel on the BBC programme Dragons' Den...
, within 35 minutes of being eliminated from the competition. However, she will be unable to officially accept the record contract for a few months due to still being tied to Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
's record label Syco
Syco
Syco Entertainment, often known as simply Syco , is a global joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment focused on the production and exploitation of music, television, film and digital content...
, which prevents her from joining another company or releasing new music for the time being.
Sophie Habibis
Sophie Maria Habibis is from LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. She is the youngest of four children to a father of Greek descent. In week four, Sophie was in the bottom two and had to perform in the final showdown against Misha B, she sang "Shelter
Shelter (The xx song)
A cover of "Shelter" by English musician Birdy was released on 3 June 2011 as a digital download. The song was chosen as "Record of The Week" by UK radio DJ Fearne Cotton...
" for survival. The judges voted 3-0 to eliminate her, keeping Misha B in competition. Gary Barlow also announced he would also have eliminated Habibis.
Amelia Lily
Amelia Lily Oliver is from MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, where she attends dance school, also taking part in musical theatre. Her brother Lewis Bradley
Lewis Bradley
Lewis Bradley is a British musical theatre actor, who came third place in the BBC reality talent show Any Dream Will Do. He was later chosen by Andrew Lloyd Webber to understudy the winning role of Joseph....
is a musical theatre actor. She performed "Billie Jean
Billie Jean
"Billie Jean" is a dance-pop/R&B song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones from the singer's sixth album, Thriller . Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and...
" and was the first of the girls' category to be eliminated from the live shows on October 9 by decision of mentor Kelly Rowland, as there was no public vote in the inaugural live show. The public voted, from the 10th until the 12th November, for one act, from the initial 4 eliminated, to replace the expelled Frankie Cocozza. Amelia Lily was voted back into the competition after winning 48% of the vote. She sang "The Show Must Go On
The Show Must Go On (Queen song)
"The Show Must Go On" is a song by English rock band Queen, featured as the twelfth and final track on their 1991 album Innuendo. It is credited to Queen, but written primarily by Brian May. The song chronicles the effort of Freddie Mercury continuing to perform despite approaching the end of his...
". In week 7, she landed in the final showdown with Craig Colton, and was saved by having more votes than Colton due to the judges vote being deadlocked.
Over 25s
The "Over 25s" category is being mentored by Louis WalshLouis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
. Contestants in this category are of either gender, aged 25 or over. There is no upper age limit. The eight candidates were Samantha Brookes, Kitty Brucknell, Goldie Cheung, Joseph Gilligan, Jonjo Kerr, Carolynne Poole, Johnny Robinson and Terry Winstanley. Walsh chose:
Sami Brookes
Samantha "Sami" Brookes replaced contestant Goldie Cheung who left at the end of Judges Houses. She was placed in the bottom two in the third week, along with fellow over Kitty Brucknell. She performed "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman(You Make Me Feel like) a Natural Woman
" A Natural Woman" is a 1967 single released by American soul singer Aretha Franklin on the Atlantic label. The record was a big hit for Franklin, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became a standard song for her...
" in the final showdown. All judges apart from Tulisa voted to send her home, thus eliminating her from the competition.
Sami is openly lesbian.
Kitty Brucknell
Kitty Brucknell (born Kimberley Edwards), aged 27, is from CheltenhamCheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
. She used to be a Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, and (more recently) Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
tribute act, and featured on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
and several American TV shows. In week one, Kitty sang "Who Wants to Live Forever
Who Wants to Live Forever
"Who Wants to Live Forever" is a song by the English rock band Queen. The song is the sixth track on the album A Kind of Magic, released in June 1986, and was written by guitarist Brian May for the soundtrack to the film Highlander, directed by Russell Mulcahy...
" by Queen
Queen
-In government and monarchy:* Queen regnant, a female monarch of equivalent power to a male king* Any of the three currently living queens regnant:** Beatrix of the Netherlands , Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba** Elizabeth...
and was put through by her mentor Louis
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
. After the show, Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
from Queen spoke out in support of her and thanking her for her performance.
