The X Factor (British series 11)

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The eleventh series began airing on ITV on 30 August 2014 and finished on 14 December 2014.[1] Dermot O'Leary presented his eighth series of the main show on ITV and Sarah-Jane Crawford presented spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2, replacing Caroline Flack and Matt Richardson. Louis Walsh was the only judge from series 10 to return and was joined by former judges Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Simon Cowell, and new judge Mel B, who replaced Sharon Osbourne, Gary Barlow and Nicole Scherzinger. Former judge Tulisa returned as a guest judge for the final on 13 December due to Mel B being ill.[2] The series also saw the lower age limit decreased from 16 to 14, as it was in series 4 and 5. This was Walsh's final series as a judge before returning in series 13.[3] It was O'Leary's final series as presenter on the main show, as he announced on 27 March 2015 that he was leaving to pursue other projects, before returning in series 13.[4] On 11 May, Crawford also confirmed via Twitter that she would leave her position as The Xtra Factor presenter.[5]

The X Factor
Series 11
Haenow at an album signing at HMV in Braehead, Scotland in November 2015
Hosted byDermot O'Leary (ITV)
Judges
WinnerBen Haenow
Winning mentorSimon Cowell
Runner-upFleur East
Finals venueFountain Studios (Live Shows) The SSE Arena, Wembley (Final)
Release
Original network
Original release30 August (2014-08-30) –
14 December 2014 (2014-12-14)
Series chronology

Room auditions took place in Manchester, London, Newcastle and Edinburgh from 16 June to 1 July, followed by arena auditions in London, that were held between 1 and 4 August. Bootcamp was held in London in August and judges' houses around Nice, Los Angeles, Bermuda and Cancún in September. The live shows began on 11 October. Fernandez-Versini mentored the Girls, Mel B mentored the Boys, Walsh mentored the Groups and Cowell mentored the Over 26s. Ben Haenow won the series against Fleur East on 14 December 2014 with 57.2% of the votes.

Judges, presenters and other personnel
Series 11 judges
Simon Cowell
Cheryl Fernandez-Versini
Mel B
Louis Walsh

During the tenth series, Sharon Osbourne stated that she was only back for one series, to "go out on a high".[6] Also, during the first live show of series 10, Gary Barlow revealed that it would be his last series on the show.[7] Louis Walsh, who had also been on the show from its first series, announced his intention to quit as well, although he later backtracked and said that he "might come back" if Simon Cowell returned.[8] Midway throughout the live shows, Walsh said "I'm having so much fun this year, I might stay".[9]

On 7 February 2014, Cowell, who left the UK show after series 7 to launch and judge the USA show, announced his return for Gary Barlow's replacement.[10][11] He said, "I'm absolutely thrilled to be returning to The X Factor UK. It's been three years since I last judged the competition and I'm excited to find a global superstar again. On 13 February, it was reported that Nicole Scherzinger had departed the show, On 14 February, Cowell announced that Scherzinger would not be returning by tweeting, "Nicole will always be a part of [T]he X factor family. Now signed to Sony as an artist. Thank you Nicole for everything.". On 24 February, former judge, Dannii Minogue confirmed that she would remain on The X Factor Australia judging panel for the 2014 Australia series, rather than return as a judge for the UK show to replace Scherzinger, after Minogue joined the Australia show the year before, despite popular demand in the UK for her to return for the 2014 UK series.[12] On 10 March, former judge Cheryl Cole announced on her Instagram that she will be returning for the eleventh series to replace Osbourne, posting an image of herself and Cowell, accompanied by the caption: "GUESS WHAT!!.. I'm baaaacccckkkkk!!!!"[13] On 30 May, Walsh confirmed he would be returning as a judge for his eleventh series.[14] On 11 June, it was confirmed that series 9 guest judge Mel B, who has also previously judged the Australian version, would join the panel as the fourth permanent judge for Scherzinger's replacement.[15] Following Cole's wedding to Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini on 7 July, it was announced by producers that she would be known throughout the series as her new married name, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini. On 13 December 2014, it was announced that former judge Tulisa would return as a guest judge for the final due to Mel B being ill.[16]

Dermot O'Leary confirmed his return for his eighth series as presenter of the main show on ITV.[17] On 3 February 2014, it was reported that Matt Richardson would not return as co-presenter on The Xtra Factor on ITV2. This was later denied,[18] but it was confirmed on 4 June that Richardson would not return.[19] On 11 June, Caroline Flack confirmed on Twitter that she will not be returning as presenter of The Xtra Factor.[20] The next day, it was confirmed that Sarah-Jane Crawford will be the new presenter.[21] Following her departure, Flack began competing as a contestant in the twelfth series of Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One. Brian Friedman, who served as creative director from series 4-7 before returning to work on the first three live shows of series 9, returned to replace Jerry Reeve and Mark "Swany" Swanhart.[22]

Series 11 was originally O'Leary's final series hosting The X Factor, as he announced in March 2015 his decision to exit the series to pursue other projects. He was later replaced by Caroline Flack and Olly Murs, the latter of whom was a contestant during the competition's sixth series.[4] This was also originally the last series to feature Louis Walsh as a judge after 11 years, as he quit in May 2015 to return to full-time management. It was also the only series to feature new judge Spice Girls star Mel B. They were replaced by BBC Radio 1 presenter Nick Grimshaw and The Voice UK coach, Rita Ora.[23] Osbourne, Walsh, Scherzinger (who collectively replaced Cheryl, Grimshaw and Ora) and O'Leary returned to the show alongside Cowell for the 13th and 14th series, with O'Leary remaining for series 15.

