The X Factor (UK series 7)
Encyclopedia
The X Factor
is a British television
music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The seventh series started on ITV
on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The winner was Matt Cardle
and his debut single "When We Collide" was released after the final. Cardle was mentored throughout by Dannii Minogue
, who won as mentor for the second time. A total of 15,448,019 votes were cast throughout the series. It was presented by Dermot O'Leary
, with spin-off show The Xtra Factor hosted by Konnie Huq
on ITV2
, who took over from Holly Willoughby
.
The competition was split into several stages: auditions, bootcamp, judges' houses and live shows. Auditions took place throughout June and July 2010, with Simon Cowell
, Louis Walsh
and Cheryl Cole
returning as judges. Special guest judges were brought in to replace Minogue, who was on maternity leave. Cole missed the auditions in Manchester and bootcamp because she had malaria. Following bootcamp, successful acts were split into four categories: Boys (male soloists aged 16 to 28), Girls (female soloists aged 16 to 28), Over 28s (soloists aged 29 and over) and Groups. Minogue returned for the judges' houses stage, and each judge mentored eight acts through judges' houses. The live shows started on 9 October 2010. Four acts eliminated at judges' houses were brought back as wildcards, making this the first series to have 16 acts perform in the live shows. This series was the last with Cowell, Minogue and Cole as judges, as Gary Barlow
, Kelly Rowland
and Tulisa Contostavlos
replaced them in series 8
.
This was the first series of the show to be filmed in high definition
, and was simulcast on ITV1 HD and STV HD. From October, The Xtra Factor was also shown in high definition, simulcast on the new channel ITV2 HD. It was sponsored by TalkTalk
in the United Kingdom and Dominos Pizza in Ireland.
This series proved to be highly controversial, with many people complaining about the use of pitch correction
software on the broadcast of contestants' auditions, the decision to form two groups out of rejected soloists, the rejection of popular contestant Gamu Nhengu at judges' houses and Cole's failure to vote to eliminate an act in week 5 of the live shows. Controversy also surrounded contestants Shirlena Johnson, who was axed over fears for her mental health, and Treyc Cohen, who was reported to already have a record deal when the live shows started. There were also accusations of fixing, which were denied by the show's producers. It was the most watched series to date, with an average of 14.13 million viewers per episode. The final was watched by 17.71 million people, making it the highest rated television episode of 2010 in the UK.
on 5 December 2009. Applicants for the seventh series were given the opportunity to apply by uploading a video audition to the Internet. Auditions began in June 2010 in six cities: Glasgow (Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
, 9 June), Birmingham (LG Arena, 13–14 June), London (ExCeL London, 21–24 June), Dublin (Convention Centre Dublin, 28 June), Cardiff (International Arena
, 2 July), and Manchester (Manchester Central, 9–11 July). Dublin returned as an audition city for the first time since 2006.
Three of the four judges from the previous series, Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole, returned to judge the auditions. Dannii Minogue
did not attend the auditions because she was pregnant, and was replaced by guest judges. Geri Halliwell
was the first guest judge, and attended the Glasgow auditions. Natalie Imbruglia
was the second guest judge, appearing for the Birmingham auditions. The guest judge slot was axed for the London auditions, but continued with Katy Perry
judging in Dublin, Pixie Lott
in Cardiff and Nicole Scherzinger
at the auditions in Manchester. Cole was unable to attend the Manchester auditions because she had contracted malaria and was not replaced for them.
The first episode, broadcast on 21 August 2010, featured auditions from Glasgow and London, while episode two, on 28 August, showcased Dublin's auditions and more from London. More London auditions were shown on 4 September, along with those from Birmingham, and Cardiff was featured in the 11 September broadcast along with the final set of London auditions. Finally, the Manchester auditions were shown in the 18 and 19 September episodes.
, London. Minogue continued her maternity leave and Cole did not attend because she was still in recovery. As Cole and Minogue were absent, producers of the show decided to axe bootcamp's live audience. The bootcamp stage was broadcast in two episodes on 25 and 26 September. The first day of bootcamp saw Cowell and Walsh split the 211 acts into their four categories: Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups. They received vocal coaching and each category later performed one song: the Boys sang "Man in the Mirror
", the Girls sang "If I Were a Boy
", the Over 25s sang "Poker Face
" and the Groups sang "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
". At the end of the day, the number of acts was cut to 108. On the second day, acts were given dance lessons by creative director Brian Friedman
but they were not judged on their performances. Scherzinger then returned as a guest judge on the third day, where each act performed one song from a list of 40. On the fifth day, Scherzinger suggested that the Over-25s category be changed to Over 28s, as the quality of older singers was high. The Boys and Girls categories then comprised singers aged 16 to 28, rather than 16 to 25. As the groups category was the weakest, five rejected soloists from the Boys category and four from the Girls category were asked to form two groups. After bootcamp, each judge was assigned a category: Cowell was given the Groups, Walsh had the Over-28s, Minogue was asked to look after the Boys and Cole was assigned the Girls.
at Adare Manor
in Adare
, County Limerick
, Ireland, Cole by will.i.am
in Coworth Park, Ascot
, Berkshire
, England, Cowell by Sinitta in Marbella
, Spain, and Natalie Imbruglia
returned to assist Minogue in Melbourne
, Australia. Contestants spent a week at judges' houses and performed two songs for their respective judge. Each judge and their guest eliminated five acts, leaving twelve remaining. The judges' houses stage was broadcast in two episodes on 2 and 3 October 2010.
The twenty eliminated acts were:
However, in the first live show on 9 October, Paije Richardson, Treyc Cohen, Wagner and Diva Fever were brought back as wildcards.
As well as the judges already mentioned, several other personnel were involved in creating the show. Dermot O'Leary
presented the main shows on ITV, while Konnie Huq
presented The Xtra Factor on ITV2. Huq replaced Holly Willoughby
, who left after series 6
. Peter Dickson continued to provide voiceovers, while
Brian Friedman
returned as creative director and choreographer, and had some input at bootcamp. Savan Kotecha
, a songwriter/producer who has worked with previous winners of The X Factor Alexandra Burke
and Leona Lewis
, was also hired as the lead vocal coach. Ali Tennant was a vocal coach and attended Cowell's judges' houses section, the only coach to be invited. However, three days before the live shows, Tennant's contract was cancelled and he was replaced by Yvie Burnett
, who had previously worked as a coach on the show until series six. Grace Woodward
was the fashion director.
Key:
The live shows took place at The Fountain Studios in Wembley
, north-west London. They started on 9 October 2010, with contestants performing on the Saturday night shows and the results being announced on the Sunday night shows. As previously, each week had a different song theme. The two acts with the fewest public votes were in the bottom two and sang again in the "final showdown". The songs they performed in the bottom two were of their own choice and did not necessarily follow that week's theme. The four judges then each chose one act from the bottom two that they wanted to be eliminated from the show. If each act received an equal number of judges' votes, the result was deadlocked and the act with the fewest public votes was eliminated. The first live show was extended to two and a half hours to include a surprise twist, namely that each judge was given a wildcard, allowing them to bring back one rejected act from judges' houses, thus bringing the number of finalists up from twelve to sixteen. Owing to the addition of the wildcards, the first two results were double eliminations. The eighth result was also a double elimination. In the case of a double elimination, instead of the bottom two, the bottom three were announced and the act with the fewest votes was automatically eliminated. The two remaining acts from the bottom three then performed in the final showdown. Starting from the eighth week of live shows, contestants performed two songs each on the Saturday night.
At the start of each results show, the remaining finalists performed a song as a group. However, the song was pre-recorded and the contestants mimed, because of technical issues with mixing the number of microphones. Starting this series, the contestants' live performances were made available to download from iTunes
. However, the songs are not eligible to chart to protect the integrity of the contest. Viewers in Ireland were allowed vote again, having been unable to for four years.
Each results show featured a number of guest performers. Joe McElderry
and Usher
performed on the first live results show, and Diana Vickers
and Katy Perry
performed in the second week. The third results show featured performances from Cheryl Cole and Michael Bublé
. Rihanna
, Bon Jovi
and Jamiroquai
performed in the fourth results show, and Shayne Ward
and Kylie Minogue
performed in the fifth week. Take That
, Westlife
and JLS
all performed on the sixth results show, and Olly Murs
performed on the seventh. Week eight featured performances from Justin Bieber
, The Wanted
and Nicole Scherzinger
. The cast of Glee
performed on the semi-final on 5 December, along with Alexandra Burke
and The Black Eyed Peas
. Rihanna performed again in the first show of the final, and Christina Aguilera
also performed. Take That performed again in the second show of the final.
The final took place on 11 and 12 December, with each episode lasting two hours. During the first show, the voting lines were frozen and the fourth placed contestant was eliminated. The votes carried over and the third placed contestant left on the second show following another freeze. The final two performed the potential winner's singles before the winner was announced.
Cowell was not required to vote because Walsh, Minogue and Cole had already voted to eliminate Diva Fever. Cowell was not required to vote because Walsh, Minogue and Cole had already voted to eliminate Wagner. The voting percentages in week 10 for Sunday rounds 1 and 2 do not add up to 100%, owing to the freezing of votes. Cher Lloyd received 6.65% of the vote at the second freeze, and 4.07% of the final vote. One Direction received 12.69% of the final vote.
Judge's vote to eliminate
Judge's vote to eliminate
Judges' votes to eliminate
Judges' votes to eliminate
With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result was deadlocked and reverted to the earlier public vote. Belle Amie received the fewest votes and were eliminated.
Judges' votes to eliminate
Judges' votes to eliminate
With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result was deadlocked and reverted to the earlier public vote. Aiden Grimshaw received the fewest votes and was eliminated.
Judges' votes to eliminate
For the first time this series, each contestant performed two songs.
Judges' votes to eliminate
For the first time in The X Factor history, the judges chose which act they wanted to see progress to the final.
Judges' votes to send through to the final
There was no final showdown and the act with the fewest votes, Cher Lloyd, was automatically eliminated.
12 December
revealed on 15 October 2010 that the series 7 finalists were recording a cover of David Bowie
's 1977 song "Heroes". The song, said to have been recorded in the week beginning 18 October 2010, was released as a charity single in aid of Help for Heroes
, a charity which supports injured servicemen and women. The video for the single was filmed on 2 November at Three Mills Studios. All sixteen finalists performed the song on 20 November's results show. It was the third year in a row that finalists have released a charity record
. The single entered both the Irish Singles Chart
on 25 November 2010 and the UK Singles Chart
on 28 November 2010 at number 1.
", Lloyd's would be "Impossible
", Ferguson's would be "Distant Dreamer" and One Direction's song would be "Forever Young
". Cardle and Ferguson performed their songs in the final as the last two remaining acts and upon Cardle's winning the contest, his version of "Many of Horror", renamed to "When We Collide", was released. It entered both the UK and Ireland Singles Charts at number 1.
telephones or from the Red Button
service cost 35 pence
each, with calls made from mobile telephones expected to be more expensve. The votes brought in revenue of more than £5.4 million, though it was expected to be a lot higher because of the unknown cost of mobile phone votes. Proceeds were split between production company Syco
, co-producer FremantleMedia
, broadcaster ITV
and phone vote operator Harvest Media. Advertising slots during the final were sold for up to £250,000, which expected to bring in a further £25 million in advertising revenues, with the number of commercial breaks increased from five to six.
For the second year in a row, The X Factor was sponsored by TalkTalk
, as part of a three-year sponsorship deal thought to be worth £20 million, including sponsorship of the show, the 2011 live tour and rights to online clips. TalkTalk enlisted series 6
contestants Jedward
to launch its interactive initiative on 17 August 2010. Viewers were invited to record a video of themselves performing karaoke in front of a TalkTalk bright lights backdrop, and clips were screened as part of TalkTalk's sponsorship break bumpers. In Ireland, where the series was broadcast on TV3, The X Factor was sponsored by Dominos Pizza.
.
throughout the series. A spokesperson told the Daily Mirror newspaper that ITV bosses were worried about the number of complaints as claims that the show had become "seedy and oversexed" and accusations of fixing would tarnish the image of the show and ITV.
The decision to form two groups, Belle Amie and One Direction, from soloists at the end of the bootcamp stage was branded unfair by some of the other groups, as neither had entered the competition as groups. The controversy deepened after Cowell put through both Belle Amie and One Direction and picked just one of the original applicants. Cowell defended the decision, saying that the existing groups were not good enough and other groups such as The Wanted
and the Spice Girls
were created similarly.
More controversy erupted after the News of the World
reported that after failing to qualify in 2009, Treyc Cohen signed a management deal with Artimis Music Management Ltd that landed her a recording contract in October that year with Birmingham
-based Ajoupa Records and she released a single entitled "A Time to Be Heard". The rules of The X Factor strictly forbid record deals while a contestant is on the show. According to the newspaper, The X Factor was attempting to release Cohen from her management deal and remove the single from sale. Katie Waissel also had to be released from a contract in the United States after her audition.
page called "Gamu Should Have Got Through". Cole reportedly became the target of death threats, and took extra security precautions in her home as well as at The X Factor. Bookmaker Paddy Power
were forced to give odds on Nhengu winning the show after a large number of bets were placed, and made her the favourite to win, but all punters had their losing bets refunded when Nhengu was not chosen as Cole's wildcard. There was speculation that Cole was pressured by producers to axe Nhengu over issues with her visa, but Cole denied those claims, saying it was entirely down to her "gut instinct" and that she believed Lloyd, Waissel and Rebecca Ferguson were the best singers in her category.
More than 1,000 viewers complained to ITV and more than 2,000 to Ofcom when, in week 5 of the live shows, Cole refused to vote off either act in the bottom two (Cohen and Waissel) and was not allowed to vote last and force a deadlock. A spokesperson for The X Factor explained: "A judge can abstain from placing a vote. [Cole] made it clear that she would not send anyone home and therefore abstained from voting. [O'Leary] went back to her to clarify that it was going to go to a majority vote if she did that. [Cole] was unable to take the vote to deadlock as deadlock requires a valid active vote." However, a Daily Mail poll of 6,890 people showed that 4,795 of them (nearly 70%) wanted Cole to be sacked for refusing to vote. O'Leary revealed that during the previous commercial break, when the bottom two was known to the producers, they realised that Cole might abstain and decided in that if she did, they would go to a majority vote. After the series ended, voting statistics showed that Waissel received fewer votes than Cohen, meaning that if the result had gone to deadlock, Waissel would have been eliminated instead of Cohen.