In week two, Kitty sang "It's Oh So Quiet
It's Oh So Quiet
"It's Oh, So Quiet" is a song by American singer Betty Hutton, released in 1951 as the B-side to the single "Murder, He Says". It is a cover of the German song "Und Jetzt ist es Still", performed by Horst Winter in 1948, written by Austrian composer Hans Lang and Erich Meder...
" with a theatrical Alice in Wonderland performance and was put through by the public vote. In week three she was in the bottom two after performing "Live and Let Die
Live and Let Die
Live and Let Die may refer to:*Live and Let Die , a James Bond novel by Ian Fleming**Live and Let Die , a 1973 film starring Roger Moore loosely based upon the novel...
", along with Sami Brookes in spite of universal praise from the judges. She performed "The Edge of Glory
The Edge of Glory
"The Edge of Glory" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Lady Gaga, from her second studio album Born This Way . The song was released digitally on May 9, 2011, and was added to the United States mainstream radio playlists on May 17, 2011...
" in the final showdown. Tulisa
Tulisa Contostavlos
Tula Paulinea "Tulisa" Contostavlos is an English singer-songwriter and actress of Greek and Irish descent. She is best known for being a member of the Camden-based hip hop group N-Dubz, with her cousin Dappy and their friend Fazer...
voted to eliminate her, but Gary
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
, Kelly
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
and Louis
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
all saved her.
In week four for Halloween, Kitty took to the stage on a rotating wheel with pyrotechnics and a circus theme to perform "Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams
-Albums:* Sweet Dreams , by Eurythmics, or the title song * Sweet Dreams * Sweet Dreams , from the 1985 film * Sweet Dreams: The Anthology, by Roy Buchanan...
" and was put through by the public vote.
In week five, she was in the bottom three along with The Risk and Johnny Robinson in a double elimination special. The Risk had the least amount of votes from the public and were eliminated. Brucknell and Robinson then sang again for survival in the final showdown. Her mentor Louis Walsh, Tulisa and Kelly Rowland all saved her and voted against Robinson. Although he wasn't required to vote as the judges had reached a majority verdict (like in the previous week), Gary confirmed he would have voted Robinson off.
On the sixth live show, Kitty wanted to sing "Born This Way
Born This Way (song)
"Born This Way" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga, from her second studio album, Born This Way. Written and produced by Gaga, Fernando Garibay, Jeppe Laursen and DJ White Shadow, "Born This Way" was developed while Gaga was on the road with The Monster Ball Tour...
". Unfortunately, Misha B chose the song and had higher priority over her. Kitty then sang "Don't Stop Me Now
Don't Stop Me Now
"Don't Stop Me Now" is a song by English rock group Queen, featured on their 1978 album Jazz. Written by vocalist Freddie Mercury, it was recorded in August/September 1978 at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes , France, and is the twelfth track on the album.Musically, the song is based around...
" by Queen
Queen
-In government and monarchy:* Queen regnant, a female monarch of equivalent power to a male king* Any of the three currently living queens regnant:** Beatrix of the Netherlands , Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba** Elizabeth...
. Kitty was for the third time in the final showdown along with Misha B. She sang "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" but was voted off over a 3-1 majority verdict. Only her mentor, Louis Walsh, voted to save her. After her elimination, Lady GaGa
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
ran on stage in tears to comfort her and took her back to her dressing room for 30 minutes for a glass of wine and a chat. In addition to Lady GaGa
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, Kitty has had support from Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
, Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
, Nathan from the Wanted
The Wanted
The Wanted are a British-Irish boy band based in London, England. The band consists of Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness, Tom Parker and Nathan Sykes. Their debut single, "All Time Low", was released in July 2010 and reached number one in the United Kingdom for one week...
and Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
from Queen
Queen
-In government and monarchy:* Queen regnant, a female monarch of equivalent power to a male king* Any of the three currently living queens regnant:** Beatrix of the Netherlands , Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba** Elizabeth...
.
Since then, Kitty has appeared on Harry Hill's TV Burp
Harry Hill's TV Burp
Harry Hill's TV Burp is a British television comedy programme produced by Avalon Television for ITV and hosted by comedian Harry Hill. The show presents a satirical look at the week's television, including extracts from TV shows with added sketches, observational voice-overs, and guest appearances...
on 19th November 2011 in the end, singing "Born This Way" in the final 1 minute of the show.
