X Factor Malta
X Factor Malta is the Maltese version of the British television music competition The X Factor, created by Simon Cowell.[1] The first season premiered on 7 October 2018 and has since been broadcast on Television Malta. The show was used to determine the artist that would represent Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019 and 2020.[2] In July 2020, it was announced that the show would be replaced by Malta's Got Talent,[3] but after a one-year hiatus, a third season began in October 2021.[4]
| X Factor Malta | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality competition |
| Created by | Simon Cowell |
| Directed by | Jeremy Dalli Mark Vassallo |
| Presented by | Gianni Zammit (4–) Ben Camille (1–3) |
| Judges | Howard Keith Debono Ira Losco Gianluca Bezzina (4–) Amber Bondin (4–) Ray Mercieca (1–2) Alexandra Alden (1–2) Ivan Grech (3) Philippa Naudi (3) |
| Country of origin | Malta |
| Original languages | English Maltese |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Anton Attard Charles Dalli Mark Grech |
| Producers | Gordon Bonello Olwyn Jo Saliba Peter Carbonaro Annalise Azzopardi Eileen Spiteri Nicky Aquilina |
| Editors | Neville Grech Chantal Fenech Ruben Cassar Sam Dalli Gary Bugeja |
| Release | |
| Original network | TVM |
| Original release | October 7, 2018 – present |
| Related | |
| |
Season summary
To date, four seasons have been broadcast, as summarised below.
Contestant in "Ray Mercieca"
Contestant in "Alexandra Alden"
Contestant in "Howard Keith Debono"
Contestant in "Ira Losco"
Contestant in "Ivan Grech"
Contestant in "Philippa Naudi"
Contestant in "Gianluca Bezzina"
Contestant in "Amber Bondin"
| Season | Start | Finish | Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Fourth place | Winning mentor | Main host | Main judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 October 2018 | 26 January 2019 | Michela Pace | Owen Leuellen | Nicole Frendo | Petra | Howard Keith Debono | Ben Camille | Howard Keith Debono Ira Losco Alexandra Alden Ray Mercieca |
| 2 | 6 October 2019 | 8 February 2020 | Destiny Chukunyere | Justine Shorfid | F.A.I.T.H | Kyle Cutajar | Ira Losco | ||
| 3 | 3 October 2021 | 12 February 2022 | Ryan Hili | Lisa Gauci | Aidan Drakard | Cheryl Balzan | Howard Keith Debono | Howard Keith Debono Ira Losco Ivan Grech Philippa Naudi | |
| 4 | 8 October 2023 | Gianni Zammit | Howard Keith Debono Ira Losco Gianluca Bezzina Amber Bondin | ||||||
Judges' categories and their contestants
In each season, each judge is allocated a category to mentor and chooses three acts to progress to the live finals. This table shows, for each series, which category each judge was allocated and which acts he or she put through to the live finals.
Key:
- – Winning judge/category. Winners are in bold, eliminated contestants in small font.
| Season | Howard Keith Debono | Ira Losco | Alexandra Alden | Ray Mercieca |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Girls Michela Pace Nicole Frendo Kelsey Bellante |
Boys Owen Leuellen Luke Chappell Norbert Bondin |
Groups 4th Line Xtreme Kayati |
Overs Petra Ben Purplle Franklin Calleja |
| 2 | Groups F.A.I.T.H Bloodline Yazmin & James |
Girls Destiny Chukunyere Justine Shorfid Jasmine Abela |
Overs Celine Agius Paul Anthony Ed Abdilla |
Boys Kyle Cutajar Karl Schembri Dav. Jr |
| Season | Howard Keith Debono | Ira Losco | Philippa Naudi | Ivan Grech |
| 3 | Boys Ryan Hili Aidan Drakard Kevin Paul |
Overs Cheryl Balzan Audrienne Fenech Jimmy Tyrrell |
Groups Ceci & Kriss Soul Tide Beyond |
Girls Lisa Gauci Timea Farr Shauna Vassallo |
Presenter and judges
On 2 July 2018, it was announced that Ben Camille was selected to host the show.[5]
The full judges' panel was revealed on 31 July 2018, and was composed of music producer Howard Keith Debono, The Rifffs' frontman Ray Mercieca, Maltese singer and songwriter Alexandra Alden, and singer/star Ira Losco. The senior producers are Gordon Bonello and Olwyn Jo Saliba.[6][7]
Season 1
Pre-auditions
The first appeal for applicants was made on 26 June 2018, with the launch of the online submission form. Auditioning artists were also able to send a video audition via the WhatsApp messaging platform.[8] In addition, a number of pop-up booths were set up around Malta in early July to encourage people to enter.[9]
Producers auditions were held from 13 to 15 July at Fort St Elmo. There the show's producers assessed the auditioning acts and determined who would progress to the judges auditions.[10]
Judges' auditions
The auditionees chosen by the producers were invited back to the last set of auditions that took place in front of the judges. These auditions were filmed at Fort St Angelo from 1 to 8 August and broadcast from 7 October, as well as short daily extra auditions on the X Factor Malta YouTube channel and on the Facebook page of Vodafone Malta.