, saying "We never know which way the judges are going to vote. Ever. The only thing I know is who's in the bottom two when I'm given the card. I don't know which judge to go to until I'm called and the judges, including [Cowell], don't know the vote or who we're coming to next. It's that simple." The following week, Heat
magazine printed a report claiming that Cowell was aware of the public votes before the judges make their votes, and several other media reports contained rumours of the show being fixed. The X Factor bosses instructed their lawyers to file a formal complaint to the Press Complaints Commission
against Heat, saying that the article was a lie, that very few people know the actual public voting results and conspiracy theories being printed in the media are "total and utter rubbish". Heat printed an apology in their 1 January 2011 issue and accepted that Cowell was unaware of the votes cast until after the final.
There were accusations from viewers of fixing during the semi-final when O'Leary announced that only the public's votes would decide which contestants would make it through to the final, but the next day this was changed and there was a final showdown. The show's official website also stated that it would be decided by public vote, and Walsh confirmed it on a radio show earlier in the week. It was the first time in the show's history that the judges were given a vote in a semi-final. A spokesperson insisted the change was decided weeks in advance. Cowell (incorrectly) stated that "There has always been a sing-off when there are five people left in the competition. This is a lot of nonsense about nothing." However, eliminated contestant Mary Byrne said she believed the decision would be solely down to the public until the day of the semi-final performances, and even claimed that Cowell did not want her in the final. Following Byrne's comments, Cowell wrote an open letter to the viewers in the Daily Mirror, saying:
Voting statistics revealed that Lloyd would have been eliminated had there been no judges' vote.
(which has been seen as controversial in the music industry) was used to improve the quality of some singers' voices, and forty-five viewers complained to Ofcom
. Series producers claimed post-production
work was necessary on the show because of the number of microphones used during filming: "The judges make their decisions at the auditions stage based on what they hear on the day, live in the arena. The footage and sound is then edited and dubbed into a finished programme, to deliver the most entertaining experience possible for viewers. When it gets to the live shows, it will be all live." It was reported on 26 August that Cowell had ordered a ban on pitch correction in future episodes, asking for them to be re-edited. In October 2010, Ofcom ruled that viewers had not been "materially misled" as pitch correction was only used during auditions and not when viewers were paying to vote for the contestants.
In December 2010, it emerged that Ofcom were investigating the show after claims that viewers were being encouraged to purchase songs recorded by guest performers Michael Bublé
and Diana Vickers
. Ofcom also received over 2,868 complaints from viewers about "raunchy" dance routines from Rihanna
and Christina Aguilera
during the final. Although an ITV spokesperson denied the routines were inappropriate, Cowell was warned by ITV to "cut the sleaze". In April 2011, Ofcom ruled that there had been no breach of guidelines over the performances, and highlighted that "approximately 2,000" of the complaints were received after the routines were covered by the Daily Mail
, and said the newspaper's report featured a number of stills that were "significantly more graphic and close-up" than material broadcast, and that were "taken from a different angle to the television cameras".
magazine said series 7 of The X Factor had been the best series to date, citing many of the controversies, plus events such as Lloyd singing on a spiral staircase, Wagner's "ludicrous" performances and Walsh likening Richardson to "a little Lenny Henry
", as moments that helped make it "the most deliriously, thrilling, controversial and demented yet. [...] This was the year the biggest and best show on TV somehow got bigger and better." Before the final, Digital Spy
's reality television editor Alex Fletcher listed his five favourite moments from the series. His favourite moment was Nhengu's elimination, on which he said "No other show can make people so passionate, angry and feel like they really know the programme's stars. With only approximately 30 minutes of screentime, Gamu had managed to capture the hearts of millions. Whatever you think of Simon Cowell's programmes, you have to give them credit for achieving that."
The series won in the Most Popular Talent Show category at the 16th
National Television Awards
in 2011, beating series 4
of Britain's Got Talent
, series 6
of Dancing on Ice
and series 8
of Strictly Come Dancing
. It was also nominated in the TV Reality Programme category at the 2011 TRIC awards
, the Entertainment Programme category at the 2011
British Academy Television Awards
, and the Best Talent Show category at the 2011 TV Choice Awards.
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 a British television
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The seventh series started 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...
on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The winner was Matt Cardle
Matt Cardle
Matthew Sheridan "Matt" Cardle is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist who rose to fame after winning the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. He received a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music by winning, and his debut number one single "When We Collide" was released immediately...
and his debut single "When We Collide" was released after the final. Cardle was mentored throughout by Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
, who won as mentor for the second time. A total of 15,448,019 votes were cast throughout the series. It was presented by Dermot O'Leary
Dermot O'Leary
Dermot O'Leary is an English television and radio presenter. He established himself as a presenter of Big Brother's Little Brother on Channel 4 before moving on to The X Factor on ITV. O'Leary has also presented on the BBC and has his own radio show on BBC Radio 2...
, with spin-off show The Xtra Factor hosted by Konnie Huq
Konnie Huq
Kanak Asha "Konnie" Huq is a British television presenter, who is best known for being the longest-serving female presenter of Blue Peter, having presented it from 1 December 1997 until 23 January 2008...
on ITV2
ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
, who took over from Holly Willoughby
Holly Willoughby
Holly Marie Willoughby is an English television presenter and model, known for her work in presenting children's TV and entertainment shows. In her early career she modelled underwear and went on to present CD:UK...
.
The competition was split into several stages: auditions, bootcamp, judges' houses and live shows. Auditions took place throughout June and July 2010, with 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...
, Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
and 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...
returning as judges. Special guest judges were brought in to replace Minogue, who was on maternity leave. Cole missed the auditions in Manchester and bootcamp because she had malaria. Following bootcamp, successful acts were split into four categories: Boys (male soloists aged 16 to 28), Girls (female soloists aged 16 to 28), Over 28s (soloists aged 29 and over) and Groups. Minogue returned for the judges' houses stage, and each judge mentored eight acts through judges' houses. The live shows started on 9 October 2010. Four acts eliminated at judges' houses were brought back as wildcards, making this the first series to have 16 acts perform in the live shows. This series was the last with Cowell, Minogue and Cole as judges, as Gary Barlow
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 Rowland
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 Tulisa Contostavlos
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...
replaced them in series 8
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...
.
This was the first series of the show to be filmed in high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
, and was simulcast on ITV1 HD and STV HD. From October, The Xtra Factor was also shown in high definition, simulcast on the new channel ITV2 HD. It was sponsored by TalkTalk
TalkTalk
TalkTalk is a pay television, telecommunications and internet service provider company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
in the United Kingdom and Dominos Pizza in Ireland.
This series proved to be highly controversial, with many people complaining about the use of pitch correction
Pitch correction
Pitch correction is the process of correcting the intonation of an audio signal without affecting other aspects of its sound. Pitch correction first detects the pitch of an audio signal , then calculates the desired change and modifies the audio signal accordingly...
software on the broadcast of contestants' auditions, the decision to form two groups out of rejected soloists, the rejection of popular contestant Gamu Nhengu at judges' houses and Cole's failure to vote to eliminate an act in week 5 of the live shows. Controversy also surrounded contestants Shirlena Johnson, who was axed over fears for her mental health, and Treyc Cohen, who was reported to already have a record deal when the live shows started. There were also accusations of fixing, which were denied by the show's producers. It was the most watched series to date, with an average of 14.13 million viewers per episode. The final was watched by 17.71 million people, making it the highest rated television episode of 2010 in the UK.
Applications and auditions
The first appeal for applicants for series 7 was broadcast during series 6The X Factor (UK series 6)
The sixth series of British television music competition The X Factor started on ITV on 22 August 2009 and was won by Joe McElderry on 13 December 2009. Cheryl Cole emerged as the winning mentor for the second consecutive year, the first time in the show's history that a mentor has won back-to-back...
on 5 December 2009. Applicants for the seventh series were given the opportunity to apply by uploading a video audition to the Internet. Auditions began in June 2010 in six cities: Glasgow (Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre , located on the north bank of the River Clyde, in Glasgow, is Scotland's largest exhibition centre....
, 9 June), Birmingham (LG Arena, 13–14 June), London (ExCeL London, 21–24 June), Dublin (Convention Centre Dublin, 28 June), Cardiff (International Arena
Cardiff International Arena
The Cardiff International Arena was opened on 10 September 1993, by Shirley Bassey, in front of 5,500 fans. On 1 March 2011, the Cardiff International Arena was officially renamed Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, after the car sales company with a branch in Newport bought the naming rights to the Cardiff...
, 2 July), and Manchester (Manchester Central, 9–11 July). Dublin returned as an audition city for the first time since 2006.
Three of the four judges from the previous series, Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole, returned to judge the auditions. Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
did not attend the auditions because she was pregnant, and was replaced by guest judges. Geri Halliwell
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
was the first guest judge, and attended the Glasgow auditions. Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
was the second guest judge, appearing for the Birmingham auditions. The guest judge slot was axed for the London auditions, but continued with Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
judging in Dublin, Pixie Lott
Pixie Lott
Victoria Louise "Pixie" Lott is an English singer-songwriter, dancer and actress. Her debut single "Mama Do" was released in June 2009 and went straight to number one in the UK Singles Chart. Her second single "Boys and Girls", also topped the UK charts in September 2009. Her debut album Turn It...
in Cardiff and Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, model, and actress. Scherzinger is perhaps best known for being the lead vocalist of the Pussycat Dolls....
at the auditions in Manchester. Cole was unable to attend the Manchester auditions because she had contracted malaria and was not replaced for them.
The first episode, broadcast on 21 August 2010, featured auditions from Glasgow and London, while episode two, on 28 August, showcased Dublin's auditions and more from London. More London auditions were shown on 4 September, along with those from Birmingham, and Cardiff was featured in the 11 September broadcast along with the final set of London auditions. Finally, the Manchester auditions were shown in the 18 and 19 September episodes.
Bootcamp
The bootcamp stage of the competition began on 22 July 2010 at Wembley ArenaWembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
, London. Minogue continued her maternity leave and Cole did not attend because she was still in recovery. As Cole and Minogue were absent, producers of the show decided to axe bootcamp's live audience. The bootcamp stage was broadcast in two episodes on 25 and 26 September. The first day of bootcamp saw Cowell and Walsh split the 211 acts into their four categories: Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups. They received vocal coaching and each category later performed one song: the Boys sang "Man in the Mirror
Man in the Mirror
"Man in the Mirror" is a song recorded by Michael Jackson and written and composed by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett. It peaked at number one in the United States when released as a single in January 1988 off his seventh solo album, Bad. It is one of Jackson's most critically acclaimed songs and...
", the Girls sang "If I Were a Boy
If I Were a Boy
"If I Were a Boy" is a pop song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was composed by Toby Gad and BC Jean. Jean initially recorded her version of the song which was rejected by Jean's record company. Knowles then recorded a new version for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce...
", the Over 25s sang "Poker Face
Poker Face (Lady Gaga song)
"Poker Face" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga from her debut album, The Fame. Produced by RedOne, it was released as the album's second single in late 2008 for some markets and in early 2009 for the rest of the world...
" and the Groups sang "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" is a #1 hit song co-written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren, recorded by Starship. Featured as the theme to the romantic comedy film Mannequin, it hit #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 on April 4, 1987 and reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks the following...
". At the end of the day, the number of acts was cut to 108. On the second day, acts were given dance lessons by creative director Brian Friedman
Brian Friedman
Brian L. Friedman, is an American dancer and choreographer, and has created the choreography for many popular music artists - such as Britney Spears, Beyoncé Knowles and Mariah Carey - as well as for music videos, concert tours and television and film productions.-Early life:Friedman was born in...
but they were not judged on their performances. Scherzinger then returned as a guest judge on the third day, where each act performed one song from a list of 40. On the fifth day, Scherzinger suggested that the Over-25s category be changed to Over 28s, as the quality of older singers was high. The Boys and Girls categories then comprised singers aged 16 to 28, rather than 16 to 25. As the groups category was the weakest, five rejected soloists from the Boys category and four from the Girls category were asked to form two groups. After bootcamp, each judge was assigned a category: Cowell was given the Groups, Walsh had the Over-28s, Minogue was asked to look after the Boys and Cole was assigned the Girls.
Judges' houses and wildcards
Cole and Minogue returned to the judging panel for the judges' houses stage of the competition, where each judge mentored eight acts, increased from six in previous series. Each judge had help from a guest judge to choose their final acts. Walsh was helped by former regular judge Sharon OsbourneSharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
at Adare Manor
Adare Manor
Adare Manor is a 19th century manor house located on the banks of the River Maigue in the village of Adare, County Limerick, Ireland, the former seat of the Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl, now a luxury resort hotel - the Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort....
in Adare
Adare
-General information:Adare's origin is as a settlement by a crossing point on the river Maigue. It is situated 16 km from Limerick City. Renowned as one of Ireland's prettiest villages, Adare is designated as a Heritage Town by the Irish government...
, County Limerick
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
, Ireland, Cole by will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
in Coworth Park, Ascot
Ascot, Berkshire
Ascot is a village within the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, England, Cowell by Sinitta in Marbella
Marbella
Marbella is a town in Andalusia, Spain. It is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, in the province of Málaga, beneath the La Concha mountain. In 2000 the city had 98,823 inhabitants, in 2004, 116,234, in 2010 approximately 135,000....
, Spain, and Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
returned to assist Minogue in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia. Contestants spent a week at judges' houses and performed two songs for their respective judge. Each judge and their guest eliminated five acts, leaving twelve remaining. The judges' houses stage was broadcast in two episodes on 2 and 3 October 2010.