Promotion

On 12 March 2014, Cowell and Cole, the only confirmed judges at the time, appeared in a Daybreak interview together to promote the eleventh series for the first time. They discussed the upcoming series, their individual returns, Cole's departure from The X Factor USA and their subsequent feud; with Cowell admitting, "I made a mistake" (in relation to Cole's sudden departure). Two advertisements subsequently began to air on ITV featuring Cole and Cowell separately, to encourage potential contestants to audition.[24] Previous contestants Olly Murs, Shayne Ward, One Direction, Jahméne Douglas and Little Mix also appeared in videos encouraging potential applicants to audition.[25]

Rumored judges for the series included Ellie Goulding, Paloma Faith, Rita Ora, Kesha, and Murs.[26]

On 12 June, during ITV's coverage of the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a teaser trailer with the caption "Things Are About to Get Loud" first aired. The full trailer, featuring all four of the judges, was unveiled on ITV's YouTube channel on 1 August, and received its first TV airing the following evening.[27]

Selection process

Eligibility

On 11 March 2014, Cowell confirmed at a press conference in London that closed room auditions would return for series 11, as well as the six-seat challenge at bootcamp.[17] It was also revealed that the minimum age was being lowered from 16 to 14, as it was in series 4 and 5.[28]

Mobile auditions

In addition to the producers' auditions, the "Mobile Audition Tour" took place up and down the UK and Ireland throughout March and April. Auditions began to open on 24 March, and visited Cork, Belfast, Newquay, Exeter, Bournemouth, Southampton, Bristol, Newport, Barry, Swansea, Romford, Leicester, Brighton, Norwich, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, South Shields, Durham, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Ayr, Solihull, Dudley, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Warrington, Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, Birkenhead, Blackpool, Bolton and Widnes by 28 April.[24]

Open auditions
Cities where auditions were held.

Producers auditions commenced on 5 April in Dublin and ended on 5 May in Liverpool.[29] For the first time, nine open auditions were held, instead of the usual six, and the five in series 6 and 10. This series marked the first time that auditions had visited Ireland since series 7. It was also the first time open auditions were held in Plymouth and Edinburgh.

Audition city Open audition date[24] Open audition venue[24]
Dublin 5 April 2014 Convention Centre Dublin
Plymouth 8 April 2014 Holiday Inn Plymouth
Cardiff 10 April 2014 Mercure Cardiff Holland House Hotel and Spa
London 13 April 2014 Emirates Stadium
Birmingham 23 April 2014 St. Andrew's
Edinburgh 27 April 2014 Murrayfield Stadium
Gateshead 30 April 2014 Sage Gateshead
Manchester 3 May 2014 Old Trafford Cricket Ground
Liverpool 5 May 2014 Liverpool Convention Centre

Judges auditions

Continuing from the format from the last series, both room auditions and arena auditions were held for the judges. In this series four locations were used for the judges auditions, the fewest used in a series at the time (series 12 used two).[30] The auditions started in Manchester (Old Trafford Cricket Ground) on 16 and 17 June.[31] The London auditions (Emirates Stadium) took place on 20 June and from 22–24 June,[32] and were followed by Newcastle (St. James' Park) on 26 June,[33] before concluding in Edinburgh (Assembly Rooms) on 1 July.[34] The only judge missing from an audition day was Mel B, whose absence occurred during one of the arena audition days, due to commitments with America's Got Talent.[35]

The first room audition episode aired on 30 August, and featured Manchester, London and Edinburgh. More room auditions from London, Edinburgh and Manchester, along with those from Newcastle, were shown in 31 August episode.

Notable returning auditionees included Fleur East who reached the live shows in series 2 in the girl group Addictiv Ladies; Chloe Jasmine, who was rejected by the judges at her audition in series 3; Amy Connelly, who reached judges' houses in series 5; Jake Quickenden, who reached judges' houses in series 9; Lydia Lucy, who reached bootcamp in series 10; Tom Mann, who reached bootcamp in series 10; Barclay Beales, who reached bootcamp in series 10; and Paul Akister, who reached judges houses in series 10.[36] Mann and Beales were both eventually put into the eight-piece boy band Stereo Kicks.

City Room auditions Arena auditions
Date(s) Venue Date(s) Venue
Manchester 16–17 June 2014 Old Trafford Cricket Ground —
London 20 June 2014 Emirates Stadium 1–4 August 2014[37] The SSE Arena, Wembley
22–24 June 2014
Newcastle 26 June 2014 St James' Park —
Edinburgh 1 July 2014 Assembly Rooms

Bootcamp/Six Chair Challenge

It was reported in March 2014 that Cowell was considering axing the bootcamp stage in favour of the "six-seat challenge" from series 10, whereby judges were assigned their categories at the start of bootcamp and contestants took it in turns to perform for their judge.[38] The six-seat challenge involves successful contestants being offered one of "six seats", representing places at the judges' houses stage of the competition. However, if a judge had already chosen six acts for their category, they could replace them if they preferred a later act.[39] This was a controversial input to the series as many were disappointed to see acts sent home in such a harsh way.

Despite the reports, both bootcamp and the six-seat challenge took place. Mel B's commitments to America's Got Talent delayed her re-entry to the UK until the end of the boot camp stage, after Cowell, Fernandez-Versini and Walsh had finished deliberating on the remaining contestants earlier that day. It was only then that all four judges learned their categories: Walsh was given the Groups category, Mel B was given the Boys, Fernandez-Versini was given the Girls and Cowell was given the Over 26s.[40] The six-seat challenge took place at The SSE Arena, Wembley[41] on 9 and 10 August. A total of 114 acts successfully reached the bootcamp this year. They were put into groups within their own categories and took part in a sing-off, where the judges cut half of the acts, leaving only 57 acts to compete for the "six-seat challenge".[42] Any contestant under 16 could not be swapped out if they were given a seat.[43]

Judges' houses

For judges' houses, Walsh took the Groups to Bermuda and was assisted by former judge Tulisa Contostavlos; Mel B took the Boys to Cancún, with assistance from fellow Spice Girls member Emma Bunton; Fernandez-Versini took the Girls to Nice and was assisted by Tinie Tempah;[44] and Cowell took the Over 26s to Los Angeles, where he was assisted by Sinitta.[45]

Girls:

Boys:

Groups:

Over 26s

Summary of judges' houses
Judge Category Location Guest Mentor(s) Acts Eliminated Wildcard
Cowell Over 26s Los Angeles Sinitta Helen Fulthorpe, Lizzy Pattinson Stevi Ritchie
Fernandez-Versini Girls Nice Tinie Tempah Kerrianne Covell, Emily Middlemas Lola Saunders
Mel B Boys Cancún Emma Bunton Danny Dearden, Jordan Morris Jack Walton
Walsh Groups Bermuda Tulisa Concept, New Girl Group, The Brooks Overload Generation*

Overload Generation were originally eliminated during Boot Camp after being switched out in the six chair challenge. Despite this, Mel B chose them as Walsh's Wildcard act over the three groups that had been eliminated during the Judges Houses round.