The 120 successful contestants then progressed to the bootcamp round.
Bootcamp
The bootcamp round was filmed at the Hilton Malta Conference Centre from 9 to 12 September and broadcast on 11 and 18 November.[11]
Contestants were given three performance challenges. On the first day, the 120 contestants were split into the four category groups - Boys, Girls, Overs and Groups. Acts in each category were given one song to sing a cappella: "A Million Reasons" (Girls), "See You Again" (Boys), "Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me" (Overs) "My Girl" (Groups). After the performances, the judges sent home 30 acts.
For the second challenge, the remaining acts each selected a song from the Wall of Songs, which they had to perform with three others who had selected the same song. Contestants were either put through to the next stage, or went to the Waiting Room, where they later had the possibility of being called on to be part of a newly formed group.
In the final challenge, the remaining acts - including newly formed groups - performed a song of their own choice. The jury then selected 12 participants from each category to go through to the Six Chair Challenge.
Six Chair Challenge
The Six Chair Challenge was filmed at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Attard on 11 and 12 October 2018.[12]
The 24 successful acts were:
- Boys: Mark Anthony Bartolo, Norbert Bondin, Aidan Cassar, Luke Chappell, Owen Leuellen, Claudio Zammit
- Girls: Kelsey Bellante, Karin Duff, Nicole Frendo, Danica Muscat, Michela Pace, Jade Vella
- Overs: Anna Azzopardi, Franklin Calleja, Anna Faniello, Petra, Ben Purplle, Vanessa Lee Sultana
- Groups: 4th Line, Horizon, Kayati, Prism, Systm12, Xtreme
Judges' Houses
The Judges' Houses episodes were broadcast on 23 and 30 December 2018.
| Judge | Category | Assistant | Contestants eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Losco | Boys | Joseph Calleja | Mark Anthony Bartolo, Aidan Cassar, Claudio Zammit |
| Debono | Girls | Mike Hedges | Karin Duff, Danica Muscat, Jade Vella |
| Mercieca | Overs | Matthew James Borg | Anna Azzopardi, Anna Faniello, Vanessa Lee Sultana |
| Alden | Groups | Carlo Borg Bonaci | Horizon, Prism, Systm12 |
Contestants
Key:
- – Winner
- – Runner-up
- – Third Place
| Category (mentor) | Acts | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys (Losco) | Norbert Bondin | Luke Chappell | Owen Leuellen |
| Girls (Debono) | Kelsey Bellante | Nicole Frendo | Michela Pace |
| Overs (Mercieca) | Franklin Calleja | Petra Zammit | Ben Purplle |
| Groups (Alden) | 4th Line | Kayati | Xtreme |
Live shows
The live shows began on Sunday, 6 January 2019. They were filmed at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Attard, Malta.[13] Dance groups contracted for all live shows were The Unit Collective (Deedee Clark, Kimberly Lowell, Nicole Schembri), Southville Dancers (Christian Scerri), Kinetic Dance Academy (Clayton Mifsud, Daphne Gatt) and Annalise Dance Studio (Annalise Ellul).
