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''The X Factor'' is an
Australian television Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with radio stations 3DB and 3UZ, and 2UE in Sydney, using the ''Radiovision'' system by Gilbert Miles and Donald McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Bris ...
reality
music competition A music competition is a public event designed to identify and award outstanding musical ensembles, soloists, composers, conductors and musicologists. Pop music competitions are music competitions which are held to find pop starlets. Exampl ...
, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent. The first season of the show premiered on
Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
on 6 February 2005. Ten dropped ''The X Factor'' after the first season due to its poor ratings. In 2010, the
Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
won the rights to the show, and a second season went into production. ''The X Factor'' was renewed after the highly successful '' Australian Idol'' was no longer broadcast on Network Ten. ''The X Factor'' was produced by
FremantleMedia Australia Fremantle Australia Pty Ltd. (formerly FremantleMedia Australia) is the Australian arm of global British production and entertainment company Fremantle. It was formed in 2006 by the merger of market leader Grundy Television and comedy speciali ...
, and was broadcast on the Seven Network in Australia and on TV3 in New Zealand. The program was cancelled after its eighth season in 2016. The original judging panel line-up in 2005 consisted of
Mark Holden Mark Ronald Holden (born 27 April 1954) is an Australian singer, actor, TV personality, record producer, songwriter, and barrister. He was a pop star in the 1970s and had four top 20 hit singles, "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" (May 1976 ...
,
Kate Ceberano Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the soul, jazz, and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her song " Pash" received a gold ...
, and John Reid. When the show was revived in 2010, the judging panel was replaced by
Natalie Imbruglia Natalie Jane Imbruglia ( , ; born 4 February 1975) is an Australian singer and actress. In the early 1990s, she played Beth Brennan in the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours''. Three years after leaving the programme, she began a singing car ...
,
Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career start ...
,
Kyle Sandilands Kyle Dalton Sandilands (born 10 June 1971) is an Australian radio host and television personality. He is currently the co-host, with Jackie O, of the weekday morning radio program '' The Kyle and Jackie O Show'' on Sydney's radio station KIIS ...
and
Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first '' Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...
. Imbruglia and Sandilands did not return for
season three A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
and were replaced by
Natalie Bassingthwaighte Natalie Bassingthwaighte (; born 1 September 1975) is an Australian recording artist, actress, and television personality. Born and raised in Wollongong, New South Wales, she began her career in musical theatre. She later pursued an acting car ...
and Mel B.
Redfoo Stefan Kendal Gordy (born September 3, 1975), better known by his stage name Redfoo, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, record producer and DJ best known for being part of the musical duo LMFAO, and for their hit songs " Pa ...
and
Dannii Minogue Danielle Jane Minogue () is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. She initially gained recognition for her appearances on the television show ''Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988) and for her role as Emma Jackson on th ...
joined the panel in season five as replacements for Sebastian and Mel B. Sebastian returned to the panel in season seven along with new judges
James Blunt James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount; 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. A former reconnaissance officer in the Life Guards regiment of the British Army, he served under NATO during the 1999 Kosovo War. After l ...
and
Chris Isaak Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. He is widely known for his breakthrough hit and signature song "Wicked Game", as well as other songs such as "Blue Hotel", "Baby D ...
, as replacements for Keating, Bassingthwaighte and Redfoo. The judging panel will see changes once again for season eight as Minogue has announced her departure. On 12 June 2016 it was announced that
Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea (), is an Australian rapper. At the age of 16, Azalea moved from Australia to the United States in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognitio ...
would be a judge in season eight. It was then later announced that
Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...
would be joining the judging panel as well as
Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first '' Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...
and Mel B returning as the underdog judge. During the televised audition phases of ''The X Factor'', originally the contestants sang in an "audition room" in front of only the judges, however, from season two onwards all auditionees sing on stage in an
arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
, in front of the judges and a live audience. The successful acts then progress to the next stage of the competition, "bootcamp" and later "home visits", where the judges narrow their category down to three acts who continued to the live shows, where the public vote for their favourite act, following weekly performances by the contestants. There have been eight winners:
Random In common usage, randomness is the apparent or actual lack of pattern or predictability in events. A random sequence of events, symbols or steps often has no :wikt:order, order and does not follow an intelligible pattern or combination. Ind ...
,
Altiyan Childs Altijan Juric (born 10 June 1975), best known by his stage name Altiyan Childs, is an Australian singer-songwriter. He was the winner of the second season of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2010, and subsequently signed with Sony Music Australi ...
,
Reece Mastin Reece Mastin (born 24 November 1994) is an English-born Australian singer and songwriter who won the third season of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2011. Mastin subsequently signed with Sony Music Australia. His debut single " Good Night" reac ...
,
Samantha Jade Samantha Jade Gibbs (born 18 April 1987) is an Australian singer and songwriter. She has written tracks for artists including JoJo and Ashley Tisdale. In 2012, Jade won the fourth season of ''The X Factor Australia'', the first woman to win ...
,
Dami Im Dami Im ( , , ; born October 17, 1988) is a South Korean-born Australian singer and songwriter. She represented Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 held in Stockholm, Sweden with the song " Sound of Silence", placing second and ach ...
,
Marlisa Punzalan Marlisa Ann Punzalan (born 1 October 1999), also known simply as Marlisa, is an Australian singer. She won the sixth season of '' The X Factor Australia'' in 2014, aged 15, the youngest contestant to have won the show. Punzalan su ...
,
Cyrus Villanueva Cyrus Villanueva (born 20 June 1996), also known mononymously as Cyrus, is an Australian singer from Wollongong, New South Wales. He is best known for winning the seventh season of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2015. His debut studio album ''C ...
and
Isaiah Firebrace Isaiah Firebrace (born 21 November 1999) is an Australian singer who won the eighth season of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2016. He then represented Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Don't Come Easy", where he finis ...
. Winners received a recording contract with record label
Sony Music Australia Sony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by American parent company Sony Music Entertainment in Australia. SMEA also formerly published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of Sony ...
. In season three, the winner also received a management contract, and in season four, a
Nissan Dualis The Nissan Qashqai () is a compact crossover SUV (C-segment) developed and produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Nissan since 2006. The first generation of the vehicle was sold under the name in Japan and Australia, and Qashqai in other marke ...
car. Each winning contestant's single has charted within the top-ten of the ARIA Singles Chart, only Mastin's, Jade's and Im's singles have reached number one. There have also been a number of hit singles released by other contestants who have appeared on ''The X Factor''. The show has received numerous awards and nominations, including five
Logie Award The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...
nominations, of which it has won one for Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program.