Acts

Key:

  – Winner
  – Runner-up
– Wildcard (Live Shows)
Act Age(s) Hometown Category (mentor) Result
Ben Haenow 29 Croydon Over 26s (Cowell) Winner
Fleur East 27 Walthamstow Over 26s (Cowell) Runner-Up
Andrea Faustini 20 Rome, Italy Boys (Mel B) 3rd Place
Lauren Platt 17 Billericay Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 4th Place
Stereo Kicks 15–21 Various Groups (Walsh) 5th Place
Stevi Ritchie 34 Colchester Over 26s (Cowell) 6th Place
Only the Young 17–21 Various Groups (Walsh) 7th Place
Jay James 31 Saundersfoot Over 26s (Cowell) 8th Place
Paul Akister 25 Lancaster Boys (Mel B) 9th Place
Lola Saunders 20 East Boldon Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 10th Place
Jack Walton 18 Castleford Boys (Mel B) 11th Place
Jake Quickenden 25 Scunthorpe 12th Place
Chloe Jasmine 24 Eastbourne Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 13th Place
Stephanie Nala 20 Cheshunt 14th Place
Overload Generation 18–20 Various Groups (Walsh) 15th Place
Blonde Electra 22 & 24 Düsseldorf, Germany / London 16th Place

Live shows

On September 24, 2014, a wildcard twist was announced for the live shows. However, in a change to previous years, the judges selected the wildcard acts for each other's categories.[46] Fernandez-Versini chose Stevi Ritchie for the Over 26s; Mel B chose Overload Generation for the Groups; Cowell chose Jack Walton for the Boys; and Walsh chose Lola Saunders for the Girls. This meant that there would be 16 contestants , and there would be double eliminations like in series 7 and 8.[47]

For the first time in the show's history, all votes via the official app will be free of charge. Mark Brittain, Global Head of Commercial at Syco Entertainment, announced, "We are constantly looking to innovate around the show. Giving the viewers the ability to vote free through the app will allow viewers, we believe, an even greater opportunity to interact with their favourite show and, of course, play the hugely important role in deciding the ultimate winner of the series."[48]

The live shows began on 11 October 2014. Pharrell Williams and Taylor Swift performed on the first live results show,[49] whilst Jessie J and Maroon 5 performed on the second live results show.[50] The third live results show featured performances from OneRepublic and Ed Sheeran.[51] The Script performed on the fourth live show,[52] whilst John Legend and The X Factor judge Cheryl Fernandez-Versini performed on the following results show.[53] The fifth live results show featured performances from Sam Smith and 2010 contestants One Direction,[54] and the sixth live results show featured performances from former judge Nicole Scherzinger and 2009 runner-up Olly Murs.[55] In addition, this results show had the world premiere of the official music video for Band Aid 30.[56] The seventh live show included a performance from David Guetta featuring Emeli Sandé, while Labrinth and Take That performed on the following results show.[57] Queen + Adam Lambert, series 9 contestants Union J and series 9 contestant Ella Henderson performed on the quarter-final results show on 30 November.[58] The X Factor USA 2012 finalists, Fifth Harmony, The X Factor UK 2013 Sam Bailey, and Idina Menzel and Michael Bublé performed on the semi-final live results show on 7 December 2014.[59] Take That, Meghan Trainor and Ed Sheeran performed on the live final on Saturday 13 December 2014, while Olly Murs featuring Demi Lovato, One Direction featuring Ronnie Wood and Sam Smith performed on the live final results show on Sunday 14 December 2014.[60]