The twenty eliminated acts were:
- Boys: Karl Brown, Marlon McKenzie, Tom Richards, Paije Richardson, John Wilding
- Girls: Keri Arrindell, Annastasia Baker, Treyc Cohen, Gamu Nhengu, Raquel Thomas
- Over-28s: Wagner, Stephen Hunter, Justin Vanderhyde, Yuli Minguel, Elesha Moses
- Groups: Diva Fever, Husstle, Princes and Rogues, The Reason, Twem
However, in the first live show on 9 October, Paije Richardson, Treyc Cohen, Wagner and Diva Fever were brought back as wildcards.
Personnel
Dermot O'Leary
Dermot O'Leary is an English television and radio presenter. He established himself as a presenter of Big Brother's Little Brother on Channel 4 before moving on to The X Factor on ITV. O'Leary has also presented on the BBC and has his own radio show on BBC Radio 2...
presented the main shows on ITV, while Konnie Huq
Konnie Huq
Kanak Asha "Konnie" Huq is a British television presenter, who is best known for being the longest-serving female presenter of Blue Peter, having presented it from 1 December 1997 until 23 January 2008...
presented The Xtra Factor on ITV2. Huq replaced Holly Willoughby
Holly Willoughby
Holly Marie Willoughby is an English television presenter and model, known for her work in presenting children's TV and entertainment shows. In her early career she modelled underwear and went on to present CD:UK...
, who left after series 6
The X Factor (UK series 6)
The sixth series of British television music competition The X Factor started on ITV on 22 August 2009 and was won by Joe McElderry on 13 December 2009. Cheryl Cole emerged as the winning mentor for the second consecutive year, the first time in the show's history that a mentor has won back-to-back...
. Peter Dickson continued to provide voiceovers, while
Brian Friedman
Brian Friedman
Brian L. Friedman, is an American dancer and choreographer, and has created the choreography for many popular music artists - such as Britney Spears, Beyoncé Knowles and Mariah Carey - as well as for music videos, concert tours and television and film productions.-Early life:Friedman was born in...
returned as creative director and choreographer, and had some input at bootcamp. Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha is an American songwriter and vocal producer from Austin, Texas of Indian descent. Kotecha has sold over 60 million records with artists such as Usher, Enrique Iglesias, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, One Direction and Celine Dion...
, a songwriter/producer who has worked with previous winners of The X Factor Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
and Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
, was also hired as the lead vocal coach. Ali Tennant was a vocal coach and attended Cowell's judges' houses section, the only coach to be invited. However, three days before the live shows, Tennant's contract was cancelled and he was replaced by Yvie Burnett
Yvie Burnett
Yvie Burnett , is a Scottish mezzosoprano singer and vocal coach, best known for her work with Simon Cowell on television shows The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent.-Education:...
, who had previously worked as a coach on the show until series six. Grace Woodward
Grace Woodward
Grace Woodward is an English fashion stylist and television presenter, currently a judge for Sky Living’s Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model. and also hosts Chick Fix for the channel....
was the fashion director.
Finalists
After the wildcards were revealed in the first live show, the final sixteen acts were confirmed as follows:Key:
- – Winner
- – Runner-up
- – Third Place
| Category (Mentor) | Acts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys (Minogue) | Matt Cardle Matt Cardle Matthew Sheridan "Matt" Cardle is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist who rose to fame after winning the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. He received a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music by winning, and his debut number one single "When We Collide" was released immediately... |
Nicolò Festa | Aiden Grimshaw | Paije Richardson |
| Girls (Cole) | Treyc Cohen | Rebecca Ferguson Rebecca Ferguson (singer) Rebecca Ferguson is an English singer-songwriter born in Liverpool, who became notable as the runner-up of the seventh series of The X Factor to Matt Cardle in 2010. She released her debut single "Nothing Real but Love" on 20 November 2011... |
Cher Lloyd Cher Lloyd Cher Lloyd is a British singer and rapper from Malvern, Worcestershire. Lloyd rose to fame in 2010 when she participated in reality TV series The X Factor, to which she finished in fourth place. Shortly afterwards, Lloyd was signed by Simon Cowell to Sony Records subsidary SyCo Music, releasing... |
Katie Waissel |
| Over-28s (Walsh) | John Adeleye | Mary Byrne Mary Byrne (singer) For other people named Mary Byrne, see Mary Byrne .Mary Byrne is an Irish singer-songwriter from Ballyfermot, Dublin. She rose to fame in 2010 after becoming a finalist on the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. Following her elimination in the live semi-final, she signed a record deal with... |
Storm Lee | Wagner |
| Groups (Cowell) | Belle Amie | Diva Fever | F.Y.D. | One Direction One Direction One Direction are a British-Irish boy band, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They finished third on the seventh series of The X Factor. Following The X Factor, the group signed a record contract with Syco Music.One Direction's debut single... |
Format
Wembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
, north-west London. They started on 9 October 2010, with contestants performing on the Saturday night shows and the results being announced on the Sunday night shows. As previously, each week had a different song theme. The two acts with the fewest public votes were in the bottom two and sang again in the "final showdown". The songs they performed in the bottom two were of their own choice and did not necessarily follow that week's theme. The four judges then each chose one act from the bottom two that they wanted to be eliminated from the show. If each act received an equal number of judges' votes, the result was deadlocked and the act with the fewest public votes was eliminated. The first live show was extended to two and a half hours to include a surprise twist, namely that each judge was given a wildcard, allowing them to bring back one rejected act from judges' houses, thus bringing the number of finalists up from twelve to sixteen. Owing to the addition of the wildcards, the first two results were double eliminations. The eighth result was also a double elimination. In the case of a double elimination, instead of the bottom two, the bottom three were announced and the act with the fewest votes was automatically eliminated. The two remaining acts from the bottom three then performed in the final showdown. Starting from the eighth week of live shows, contestants performed two songs each on the Saturday night.
At the start of each results show, the remaining finalists performed a song as a group. However, the song was pre-recorded and the contestants mimed, because of technical issues with mixing the number of microphones. Starting this series, the contestants' live performances were made available to download from iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. However, the songs are not eligible to chart to protect the integrity of the contest. Viewers in Ireland were allowed vote again, having been unable to for four years.
Each results show featured a number of guest performers. Joe McElderry
Joe McElderry
Joseph "Joe" McElderry is an English singer and model. He won the sixth series of the ITV show The X Factor in 2009. His first single "The Climb" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Charts. He was also crowned the winner of the second series of Popstar to Operastar, two...
and Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
performed on the first live results show, and Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers is an English singer-songwriter, stage actress and fashion designer who initially came to public attention as a semi-finalist on the fifth series of British talent show The X Factor in 2008...
and Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
performed in the second week. The third results show featured performances from Cheryl Cole and Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
. Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
, Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
and Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
performed in the fourth results show, and Shayne Ward
Shayne Ward
Shayne Thomas Ward is an English pop singer who rose to fame as the winner of second series of The X Factor. He has sold over 3 million records worldwide and has had number one albums and singles in 9 countries.During The X Factor competition, Ward was mentored by manager Louis Walsh...
and 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...
performed in the fifth week. Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
, Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
and JLS
JLS
- Music :* JLS, an English boyband** JLS , debut album by JLS* JLS a Spanish Rock band based in Zaragoza , Spain formed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by lead Leo Susana.- Organizations :...
all performed on the sixth results show, and Olly Murs
Olly Murs
Oliver Stanley "Olly" Murs is an English singer-songwriter and TV presenter. Murs rose to fame after being the runner-up on the sixth series of The X Factor...
performed on the seventh. Week eight featured performances from Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
, 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 Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, model, and actress. Scherzinger is perhaps best known for being the lead vocalist of the Pussycat Dolls....
. The cast of Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
performed on the semi-final on 5 December, along with Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
and The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
. Rihanna performed again in the first show of the final, and 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...
also performed. Take That performed again in the second show of the final.
The final took place on 11 and 12 December, with each episode lasting two hours. During the first show, the voting lines were frozen and the fourth placed contestant was eliminated. The votes carried over and the third placed contestant left on the second show following another freeze. The final two performed the potential winner's singles before the winner was announced.
Results summary
Colour key| – | Contestant was in the bottom two/three and had to sing again in the final showdown |
| – | Contestant was in the bottom three but received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated |
| – | Contestant received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no final showdown) |
| – | Contestant received the most public votes |
| Contestant | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | Sunday | |||||||||||
| Round 1 | Round 2 | |||||||||||
| Matt Cardle | 2nd 15.14% |
1st 24.39% |
1st 23.97% |
1st 20.60% |
1st 33.41% |
1st 23.16% |
1st 18.44% |
1st 31.95% |
1st 35.84% |
1st 39.92% |
1st 39.83% |
Winner 44.61% |
| Rebecca Ferguson | 6th 6.51% |
5th 7.99% |
5th 8.46% |
5th 9.79% |
2nd 12.80% |
2nd 18.24% |
3rd 12.85% |
2nd 13.98% |
2nd 20.22% |
2nd 25.71% |
2nd 32.80% |
Runner-up 38.63% |
| One Direction | 4th 10.04% |
3rd 9.84% |
3rd 11.08% |
4th 11.79% |
3rd 12.13% |
3rd 14.44% |
4th 12.65% |
4th 11.90% |
3rd 17.38% |
3rd 18.54% |
3rd 20.72% |
Eliminated (week 10) |
| Cher Lloyd | 3rd 10.31% |
6th 7.17% |
4th 9.12% |
2nd 19.72% |
5th 7.64% |
5th 8.88% |
8th 8.00% |
3rd 13.19% |
5th 11.57% |
4th 15.83% |
Eliminated (week 10) |
|
| Mary Byrne | 1st 22.28% |
2nd 18.55% |
2nd 13.92% |
3rd 11.98% |
4th 12.02% |
4th 10.66% |
5th 11.97% |
5th 11.29% |
4th 14.99% |
Eliminated (week 9) |
||
| Wagner | 12th 1.91% |
11th 2.47% |
9th 4.50% |
8th 4.77% |
8th 4.21% |
7th 6.30% |
6th 9.90% |
6th 10.48% |
Eliminated (week 8) |
|||
| Katie Waissel | 15th 1.55% |
8th 4.30% |
8th 5.95% |
10th 2.73% |
10th 3.22% |
8th 5.29% |
2nd 16.82% |
7th 7.21% |
Eliminated (week 8) |
|||
| Paije Richardson | 7th 5.83% |
9th 3.80% |
7th 6.10% |
7th 6.22% |
7th 5.19% |
6th 8.02% |
7th 9.37% |
Eliminated (week 7) |
||||
| Aiden Grimshaw | 5th 9.78% |
4th 8.82% |
6th 6.58% |
6th 6.70% |
6th 5.85% |
9th 5.01% |
Eliminated (week 6) |
|||||
| Treyc Cohen | 8th 4.82% |
10th 2.82% |
12th 2.39% |
9th 3.14% |
9th 3.53% |
Eliminated (week 5) |
||||||
| Belle Amie | 11th 2.13% |
13th 1.86% |
10th 4.15% |
11th 2.56% |
Eliminated (week 4) |
|||||||
| John Adeleye | 9th 2.46% |
7th 4.50% |
11th 3.78% |
Eliminated (week 3) |
||||||||
| Diva Fever | 10th 2.28% |
12th 2.05% |
Eliminated (week 2) |
|||||||||
| Storm Lee | 13th 1.89% |
14th 1.44% |
Eliminated (week 2) |
|||||||||
| F.Y.D. | 14th 1.71% |
Eliminated (week 1) |
||||||||||
| Nicolò Festa | 16th 1.36% |
Eliminated (week 1) |
||||||||||
| Final showdown | F.Y.D., Katie Waissel |
Belle Amie, Diva Fever |
John Adeleye, Treyc Cohen |
Belle Amie, Katie Waissel |
Treyc Cohen, Katie Waissel |
Aiden Grimshaw, Katie Waissel |
Cher Lloyd, Paije Richardson |
Mary Byrne, Wagner |
Mary Byrne, Cher Lloyd |
No final showdown or judges' vote: results are based on public votes alone | ||
| Judges voted to | Eliminate | Send through | ||||||||||
| Walsh's vote | F.Y.D. | Diva Fever | Treyc Cohen | Katie Waissel | Treyc Cohen | Katie Waissel | Paije Richardson | Wagner | Mary Byrne | |||
| Minogue's vote | F.Y.D. | Diva Fever | John Adeleye | Belle Amie | Katie Waissel | Katie Waissel | Cher Lloyd | Wagner | Cher Lloyd | |||
| Cole's vote | F.Y.D. | Diva Fever | John Adeleye | Belle Amie | None (refused) | Aiden Grimshaw | Paije Richardson | Wagner | Cher Lloyd | |||
| Cowell's vote | Katie Waissel | N/A | John Adeleye | Katie Waissel | Treyc Cohen | Aiden Grimshaw | Paije Richardson | N/A | Cher Lloyd | |||
| Eliminated | Nicolò Festa 1.36% to save |
Storm Lee 1.44% to save |
John Adeleye 3 of 4 votes majority |
Belle Amie 2 of 4 votes deadlock |
Treyc Cohen 2 of 3 votes majority |
Aiden Grimshaw 2 of 4 votes deadlock |
Paije Richardson 3 of 4 votes majority |
Katie Waissel 7.21% to save |
Mary Byrne 1 of 4 votes minority |
Cher Lloyd 15.83% to win |
One Direction 20.72% to win |
Rebecca Ferguson 38.63% to win |
| F.Y.D. 3 of 4 votes majority |
Diva Fever 3 of 3 votes majority |
Wagner 3 of 3 votes majority |
Matt Cardle 44.61% to win |
|||||||||
| Reference(s) | ||||||||||||
Cowell was not required to vote because Walsh, Minogue and Cole had already voted to eliminate Diva Fever. Cowell was not required to vote because Walsh, Minogue and Cole had already voted to eliminate Wagner. The voting percentages in week 10 for Sunday rounds 1 and 2 do not add up to 100%, owing to the freezing of votes. Cher Lloyd received 6.65% of the vote at the second freeze, and 4.07% of the final vote. One Direction received 12.69% of the final vote.
Week 1 (9/10 October)
- Theme: Number-one singles
- Celebrity performers: Joe McElderryJoe McElderryJoseph "Joe" McElderry is an English singer and model. He won the sixth series of the ITV show The X Factor in 2009. His first single "The Climb" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Charts. He was also crowned the winner of the second series of Popstar to Operastar, two...