Results summary
- Colour key
- – Contestant in the bottom two/three and had to perform in the Sing-Off
- – 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 | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round One | Round Two | Round One | Round Two | Round Three | ||||
| Michela Pace | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winner | |
| Owen Leuellen | Safe | Safe | Safe | 4th | Safe | Safe | Runner-Up | |
| Nicole Frendo | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | 3rd | Eliminated (week 4) | |
| Petra Zammit | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | 4th | Eliminated (week 4) | ||
| Luke Chappell | Safe | Safe | Safe | 5th | Eliminated (week 3) | |||
| Norbert Bondin | Safe | Safe | Safe | 6th | Eliminated (week 3) | |||
| Ben Purplle | Safe | 8th | 7th | Eliminated (week 3) | ||||
| Kelsey Bellante | Safe | Safe | 8th | Eliminated (week 3) | ||||
| 4th Line | Safe | 9th | Eliminated (week 2) | |||||
| Xtreme | Bottom three | 10th | Eliminated (week 2) | |||||
| Franklin Calleja | Bottom three | Eliminated (week 1) | ||||||
| Kayati | 12th | Eliminated (week 1) | ||||||
| Sing-Off | Franklin Calleja, Xtreme |
4th Line, Ben Purplle |
No Sing Off or Judges Vote. The two acts with the fewest votes will leave the competition. | Owen Leuellen, Luke Chappell |
No Sing Off or Judges Vote, the public votes decide who wins. | |||
| Alden's vote to eliminate | Franklin Calleja | Ben Purplle | Owen Leuellen | |||||
| Debono's vote to eliminate | Franklin Calleja | Ben Purplle | Owen Leuellen | |||||
| Losco's vote to eliminate | Franklin Calleja | 4th Line | Luke Chappell | |||||
| Mercieca's vote to eliminate | Xtreme | 4th Line | Luke Chappell | |||||
| Eliminated | Kayati Public vote Franklin Calleja 3 of 4 votes Majority |
Xtreme Public vote 4th Line 2 of 4 votes Deadlock |
Kelsey Bellante Public vote Ben Purplle Public vote |
Norbert Bondin Public vote Luke Chappell 2 of 4 votes Deadlock |
Michela Pace | |||
| Owen Leuellen | ||||||||
| Nicole Frendo | ||||||||
| Petra | ||||||||
Week 1 (6 Jan)
- Theme: This is Me
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4th Line | 1 | "Survivor" | Safe |
| Luke Chappell | 2 | "Overthinking" (original song) | Safe |
| Nicole Frendo | 3 | "Too Good at Goodbyes" | Safe |
| Franklin Calleja | 4 | "Jealous" | Bottom three |
| Xtreme | 5 | "Side to Side"/"Woman Like Me" | Bottom three |
| Michela Pace | 6 | "Lost on You" | Safe |
| Norbert Bondin | 7 | "Say Something" | Safe |
| Kayati | 8 | "Nobody's Perfect" | Eliminated |
| Ben Purplle | 9 | "Dancing On My Own" | Safe |
| Owen Leuellen | 10 | "Can't Hold Us" | Safe |
| Petra Zammit | 11 | "What's Up?" | Safe |
| Kelsey Bellante | 12 | "Chained to the Rhythm" | Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
| Franklin Calleja | 1 | "Clown" | Eliminated |
| Xtreme | 2 | "Take Me Home" | Safe |
- Judges' vote to eliminate
- Mercieca: Xtreme
- Alden: Franklin Calleja
- Losco: Franklin Calleja
- Debono: Franklin Calleja
Week 2 (13 Jan)
- Theme: Throwbacks
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xtreme | 1 | "They Don't Care About Us" | Eliminated |
| Kelsey Bellante | 2 | "Could You Be Loved" | Safe |
| Owen Leuellen | 3 | "Boom! Shake the Room" | Safe |
| Ben Purplle | 4 | "Yesterday" | Bottom three |
| 4th Line | 5 | "It's Raining Men" | Bottom three |
| Petra Zammit | 6 | "I Just Want to Make Love to You" | Safe |
| Luke Chappell | 7 | "Hey There Delilah" | Safe |
| Nicole Frendo | 8 | "Purple Rain" | Safe |
| Norbert Bondin | 9 | "Wild Boys" | Safe |
| Michela Pace | 10 | "The Power of Love" | Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
| Ben Purplle | 1 | "Iris" | Safe |
| 4th Line | 2 | "Queen of the Night" | Eliminated |
- Judges' vote to eliminate
- Mercieca: 4th Line
- Alden: Ben Purplle
- Losco: 4th Line
- Debono: Ben Purplle
With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. 4th Line was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.
Week 3: Semi-Final (20 Jan)
- Theme: Movie Spectacular, Jukebox
| Act | Order | First Song | Result | Order | Second Song | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen Leuellen | 1 | "Gangsta's Paradise" | Safe | 13 | "What Did You Expect" (original song) | Bottom three | |
| Ben Purplle | 2 | "Oh, Pretty Woman" | Eliminated | N/A (Already eliminated) | |||
| Nicole Frendo | 3 | "Skyfall" | Safe | 14 | "Scared to Be Lonely" | Safe | |
| Norbert Bondin | 4 | "Never Enough" | Safe | 11 | "Empty Space" | Eliminated | |
| Michela Pace | 5 | "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" | Safe | 12 | "Shallow" | Safe | |
| Luke Chappell | 6 | "Heathens" | Safe | 9 | "What Do You Mean?" | Bottom three | |
| Kelsey Bellante | 7 | "Pray for Me" | Eliminated | N/A (Already eliminated) | |||
| Petra Zammit | 8 | "We Don't Need Another Hero" | Safe | 10 | "Set Fire to the Rain" | Safe | |
| Final showdown details | |||||||
| Act | Order | Song | Result | ||||
| Owen Leuellen | N/A | Safe | |||||
| Luke Chappell | N/A | Eliminated | |||||
- Judges' vote to eliminate
- Mercieca: Luke Chappell
- Alden: Owen Leuellen
- Debono: Owen Leuellen
- Losco: Luke Chappell
With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Luke Chappell was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.