Results summary
Colour key

  Act in Boys

  Act in Girls

  Act in Over 25s

  Act in Groups

  –Act was in the bottom two/three and had to perform again in the sing-off
  –Act was in the bottom three but received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated
  –Act received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no sing-off)
  –Act received the most public votes
Weekly results per act[61]
Act Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Quarter-Final Semi-Final Final
Saturday Vote Sunday Vote
Ben Haenow 4th
8.7%		 4th
9.1%		 3rd
10.1%		 1st
12.2%		 1st
14.8%		 1st
16.4%		 1st
19.4%		 1st
26.4%		 1st
36.5%		 1st
45.1%		 Winner
57.2%1
Fleur East 5th
6.0%		 7th
6.0%		 5th
9.3%		 6th
9.4%		 5th
10.8%		 2nd
14.0%		 2nd
16.1%		 3rd
17.9%		 2nd
24.3%		 2nd
32.7%		 Runner-Up
34.3%1
Andrea Faustini 1st
19.2%		 1st
14.5%		 1st
14.4%		 2nd
11.9%		 2nd
14.0%		 4th
12.7%		 6th
13.2%		 2nd
21.0%		 4th
19.1%		 3rd
22.2%		 Eliminated
(final)
Lauren Platt 2nd
10.4%		 2nd
12.7%		 2nd
11.8%		 4th
11.0%		 3rd
13.1%		 3rd
13.2%		 3rd
16.0%		 4th
17.8%		 3rd
20.1%		 Eliminated
(semi-final)
Stereo Kicks 11th
4.6%		 12th
4.4%		 6th
8.9%		 9th
8.3%		 4th
12.4%		 5th
12.2%		 4th
15.3%		 5th
16.9%		 Eliminated
(quarter-final)
Stevi Ritchie 10th
4.9%		 8th
5.9%		 7th
7.4%		 3rd
11.5%		 6th
10.3%		 7th
10.8%		 5th
14.7%		 Eliminated
(week 7)
Only The Young 13th
4.0%		 9th
5.6%		 11th
5.2%		 7th
9.0%		 7th
8.5%		 6th
12.2%		 7th
5.3%
Jay James 7th
5.5%		 5th
7.6%		 8th
7.1%		 8th
8.3%		 8th
8.1%		 8th
8.5%		 Eliminated
(week 6)
Paul Akister 3rd
10.0%		 3rd
9.9%		 4th
9.4%		 5th
9.5%		 9th
8.0%		 Eliminated
(week 5)
Lola Saunders 6th
5.7%		 6th
7.6%		 9th
6.9%		 10th
6.3%		 Eliminated
(week 4)
Jack Walton 9th
5.0%		 10th
5.3%		 10th
5.3%		 11th
2.6%
Jake Quickenden 8th
5.1%		 11th
4.8%		 12th
4.2%		 Eliminated
(week 3)
Chloe Jasmine 12th
4.3%		 13th
4.0%		 Eliminated
(week 2)
Stephanie Nala 14th
2.9%		 14th
2.6%
Overload Generation 15th
2.7%		 Eliminated
(week 1)
Blonde Electra 16th
1.0%
Final Showdown Nala,
Overload Generation		 Jasmine,
Stereo Kicks		 Only The Young,
Quickenden		 Saunders,
Stereo Kicks		 Akister,
James		 James, Ritchie Faustini, Ritchie Platt,
Stereo Kicks		 Faustini,
Platt		 No sing-off or judges' votes: results were based on public votes alone
Walsh's vote
to eliminate (Groups)		 NalaJasmineQuickendenSaundersAkisterRitchieRitchiePlatt Platt
Mel B's vote
to eliminate (Boys)		 NalaJasmineOnly The YoungSaundersJamesJamesRitchiePlatt Platt
Fernandez-Versini's vote
to eliminate (Girls)		 Overload GenerationStereo KicksQuickendenStereo KicksJamesJamesRitchieStereo KicksFaustini
Cowell's vote
to eliminate (Over 26s)		 Overload GenerationJasmineQuickendenStereo KicksAkisterRitchieFaustiniStereo KicksPlatt
Eliminated Blonde Electra
1.0%
to save		 Stephanie Nala
2.6%
to save		 Jake Quickenden
3 of 4 votes
Majority		 Jack Walton
2.6%
to save		 Paul Akister
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock		 Jay James
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock		 Only The Young
5.3%
to save		 Stereo Kicks
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock		 Lauren Platt
3 of 4 votes
Majority		 Andrea Faustini
22.2%
to save		 Fleur East
34.3%
to win
Overload Generation
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock		 Chloe Jasmine
3 of 4 votes
Majority		 Lola Saunders
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock		 Stevi Ritchie
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Reference(s) [62] [63] [64] [65][66] [67] [68] [69][70] [71] [72] [73]
  • ^1 The voting percentages in the Final for the Sunday Vote do not add up to 100%, owing to the freezing of votes. Andrea Faustini received 8.5% of the final vote.[61]

Week 1 (11/12 October)

The wildcard acts were announced at the beginning of the show with Jack Walton chosen by Cowell for the Boys, Lola Saunders was chosen by Walsh for the Girls, Stevi Ritchie was chosen by Fernandez-Versini for the Over 26s, and Overload Generation were chosen by Mel B for the Groups.[75]

Acts' performances on the first live show
Act Category (mentor) Order Song[76] Result[62]
Paul Akister Boys (Mel B) 1 "Ghost" Safe
Lola Saunders (Wildcard Girls) Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 2 "Stay with Me"
Overload Generation (Wildcard Groups) Groups (Walsh) 3 "I Kissed a Girl" Bottom Three
Jay James Over 26s (Cowell) 4 "Changing" Safe
Stephanie Nala Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 5 "Everything I Own" Bottom Three
Jack Walton (Wildcard Boys) Boys (Mel B) 6 "Only Girl (In the World)" Safe
Chloe Jasmine Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 7 "Toxic"
Stereo Kicks Groups (Walsh) 8 "Roar"
Stevi Ritchie (Wildcard Over 26s) Over 26s (Cowell) 9 "Livin' la Vida Loca"
Lauren Platt Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 10 "Happy"
Blonde Electra Groups (Walsh) 11 "Kids in America" Eliminated
Ben Haenow Over 26s (Cowell) 12 "Bridge over Troubled Water" Safe
Jake Quickenden Boys (Mel B) 13 "She's the One"
Fleur East Over 26s (Cowell) 14 "All About That Bass"
Only The Young Groups (Walsh) 15 "Jailhouse Rock"/"Twist and Shout"
Andrea Faustini Boys (Mel B) 16 "Earth Song" Safe (Highest Votes)
Sing-off details[62]
Overload Generation Groups (Walsh) 1 "A Thousand Years" Eliminated
Stephanie Nala Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 2 "Have You Ever?" Safe
  • Owing to the addition of four wildcard acts, two acts were eliminated from the series' first 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 sing-off for the judges' votes.
Judges' vote to eliminate[62]
  • Cowell: Overload Generation – stated that he thought Nala's sing-off performance was better than Overload Generation's "shockingly bad" performance and said that he "absolutely cannot support an act [he has] no belief in at all", and Nala is someone he could work with; he reiterated his statement on The Xtra Factor, saying he was not surprised about Overload Generation ending up in the bottom three and that Nala's saving was a "lucky escape" on his doing.
  • Fernandez-Versini: Overload Generation – backed her own act, Stephanie Nala, whom she said sang better in the sing off.
  • Mel B: Stephanie Nala – stated that she had to stay true to whom she picked as Walsh's wildcard act.
  • Walsh: Stephanie Nala – backed his own act, Overload Generation.