("AmbitionsAmbitions (song)"Ambitions" is an English language song by Norwegian band Donkeyboy, taken from their debut album Caught in a Life. It was released as their debut single in 2009 and was a number-one hit in the Norwegian Singles Chart....
") and UsherUsher (entertainer)Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
(medley: "DJ Got Us Fallin' in LoveDJ Got Us Fallin' in Love"DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" is a song by recording artist Usher and features guest vocals from American rapper Pitbull. It was written by Savan Kotecha, Pitbull, Shellback and Max Martin, with the latter two producing it. It is the first single from Usher's EP, Versus...
" / "OMGOMG (song)"OMG" is a song by American recording artist Usher. The song features will.i.am, who also wrote and produced the song. It uses the auto-tune effect in several lines, as well as Jock Jams-esque sports arena chanting. It was released on March 22, 2010 as the first worldwide single off his sixth...
") - Group performance: "The Rhythm of the NightThe Rhythm of the Night (song)"The Rhythm of the Night" is the debut single by the Italian band Corona. It was released in 1994.This song is inspired from an english pop song called "Save me" performed by the Say When!, released in 1987....
"
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| F.Y.D. | 1 | "Billionaire Billionaire (song) "Billionaire" is the debut single by American recording artist Travie McCoy, featuring guest vocals from Bruno Mars. It is the lead single from McCoy's debut studio album Lazarus. The song was produced by The Smeezingtons, which consists of Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine... " |
Bottom three |
| Matt Cardle | 2 | "When Love Takes Over When Love Takes Over "When Love Takes Over" is a song by French disc jockey -music producer David Guetta from his fourth studio album, One Love. It was released as the lead single from the album on 21 April 2009 by Virgin Records... " |
Safe |
| John Adeleye | 3 | "One Sweet Day One Sweet Day "One Sweet Day" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and R&B group Boyz II Men. The song was written by Carey, Walter Afanasieff and the members of Boyz II Men: Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris, and Michael McCary. "One Sweet Day" was produced by Carey and Afanasieff for... " |
Safe |
| Rebecca Ferguson | 4 | "Teardrops" | Safe |
| Storm Lee | 5 | "We Built This City We Built This City "We Built This City" is the title of a song written by Bernie Taupin, Martin Page, Dennis Lambert, and Peter Wolf, and originally recorded by the American pop rock group Starship and released as its debut single on August 1, 1985.... " |
Safe |
| Belle Amie | 6 | "Airplanes Airplanes (song) "Airplanes" is the second official and third overall single from B.o.B's debut studio album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray. The track features Hayley Williams and was produced by Alex da Kid with DJ Frank E receiving a co-production credit on the song. The music and chorus were... " |
Safe |
| Cher Lloyd | 7 | "Just Be Good to Me Just Be Good to Me "Just Be Good to Me" is a 1983 single by The SOS Band, written and produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The single reached number two on the U.S. R&B chart, number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number three on the dance chart that year... " |
Safe |
| Diva Fever | 8 | "Sunny Sunny (song) "Sunny" is the name of a song written by Bobby Hebb. It is one of the most covered popular songs, with hundreds of versions released. BMI rates "Sunny" number 25 in its "Top 100 songs of the century."... " |
Safe |
| Paije Richardson | 9 | "Killing Me Softly with His Song Killing Me Softly with His Song "Killing Me Softly with His Song" is a 1971 song composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. It has been covered by numerous artists, most notably by Roberta Flack whose version topped the U.S... " |
Safe |
| Katie Waissel | 10 | "We Are the Champions We Are the Champions "We Are the Champions" is a power ballad written by Freddie Mercury, recorded and performed by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. One of their most famous and popular songs, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems... " |
Bottom three |
| Mary Byrne | 11 | "It's a Man's Man's Man's World It's a Man's Man's Man's World "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" is a song by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome. Brown recorded it on February 16, 1966 in a New York studio and released it as a single later that year. It reached #1 on the Billboard Top R&B Singles charts and #8 in the Billboard Hot 100... " |
Safe |
| Nicolò Festa | 12 | "Just Dance" | Eliminated |
| One Direction | 13 | "Viva la Vida" | Safe |
| Wagner | 14 | "She Bangs She Bangs "She Bangs" is a song performed by Ricky Martin, from his 2000 album Sound Loaded. An up-tempo, salsa-influenced song with double entendres about the singer's infatuation with a woman, Martin's recording earned him continued crossover success around the world.The song was co-written by Desmond... " / "Love Shack Love Shack "Love Shack" is a single by rock band The B-52's. Originally released in 1989 from their album Cosmic Thing, the single was the band's biggest hit song and first million-copy seller... " |
Safe |
| Aiden Grimshaw | 15 | "Mad World Mad World "Mad World" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's third single release and first chart hit, reaching #3 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1982. Both "Mad World" and its B-side, "Ideas As Opiates", would turn up... " |
Safe |
| Treyc Cohen | 16 | "One One (U2 song) "One" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1991 album Achtung Baby, and it was released as the record's third single in March 1992. It was recorded at three recording studios, Hansa Ton Studios, Elsinore, and Windmill Lane Studios... " |
Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
| F.Y.D. | 1 | "Don't Stop the Music Don't Stop the Music (Rihanna song) "Don't Stop the Music" is a dance-pop song performed by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna from her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad. It was the third single from the album in most of Europe, the second single in Germany and Spain and the fourth single in the rest of the world... " |
Eliminated |
| Katie Waissel | 2 | "Don't Let Me Down Don't Let Me Down (The Beatles song) "Don't Let Me Down" is a song by The Beatles , recorded in 1969 during the Get Back sessions.-Composition:... " |
Safe |
- Owing to the addition of four wildcard contestants, two acts were eliminated from the series' first results show. The three acts with the fewest votes were announced as the bottom three and the act with the fewest public votes was then automatically eliminated. The remaining two acts then performed in the final showdown for the judges' votes.
Judge's vote to eliminate
- Cowell: Katie Waissel – backed his own act, F.Y.D.
- Cole: F.Y.D. – based on the final showdown performance
- Minogue: F.Y.D. – based on the final showdown performance
- Walsh: F.Y.D. – stated that he had to choose the act with more potential, as well as "the right act"
Week 2 (16/17 October)
- Theme: Heroes
- Celebrity performers: Diana VickersDiana VickersDiana Vickers is an English singer-songwriter, stage actress and fashion designer who initially came to public attention as a semi-finalist on the fifth series of British talent show The X Factor in 2008...
("My Wicked HeartMy Wicked Heart"My Wicked Heart" is a song co-written and co-produced by English singer-songwriter Diana Vickers. It was supposedly released as the lead single from the re-release of her debut album, but plans were scrapped and it was revealed "My Wicked Heart" would serve as the first single from her upcoming...
") and Katy PerryKaty PerryKaty Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
("FireworkFirework (song)"Firework" is a song by American recording artist Katy Perry. The song was written by Katy Perry, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Sandy Wilhelm, Ester Dean, and produced by Stargate and Sandy Vee for Perry's third studio album, Teenage Dream...
") - Group performance: "TelephoneTelephone (song)"Telephone" is a song written and performed by Lady Gaga. It was released from her third extended play and second major release The Fame Monster . The song, featuring American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, was written by Gaga and Rodney Jerkins...
"
| Act | Order | Song | Hero | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storm Lee | 1 | "Born to Run Born to Run (song) "Born to Run" is a song by American singer songwriter Bruce Springsteen, and the title song of his album Born to Run.- Songwriting :Written at in Long Branch, New Jersey in early 1974, the song was Bruce Springsteen's last-ditch effort to make it big. The prior year, Springsteen had released two... " |
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band... |
Eliminated | |
| Treyc Cohen | 2 | "Purple Rain Purple Rain (song) "Purple Rain" is a power ballad by Prince and The Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name, and was released as the third single from that album. The song is a combination of rock, pop, gospel,... " |
Prince Prince (musician) Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of... |
Safe | |
| Paije Richardson | 3 | "If I Ain't Got You If I Ain't Got You "If I Ain't Got You" is a song recorded, written, and produced by American recording artist Alicia Keys for her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. Released in February 2004 as the album's second single, the song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Keys' second... " |
Alicia Keys Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano... |
Safe | |
| One Direction | 4 | "My Life Would Suck Without You My Life Would Suck Without You "My Life Would Suck Without You" is a song performed by American pop rock singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson. It is the first single from her fourth studio album, All I Ever Wanted. Dr. Luke and Max Martin, writers of her hit "Since U Been Gone", co-produced and co-wrote the song. Claude Kelly also... " |
Kelly Clarkson Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,... |
Safe | |
| Cher Lloyd | 5 | "It's the Hard Knock Life" / "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) "Hard Knock Life " is a single from rapper Jay-Z's third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. It samples the song "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the Broadway musical Annie. The song was produced by The 45 King and at the time of its release, was the most commercially successful Jay-Z single. The RIAA... " |
Jay-Z Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010... |
Safe | |
| John Adeleye | 6 | "A Song for You A Song for You "A Song for You" is a soulful love song written and originally recorded by rock singer-songwriter and pianist Leon Russell for his first solo album 'Leon Russell', which was released in 1970 on Shelter Records. A slow, pained plea for forgiveness and understanding from an estranged lover, the tune... " |
Donny Hathaway Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations... |
Safe | |
| Diva Fever | 7 | "Gotta Go Home El Lute / Gotta Go Home "El Lute" / "Gotta Go Home" is a double A-side single by German band Boney M. It was the lead single off their fourth album Oceans of Fantasy and was the group's eighth and final number 1 single in the German charts... " / "Barbra Streisand Barbra Streisand (song) “Barbra Streisand” is a disco house song by American-Canadian DJ duo Duck Sauce. It was released on 10 September 2010. The song peaked at number one in Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland and Austria... " |
Boney M. | Bottom three | |
| Rebecca Ferguson | 8 | "Feeling Good Feeling Good "Feeling Good" is a song written by English singer-songwriters Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the 1965 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd starring Cy Grant, who sang the original version of the song... " |
Nina Simone Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music... |
Safe | |
| Aiden Grimshaw | 9 | "Jealous Guy Jealous Guy "Jealous Guy" is a song written and performed by John Lennon which first appeared on his 1971 album Imagine. It is one of the most commonly covered Lennon songs, with at least ninety-two recorded cover versions, the most notable being Roxy Music's version, which reached number one in several... " |
John Lennon John Lennon John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music... |
Safe | |
| Wagner | 10 | "Help Yourself Help Yourself (Tom Jones song) "Help Yourself" is a 1968 song performed by Tom Jones. The song is one of Jones' best known songs and reached the top 5 in the United Kingdom in its original run. It is featured in the movie Anchorman... " |
Tom Jones Tom Jones (singer) Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records... |
Safe | |
| Katie Waissel | 11 | "I'd Rather Go Blind I'd Rather Go Blind "I'd Rather Go Blind" is a Blues song written by Ellington Jordan and co-credited to Billy Foster. It was first recorded by Etta James in 1968, and has subsequently become regarded as a blues and soul classic.-Original version by Etta James:... " |
Etta James Etta James Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer... |
Safe | |
| Belle Amie | 12 | "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... " |
The Kinks The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a... |
Bottom three | |
| Mary Byrne | 13 | "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me You Don't Have to Say You Love Me "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" is the title of a 1966 hit recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield which proved to be her career record reaching #1 UK and #4 US: the song subsequently charted in the UK via remakes by Elvis Presley , Guys 'n' Dolls and Denise Welch with Presley's version... " |
Dusty Springfield Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s... |
Safe | |
| Matt Cardle | 14 | "Just the Way You Are Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars song) "Just the Way You Are" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, and is the lead single from his debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. It was released in the United States on July 20, 2010. It has also received airplay from AOL Radio's New Pop First station. The song was written by... " |
Bruno Mars Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age... |
Safe | |
| Final showdown details | |||||
| Diva Fever | 1 | "I Will Survive I Will Survive "I Will Survive" is a song first performed by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978. It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris... " |
N/A | Eliminated | |
| Belle Amie | 2 | "Big Girls Don't Cry Big Girls Don't Cry (Fergie song) "Big Girls Don't Cry" is a song written by Fergie and Toby Gad for pop singer Fergie's debut solo album The Dutchess . The song was released as the album's fourth single in 2007 and topped the charts in several countries, most notably in Australia , and in... " |
N/A | Safe | |
- Owing to the addition of the wildcard contestants, two acts were eliminated from the series' second results show. The three acts with the fewest public votes were announced as the bottom three and then the act with the fewest votes was automatically eliminated. The remaining two acts then performed in the final showdown for the judges' votes.
Judge's vote to eliminate
- Walsh: Diva Fever – saved the act he thought would get better, Belle Amie
- Minogue: Diva Fever – based on final showdown performances
- Cole: Diva Fever – gave no reason
- Cowell was not required to vote as there was already a majority and refused to say how he would have voted
Week 3 (23/24 October)
- Theme: Guilty pleasures
- Celebrity performers: Cheryl ColeCheryl ColeCheryl 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...
("Promise ThisPromise 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...
") and Michael BubléMichael BubléMichael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
("HollywoodHollywood (Michael Bublé song)"Hollywood" is a song by Canadian pop singer Michael Bublé. It is the fifth and final single from his album Crazy Love, and is the only from its re-release, The Hollywood Edition, which was released on 25 October 2010. "Hollywood" was released worldwide on 7 September 2010...