In this semi-final, the eight qualified finalists performed at least once. The two acts with the fewest public votes after the first round left the competition, with Kelsey Bellante, gaining the fewest votes overall, and Ben Purplle gaining the second fewest votes. The top six performed again, with the top three acts automatically progressing to the final. The remaining three faced elimination. Of these three, Norbert Bondin received the fewest votes and was thus immediately eliminated. The remaining two, Owen Leuellen and Luke Chappell, faced the tiebreaker, which was to be decided by the judges. However, as the tie was not resolved by the end of the judges' vote, the deadlock - once again decided by the public vote - had to be used. As Owen Leuellen received more votes then Luke Chappell, the former progressed to the final.
Week 4: Final (26 Jan)
| Act | Order | First Song | Order | Second Song | Order | Third Song | Order | Fourth Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petra Zammit | 1 | "You Don't Own Me" | 5 | "Be My Guest" (with Ray Mercieca) | N/A (Already eliminated) | 4th Place | |||
| Nicole Frendo | 2 | "Russian Roulette" | 7 | "Just Give Me a Reason" (with Matthew James) | 10 | "Kemm hu Sabiħ" (New Cuorey) | N/A (Already eliminated) | 3rd Place | |
| Owen Leuellen | 3 | "One Day" (Original Song) | 6 | "Hey Now" (with Ira Losco) | 9 | "Aħseb fit-tifel" (Shazam) | 12 | "Believe" (Original Song) | Runner-up |
| Michela Pace | 4 | "Total Eclipse of the Heart" | 8 | "Perfect" (with Joseph Calleja) | 11 | "Inti Djamant" (The Tramps) | 13 | "Shallow" | Winner |
Aired Shows
| Episode | Air date |
|---|---|
| Auditions 1 | 7 October 2018 |
| Auditions 2 | 14 October 2018 |
| Auditions 3 | 21 October 2018 |
| Auditions 4 | 28 October 2018 |
| Auditions 5 | 4 November 2018 |
| Bootcamp 1 | 11 November 2018 |
| Bootcamp 2 | 18 November 2018 |
| Six Chair Challenge 1 (Girls) | 25 November 2018 |
| Six Chair Challenge 2 (Boys) | 2 December 2018 |
| Six Chair Challenge 3 (Overs) | 9 December 2018 |
| Six Chair Challenge 4 (Groups) | 16 December 2018 |
| Judges Houses 1 (Girls and Overs) | 23 December 2018 |
| Judges Houses 2 (Boys and Groups) | 30 December 2018 |
| Live Show 1 | 6 January 2019 |
| Live Show 2 | 13 January 2019 |
| Live Show 3 | 20 January 2019 |
| Live Show 4 | 26 January 2019 |
Season 2
The second season premiered on 6 October 2019.[14] As with the inaugural season, the format continued to serve as the Maltese national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. The winner of the second season of X Factor Malta would have represented the island nation at the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands, but the contest was cancelled due to COVID-19.[15]
Six Chair Challenge
The 24 successful acts were:
- Boys: Matt Blxck, Kyle Cutajar, Dav. Jr, Giovanni, Karl Schembri, Jurgen Volkov
- Girls: Jasmine Abela, Gail Attard, Marija Bellia, Destiny Chukunyere, Karin Duff, Justine Shorfid
- Overs: Ed Abdilla, Celine Agius, Paul Anthony, Chantal Catania, Kersten Graham, Jozi
- Groups: Bloodline, Chord, F.A.I.T.H, Reign, Sweet Chaos, Yazmin and James
Judges' Houses
The Judges' Houses episodes were broadcast on 22 and 29 December 2019.
| Judge | Category | Assistant | Contestants eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercieca | Boys | Amelia Lily | Matt Blxck, Giovanni, Jurgen Volkov |
| Losco | Girls | Louisa Johnson | Gail Attard, Marija Bellia, Karin Duff |
| Alden | Overs | The New Victorians | Chantal Catania, Kersten Graham, Jozi |
| Debono | Groups | Lil' Eddie | Chord, Reign, Sweet Chaos |
Contestants
Key:
- – Winner
- – Runner-up
- – Third Place
| Category (mentor) | Acts | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys (Mercieca) | Kyle Cutajar | Dav. Jr | Karl Schembri |
| Girls (Losco) | Jasmine Abela | Destiny Chukunyere | Justine Shorfid |
| Overs (Alden) | Ed Abdilla | Celine Agius | Paul Anthony |
| Groups (Debono) | Bloodline | F.A.I.T.H | Yazmin & James |
Live shows
The live shows began on Sunday, 12 January 2020. They were filmed at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Attard, Malta. Dance groups contracted for all live shows were The Unit Collective (Deedee Clark, Kimberly Lowell, Nicole Schembri), Southville Dancers (Christian Scerri), Kinetic Dance Academy (Clayton Mifsud, Daphne Gatt) and Annalise Dance Studio (Annalise Ellul).