With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Overload Generation were eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.[62]

Week 2 (18/19 October)
Acts' performances on the second live show
Act Category (mentor) Order Year Song[77] Result[63]
Jack Walton Boys (Mel B) 1 1988 "Straight Up" Safe
Stephanie Nala Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 2 1980 "Call Me" Eliminated
Andrea Faustini Boys (Mel B) 3 1988 "One Moment in Time" Safe (Highest Votes)
Lauren Platt Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 4 1983 "Flashdance... What a Feeling" Safe
Ben Haenow Over 26s (Cowell) 5 1985 "Jealous Guy"
Fleur East 6 1990 "It's a Shame (My Sister)"
Stereo Kicks Groups (Walsh) 7 1984 "The Boys of Summer" Bottom Three
Lola Saunders Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 8 1980 "Imagine" Safe
Jake Quickenden Boys (Mel B) 9 1983 "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
Chloe Jasmine Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 10 1980 "Fame" Bottom Three
Paul Akister Boys (Mel B) 11 1980 "If You Don't Know Me by Now" Safe
Stevi Ritchie Over 26s (Cowell) 12 1987 "Never Gonna Give You Up"
Only The Young Groups (Walsh) 13 1982 "Come On Eileen"
Jay James Over 26s (Cowell) 14 1988 "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"
Sing-off details[63]
Chloe Jasmine Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 1 "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" Eliminated
Stereo Kicks Groups (Walsh) 2 "I'll Stand by You" Safe
  • Owing to the addition of four wildcard acts, 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 sing-off for the judges' votes.[63]
Judges' vote to eliminate[63]
  • Fernandez-Versini: Stereo Kicks – gave no reason but effectively backed her own act, Chloe Jasmine.
  • Walsh: Chloe Jasmine – gave no reason but effectively backed his own act, Stereo Kicks.
  • Mel B: Chloe Jasmine – based on the sing-off performances.
  • Cowell: Chloe Jasmine – stated that he thought Walsh did not know "what to do with" Stereo Kicks, but that they had more potential; he stated on The Xtra Factor that he felt they wanted their place in the competition more.

Week 3 (25/26 October)
Acts' performances on the third live show
Act Category (mentor) Order Song[78] Film Result[64]
Jake Quickenden Boys (Mel B) 1 "She's Like the Wind" Dirty Dancing Bottom Two
Only The Young Groups (Walsh) 2 "Boom Clap" The Fault in Our Stars
Jay James Over 26s (Cowell) 3 "Skyfall" Skyfall Safe
Andrea Faustini Boys (Mel B) 4 "Listen" Dreamgirls Safe (Highest Votes)
Lola Saunders Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 5 "When You Believe" The Prince of Egypt Safe
Paul Akister Boys (Mel B) 6 "Try a Little Tenderness" The Commitments
Lauren Platt Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 7 "Let It Go" Frozen
Jack Walton Boys (Mel B) 8 "Eye of the Tiger" Rocky III
Fleur East Over 26s (Cowell) 9 "Lady Marmalade" Moulin Rouge!
Stevi Ritchie 10 "Footloose" Footloose
Stereo Kicks Groups (Walsh) 11 "Let It Be"/"Hey Jude" Across the Universe
Ben Haenow Over 26s (Cowell) 12 "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" Armageddon
Sing-off details[64]
Jake Quickenden Boys (Mel B) 1 "Red" Eliminated
Only The Young Groups (Walsh) 2 "The Winner Takes It All" Safe
Judges' vote to eliminate[64]
  • Mel B: Only The Young – gave no reason but effectively backed her own act, Jake Quickenden.
  • Walsh: Jake Quickenden – backed his own act, Only The Young.
  • Cowell: Jake Quickenden – criticised both acts' sing-off performances but felt that Only The Young had more potential.
  • Fernandez-Versini: Jake Quickenden – felt that Only The Young had not identified their "comfort zone yet" and had "the most potential to go forward in the competition".

Week 4 (1/2 November)
Acts' performances on the fourth live show
Act Category (mentor) Order Song[80] Result[65]
Ben Haenow Over 26s (Cowell) 1 "Highway to Hell" Safe (Highest Votes)
Lola Saunders Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 2 "Crazy" Bottom Two
Fleur East Over 26s (Cowell) 3 "Thriller" Safe
Jack Walton Boys (Mel B) 4 "Bleeding Love" Eliminated
Jay James Over 26s (Cowell) 5 "Mad World" Safe
Andrea Faustini Boys (Mel B) 6 "Relight My Fire"
Lauren Platt Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 7 "Dark Horse"
Paul Akister Boys (Mel B) 8 "Bat Out of Hell"
Only The Young Groups (Walsh) 9 "Monster Mash"
Stereo Kicks Groups (Walsh) 10 "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" Bottom Two
Stevi Ritchie Over 26s (Cowell) 11 "The Music of the Night" Safe
Sing-off details[66]
Lola Saunders Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 1 "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" Eliminated
Stereo Kicks Groups (Walsh) 2 "Perfect" Safe
Notes
  • On 31 October, it was revealed that, after warnings by Cowell to the contestants, the act with the fewest votes on Saturday's live show would be eliminated immediately.[81] Walton was eliminated after receiving the fewest votes.[65] The two acts with the next fewest votes on Sunday's results show then performed in the sing-off for the judges' votes.[66]
Judges' vote to eliminate[66]
  • Walsh: Lola Saunders – backed his own act, Stereo Kicks, although he later stated on The Xtra Factor that he did not want to send Saunders home as he chose her as Fernandez-Versini's wildcard.
  • Fernandez-Versini: Stereo Kicks – backed her own act, Lola Saunders.
  • Mel B: Lola Saunders – based on the sing-off performances, but complained about Stereo Kicks' lack of consistency.
  • Cowell: Stereo Kicks – said that Saunders performed better in the sing-off.