Jonjo Kerr
Jonjo Kerr in ChorleyChorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
; aged 28) is an infantry soldier (in the Yorkshire Regiment
Yorkshire Regiment
The Yorkshire Regiment is one of the largest infantry regiments of the British Army. The regiment is currently the only line infantry or rifles unit to represent a single geographical county in the new infantry structure, serving as the county regiment of Yorkshire covering the historical areas...
) from Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
(originally from Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
). He was deployed to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
as part of his duties. He sang "You Really Got Me
You Really Got Me
"You Really Got Me" is a rock song written by Ray Davies and performed by his band, The Kinks. It was released on 4th August 1964 as the group's third single, and reached Number 1 on the UK singles chart the next month, remaining for two weeks...
" and was the first of the overs category to be eliminated from the live shows on October 9 by decision of mentor Louis Walsh, as there was no public vote in the inaugural live show. The public voted from the 10th to the 12th November for one act from the initial four eliminated from the first live show, including Kerr, to replace the expelled Frankie Cocozza, but Kerr lost out to Amelia Lily.
Johnny Robinson
Johnny Robinson aged 45 is from HarrowHarrow
Harrow may refer to:*Harrow , an agricultural implement consisting of many spikes, tines or discs dragged across the soil-Places:* London Borough of Harrow** Harrow, London** Harrow on the Hill** North Harrow** West Harrow** Harrow Weald...
, London.
Born to an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
mother and an English father, Robinson has one older brother and an older sister. He is openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and took part in Stars in Their Eyes
Stars In Their Eyes
Stars in Their Eyes is a British television talent show that ran on Saturdays nights from 21 July 1990 until 23 December 2006 in which contestants impersonate showbiz stars...
when he was 24, as Boy George
Boy George
Boy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
, and got through to the grand final. The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror is a British national daily tabloid newspaper which was founded in 1903. Twice in its history, from 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was changed to read simply The Mirror, which is how the paper is often referred to in popular parlance. It had an...
also revealed that he performs as a female impersonator in transvestite clubs around London under the name Sarah Lee. The Mirror also put a video of one of his performances in the clubs as a drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
. In week five, he was in the bottom three along with The Risk and Kitty Brucknell. The Risk had the lowest amount of votes, and were eliminated. Brucknell and Robinson then sang again for survival in the final showdown. He was eliminated by his mentor Louis, Tulisa and Kelly.
Groups
The Groups category is being mentored by Tulisa ContostavlosTulisa Contostavlos
Tula Paulinea "Tulisa" Contostavlos is an English singer-songwriter and actress of Greek and Irish descent. She is best known for being a member of the Camden-based hip hop group N-Dubz, with her cousin Dappy and their friend Fazer...
. Acts in this category are duos or vocal groups. All members must be aged 16 or over. The eight candidates were 2 Shoes, Estrella, Girl v Boy, The Keys, The Lovettes, Nu Vibe, Little Mix (formerly known as Rhythmix) and The Risk. Contostavlos chose:
2 Shoes
2 Shoes are a duo from Brentwood, EssexBrentwood, Essex
Brentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the east of England. It is located in the London commuter belt, 20 miles east north-east of Charing Cross in London, and near the M25 motorway....
, made up of Charley Bird (23), a telesales worker, and Lucy Texeira (21), a retail assistant. Bird is currently expecting her first child. They sang "Something Kinda Ooooh
Something Kinda Ooooh
"Something Kinda Ooooh" is a song by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their first greatest hits collection The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits . The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania...
" and were the first of the groups to be eliminated from the live shows on October 9 by decision of mentor Tulisa Contostavlos, as there was no public vote in the inaugural live show. They were in the running to replace Frankie Cocozza after he was eliminated from the contest, but Amelia Lily received 48% of the public vote, which brought 2 Shoes tenure to an end.