") - Group performance: "Forget You"
| Act | Order | Song | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paije Richardson | 1 | "Ain't Nobody Ain't Nobody "Ain't Nobody" is a 1983 hit single by Rufus & Chaka Khan. It was released as a studio bonus track on the band's live album Stompin' at the Savoy. It reached number one on the U.S. R&B chart and twenty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart... " |
Safe | ||
| John Adeleye | 2 | "Zoom Zoom (Fat Larry's Band song) "Zoom" is an R&B song by American band Fat Larry's Band released as the fourth single from their fifth studio album, Breakin' Out .The song was a commercial hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at #2 on the UK Singles Chart.... " |
Bottom two | ||
| Rebecca Ferguson | 3 | "Why Don't You Do Right? Why Don't You Do Right? "Why Don't You Do Right?" is an American blues- and jazz-influenced pop song – now a standard – written in 1936 by Kansas Joe McCoy. It is a twelve-bar minor key blues form with a few chord substitutes, it is considered a classic "woman's blues" song.... " |
Safe | ||
| Cher Lloyd | 4 | "No Diggity No Diggity "No Diggity" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen in her first recorded appearance. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 in the UK. It ranked at #91 on . It sold 1.6 million copies in 1996, and won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a... " / "Shout Shout (Tears for Fears song) "Shout" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears.Written by Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley and sung by Orzabal , it was the band's eighth single release and sixth UK Top 40 hit, peaking at #4 in January 1985... " |
Safe | ||
| Matt Cardle | 5 | "...Baby One More Time ...Baby One More Time (song) "...Baby One More Time" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. It served as Spears' debut single from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . Written by Max Martin and produced by Martin, Denniz Pop and Rami Yacoub, "...Baby One More Time" was released on September 30, 1998,... " |
Safe | ||
| One Direction | 6 | "Nobody Knows" | Safe | ||
| Treyc Cohen | 7 | "Whole Lotta Love Whole Lotta Love "Whole Lotta Love" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is featured as the opening track on the band's second album, Led Zeppelin II, and was released in the United States and Japan as a single. The US release became their first hit single, it was certified Gold on 13 April 1970, when it... " |
Bottom two | ||
| Mary Byrne | 8 | "I (Who Have Nothing) I (Who Have Nothing) "I " is a song originally released in English by Ben E. King in 1963."I " is based on the Italian song "Uno Dei Tanti," with music by Carlo Donida and lyrics by Giulio "Mogol" Rapetti. "Uno Dei Tanti" was released by Joe Sentieri in 1961... " |
Safe | ||
| Aiden Grimshaw | 9 | "Diamonds Are Forever Diamonds Are Forever (soundtrack) Diamonds Are Forever is the soundtrack for the 7th James Bond film of the same name."Diamonds Are Forever", the title song, was the second Bond theme to be performed by Shirley Bassey, after Goldfinger in 1964... " |
Safe | ||
| Belle Amie | 10 | "I'll Stand by You I'll Stand by You "I'll Stand by You" is a 1994 song recorded by The Pretenders from their sixth studio album, Last of the Independents. Written by Chrissie Hynde in collaboration with the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg , it was the Pretenders' most recent significant hit single, and their last... " |
Safe | ||
| Wagner | 11 | "Spice Up Your Life Spice Up Your Life "Spice Up Your Life" is a song by the British pop group Spice Girls. It was written by the group members, with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, at the same time as the group was filming scenes for their movie Spice World... " / "Livin' la Vida Loca Livin' la Vida Loca "Livin' la Vida Loca" is a song by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It was released on March 23, 1999 from Martin's self-titled debut English album. The song was composed by Desmond Child and Draco Rosa and topped the charts during 1999... " |
Safe | ||
| Katie Waissel | 12 | "I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song) I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song) "I Wan'na Be Like You " is a song from Walt Disney's 1967 film, The Jungle Book. The song was sung by Louis Prima and written by songwriters Robert and Richard Sherman.... " |
Safe | ||
| Final showdown details | |||||
| John Adeleye | 1 | "Because of You Because of You (Kelly Clarkson song) "Because of You" is a ballad written by pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson with David Hodges and Ben Moody, and produced by Hodges and Moody, both formerly of Evanescence. It is the fourth single from Clarkson's second album, Breakaway... " |
Eliminated | ||
| Treyc Cohen | 2 | "One Night Only One Night Only (song) "One Night Only" is a song from the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls, with lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Henry Krieger. In the context of the musical, "One Night Only" is performed twice in succession, as differing versions of the song - a soul ballad by the character Effie White and a disco... " |
Safe | ||
Judges' votes to eliminate
- Walsh: Treyc Cohen – backed his own act, John Adeleye, and said Adeleye had more potential
- Minogue: John Adeleye – based on the final showdown performances
- Cole: John Adeleye – backed her own act, Treyc Cohen
- Cowell: John Adeleye – based on the final showdown performances
Week 4 (30/31 October)
- Theme: Halloween
- Celebrity performers: Bon JoviBon JoviBon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
("Livin' on a PrayerLivin' on a Prayer"Livin' on a Prayer" is Bon Jovi's second single from their Slippery When Wet album. Written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora with Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, was well-received at both rock and pop radio and its music video was given heavy rotation at MTV, giving the band...
" featuring the finalists), JamiroquaiJamiroquaiJamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
("White Knuckle RideWhite Knuckle Ride"White Knuckle Ride" is the first single from British alternative group Jamiroquai's studio album, Rock Dust Light Star. The single was released via Digital Download on 31 October 2010, with a Limited Edition Vinyl release due to appear on 1 January 2011. The song was written by band frontman Jay...
") and RihannaRihannaRobyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
("Only Girl (In the World)Only Girl (In the World)"Only Girl " is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fifth studio album, Loud . The song was released as the album's lead single on September 10, 2010 through Def Jam. It was written by Crystal Johnson, Norwegian production duo Stargate and Sandy Vee, and produced by Stargate and Vee...
") - Group performance: "Livin' on a Prayer" with Bon Jovi
| Act | Order | Song | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Byrne | 1 | "Could It Be Magic Could It Be Magic "Could It Be Magic" is a song by Adrienne Anderson and Barry Manilow. It was included on Manilow's 1973 debut album, Barry Manilow.Due to its popularity, it was released as a single in 1975, two years after it had originally been recorded, where it reached #6 in the United States.Manilow's... " |
Safe | ||
| Aiden Grimshaw | 2 | "Thriller Thriller (song) "Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records... " |
Safe | ||
| Belle Amie | 3 | "Venus" | Bottom two | ||
| Rebecca Ferguson | 4 | "Wicked Game Wicked Game "Wicked Game" is a 1989 song by Chris Isaak from his third studio album Heart Shaped World. Despite being released as a single in 1989, it did not become a hit until it was later featured in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart... " |
Safe | ||
| Treyc Cohen | 5 | "Relight My Fire Relight My Fire "Relight My Fire" is a popular song which was written and released by Dan Hartman in 1979, when it topped the U.S. dance-music charts for six weeks... " |
Safe | ||
| Matt Cardle | 6 | "Bleeding Love Bleeding Love "Bleeding Love" is a pop/R&B ballad co-written by Jesse McCartney and Ryan Tedder and produced by Tedder for British singer Leona Lewis's debut album, Spirit. The song is the album's lead single , released in the United Kingdom and Ireland in October 2007... " |
Safe | ||
| Wagner | 7 | "O Fortuna O Fortuna "O Fortuna" is a medieval Latin Goliardic poem written early in the thirteenth century, part of the collection known as the Carmina Burana. It is a complaint about fate, and Fortuna, a goddess in Roman mythology and personification of luck.... " / "Bat Out of Hell Bat out of Hell (song) "Bat Out of Hell" is a song written by Jim Steinman, for the 1977 album Bat Out of Hell. It was released as a single in 1979, and again in 1993... " |
Safe | ||
| Paije Richardson | 8 | "Back to Black Back to Black (song) "Back to Black" is a song by English recording artist Amy Winehouse. It was released on April 30, 2007 as the third single from her second studio album, Back to Black. It was written by Winehouse and Mark Ronson... " |
Safe | ||
| Katie Waissel | 9 | "Bewitched" | Bottom two | ||
| One Direction | 10 | "Total Eclipse of the Heart Total Eclipse of the Heart "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is a song written and produced by Jim Steinman and recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for her fifth studio album, Faster Than the Speed of Night... " |
Safe | ||
| Cher Lloyd | 11 | "Stay" | Safe | ||
| Final showdown details | |||||
| Belle Amie | 1 | "Breakaway Breakaway (Kelly Clarkson song) "Breakaway" is a 2004 song co-written by Avril Lavigne, Bridget Benenate and Matthew Gerrard and produced by John Shanks. It was recorded by pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson for the soundtrack to the film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement by Disney Records, where it quickly became a charting... " |
Eliminated | ||
| Katie Waissel | 2 | "Trust in Me Trust in Me (1937 song) "Trust in Me" is a song written by Ned Wever, Milton Ager, and Jean Schwartz.It was first popularized by Mildred Bailey in 1937, charting at #4.... " |
Safe | ||
Judges' votes to eliminate
- Cowell: Katie Waissel – backed his own act, Belle Amie
- Cole: Belle Amie – gave no reason, though effectively backed her own act, Katie Waissel
- Minogue: Belle Amie – based on the final showdown performance
- Walsh: Katie Waissel – gave no reason
With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result was deadlocked and reverted to the earlier public vote. Belle Amie received the fewest votes and were eliminated.
Week 5 (6/7 November)
- Theme: American anthems
- Celebrity performers: Shayne WardShayne WardShayne Thomas Ward is an English pop singer who rose to fame as the winner of second series of The X Factor. He has sold over 3 million records worldwide and has had number one albums and singles in 9 countries.During The X Factor competition, Ward was mentored by manager Louis Walsh...
("Gotta Be SomebodyGotta Be Somebody"Gotta Be Somebody" is the first official single released from Nickelback's sixth studio album, Dark Horse. Originally, the lead single from the album was set to be "If Today Was Your Last Day" but was changed instead to "Gotta Be Somebody". The song was digitally delivered to all formats on...
") and Kylie MinogueKylie MinogueKylie 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...
("Better than TodayBetter Than Today"Better Than Today" is a song performed by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue from her eleventh studio album Aphrodite . The track was originally written and produced by Nerina Pallot and Andy Chatterley for Pallot's 2009 extended play, Buckminster Fuller EP. It was re-recorded by Minogue in...
") - Group performance: "So WhatSo What (Pink song)"So What" is a song written by American pop rock singer Pink, Max Martin and Shellback. It was released as the first single from Pink's fifth studio album, Funhouse. Pink performed "So What" at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, on September 7, 2008, and the song was used to promote the 2008 MTV...
"
| Act | Order | Song | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cher Lloyd | 1 | "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down "Empire State of Mind Broken Down" is a song performed by American recording artist Alicia Keys. It is an answer song to the Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z, on which Keys is featured... " / "Empire State of Mind Empire State of Mind "Empire State of Mind" is a song by American rapper and hip hop artist Jay-Z, featuring vocals and a chorus from R&B and soul singer Alicia Keys. It was released as the third single from Jay-Z's 11th studio album The Blueprint 3 by his Roc Nation label in October 2009... " |
Safe | ||
| Mary Byrne | 2 | "There You'll Be There You'll Be "There You'll Be" is a song by Faith Hill, which became a hit single in 2001. Written by Diane Warren and Alan Menken, known for his Disney film scores such as "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin", "Pocahontas" and "Tangled", it was featured on the Pearl Harbor soundtrack... " |
Safe | ||
| Katie Waissel | 3 | "Don't Speak Don't Speak "Don't Speak" is a song by the American rock band No Doubt. It was released in 1996 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Tragic Kingdom... " |
Bottom two | ||
| Aiden Grimshaw | 4 | "Nothing Compares 2 U Nothing Compares 2 U "Nothing Compares 2 U" is a pop song written by American recording artist Prince for one of his side-projects, The Family. However, it wasn't until Sinéad O'Connor recorded her version for the album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got when it became a worldwide hit, topping charts in 15 countries,... " |
Safe | ||
| Paije Richardson | 5 | "I'm a Believer I'm a Believer "I'm a Believer" is a song composed by Neil Diamond and recorded by The Monkees in 1966 with the lead vocals by Micky Dolenz. The single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 31, 1966 and remained there for seven weeks,... " / "Hey Ya! Hey Ya! "Hey Ya!" is a song written and produced by André 3000 for his 2003 album The Love Below, part of the hip hop duo OutKast's double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. The song takes influence from funk and rock music... " |
Safe | ||
| Rebecca Ferguson | 6 | "Make You Feel My Love" | Safe | ||
| Wagner | 7 | "Viva Las Vegas Viva Las Vegas (song) "Viva Las Vegas" is a 1964 song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman and recorded by Elvis Presley for his Viva Las Vegas film vehicle of that year... " / "The Wonder of You The Wonder of You "The Wonder of You" is a song written by Baker Knight. In 1959, Ray Peterson released it as a single. The song became a Top 40 hit for him on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #25. That same year it was recorded by Ronnie Hilton in the United Kingdom, his version reaching #22 on the UK Singles... " |
Safe | ||
| Matt Cardle | 8 | "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a 1957 folk song written by British political singer/songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who was later to become his wife. At the time the couple were lovers, although MacColl was married to someone else. MacColl and Seeger included the song in their... " |
Safe | ||
| Treyc Cohen | 9 | "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing I Don't Want to Miss a Thing "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is a song performed by American rock band Aerosmith for the 1998 film Armageddon. Written by Diane Warren, the song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 . The song stayed at number one for four weeks from September 5 to September 26, 1998... " |
Bottom two | ||
| One Direction | 10 | "Kids in America Kids in America (song) "Kids in America" is a New Wave song by British singer Kim Wilde, released in the United Kingdom as her debut single in January 1981, and in the US in 1982. It has famously been covered by many artists from different genres.-Background:... " |
Safe | ||
| Final showdown details | |||||
| Katie Waissel | 1 | "Don't Give Up on Me Don't Give Up On Me Don't Give Up on Me is a studio album by R&B/Soul singer Solomon Burke, recorded and released in 2002 on Fat Possum Records. The album won the MOJO Award for Album of the Year, as well as the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album... " |
Safe | ||
| Treyc Cohen | 2 | "Un-Break My Heart Un-Break My Heart "Un-Break My Heart" is a song by American recording artist Toni Braxton from her second studio album, Secrets . Written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, the ballad was released as the album's second single... " |
Eliminated | ||
Judges' votes to eliminate
- Cowell: Treyc Cohen – based on who he would prefer to see again the following week
- Cole refused to vote off either of her acts and offered to vote last to force a deadlock, but O'Leary then announced it would go to a majority vote
- Minogue: Katie Waissel – gave no reason
- Walsh: Treyc Cohen – stated that he would follow his heart and save Waissel
Week 6 (13/14 November)
- Theme: Songs by Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
. - Celebrity performers: JLSJLS- Music :* JLS, an English boyband** JLS , debut album by JLS* JLS a Spanish Rock band based in Zaragoza , Spain formed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by lead Leo Susana.- Organizations :...