With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Saunders was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.[66]

Week 5 (8/9 November)
Acts' performances on the fifth live show
Act Category (mentor) Order Song[83] Artist Result[67]
Paul Akister Boys (Mel B) 1 "Don't Stop Me Now" Queen Bottom Two
Jay James Over 26s (Cowell) 2 "The Show Must Go On"
Lauren Platt Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 3 "I'll Be There" Michael Jackson Safe
Only The Young Groups (Walsh) 4 "Blame It on the Boogie"
Ben Haenow Over 26s (Cowell) 5 "Man in the Mirror" Michael Jackson Safe (Highest Votes)
Stevi Ritchie Over 26s (Cowell) 6 "Bohemian Rhapsody" Queen Safe
Stereo Kicks Groups (Walsh) 7 "You Are Not Alone" Michael Jackson
Fleur East Over 26s (Cowell) 8 "Will You Be There"
Andrea Faustini Boys (Mel B) 9 "Somebody to Love" Queen
Sing-off details[67]
Paul Akister Boys (Mel B) 1 "Clown" Eliminated
Jay James Over 26s (Cowell) 2 "Tears in Heaven" Safe
Judges vote to eliminate[67]
  • Cowell: Paul Akister – backed his own act, Jay James, stating that he needed the opportunity the show has given him.
  • Mel B: Jay James – gave no reason but effectively backed her own act, Paul Akister.
  • Fernandez-Versini: Jay James – based on the sing-off performances.
  • Walsh: Paul Akister – could not decide and sent the result to deadlock; he was hesitant to say who he wanted to eliminate, as he had previously eliminated Akister at judges' houses in series 10.

With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Akister was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.[67]

Week 6 (15/16 November)

Musical guests: Nicole Scherzinger ("Run") and Olly Murs ("Wrapped Up")[55] The world premiere play and official video of the Band Aid 30 track "Do They Know It's Christmas?" were aired during the results show.[56] Bob Geldof appeared on the results show to talk about the recording and promote the single.[68]

Acts' performances on the sixth live show
Act Category (mentor) Order Song[85] Big Band Artist Result[68]
Andrea Faustini Boys (Mel B) 1 "Summertime" George Gershwin Safe
Lauren Platt Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 2 "Smile" Charlie Chaplin
Jay James Over 26s (Cowell) 3 "Empire State of Mind"/"Theme from New York, New York" Alicia Keys/Frank Sinatra Bottom Two
Stereo Kicks Groups (Walsh) 4 "Mack the Knife" Bobby Darin Safe
Ben Haenow Over 26s (Cowell) 5 "Cry Me a River" Michael Bublé Safe (Highest Votes)
Only The Young Groups (Walsh) 6 "I Wan'na Be Like You" Louis Prima Safe
Stevi Ritchie Over 26s (Cowell) 7 "Mambo No. 5"/"She Bangs" Lou Bega / Ricky Martin Bottom Two
Fleur East Over 26s (Cowell) 8 "Bang Bang" Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj Safe
Sing-off details[68]
Jay James Over 26s (Cowell) 1 "Somewhere Only We Know" Eliminated
Stevi Ritchie Over 26s (Cowell) 2 "Somebody to Love" Safe
Judges vote to eliminate[68]
  • Cowell: Stevi Ritchie – conflicted about both his acts in the bottom two; said although Ritchie was the better performer, James was the better singer.
  • Walsh: Stevi Ritchie – said James was the better singer.
  • Mel B: Jay James – said James did amazing in the sing off but Ritchie surprised her by singing.
  • Fernandez-Versini: Jay James – stated she would miss Ritchie's presence if she sent Ritchie home as she reinstated him as Cowell's wildcard.

With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. James was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.[68]

Week 7 (22/23 November)
Acts' performances on the seventh live show
Act Category (mentor) Order Song[87] Artist Result[69]
Lauren Platt Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 1 "How Will I Know" Whitney Houston Safe
Ben Haenow Over 26s (Cowell) 2 "I Will Always Love You" Whitney Houston Safe (Highest Votes)
Only The Young Groups (Walsh) 3 "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" Elton John Eliminated
Andrea Faustini Boys (Mel B) 4 "I Have Nothing" Whitney Houston Bottom Two
Fleur East Over 26s (Cowell) 5 "I'm Every Woman" Whitney Houston Safe
Stevi Ritchie Over 26s (Cowell) 6 "I'm Still Standing" Elton John Bottom Two
Stereo Kicks Groups (Walsh) 7 "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" Elton John Safe
Sing-off details[69]
Andrea Faustini Boys (Mel B) 1 "Stop!" Safe
Stevi Ritchie Over 26s (Cowell) 2 "This Is the Moment" Eliminated
Notes
  • This week featured a double elimination. The first of the eliminations happened on Saturday night after the special guest performance from David Guetta and Emeli Sande.[88] Only The Young were eliminated after receiving the fewest votes.[69] The two acts with the next fewest votes on Sunday's results show then performed in the sing-off for the judges' votes.[70]
Judges' votes to eliminate[70]
  • Mel B: Stevi Ritchie – based on the sing-off performances, effectively backing her own act, Andrea Faustini.
  • Fernandez-Versini: Stevi Ritchie – based on the sing-off performances and the fact that she saved Ritchie the previous week.
  • Cowell: Andrea Faustini – backed his own act, Stevi Ritchie.
  • Walsh: Stevi Ritchie – stated that he admired Faustini from the beginning.

However, voting statistics revealed that Ritchie received more votes than Faustini which meant that if Walsh sent the result to deadlock, Ritchie would have advanced to the quarter-final and Faustini would have been eliminated.