Results summary
- Colour key
- – Contestant in the bottom two/three and had to perform in the Sing-Off
- – Contestant was in the bottom three but received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated
- – Contestant received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated
| Contestant | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round One | Round Two | Round One | Round Two | Round Three | |||||
| Destiny Chukunyere | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winner | |
| Justine Shorfid | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Runner-up | |
| F.A.I.T.H | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | 3rd | Eliminated (week 5) | |
| Kyle Cutajar | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | 4th | Eliminated (week 5) | ||
| Bloodline | Safe | Safe | Bottom three | Safe | 5th | Eliminated (week 4) | |||
| Yazmin & James | Safe | 8th | Safe | 6th | Eliminated (week 4) | ||||
| Celine Agius | Bottom three | Safe | Bottom three | Eliminated (week 3) | |||||
| Karl Schembri | Safe | Safe | 8th | Eliminated (week 3) | |||||
| Dav. Jr | Safe | 9th | Eliminated (week 2) | ||||||
| Jasmine Abela | Safe | 10th | Eliminated (week 2) | ||||||
| Paul Anthony | Bottom three | Eliminated (week 1) | |||||||
| Ed Abdilla | 12th | Eliminated (week 1) | |||||||
| Sing-Off | Celine Agius, Paul Anthony |
Dav. Jr, Yazmin & James |
Bloodline, Celine Agius |
No Sing Off or Judges Vote. The two acts with the fewest votes will leave the competition. | No Sing Off or Judges Vote, the public votes decide who wins. | ||||
| Alden's vote to eliminate | Paul Anthony | Yazmin & James | Bloodline | ||||||
| Debono's vote to eliminate | Paul Anthony | Dav. Jr | Celine Agius | ||||||
| Losco's vote to eliminate | Paul Anthony | Dav. Jr | Celine Agius | ||||||
| Mercieca's vote to eliminate | Paul Anthony | Yazmin & James | Celine Agius | ||||||
| Eliminated | Ed Abdilla Public vote Paul Anthony 4 of 4 votes Majority |
Jasmine Abela Public vote Dav. Jr 2 of 4 votes Deadlock |
Karl Schembri Public vote Celine Agius 3 of 4 votes Majority |
Yazmin & James Public vote |
Bloodline Public vote |
Destiny Chukunyere | |||
| Justine Shorfid | |||||||||
| F.A.I.T.H | |||||||||
| Kyle Cutajar | |||||||||
Week 1 (12 Jan)
- Theme: Born This Way
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasmine Abela | 1 | "Crazy in Love" | Safe |
| Kyle Cutajar | 2 | "Writing's on the Wall" | Safe |
| Yazmin & James | 3 | "Señorita" | Safe |
| Celine Agius | 4 | "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" | Bottom three |
| Justine Shorfid | 5 | "Always Remember Us This Way" | Safe |
| Ed Abdilla | 6 | "Devil's Robe" (Original song) | Eliminated |
| F.A.I.T.H | 7 | "That's My Girl" | Safe |
| Karl Schembri | 8 | "Smalltown Boy" | Safe |
| Dav. Jr | 9 | "Life is Good" (Original song) | Safe |
| Paul Anthony | 10 | "Feel" | Bottom three |
| Bloodline | 11 | "My Favorite Things"/"Lovely" | Safe |
| Destiny Chukunyere | 12 | "Higher Love" | Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
| Celine Agius | 1 | "Valerie" | Safe |
| Paul Anthony | 2 | "Forget You" | Eliminated |
- Judges' vote to eliminate
- Alden: Paul Anthony
- Debono: Paul Anthony
- Mercieca: Paul Anthony
- Losco: Paul Anthony
Week 2 (19 Jan)
- Theme: Guilty Pleasures
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| F.A.I.T.H | 1 | "Wannabe" | Safe |
| Celine Agius | 2 | "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" | Safe |
| Jasmine Abela | 3 | "Material Girl" | Eliminated |
| Dav. Jr | 4 | "Umbrella" | Bottom three |
| Justine Shorfid | 5 | "Dance Monkey" | Safe |
| Bloodline | 6 | "Forever Young" | Safe |
| Yazmin & James | 7 | "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" | Bottom three |
| Kyle Cutajar | 8 | "Never Gonna Give You Up" | Safe |
| Destiny Chukunyere | 9 | "I Will Survive" | Safe |
| Karl Schembri | 10 | "I'll Fly with You" | Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
| Yazmin & James | 1 | "Homesick" | Safe |
| Dav. Jr | 2 | "Your Song" | Eliminated |
- Judges' vote to eliminate
- Mercieca: Yazmin & James
- Debono: Dav. Jr
- Alden: Yazmin & James
- Losco: Dav. Jr
With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Dav. Jr was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes
Week 3 (26 Jan)
- Theme: Movie Spectacular
| Act | Order | Song | Movie | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Destiny Chukunyere | 1 | "He Lives in You" | The Lion King II: Simba's Pride | Safe |
| Celine Agius | 2 | "What a Wonderful World" | Good Morning, Vietnam | Bottom three |
| Yazmin & James | 3 | "You're the One That I Want" | Grease | Safe |
| Karl Schembri | 4 | "Nessun Dorma" | Turandot | Eliminated |
| Bloodline | 5 | "Swan Song" | Alita: Battle Angel | Bottom three |
| Justine Shorfid | 6 | "I Will Always Love You" | The Bodyguard | Safe |
| Kyle Cutajar | 7 | "Kiss from a Rose" | Batman Forever | Safe |
| F.A.I.T.H | 8 | "Man in the Mirror" | Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story | Safe |
| Final showdown details | ||||
| Act | Order | Song | Result | |
| Bloodline | 1 | "Lost on You" | Safe | |
| Celine Agius | 2 | "I Put a Spell on You" | Eliminated | |
- Judges' vote to eliminate
- Debono: Celine Agius
- Alden: Bloodline
- Losco: Celine Agius
- Mercieca: Celine Agius
Week 4 Semi-final (2 Feb)
- Theme: Big Band, Jukebox
| Act | Order | First Song | Result | Order | Second Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodline | 1 | "Diamonds Are Forever" | Safe | 10 | "Euphoria" | Eliminated |
| Kyle Cutajar | 2 | "Feelin' Good" | Safe | 7 | "River" | Safe |
| Destiny Chukunyere | 3 | "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" | Safe | 9 | "This Is Me" | Safe |
| Yazmin & James | 4 | "Fever" | Eliminated | N/A (Already eliminated) | ||
| F.A.I.T.H | 5 | "Candyman" | Safe | 11 | "Runnin' (Lose It All)" | Safe |
| Justine Shorfid | 6 | "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" | Safe | 8 | "Spirit" | Safe |
Week 5: Final (8 Feb)
| Act | Order | First Song (original song) | Order | Second Song (guest duet) | Order | Third Song (Maltese classic song) | Order | Fourth Song (best moment song) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Destiny Chukunyere | 1 | "Save the Hero" | 5 | "River Deep – Mountain High" (with Amelia Lily) | 11 | "Fejn Staħbejtli" | 13 | "He Lives in You" | Winner |
| F.A.I.T.H | 2 | "We Are F.A.I.T.H" | 6 | "Don't Start Now" (with Owen Leuellen) | 9 | "Viva Malta" | N/A (Already eliminated) | 3rd Place | |
| Justine Shorfid | 3 | "Bittersweet" | 7 | "Alone" (with Louisa Johnson) | 10 | "L-Aħħar Bidwi" | 12 | "All I Want" | Runner-Up |
| Kyle Cutajar | 4 | "Rise" | 8 | "Shallow" (with Michela Pace) | N/A (Already eliminated) | 4th Place | |||
Season 3
The third season premiered on 3 October 2021. This time around, the winner will not receive the rights to represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Italy.
Six Chair Challenge
The 24 successful acts were:
- Boys: Aidan Drakard, Ryan Hili, Kevin Paul, Nathan Psaila, Rheez, Isaac Tom
- Girls: Timea Farr, Lisa Gauci, Mariah Gerada, Kristy Spiteri, Hannah Theuma, Shauna Vassallo
- Overs: Janice Azzopardi, Cheryl Balzan, Dean Barton, Audrienne Fenech, Jastene Pacis, Jimmy Tyrrell
- Groups: Beyond, Ceci & Kriss, Daryl & Dale, Jasmine, Anna & Jana, Soul Tide, Wish Me Lack
Judges' Houses
The Judges' Houses episodes were broadcast on 19 December 2021 and 2 January 2022.
| Judge | Category | Contestants eliminated |
|---|---|---|
| Debono | Boys | Nathan Psaila, Rheez, Isaac Tom |
| Grech | Girls | Mariah Gerada, Kristy Spiteri, Hannah Theuma |
| Losco | Overs | Janice Azzopardi, Dean Barton, Jastene Pacis |
| Naudi | Groups | Daryl & Dale, Jasmine, Anna & Jana, Wish Me Lack |
Finalists
Key:
- – Winner
- – Runner-up
- – Third Place
| Category (mentor) | Acts | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys (Debono) | Aidan Drakard | Ryan Hili | Kevin Paul |
| Girls (Grech) | Timea Farr | Lisa Gauci | Shauna Vassallo |
| Overs (Losco) | Cheryl Balzan | Audrienne Fenech | Jimmy Tyrrell |
| Groups (Naudi) | Beyond | Ceci & Kriss | Soul Tide |
Live shows
The live shows began on Sunday, 16 January 2022. They were filmed at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Attard, Malta. Dance groups contracted for all live shows were The Unit Collective (Deedee Clark, Kimberly Lowell, Nicole Schembri), Southville Dancers (Christian Scerri), Kinetic Dance Academy (Clayton Mifsud, Daphne Gatt) and Annalise Dance Studio (Annalise Ellul).