("Love You MoreLove You More (JLS song)"Love You More" is a pop song by English boy band JLS from their second studio album, Outta This World. The song, written by JLS, Wayne Hector, and Toby Gad, was released as the band's second single from the album on 12 November 2010. The track serves as the official Children in Need charity single...
"), WestlifeWestlifeWestlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
("SafeSafe (Westlife song)"Safe" is a song by Irish pop group Westlife from their eleventh studio album, Gravity. The pop rock ballad was released as the album's lead single on 14 November 2010 in the United Kingdom. It was written by John Shanks and James Grundler, and the single version was produced by Shanks, Richard...
") and Take ThatTake ThatTake That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
("The FloodThe Flood (Take That song)"The Flood" is a song by British pop group Take That from their sixth studio album, Progress. It was released as the lead single in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2010...
") - Group performance: "Can't Stop MovingSonny JSonny J is the stage name of English turntablist and singer-songwriter Sonnington James III, from Liverpool.His debut single, "Can't Stop Moving", was brought out by Stateside Records in 2007...
"
| Act | Order | Song | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paije Richardson | 1 | "Crocodile Rock Crocodile Rock "Crocodile Rock" is a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and recorded in June 1972 at the Strawberry Studios, Château d'Hérouville in France. It was released on 27 October 1972 in the UK and 20 November 1972 in the US, as a pre-release single from his forthcoming 1973 album Don't Shoot... " |
Safe | ||
| Aiden Grimshaw | 2 | "Rocket Man" | Bottom two | ||
| Mary Byrne | 3 | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight Can You Feel the Love Tonight 250px|thumb|right|Simba and Nala embrace during the "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" sequence."Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated film, The Lion King, composed by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. It was described by Don Hahn , Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff as... " |
Safe | ||
| Katie Waissel | 4 | "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" is a rock song performed by musician Elton John and covered by W.A.S.P., Flotsam and Jetsam, Nickelback , Queen and The Who... " |
Bottom two | ||
| Matt Cardle | 5 | "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (song) "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is a ballad performed by musician Elton John. The song was written by Bernie Taupin and composed by John for his album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Its musical style and production is heavily influenced by 1970s soft rock... " |
Safe | ||
| Cher Lloyd | 6 | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" is a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. It was recorded by Elton John and released in 1976, both as a single and as part of the Blue Moves album. It was his second single on Rocket Records. The song is a mournful ballad about a romantic relationship... " / "Mockingbird" |
Safe | ||
| Wagner | 7 | "I'm Still Standing I'm Still Standing "I'm Still Standing" is a song on English pop rock performer Elton John's 1983 album, Too Low for Zero. He sings about making a comeback despite problems in daily life. The video, directed by Russell Mulcahy, was shot in Cannes and Nice on the Côte d'Azur in France and features the colours of the... " / "Circle of Life Circle of Life The song was re-recorded in 2003 by the Disney Channel Circle of Stars, a group of actors and actresses who have appeared in Disney Channel television series and original movies... " |
Safe | ||
| One Direction | 8 | "Something About the Way You Look Tonight Something About the Way You Look Tonight "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" is a song by Elton John, released in 1997 as the first single from The Big Picture. The song and its video were dedicated to the memory of Gianni Versace, murdered that year.... " |
Safe | ||
| Rebecca Ferguson | 9 | "Candle in the Wind Candle in the Wind "Candle in the Wind" is a song with music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier.... " |
Safe | ||
| Final showdown details | |||||
| Aiden Grimshaw | 1 | "Don't Dream It's Over Don't Dream It's Over -12": Capitol / 12CL 438 United Kingdom :* also available on CD and MC-Personnel:*Neil Finn: Vocals and guitar*Nick Seymour: Bass guitar*Paul Hester: Drums and backing vocals*Mitchell Froom: Keyboards-Release history:- Charts :... " |
Eliminated | ||
| Katie Waissel | 2 | "Save Me from Myself Back to Basics (Christina Aguilera album) Back to Basics is the third studio album by American recording artist Christina Aguilera, first released on August 10, 2006 by RCA Records... " |
Safe | ||
Judges' votes to eliminate
- Cowell: Aiden Grimshaw – gave no reason
- Cole: Aiden Grimshaw – backed her own act, Katie Waissel
- Minogue: Katie Waissel – gave no reason, but effectively backed her own act, Aiden Grimshaw
- Walsh: Katie Waissel – felt Grimshaw had more potential
With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result was deadlocked and reverted to the earlier public vote. Aiden Grimshaw received the fewest votes and was eliminated.
Week 7 (20/21 November)
- Theme: Songs by The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
- Celebrity performer: Olly MursOlly MursOliver Stanley "Olly" Murs is an English singer-songwriter and TV presenter. Murs rose to fame after being the runner-up on the sixth series of The X Factor...
("Thinking of MeThinking of Me"Thinking of Me" is a pop song by British singer Olly Murs, taken from his debut studio album, Olly Murs. It is written by Murs, Wayne Hector and Steve Robson, and was released as Murs's second single on 19 November 2010...
") - Group performance: "Heroes" (performed by all final 16 contestants as their charity single)
| Act | Order | Song | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Cardle | 1 | "Come Together Come Together "Come Together" is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on The Beatles' September 1969 album Abbey Road.... " |
Safe | ||
| Cher Lloyd | 2 | "Imagine Imagine (song) "Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971... " |
Bottom two | ||
| One Direction | 3 | "All You Need Is Love All You Need Is Love "All You Need Is Love" is a song written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was first performed by The Beatles on Our World, the first live global television link. Watched by 400 million in 26 countries, the programme was broadcast via satellite on 25 June 1967... " |
Safe | ||
| Rebecca Ferguson | 4 | "Yesterday Yesterday (song) "Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. The song first hit the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 cover versions, one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded... " |
Safe | ||
| Mary Byrne | 5 | "Something Something "Something" is a song by The Beatles, written by lead guitarist George Harrison in 1969. It was featured on the album Abbey Road, and was also the first song written by Harrison to appear on the A-side of a Beatles' single... " |
Safe | ||
| Paije Richardson | 6 | "Let It Be Let It Be (song) "Let It Be" is a song by The Beatles, released in March 1970 as a single, and as the title track of their album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was their final single before McCartney announced his departure from the band... " |
Bottom two | ||
| Wagner | 7 | "Get Back Get Back "Get Back" is a song by The Beatles, composed by Paul McCartney and frequently attributed to Lennon–McCartney. The song was originally released as a single on 11 April 1969, and credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston." A different mix of the song later became the closing track of Let It Be ,... " / "Hippy Hippy Shake Hippy Hippy Shake Hippy Hippy Shake is a song written and recorded by Chan Romero in 1959. That same year, the song reached number three in Australia.A cover version by Italian rocker Little Tony appeared in the same year and found moderate success in the United Kingdom and Italy.A version by UK-based band The... " / "Hey Jude Hey Jude "Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The ballad evolved from "Hey Jules", a song widely accepted as being written to comfort John Lennon's son, Julian, during his parents' divorce—although this explanation is not... " |
Safe | ||
| Katie Waissel | 8 | "Help! Help! (song) "Help!" is a song by The Beatles that served as the title song for both the 1965 film and its soundtrack album. It was also released as a single, and was number one for three weeks in both the United States and the United Kingdom.... " |
Safe | ||
| Final showdown details | |||||
| Paije Richardson | 1 | "Stop! Stop! (Sam Brown song) "Stop!" is a song by English singer Sam Brown.The single was originally released in 1988, missing the UK top forty and peaking at number fifty-two. It was not until 1989, however, that the single became a hit, when it peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart. "Stop!" became her biggest hit to... " |
Eliminated | ||
| Cher Lloyd | 2 | "Stay" | Safe | ||
Judges' votes to eliminate
- Cowell: Paije Richardson – backed the person he said he continually supported, Cher Lloyd
- Cole: Paije Richardson – backed her own act, Cher Lloyd
- Minogue: Cher Lloyd – backed her own act, Paije Richardson
- Walsh: Paije Richardson – gave no reason
Week 8 (27/28 November)
- Theme: RockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
- Celebrity performers: The WantedThe WantedThe 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...
("Lose My MindLose My Mind (The Wanted song)"Lose My Mind" is a pop rock song by British boy band The Wanted from their self-titled debut album. It was written by Nina Woodford, Rami Yacoub and Carl Falk, and produced by Rami and Falk, with additional production by The Wideboys. It was released as their third single on December 26, 2010...
"), Justin BieberJustin BieberJustin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
(medley: "Somebody to LoveSomebody to Love (Justin Bieber song)"Somebody to Love" is a song performed by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. The song served as the second single from his album, My World 2.0. It was written by Bieber along with Heather Bright and The Stereotypes, and produced by the latter. The song was originally recorded as a demo by...
" / "BabyBaby (Justin Bieber song)"Baby" is a song by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. It was released as the lead single from the latter half of Bieber's debut album, My World 2.0. The track was written by Bieber with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash, both of whom worked with Bieber on "One Time",...
") and Nicole ScherzingerNicole ScherzingerNicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, model, and actress. Scherzinger is perhaps best known for being the lead vocalist of the Pussycat Dolls....
("PoisonPoison (Nicole Scherzinger song)"Poison" is a song by American recording artist Nicole Scherzinger, taken from her debut studio album, Killer Love . Released from October 25, 2010, it is the first single from the album. It was produced by RedOne, BeatGeek and Jimmy Joker, and is distinctively different to Scherzinger's previous...
")
For the first time this series, each contestant performed two songs.
| Act | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wagner | 1 | "Creep" | 8 | "Addicted to Love Addicted to Love (song) Tina Turner has made "Addicted to Love" a regular feature of her live shows since 1986, although her version did not make it onto the market until two years later.... " |
Bottom three | |
| One Direction | 2 | "Summer of '69 Summer of '69 "Summer of '69" is a song recorded by Canadian recording artist Bryan Adams, from his fourth studio album, Reckless . The song was written by Adams and Jim Vallance, a long-time writing partner of Adams. "Summer of '69" was produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain. It was released in June 1985 under... " |
9 | "You Are So Beautiful You Are So Beautiful "You Are So Beautiful" is a song written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys. It was first recorded by Preston and made popular in a version by Joe Cocker.... " |
Safe | |
| Mary Byrne | 3 | "All I Want Is You" | 10 | "Brass in Pocket Brass In Pocket "Brass in Pocket" is a single by The Pretenders. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott, and produced by Chris Thomas.-Release:... " |
Bottom three | |
| Cher Lloyd | 4 | "Girlfriend Girlfriend (Avril Lavigne song) "Girlfriend" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. The song was written by Lavigne with her producer Dr. Luke for Lavigne's third studio album, The Best Damn Thing . "Girlfriend" was released as the lead single from The Best Damn Thing on 27 February 2007... " |
14 | "Walk This Way Walk This Way "Walk This Way" is a song by American hard rock group Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the 1975 album Toys in the Attic. It peaked at Number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1977, part of a string of successful hit... " |
Safe | |
| Rebecca Ferguson | 5 | "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is a song by rock band U2. It is the second track from their 1987 album The Joshua Tree and was released as the album's second single in May 1987... " |
11 | "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction " Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards's throwaway three-note guitar riff — intended to be replaced by horns — opens and drives the song... " |
Safe | |
| Matt Cardle | 6 | "I Love Rock 'n' Roll I Love Rock 'n' Roll "I Love Rock 'n Roll" is a rock song written in 1975 by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker of Arrows, who recorded the first released version. The song was later made famous by the hit version recorded by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts in 1981.... " |
13 | "Nights in White Satin Nights in White Satin "Nights in White Satin" is a 1967 single by The Moody Blues, written by Justin Hayward and first featured on the album Days of Future Passed.It is in the key of E minor Aeolian.-Single releases:... " |
Safe | |
| Katie Waissel | 7 | "Sex on Fire Sex on Fire "Sex on Fire" is the first single to be taken from Kings of Leon's fourth studio album Only by the Night and as of September 2009, the second most-downloaded digital single ever in the United Kingdom... " |
12 | "Everybody Hurts Everybody Hurts "Everybody Hurts" is a song by R.E.M., originally released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People and was also released as a single in 1993. It peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on the UK Singles Chart and #3 on the French Singles Chart.-History:Much of the song was written by... " |
Eliminated | |
| Final showdown details | ||||||
| Wagner | 1 | "Unforgettable Unforgettable (song) "Unforgettable" is a popular song written by Irving Gordon. The song's original working title was "Uncomparable". The music publishing company asked Irving to change it to "Unforgettable". The song was published in 1951.... " |
Eliminated | |||
| Mary Byrne | 2 | "This Is My Life This Is My Life (Shirley Bassey album) This Is My Life is a 1968 album by Shirley Bassey. The mid to late sixties was a period of declining popularity for traditional pop. How much the changing tastes in popular music directly affected Bassey's record sales is difficult to quantify; but her record sales had been faltering since the... " |
Safe | |||
- Two acts were eliminated from the series' eighth results show. The three acts with the fewest votes were announced as the bottom three and then the act with the fewest votes was automatically eliminated. The remaining two acts then performed in the final showdown for the judges' votes.
Judges' votes to eliminate
- Walsh: Wagner – based on the final showdown
- Minogue: Wagner – backed who she thought was the better singer
- Cole: Wagner – gave no reason
- Cowell was not required to vote as there was already a majority, but he stated that he would have voted for Wagner as he wanted to return the show to being a 'singing competition'.
Week 9 (4/5 December)
- Themes: Club classics; "Get me to the final songs" (no particular theme)
- Celebrity performers: Alexandra BurkeAlexandra BurkeAlexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
("The SilenceThe Silence (song)"The Silence" is a the sixth single from English recording artist Alexandra Burke's debut studio album Overcome. It was written by RedOne, Bilal Hajji, and Savan Kotecha and produced by RedOne, who co-wrote and produced her previous singles "Broken Heels" and "Start Without You".The song is a pop...