Week 8: Quarter-Final (29/30 November)

For the first time this series, the acts performed two songs each. One song was chosen by a public vote via the official The X Factor app.[58] The second song was chosen by various music artists.[89]

List of song choices for the jukebox themes
Act Category (mentor) Song choices[91] Result[90]
Fleur East Over 26s (Cowell)
"If I Ain't Got You"Chosen
"Family Portrait"Not Chosen
"If You Love Me"
Andrea Faustini Boys (Mel B) "Respect"
"Heartless"
"Hero"Chosen
Ben Haenow Over 26s (Cowell)
"Thinking Out Loud"
"You Are So Beautiful"Not Chosen
"With a Little Help from My Friends"
Lauren Platt Girls (Fernandez-Versini) "Ain't Nobody"
"Don't You Worry Child"Chosen
"Story of My Life"Not Chosen
Stereo Kicks Groups (Walsh)
"Run"Chosen
"Fix You"Not Chosen
"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"
Acts' performances in the quarter-final
Act Category (mentor) Order First song[89] Chosen by[92] Order Second song[90] Chosen by[90] Result[71]
Ben Haenow Over 26s (Cowell) 1 "Come Together" One Direction 7 "Thinking Out Loud" Public Vote Safe (Highest Votes)
Lauren Platt Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 2 "Clarity" Little Mix 6 "Don't You Worry Child" Public Vote Bottom Two
Stereo Kicks Groups (Walsh) 3 "Just the Way You Are" Tulisa 8 "Run"
Fleur East Over 26s (Cowell) 4 "A Fool in Love" Emeli Sandé 9 "If I Ain't Got You" Public Vote Safe
Andrea Faustini Boys (Mel B) 5 "Chandelier" Sam Smith 10 "Hero"
Sing-off details[71]
Lauren Platt Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 1 "I Know Where I've Been" Safe
Stereo Kicks Groups (Walsh) 2 "I Won't Give Up" Eliminated
Judges' vote to eliminate[71]
  • Walsh: Lauren Platt – backed his own act, Stereo Kicks.
  • Mel B: Lauren Platt – based on the sing-off performances, although she expressed her reluctance to vote before Fernandez-Versini.
  • Fernandez-Versini: Stereo Kicks – backed her own act, Lauren Platt.
  • Cowell: Stereo Kicks – based on the sing-off performances stating that Platt sang the best in the sing-off.

With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Stereo Kicks were eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.[71]

Week 9: Semi-Final (6/7 December)
Acts' performances in the semi-final
Act Category (mentor) Order First song[93] Order Second song[93] Result[72]
Fleur East Over 26s (Cowell) 1 "All I Want for Christmas Is You" 6 "Uptown Funk" Safe
Lauren Platt Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 2 "Stay Another Day" 5 "Story of My Life" Bottom Two
Ben Haenow Over 26s (Cowell) 3 "Please Come Home for Christmas" 8 "Hallelujah" Safe (Highest Votes)
Andrea Faustini Boys (Mel B) 4 "O Holy Night" 7 "Wrecking Ball" Bottom Two
Sing-off details[72]
Lauren Platt Girls (Fernandez-Versini) 1 "There You'll Be" Eliminated
Andrea Faustini Boys (Mel B) 2 "Who You Are" Safe
Judges vote to eliminate[72]
  • Fernandez-Versini: Andrea Faustini – gave no reason but effectively backed her own act, Lauren Platt.
  • Mel B: Lauren Platt – backed her own act, Andrea Faustini, but called Platt's vocals one of her best.
  • Walsh: Lauren Platt – gave no reason.
  • Cowell: Lauren Platt – noted that this was both contestants' second time in the bottom two, and despite supporting his decision to send Platt through to the semi-final and criticising Faustini's oversinging, decided that Faustini had earned his overall place in the final throughout the series more.

However, voting statistics revealed that Platt received more votes than Faustini which meant that if Cowell sent the result to deadlock, Platt would have advanced to the final and Faustini would have been eliminated.

Week 10: Final (13/14 December)

Mel B did not appear on the judging panel on Saturday's show due to illness and was replaced by former judge Tulisa.[16];13 December

Acts' performances on the Saturday Final
Act Category (mentor) Order New song[94] Order Duet song[73] Partner[73] Result[73]
Ben Haenow Over 26s (Cowell) 1 "Demons" 4 "Thinking Out Loud" Ed Sheeran Safe (Highest Votes)
Andrea Faustini Boys (Mel B) 2 "Feeling Good" 5 "Ghost" Ella Henderson Eliminated
Fleur East Over 26s (Cowell) 3 "Can't Hold Us" 6 "Beneath Your Beautiful" Labrinth Safe

Andrea Faustini received the fewest public votes and was automatically eliminated.[73]

14 December
Acts' performances on the Sunday Final
Act Category (mentor) Order Favourite Song[94] Originally Performed In Order Winner's Song[96] Result
Ben Haenow Over 26s (Cowell) 1 "Man in the Mirror" The Fifth Week 3 "Something I Need" Winner
Fleur East Over 26s (Cowell) 2 "Uptown Funk" The Semi-Final 4 "Something I Need" Runner-Up


Ratings
Episode Air date Duration (minutes)1 Share (%) Official ITV rating
(millions)[97]2		 Official ITV HD rating
(millions)[98]		 Official ITV+1 rating
(millions)[99]		 Total viewers
(millions)		 Weekly rank[97]3
Auditions 1 30 August8540.9[100]8.331.760.5610.651
Auditions 2 31 August6032.2[101]7.481.360.699.533
Auditions 3 6 September8039.4[102]8.081.520.5310.131
Auditions 4 7 September6528.4[103]7.031.460.749.233
Auditions 5 13 September8038.9[104]8.091.620.5010.211
Auditions 6 14 September6032.9[105]7.611.470.719.793
Auditions 7 20 September8039.2[106]8.131.570.259.953
Auditions 8 21 September6035.2[107]7.721.630.419.764
Bootcamp 1 26 September6023.3[108]5.621.190.647.4513
Bootcamp 2 27 September8032.3[109]7.161.310.559.024
Bootcamp 3 28 September6035.4[110]8.161.420.5210.102
Judges' houses 1 3 October6027.7[111]6.081.200.367.6416
Judges' houses 2 4 October8030.4[112]6.761.400.478.636
Judges' houses 3 5 October6033.9[113]7.781.800.409.983
Live show 1 11 October15031.3[114]6.741.570.498.806
Live results 1 12 October6033.7[115]7.581.750.319.644
Live show 2 18 October14033.2[116]6.741.650.358.744
Live results 2 19 October6033.6[117]7.451.520.299.263
Live show 3 25 October13031.6[118]6.491.530.328.348
Live results 3 26 October6031.1[119]6.821.390.278.487
Live show 4 1 November13531.7[120]6.831.34—28.1710
Live results 4 2 November6028.9[121]6.701.420.298.419
Live show 5 8 November10533.2[122]7.011.570.318.897
Live results 5 9 November6027.6[123]6.541.310.338.189
Live show 6 15 November10032.6[124]6.741.540.328.608
Live results 6 16 November6031.9[125]7.221.640.359.215
Live show 7 22 November10032.4[126]6.841.39—28.2312
Live results 7 23 November6030.4[127]6.841.43—28.2711
Live show 8 29 November10533.1[128]6.961.42—28.3810
Live results 8 30 November6030.4[129]6.841.46—28.3011
Live show 9 6 December9031.0[130]6.251.48—27.7312
Live results 9 7 December6031.4[131]7.121.53—28.6511
Live final 13 December12535.8[132]7.341.59—28.934
Live final results 14 December12535.2[133]8.031.85—29.883
Series average —32.77.151.500.4448.98—