Little Mix
Little Mix (previously Rhythmix) are a four-piece girlband made up of EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
barmaid Jesy Nelson aged 20, High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
waitress Leigh-Anne Pinnock (19), and South Shields
South Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
students Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall (both 18). Originally known as Rhythmix, the band was formed at bootcamp from singers who auditioned as soloists. On 26 October 2011, Rhythmix announced that they would change their name due to pressure from a children's music charity of the same name, after the programme tried to trademark "Rhythmix" in Europe. A spokesperson for The X Factor said, "At the request of the charity Rhythmix, the members of the girl group Rhythmix have decided to change their name, a decision which has the support of Syco and TalkbackTHAMES. The group's new name will be announced in due course". It was reported that the group decided to make the change, despite no legal reason to do so, to avoid any difficulties for the charity. They announced that they would now be known as Little Mix on 28 October 2011 following on from this, the band said: "We all agreed on it, including Tulisa, because it just felt right"..
They are the first girl band in The X Factor to reach the semi-finals.
Nu Vibe
Nu Vibe are a four-piece (previously five-piece) boyband made up of Jordan Higo (16, from HuddersfieldHuddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
), Stefan Romer (19, from Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
), Bradley Johnson (16, from Rainford
Rainford
Rainford is a village and civil parish within Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. It is around north of St Helens. At the 2001 Census the population of the civil parish was 8,344....
) and Richard Milford (16, from Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
). The band's members successfully auditioned as soloists, but at bootcamp they were knocked out of the competition. The judges then called them back and put them together as a group. They were put through to the live shows by their mentor Tulisa. For the first live show they sang Chris Brown's "Beautiful People
Beautiful People (Chris Brown song)
"Beautiful People" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown featuring Italian DJ Benny Benassi. It was written by Brown, with Jean Baptiste, Marco Benassi and Allessandro Benassi, with the latter two also handling its production. The song was released as the third single from Brown's...
". Tulisa then sent them through to the first public vote after the first live show. For the second live show Nu Vibe sung U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's "With or Without You
With or Without You
"With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, and was released as the album's first single on 21 March 1987...
". After the first public vote, Nu Vibe were in the bottom two and had to perform in the final showdown against Frankie Cocozza. Nu Vibe performed "Promise This
Promise This
"Promise This" is a song by British recording artist Cheryl Cole, taken from her second studio album Messy Little Raindrops. It was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the album's lead single on 24 October 2010 by Fascination Records...
" by Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
and were then eliminated from the competition with only their mentor, Tulisa voting in their favour. On 28 October, it was announced that fellow group, The Risk member Ashley Baptiste had left The Risk and was replaced by former member Ashford Campbell.
The Risk
The Risk are a four-piece boyband composed of Ashford Campbell (19, from HuddersfieldHuddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
), car salesman Andy Merry (20, from Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
), Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
chef Derry Mensah (21, from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
), and Charlie Healy (25, from Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
). Healy originally auditioned in another group, The Keys, while the other three auditioned as soloists. Andy previously auditioned for The X Factor in 2008
The X Factor (UK series 5)
The fifth UK series of The X Factor was broadcast on ITV in 2008. The series started on 16 August and was won by Alexandra Burke on 13 December, with new judge Cheryl Cole emerging as the winning mentor. Auditions in front of producers were held in April/May, with callbacks in front of the judges...
, and came second in the United Kingdom selection
United Kingdom in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2004
The United Kingdom competed at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2004, where they were represented by Cory Spedding with the song "The Best Is Yet To Come".-National final:...
for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2004
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2004 was the second Eurovision Song Contest for young singers aged 8 to 15. It was held on 20 November 2004, in Håkons Hall, Lillehammer, Norway and lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes. The theme of the competition was "Bright Nordic Winter Nights"...
in 2004.
On 28 October 2011, just before week four's live show, it was announced that original member Ashley Baptiste had decided to leave the band after stating that his heart did not lie within a boyband anymore. He was replaced with Campbell, as a fourth member. Campbell had been previously a member of Nu Vibe, but his original band had been eliminated on 16 October in week two of the competition.
The band came under criticism from a Scottish band from Prestwick
Prestwick
Prestwick is a town in South Ayrshire on the south-west coast of Scotland, about south-west of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr, the centre of which is about south...
, who have been performing together for several years as The Risk. They asked The X Factor management to change the name of its contestants to avoid confusion. In Week 5, they received the fewest public votes and were sent home, after finding themselves in the bottom three with Johnny Robinson and Kitty Brucknell.