Results summary
- Colour key
- – Contestant in the bottom two/three and had to perform in the Sing-Off
- – Contestant was in the bottom three but received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated
- – Contestant received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated
| Contestant | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round One | Round Two | ||||||
| Ryan Hili | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winner | |
| Lisa Gauci | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Runner-up | |
| Aidan Drakard | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Third Place | |
| Cheryl Balzan | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | 4th | Eliminated (week 5) | |
| Ceci & Kriss | Safe | Safe | Safe | 5th | Eliminated (week 4) | ||
| Timea Farr | Safe | Bottom three | Bottom three | 6th | Eliminated (week 4) | ||
| Kevin Paul | Safe | Safe | Bottom three | Eliminated (week 3) | |||
| Audrienne Fenech | Safe | Safe | 8th | Eliminated (week 3) | |||
| Soul Tide | Safe | Bottom three | Eliminated (week 2) | ||||
| Beyond | 10th | 10th | Eliminated (week 2) | ||||
| Jimmy Tyrrell | 11th | Eliminated (week 1) | |||||
| Shauna Vassallo | 12th | Eliminated (week 1) | |||||
| Sing-Off | Beyond, Jimmy Tyrrell |
Soul Tide, Timea Farr |
Kevin Paul, Timea Farr |
No Sing Off or Judges Vote. The two acts with the fewest votes will leave the competition. | No Sing Off or Judges Vote, the public votes decide who wins. | ||
| Debono's vote to eliminate | Beyond | Soul Tide | Timea Farr | ||||
| Grech's vote to eliminate | Jimmy Tyrrell | Soul Tide | Kevin Paul | ||||
| Losco's vote to eliminate | Beyond | Soul Tide | Kevin Paul | ||||
| Naudi's vote to eliminate | Jimmy Tyrrell | Timea Farr | Kevin Paul | ||||
| Eliminated | Shauna Vassallo Public vote Jimmy Tyrrell 2 of 4 votes Deadlock |
Beyond Public vote Soul Tide 3 of 4 votes Majority |
Audrienne Fenech Public vote Kevin Paul 3 of 4 votes Majority |
Timea Farr Public vote Ceci & Kriss Public vote |
Cheryl Balzan Public vote |
Ryan Hili Winner | |
| Lisa Gauci Runner-up | |||||||
| Aidan Drakard Third place | |||||||
Week 1 (16 Jan)
- Theme: It's My Life
- Group performance: "It's My Life"
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Hili | 1 | "Impossible" | Safe |
| Shauna Vassallo | 2 | "Blinding Lights" | Eliminated |
| Jimmy Tyrrell | 3 | "Dancing On My Own" | Bottom three |
| Beyond | 4 | "Love Runs Out" | Bottom three |
| Kevin Paul | 5 | "Hurt" (Original song) | Safe |
| Audrienne Fenech | 6 | "Ex's & Oh's" | Safe |
| Timea Farr | 7 | "Control" | Safe |
| Ceci & Kriss | 8 | "Higher Power" | Safe |
| Aidan Drakard | 9 | "Mercy" | Safe |
| Soul Tide | 10 | "Don't Go Yet" | Safe |
| Cheryl Balzan | 11 | "Just Like a Pill" | Safe |
| Lisa Gauci | 12 | "Run" | Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
| Beyond | 1 | "I Just Called to Say I Love You" | Safe |
| Jimmy Tyrrell | 2 | "Purple Rain" | Eliminated |
- Judges' vote to eliminate
- Losco: Beyond
- Naudi: Jimmy Tyrrell
- Debono: Beyond
- Grech: Jimmy Tyrrell
With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Jimmy Tyrrell was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes
Week 2 (23 Jan)
- Theme: Retro
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheryl Balzan | 1 | "The Best" | Safe |
| Timea Farr | 2 | "Iris" | Bottom three |
| Kevin Paul | 3 | "Right Here Waiting" | Safe |
| Beyond | 4 | "I'm Still Standing" | Eliminated |
| Soul Tide | 5 | "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" | Bottom three |
| Lisa Gauci | 6 | "Believe" | Safe |
| Ceci & Kriss | 7 | "L-Aħħar Bidwi f’Wied il-Għasel" | Safe |
| Ryan Hili | 8 | "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" | Safe |
| Audrienne Fenech | 9 | "Tainted Love" | Safe |
| Aidan Drakard | 10 | "Freedom! '90" | Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
| Timea Farr | 1 | "The Night We Met" | Safe |
| Soul Tide | 2 | "I Will Survive" | Eliminated |
- Judges' vote to eliminate
- Naudi: Timea Farr
- Grech: Soul Tide
- Losco: Soul Tide
- Debono: Soul Tide