"), the cast of GleeGlee (TV series)Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
("Don't Stop Believin'"), The Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
("The Time (Dirty Bit)The Time (Dirty Bit)"The Time " is a song by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas from their sixth studio album, The Beginning. The song was released as the album's lead single on November 5, 2010. The chorus of the song samples " The Time of My Life" from the 1987 film Dirty Dancing...
")
| Act | Order | First song (club classic) | Order | Second song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rebecca Ferguson | 1 | "Show Me Love Show Me Love (Robin S. song) "Show Me Love" is a number one hit dance song by Robin S. It is one of the most well known house anthems in the United Kingdom. In 1993, it was the lead single for her debut album of the same name, and it became her biggest hit to date... " |
9 | "Amazing Grace Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,... " |
Safe |
| Mary Byrne | 2 | "Never Can Say Goodbye Never Can Say Goodbye "Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by The Jackson 5. Released as a single in 1971, it was one of the group's most successful songs... " |
7 | "The Way We Were The Way We Were (song) "The Way We Were" is the title song to the 1973 movie The Way We Were, starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. The song was written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, scored by Marvin Hamlisch and performed by Streisand... " |
Bottom two |
| Matt Cardle | 3 | "You Got the Love You Got the Love "You Got the Love" is a 1986 single by the band The Source and Candi Staton. One of its many remixers also adopted the name The Source. In 2008, the song was recorded by English soul singer Joss Stone for her fourth studio album, "Colour Me Free!" released in October 2009... " |
6 | "She's Always a Woman She's Always a Woman "She's Always a Woman" is a song from Billy Joel's 1977 album The Stranger. It is a love song about a modern woman, with whom he falls in love for her quirks as well as her flaws. The single peaked at #17 in the U.S. and in 1986 peaked at #53 in the UK when released as a double A-side single with... " |
Safe |
| Cher Lloyd | 4 | "Nothin' on You Nothin' on You "Nothin' on You" is the debut single by American rapper B.o.B. The song features vocals from Bruno Mars. The song is included in B.o.B's debut studio album B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray. An official remix version of this song, which was featured by Big Boi, debuted on March 21, 2010... " |
8 | "Love the Way You Lie (Part II) Love the Way You Lie (Part II) "Love the Way You Lie " is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fifth studio album, Loud. It features guest vocals from American rapper Eminem. The song was written by Eminem, Skylar Grey and Alex da Kid, the latter of whom produced the song... " / "Love the Way You Lie Love the Way You Lie "Love the Way You Lie" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his seventh studio album, Recovery . It was released as the album's second single on August 9, 2010, by Interscope-Geffen-A&M. The song features vocals by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. According to her, its theme... " |
Bottom two |
| One Direction | 5 | "Only Girl (In the World) Only Girl (In the World) "Only Girl " is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fifth studio album, Loud . The song was released as the album's lead single on September 10, 2010 through Def Jam. It was written by Crystal Johnson, Norwegian production duo Stargate and Sandy Vee, and produced by Stargate and Vee... " |
10 | "Chasing Cars Chasing Cars "Chasing Cars" is the second single from Snow Patrol's fourth album, Eyes Open. It was recorded in 2005 and released on 6 June 2006 in the US and 24 July 2006 in the UK as the album's second single.... " |
Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||||
| Mary Byrne | 1 | "It's a Man's Man's Man's World It's a Man's Man's Man's World "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" is a song by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome. Brown recorded it on February 16, 1966 in a New York studio and released it as a single later that year. It reached #1 on the Billboard Top R&B Singles charts and #8 in the Billboard Hot 100... " |
Eliminated | ||
| Cher Lloyd | 2 | "Everytime Everytime "Everytime" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her fourth album, In the Zone. It was released on May 17, 2004, by Jive Records as the third single from the album. After Spears ended her relationship with pop singer Justin Timberlake, she made friends with her backing... " |
Safe | ||
For the first time in The X Factor history, the judges chose which act they wanted to see progress to the final.
Judges' votes to send through to the final
- Walsh: Mary Byrne – backed his own act, Mary Byrne
- Minogue: Cher Lloyd – said she felt the emotion in Lloyd's performance
- Cole: Cher Lloyd – backed her own act, Cher Lloyd
- Cowell: Cher Lloyd – gave no reason
Week 10 (11/12 December, Final)
11 December- Themes: No theme (songs the mentor and contestants believe will get them through the final); celebrity duets
- Celebrity duet performers:
- RihannaRihannaRobyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
with Matt Cardle - Christina AguileraChristina AguileraChristina 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...
with Rebecca Ferguson - Robbie WilliamsRobbie WilliamsRobert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
with One Direction - will.i.amWill.i.amWilliam James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
with Cher Lloyd
- Rihanna
- Group performance: "Flashdance... What a FeelingFlashdance... What a Feeling"Flashdance... What a Feeling" is a song from the 1983 film Flashdance, written by Giorgio Moroder, Keith Forsey, and Irene Cara, and performed by Cara. Despite the title, the word "Flashdance" is never used in the lyrics; however, the line "In a flash, take a hold of my heart" refers to the...
" (performed by all final 16 contestants) - Celebrity performers: Rihanna ("What's My Name?What's My Name? (Rihanna song)"What's My Name?" is mid-tempo electro-R&B song, produced by Norwegian producers, StarGate, who return Rihanna to the "Island-pop" of her early career with a backing track consisting of "heavy reggae" and ska beats with synthesised organs. Bill Lamb from About.com noted that before Rihanna's vocals...
"), Christina Aguilera ("ExpressExpress (Christina Aguilera song)"Express" is a song recorded by American recording artist Christina Aguilera. The song was written by Aguilera, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, and Claude Kelly, and produced by Stewart, for the soundtrack album, Burlesque . The song premiered on November 3, 2010 the On Air with Ryan Seacrest radio...
")
| Act | Order | First song | Order | Second song (duet) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Cardle | 1 | "Here with Me" | 5 | "Unfaithful Unfaithful (song) "Unfaithful" is a ballad written by Ne-Yo, Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen for R&B singer Rihanna's second album, A Girl like Me. It was produced by Stargate and released as the album's second single in mid-2006. The music also featured, with Tamil lyrics, as the song, "Unakenna Naan" in... " |
Safe |
| Rebecca Ferguson | 2 | "Like a Star Like a Star "Like a Star" is a song by English soul singer–songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae from her self-titled debut album, Corinne Bailey Rae . Released in November 2005 as her debut single and re-released in October 2006, the song was nominated for the 2008 Grammy Award for Song of the Year... " |
6 | "Beautiful Beautiful (Christina Aguilera song) "Beautiful" is a song written by Linda Perry and recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped... " |
Safe |
| One Direction | 3 | "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.... " |
7 | "She's the One" | Safe |
| Cher Lloyd | 4 | "The Clapping Song The Clapping Song "The Clapping Song" is an American song, written by Lincoln Chase, originally arranged by Charles Callello and recorded by Shirley Ellis in 1965. The song was released shortly after Ellis had released "The Name Game"... " / "Get Ur Freak On Get Ur Freak On "Get Ur Freak On" is a hip hop song written by American rapper/singer Missy Elliott and her producer Tim "Timbaland" Mosley for Elliott's third studio album Miss E... So Addictive. Released as the album's first single in 2001, the track reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Missy... " |
8 | "Where Is the Love? Where Is the Love? "Where Is the Love?" is a song recorded by the American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas for their third album, Elephunk. It is the band's first record to feature Fergie. The song features vocals from Justin Timberlake, although he is not officially credited on the single release.The single was... " / "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... " |
Eliminated |
There was no final showdown and the act with the fewest votes, Cher Lloyd, was automatically eliminated.
12 December
- Themes: No theme; winner's songs
- Group performances: "Never Forget" (performed with Take ThatTake ThatTake That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
), "Bad RomanceBad Romance"Bad Romance" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released as the lead single from her third extended play , and second major release The Fame Monster . Written by Lady Gaga and produced by RedOne, the track was inspired by Gaga's fear of negative love relationships and the...
" (performed by a number of unsuccessful auditionees and bootcamp contestants) - Celebrity performers: Take That ("The FloodThe Flood (Take That song)"The Flood" is a song by British pop group Take That from their sixth studio album, Progress. It was released as the lead single in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2010...
")
| Act | Order | First song | Order | Second song (winner's songs) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Cardle | 1 | "Firework Firework (song) "Firework" is a song by American recording artist Katy Perry. The song was written by Katy Perry, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Sandy Wilhelm, Ester Dean, and produced by Stargate and Sandy Vee for Perry's third studio album, Teenage Dream... " |
4 | "When We Collide" | Winner |
| One Direction | 2 | "Torn Torn (Ednaswap song) "Torn" is a song by the band Ednaswap from their debut album Ednaswap . It was their second single from that album, after "Glow". "Torn" was written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Phil Thornalley during a demo session in 1993 before Ednaswap was formed. The lyrics were written by Preven.... " |
N/A | N/A (already eliminated) | Third place |
| Rebecca Ferguson | 3 | "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) -Personnel:*Annie Lennox – vocals, keyboards, synthesisers, flute*David A. Stewart – guitar, keyboards, synthesisers, programming, backing vocals-Additional personnel:*Robert Crash - Guitar/ E-Drums/ Synth/ Robotic vocals... " |
5 | "Distant Dreamer" | Runner-up |
Charity single
BBC NewsbeatNewsbeat
Newsbeat is the flagship news programme on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. Newsbeat is produced by BBC News but differs from the BBC's other news programmes in its remit to provide news tailored for a specifically younger audience....
revealed on 15 October 2010 that the series 7 finalists were recording a cover of David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's 1977 song "Heroes". The song, said to have been recorded in the week beginning 18 October 2010, was released as a charity single in aid of Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes is a British charity launched on 1 October 2007 to help provide better facilities for British servicemen and women wounded since September 11, 2001. It was founded by Bryn Parry OBE and his wife Emma Parry OBE after they visited soldiers at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham...
, a charity which supports injured servicemen and women. The video for the single was filmed on 2 November at Three Mills Studios. All sixteen finalists performed the song on 20 November's results show. It was the third year in a row that finalists have released a charity record
Charity record
A charity record is a release of a song for a specific charitable cause. Some of the earliest charity records came from the Music for UNICEF Concert, with ABBA's Chiquitita and the Bee Gees' Too Much Heaven among them released as singles, with all the royalties going to UNICEF...
. The single entered both the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
on 25 November 2010 and the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on 28 November 2010 at number 1.
Winner's single
It was reported on 2 December 2010 by the Daily Mirror that the final five contestants, Mary Byrne, Matt Cardle, Cher Lloyd, One Direction and Rebecca Ferguson, would each record a different song, rather than the same song as in previous series, for their potential debut single. The change was made after Cowell reportedly increased the budget as he wanted songs to suit each act. It was reported on 10 December that Cardle's song would be "Many of HorrorMany of Horror
"Many of Horror" is an alternative rock song written by Simon Neil of Scottish band Biffy Clyro for their fifth studio album Only Revolutions. The song was released as the fourth single from the album on 18 January 2010. The song was recorded at Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, CA and mastered at...
", Lloyd's would be "Impossible
Impossible (Shontelle song)
"Impossible" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Shontelle. It is the lead single from her second studio album, No Gravity. The song was written by Arnthor Birgisson and Ina Wroldsen, and produced in Sweden by Birgisson. It was released digitally on February 9, 2010...
", Ferguson's would be "Distant Dreamer" and One Direction's song would be "Forever Young
Forever Young (Alphaville song)
"Forever Young" is the title track from German rock/synthpop group Alphaville's 1984 debut album of the same name. Though it was not the group's highest-charting European hit and failed to reach the American Top 40 despite three separate U.S...
". Cardle and Ferguson performed their songs in the final as the last two remaining acts and upon Cardle's winning the contest, his version of "Many of Horror", renamed to "When We Collide", was released. It entered both the UK and Ireland Singles Charts at number 1.
Voting, revenue and sponsorship
Over the course of the live shows, 15,488,019 votes were cast. Votes made via landlineLandline
A landline was originally an overland telegraph wire, as opposed to an undersea cable. Currently, landline refers to a telephone line which travels through a solid medium, either metal wire or optical fibre, as distinguished from a mobile cellular line, where transmission is via radio waves...
telephones or from the Red Button
Red Button (Digital Television)
Red Button is a button on the remote control for certain digital television set top boxes in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and By Directv in the USA. It is for interactive television services such as BBC Red Button and Astro...
service cost 35 pence
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
each, with calls made from mobile telephones expected to be more expensve. The votes brought in revenue of more than £5.4 million, though it was expected to be a lot higher because of the unknown cost of mobile phone votes. Proceeds were split between production company 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...
, co-producer FremantleMedia
FremantleMedia
FremantleMedia, Ltd. is the content and production division of Bertelsmann's RTL Group, Europe's second largest TV, radio, and production company...
, broadcaster 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...
and phone vote operator Harvest Media. Advertising slots during the final were sold for up to £250,000, which expected to bring in a further £25 million in advertising revenues, with the number of commercial breaks increased from five to six.
For the second year in a row, The X Factor was sponsored by TalkTalk
TalkTalk
TalkTalk is a pay television, telecommunications and internet service provider company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
, as part of a three-year sponsorship deal thought to be worth £20 million, including sponsorship of the show, the 2011 live tour and rights to online clips. TalkTalk enlisted series 6
The X Factor (UK series 6)
The sixth series of British television music competition The X Factor started on ITV on 22 August 2009 and was won by Joe McElderry on 13 December 2009. Cheryl Cole emerged as the winning mentor for the second consecutive year, the first time in the show's history that a mentor has won back-to-back...
contestants Jedward
Jedward
John Paul Henry Daniel Richard Grimes and Edward Peter Anthony Kevin Patrick Grimes are an Irish hip pop duo. They are identical twins and perform under the name Jedward...
to launch its interactive initiative on 17 August 2010. Viewers were invited to record a video of themselves performing karaoke in front of a TalkTalk bright lights backdrop, and clips were screened as part of TalkTalk's sponsorship break bumpers. In Ireland, where the series was broadcast on TV3, The X Factor was sponsored by Dominos Pizza.