1 Includes advert breaks
2 The ITV+1 figure for this episode is unavailable as it was outside the top 10 programmes of the week on BARB.
3 The rank for the ITV broadcast, compared with all channels for that week, from Monday to Sunday.
4 The average figure for ITV+1 includes only the episodes with figures available.

Controversies

Adam Miller

In July 2014, it was reported that auditionee Adam Miller was suing producers of the show for "cruel" treatment, claiming that they urged him to audition and persuaded him that he "wouldn't be embarrassing" himself, but he was then laughed at by Cowell during his audition which caused much controversy. Miller reportedly required counselling, and said, "I've been lied to, manipulated and used by the show and I can't be the only one. It might be Simon Cowell and it might be The X Factor, but that's wrong and I'm not going to let them get away with it. They approached me. They gave me a bit of self-confidence, then cruelly and deliberately stripped it away to make good TV." A spokesperson confirmed that Miller's audition would not be broadcast.[134]

Chloe Jasmine

There were allegations of favouritism after Chloe Jasmine was allowed to audition twice. She apparently fluffed her arena audition by forgetting her words and bursting into tears, but none of this was shown on television. Instead, viewers saw Jasmine sail through to bootcamp after wowing the judges on a different night and singing the song "Why Don't You Do Right", tricking them into thinking that that had been her only audition. However, a show insider claimed that Chloe was given a second chance because she was going through a rough time: "Chloe was given a second chance as she was upset during her first performance. She had recently split up with her boyfriend so she wasn't in a fit state to perform. We gave her the chance to go away and compose herself. This does happen and the only reason it wasn't seen on the show was that there wasn't enough time to fit all of this into one episode."[135]

Stereo Kicks

During The Xtra Factor after the second results show, in which Stereo Kicks took part in the sing-off, Crawford asked Walsh, their mentor, about them. He said, live on television, that he "never wanted eight boys in the band", "Simon put them together" and generally insinuated that he wanted to cut several members from the band.[136] During several interviews between the week 2 results and the week 3 performance, Stereo Kicks mentioned how disappointed they were that their mentor didn't seem to want them, and there were rumours that the band would be split up during the week 3 live performances.[137] These rumours turned out to be false, and Cowell made Walsh apologise to the band after their week 3 performance.[138] Cowell also offered Stereo Kicks the opportunity to be mentored by him, although it is not certain whether he was serious.[139]

Stereo Kicks announced they had split up on 18 July 2015. Stereo Kicks member Reece Bibby joined a new band, New Hope Club, that November.[140]

Fleur East

After Fleur East completed her performance in week 2, Mel B commented that East had allowed the backing vocals of the track to drown out her own, and accused her of "cheating." This caused a massive uproar backstage after the live show had ended, especially between Mel B and Cowell, East's mentor.[141]

Also, as the semi-finals approached, the other semi-finalists, Andrea Faustini, Ben Haenow and Lauren Platt, were reported to have complained about the judges apparently setting East up to win, with a source saying "It's beginning to look obvious the judges want her to win. It may as well be called The F Factor – it's very unfair."[142] Haenow later stated in an interview that the rumours were false, and that their mentor Cowell is not biased towards any of his acts.[143]

Halloween dancers

During the fourth live show, Fernandez-Versini said that her act, Lola Saunders, kept to the theme of Halloween by having dancers dressed in straitjackets behind her, while performing the Gnarls Barkley song "Crazy". This caused problems to charities that help mental health suffers that felt that the performance and comments helped to normalise the stereotype that mental health sufferers are dangerous. No public apology was issued.[144]

Idina Menzel and Michael Buble performance

During the results show of the semi-final, Idina Menzel and Michael Buble were invited to perform Baby, It's Cold Outside from Menzel's latest album. After the performance had finished Cowell and Walsh gave the duo a standing ovation while Mel B and Fernandez-Versini remained seated without applauding. Many viewers or the show and fans of the artists critiqued the judges as being "disrespectful" of the guests and ignoring common decency.[145] The day after, Fernandez-Versini issued a statement saying that her and Mel B were too focused on their acts being in the bottom two to applaud and her dress made it difficult to stand.[146]

Louis Walsh groping Mel B on live television

During The Xtra Factor after the semi-final results show, Mel B scolded Walsh for accidentally grabbing her bum during an interview. Visibly irritated she moved away from Walsh, who said he was only looking after her. Crawford and the other judges, Cowell and Fernandez-Versini, tried to reassure her that she was "safe" while laughing off the gesture. After resurfacing on social media in July 2018, the clip sparked outrage around the normalcy of sexual harassment. The video caused a debate among users with some defending Walsh based on his alleged homosexuality and the justification that he was unaware of what he was doing. Others pointed out if it can happen so openly in a public setting there is a correlation to how frequently it may happen behind closed doors.[147][148] Walsh stated on 21 July that he grabbed Mel B's bottom as a joke, but conceded that the gesture was no longer politically correct due to social media reaction.[149]

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