Week 3 (30 Jan)
- Theme: Soundtracks
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Paul | 1 | "My Life Is Going On" | Bottom three |
| Ceci & Kriss | 2 | "Let it Be" | Safe |
| Lisa Gauci | 3 | "Holding Out for a Hero" | Safe |
| Aidan Drakard | 4 | "Mad World" | Safe |
| Audrienne Fenech | 5 | "Friend Like Me" | Eliminated |
| Timea Farr | 6 | "Yellow" | Bottom three |
| Ryan Hili | 7 | "Somewhere Only We Know" | Safe |
| Cheryl Balzan | 8 | "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" | Safe |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
| Timea Farr | 1 | "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" | Safe |
| Kevin Paul | 2 | "If You're Not the One" | Eliminated |
- Judges' vote to eliminate
- Debono: Timea Farr
- Grech: Kevin Paul
- Naudi: Kevin Paul
- Losco: Kevin Paul
Week 4 (6 Feb)
- Theme: Greatest hits
| Act | Order | Song | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Hili | 1 | "Someone You Loved" | |
| Ceci & Kriss | 2 | "Royals" | |
| Lisa Gauci | 3 | "The Winner Takes It All" | |
| Aidan Drakard | 4 | "Let Me Entertain You" | |
| Timea Farr | 5 | "Easy on Me" | |
| Cheryl Balzan | 6 | "We Are the Champions" | |
| Sing-off showdown details | |||
| Act | Order | Song | Result |
| Lisa Gauci | 1 | "If I Were a Boy" | Safe |
| Cheryl Balzan | 2 | "Always" | Safe |
| Ceci & Kriss | 3 | "Drivers License" | Eliminated |
| Aidan Drakard | 4 | "Anyone" | Safe |
| Timea Farr | 5 | "Say Something" | Eliminated |
| Ryan Hili | 6 | "Human" | Safe |
Week 5: Final (12 Feb)
| Act | Order | First Song (original song) | Order | Second Song (guest duet) | Order | Third Song (best moment song) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aidan Drakard | 1 | "Leave a Light On" | 7 | "Wicked Game" (with Michela Pace) | 9 | "Freedom! '90" | 3rd place |
| Cheryl Balzan | 2 | "Here Comes the Rain Again" | 8 | "Beat It" (with Owen Leuellen) | N/A (Already eliminated) | 4th Place | |
| Lisa Gauci | 3 | "Purple Rain" | 5 | "Rumour Has It" (with Justine Shorfid) | 10 | "Run" | Runner-up |
| Ryan Hili | 4 | "Falling" | 6 | "Stay With Me" (with Nicole Frendo) | 11 | "Somewhere Only We Know" | Winner |
References
- "X FACTOR PREMIERE: Here's Who Got Four Yeses And Who Was Sent Packing". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
- "X-Factor Malta to determine Eurovision entry; news welcomed, but questions raised". www.independent.com.mt. The Malta Independent. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- "It's OFFICIAL: Malta's Got Talent to Replace X Factor and There's a 25k Prize to be Won". 6 July 2020.
- "X Factor Malta Is Back! Season 3 Is Returning To Our Tv Screens". 16 June 2021.
- "Ben Camille to host The X Factor Malta". TVM News. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- Confirmed X factor judge lovinmalta.com Retrieved 9 October 2019
- "X Factor Malta". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
- "The X Factor Malta applications are now open – the winner to get a record contract with Sony". TVM. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- "Malta: X Factor Auditions Begin as Nationwide Search Gets Underway". Euroviox. July 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- "Hundreds Of Singers Cross Their Fingers As X Factor Malta Auditions Kick Off". Lovin Malta. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- "ESC 2019 – Malta: Stasera al via la 2ª fase di The X Factor Malta – Aggiornato". Leuropazzia. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- "The X Factor Malta Chair Challenge". Guide Me Malta. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- "X FACTOR MALTA LIVE SHOW". Shows Happening. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- Farren, Neil (6 September 2019). "Malta: X Factor Malta Season 2 to Begin on October 6". Eurovoix. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- Farren, Neil (11 October 2019). "Malta: X Factor Malta Winner to Go to Eurovision 2020". Eurovoix. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
External links
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