Ratings
The first episode on 21 August attracted 11.88 million viewers on ITV1, the highest ever ratings for a series premiere of The X Factor. It was watched by 46.5% of television viewers during its original broadcast. The episode also received ratings of 568,000 on ITV1 HD. The first live performance show on 9 October 2010 gained 12.62 million viewers, attaining a 48.5% share of the audience during broadcast. The final result on 12 December was the highest rated episode with 16.55 million viewers on ITV1, a 51.5% audience share and 1.16 million viewers on ITV1 HD. It peaked at 19.4 million (18.14 million on ITV1 and 1.3 milion on ITV1 HD) and was the highest rated television episode of 2010 in the UK. Official ratings concluded that the series averaged 14.13 million (including HD), making it the most watched series to date. The series dominated the weekly rankings, taking up the top position for the first four weeks, then the top two positions until the final. The first part of the final was beaten into fourth rank by two episodes of Coronation StreetCoronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
.
| Episode | Date | Official ITV1 rating (millions) |
Weekly rank | Share (%) | Official ITV1 HD rating (thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auditions 1 | 11.88 | 1 | 46.5 | 568 | |
| Auditions 2 | 10.81 | 1 | 42.9 | 553 | |
| Auditions 3 | 11.69 | 1 | 47.2 | 640 | |
| Auditions 4 | 11.78 | 1 | 43.1 | 558 | |
| Auditions 5 | 11.65 | 2 | 43.7 | 682 | |
| Auditions 6 | 12.15 | 1 | 39.8 | 714 | |
| Bootcamp 1 | 12.07 | 2 | 44.0 | 716 | |
| Bootcamp 2 | 13.26 | 1 | 42.0 | 824 | |
| Judges' houses 1 | 12.68 | 2 | 47.3 | 816 | |
| Judges' houses 2 | 14.51 | 1 | 45.9 | 895 | |
| Live show 1 | 12.62 | 2 | 48.5 | 911 | |
| Results 1 | 13.17 | 1 | 43.4 | 903 | |
| Live show 2 | 12.14 | 2 | 47.2 | 971 | |
| Results 2 | 13.42 | 1 | 43.8 | 898 | |
| Live show 3 | 12.39 | 2 | 47.5 | 951 | |
| Results 3 | 13.73 | 1 | 44.9 | 947 | |
| Live show 4 | 12.69 | 2 | 44.5 | 808 | |
| Results 4 | 13.74 | 1 | 45.4 | 925 | |
| Live show 5 | 12.50 | 2 | 47.7 | 1109 | |
| Results 5 | 14.29 | 1 | 46.4 | 1073 | |
| Live show 6 | 13.61 | 2 | 49.9 | 991 | |
| Results 6 | 14.69 | 1 | 47.7 | 1060 | |
| Live show 7 | 13.28 | 2 | 48.7 | 1125 | |
| Results 7 | 15.04 | 1 | 50.0 | 1094 | |
| Live show 8 | 13.57 | 2 | 49.0 | 1086 | |
| Results 8 | 14.42 | 1 | 48.7 | 1049 | |
| Live show 9 | 13.73 | 2 | 48.4 | 1219 | |
| Results 9 | 14.53 | 1 | 48.6 | 987 | |
| Final 1 | 13.94 | 4 | 52.6 | 1166 | |
| Final 2 | 16.55 | 1 | 51.5 | 1156 |
Controversy and criticism
The seventh series of The X Factor sparked several heated controversies, with over 5000 complaints registered with OfcomOfcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
throughout the series. A spokesperson told the Daily Mirror newspaper that ITV bosses were worried about the number of complaints as claims that the show had become "seedy and oversexed" and accusations of fixing would tarnish the image of the show and ITV.
Contestants
On 25 August, it was announced that contestant Shirlena Johnson had been asked to leave the show because of concerns over her mental health, that she had apparently kept hidden from the producers. Johnson's successful audition was broadcast on 21 August. Johnson's mother claimed that producers knew of Johnson's medical history as they requested her general practitioner's details at bootcamp, but producers said the medical report arrived late. A spokesperson said, "The welfare of contestants is of paramount importance, and for this reason it has been agreed that Shirlena Johnson should not continue in the competition."The decision to form two groups, Belle Amie and One Direction, from soloists at the end of the bootcamp stage was branded unfair by some of the other groups, as neither had entered the competition as groups. The controversy deepened after Cowell put through both Belle Amie and One Direction and picked just one of the original applicants. Cowell defended the decision, saying that the existing groups were not good enough and other groups such as 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 the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
were created similarly.
More controversy erupted after the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
reported that after failing to qualify in 2009, Treyc Cohen signed a management deal with Artimis Music Management Ltd that landed her a recording contract in October that year with 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...
-based Ajoupa Records and she released a single entitled "A Time to Be Heard". The rules of The X Factor strictly forbid record deals while a contestant is on the show. According to the newspaper, The X Factor was attempting to release Cohen from her management deal and remove the single from sale. Katie Waissel also had to be released from a contract in the United States after her audition.
Judges' actions
Controversy was caused when Cole chose not to send popular contestant Gamu Nhengu through to the live shows. Nhengu was an early favourite to win and many viewers were angered that Waissel and Cher Lloyd were put through despite failing to complete their performances at judges' houses. Around 1,000 people complained to ITV and by 7 October, 220,000 had joined a FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page called "Gamu Should Have Got Through". Cole reportedly became the target of death threats, and took extra security precautions in her home as well as at The X Factor. Bookmaker Paddy Power
Paddy Power
Paddy Power is Ireland’s largest bookmaker. Offline it conducts business through a chain of licensed betting offices and by operating Ireland's largest telephone betting service. Online it offers sports betting, online poker, online bingo, online casino games and spread betting...
were forced to give odds on Nhengu winning the show after a large number of bets were placed, and made her the favourite to win, but all punters had their losing bets refunded when Nhengu was not chosen as Cole's wildcard. There was speculation that Cole was pressured by producers to axe Nhengu over issues with her visa, but Cole denied those claims, saying it was entirely down to her "gut instinct" and that she believed Lloyd, Waissel and Rebecca Ferguson were the best singers in her category.
More than 1,000 viewers complained to ITV and more than 2,000 to Ofcom when, in week 5 of the live shows, Cole refused to vote off either act in the bottom two (Cohen and Waissel) and was not allowed to vote last and force a deadlock. A spokesperson for The X Factor explained: "A judge can abstain from placing a vote. [Cole] made it clear that she would not send anyone home and therefore abstained from voting. [O'Leary] went back to her to clarify that it was going to go to a majority vote if she did that. [Cole] was unable to take the vote to deadlock as deadlock requires a valid active vote." However, a Daily Mail poll of 6,890 people showed that 4,795 of them (nearly 70%) wanted Cole to be sacked for refusing to vote. O'Leary revealed that during the previous commercial break, when the bottom two was known to the producers, they realised that Cole might abstain and decided in that if she did, they would go to a majority vote. After the series ended, voting statistics showed that Waissel received fewer votes than Cohen, meaning that if the result had gone to deadlock, Waissel would have been eliminated instead of Cohen.
Accusations of fixing
After O'Leary's revelation that producers had rehearsed what would happen if Cole abstained in week 5, allegations were made that the result was rigged for Waissel to stay. Cowell denied this claim, saying he would never want to defraud viewers and said the situation had "been blown out of proportion". O'Leary defended himself and the show on TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, saying "We never know which way the judges are going to vote. Ever. The only thing I know is who's in the bottom two when I'm given the card. I don't know which judge to go to until I'm called and the judges, including [Cowell], don't know the vote or who we're coming to next. It's that simple." The following week, Heat
Heat (magazine)
Heat is a British entertainment magazine published by German company Bauer Media Group. it is one of the biggest selling magazines in the UK, with a regular circulation over half a million. Its mix of celebrity news, gossip and fashion is primarily aimed at women, although not as directly as in...
magazine printed a report claiming that Cowell was aware of the public votes before the judges make their votes, and several other media reports contained rumours of the show being fixed. The X Factor bosses instructed their lawyers to file a formal complaint to the Press Complaints Commission
Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission is a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines...
against Heat, saying that the article was a lie, that very few people know the actual public voting results and conspiracy theories being printed in the media are "total and utter rubbish". Heat printed an apology in their 1 January 2011 issue and accepted that Cowell was unaware of the votes cast until after the final.
There were accusations from viewers of fixing during the semi-final when O'Leary announced that only the public's votes would decide which contestants would make it through to the final, but the next day this was changed and there was a final showdown. The show's official website also stated that it would be decided by public vote, and Walsh confirmed it on a radio show earlier in the week. It was the first time in the show's history that the judges were given a vote in a semi-final. A spokesperson insisted the change was decided weeks in advance. Cowell (incorrectly) stated that "There has always been a sing-off when there are five people left in the competition. This is a lot of nonsense about nothing." However, eliminated contestant Mary Byrne said she believed the decision would be solely down to the public until the day of the semi-final performances, and even claimed that Cowell did not want her in the final. Following Byrne's comments, Cowell wrote an open letter to the viewers in the Daily Mirror, saying:
Voting statistics revealed that Lloyd would have been eliminated had there been no judges' vote.
Other controversies
Following the first episode, viewers complained on social networking websites after it appeared that pitch correctionPitch correction
Pitch correction is the process of correcting the intonation of an audio signal without affecting other aspects of its sound. Pitch correction first detects the pitch of an audio signal , then calculates the desired change and modifies the audio signal accordingly...
(which has been seen as controversial in the music industry) was used to improve the quality of some singers' voices, and forty-five viewers complained to Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
. Series producers claimed post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
work was necessary on the show because of the number of microphones used during filming: "The judges make their decisions at the auditions stage based on what they hear on the day, live in the arena. The footage and sound is then edited and dubbed into a finished programme, to deliver the most entertaining experience possible for viewers. When it gets to the live shows, it will be all live." It was reported on 26 August that Cowell had ordered a ban on pitch correction in future episodes, asking for them to be re-edited. In October 2010, Ofcom ruled that viewers had not been "materially misled" as pitch correction was only used during auditions and not when viewers were paying to vote for the contestants.
In December 2010, it emerged that Ofcom were investigating the show after claims that viewers were being encouraged to purchase songs recorded by guest performers Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
and Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers is an English singer-songwriter, stage actress and fashion designer who initially came to public attention as a semi-finalist on the fifth series of British talent show The X Factor in 2008...
. Ofcom also received over 2,868 complaints from viewers about "raunchy" dance routines from Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
and 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...
during the final. Although an ITV spokesperson denied the routines were inappropriate, Cowell was warned by ITV to "cut the sleaze". In April 2011, Ofcom ruled that there had been no breach of guidelines over the performances, and highlighted that "approximately 2,000" of the complaints were received after the routines were covered by the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, and said the newspaper's report featured a number of stills that were "significantly more graphic and close-up" than material broadcast, and that were "taken from a different angle to the television cameras".
Praise and awards
In its 7 December 2010 issue, HeatHeat (magazine)
Heat is a British entertainment magazine published by German company Bauer Media Group. it is one of the biggest selling magazines in the UK, with a regular circulation over half a million. Its mix of celebrity news, gossip and fashion is primarily aimed at women, although not as directly as in...
magazine said series 7 of The X Factor had been the best series to date, citing many of the controversies, plus events such as Lloyd singing on a spiral staircase, Wagner's "ludicrous" performances and Walsh likening Richardson to "a little Lenny Henry
Lenny Henry
Lenworth George "Lenny" Henry, is a British actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
", as moments that helped make it "the most deliriously, thrilling, controversial and demented yet. [...] This was the year the biggest and best show on TV somehow got bigger and better." Before the final, Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
's reality television editor Alex Fletcher listed his five favourite moments from the series. His favourite moment was Nhengu's elimination, on which he said "No other show can make people so passionate, angry and feel like they really know the programme's stars. With only approximately 30 minutes of screentime, Gamu had managed to capture the hearts of millions. Whatever you think of Simon Cowell's programmes, you have to give them credit for achieving that."
The series won in the Most Popular Talent Show category at the 16th
16th National Television Awards
The 16th National Television Awards ceremony was held at The O2 Arena in London on 26 January 2011 and was hosted by Dermot O'Leary. The awards are voted by the public and the winners are revealed live on ITV1. Ant & Dec won the award for Most Popular Entertainment Presenter for the tenth year in a...
National Television Awards
National Television Awards
The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted on by the general public. Because of the way the awards are decided, winners are...
in 2011, beating series 4
Britain's Got Talent (series 4)
The fourth series of Britain's Got Talent was broadcast on ITV from 17 April 2010 to 5 June 2010. It was presented by Ant & Dec and won by gymnastic troupe Spelbound. Judges Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden returned for the televised auditions on 18 January at the Clyde Auditorium in...
of Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
, series 6
Dancing on Ice (series 6)
The sixth series of Dancing on Ice started on 9 January 2011 and ended on 27 March 2011 on ITV. Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby return as hosts whilst Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean return to mentor the celebrities...
of Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
and series 8
Strictly Come Dancing (series 8)
The eighth series of Strictly Come Dancing began with a red carpet launch show on 11 September 2010, and the competitive live shows began on 1 October. The series concluded on 18 December when Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev won the competition...
of Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
. It was also nominated in the TV Reality Programme category at the 2011 TRIC awards
Television and Radio Industries Club
The Television and Radio Industries Club is a British institution chartered in 1931 to "promote goodwill in the television and radio industries"...
, the Entertainment Programme category at the 2011
British Academy Television Awards 2011
The 2011 British Academy Television Awards were held on 22 May 2011. The nominations were announced on 26 April.Graham Norton hosted the ceremony.-Nominations:*Actor**Jim Broadbent — Any Human Heart...
British Academy Television Awards
British Academy Television Awards
The British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . They have been awarded annually since 1954, and are analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States.-Background:...
, and the Best Talent Show category at the 2011 TV Choice Awards.