History

''The X Factor'' was created by
Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of ''The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on t ...
in the United Kingdom and is based on the original UK series. Cowell then began to grow and expand ''The X Factor'' competition franchise and in 2005, the Australian version of the show was launched on
Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
, the same channel as the highly successful '' Australian Idol''. However, due to poor ratings Network Ten dropped ''The X Factor'' after one season. In 2010, once the seventh and final season of ''Australian Idol'' was completed, it was announced that
Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
went into a "bidding war" with
Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
to obtain the rights of ''The X Factor'', which they later won and a second season went into production. Networks Seven and Nine both began the bidding war after expressing interest by attending a conference organised by Cowell. Andrew Backwell, Nine Network's director of production and development, and Tim Worner of Network Seven's head of programming, both attended the conference. Cowell wanted the Australian version to match his "own specifications", and said that it would cost at least $20 million for 21 hours of television. ''The X Factor'' was originally set to return in February 2011, but began in August 2010. In February 2016, reports claimed that Seven was mulling over whether or not to delay the series' planned eighth season until 2017. It was later confirmed that ''The X Factor'' will return in 2016. The season premiered on 3 October 2016. Towards the end of the eighth season, there was speculation that The X Factor would not return in 2017 due to poor ratings. A spokesman from Seven advised that the decision will be made in early 2017. Seven confirmed the program had been axed in January 2017.


Format

''The X Factor'' was primarily concerned with identifying singing talent, through appearance, personality, and stage presence. Dance routines were also important elements of many performances. Throughout the live shows, the judges acted as mentors to their category, helping to decide song choices, styling and staging, while judging contestants from other categories. For each season, each judge was assigned a category and they mentored their three acts individually, with all acts having a shared amount of time with their mentor. Each of the 12 acts also had rehearsal time in the studio with their mentor. In some cases, if a solo artist was not strong enough, the judges would put together a group of solo artists which had potential to be great as a band. In season six only, a wildcard was introduced to add one more act to the live shows, thus making it 13 finalists.


Categories

In season 1, the show was split into three categories: 16-24s, Over 25s and Groups. In seasons 2-7, the 16-24s category was split into separate male and female sections, making four categories in all: Boys, Girls, Over 25s, and Groups. In
season 3 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In tempera ...
onwards, the minimum age for the Boys and Girls categories was lowered to 14. In
season 5 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
only, the Over 25s was changed to Over 24s. In
season 6 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
, It was changed back to Over 25s for series 6, In Season 8, the Over 25s was changed to Over 22s, Boys and Girls has been defunct and making the 14-21s to come back, Bands are now able to audition, any can play instruments - they will be part of the Groups category.


Stages

There were five stages to the competition: *Stage 1: Open auditions: these auditions decided who would sing in front of the judges (season 2–8) *Stage 2: Judges' auditions *Stage 3: Masterclass (season 1), bootcamp (season 2–6) or seat challenge (season 7–8) *Stage 4: Judges' houses (season 1) or super home visits (season 2–7) *Stage 5: Live shows (finals) For the first season, the judges' auditions, masterclass, the judges' houses and the live finals were the four stages to the competition. For the revived second season, the stages changed to open auditions, judges' auditions, bootcamp, super home visits and the live shows. This remained unchanged until season 8, when the stages changed to open auditions, judges' auditions, three seat challenge and the live shows.


Auditions

In the first round, the first set of auditions were held in front of the show's producers, months before ''The X Factor'' was aired. The open auditions were not televised and anyone could attend. The successful auditionees chosen by the producers were invited back to the last set of the audition phase, which took place in front of the show's judging panel and a live audience. If there were three judges present during the auditions, the act needed at least two "yes" votes (three if there were four judges present) to gain the majority vote. The judges' auditions were held on selected dates and locations in a number of major cities of Australia, and were broadcast over the first few weeks of ''The X Factor''. The show was open to solo artists and vocal groups aged 14 and above, with no upper age limit. Only a selection of auditions in front of the judges were broadcast, usually the best, the worst and the most bizarre. During the first season of ''The X Factor'', each act entered an audition room and delivered a stand-up unaccompanied performance of their chosen song to the judges, without any instrumental music playing.


Bootcamp and super home visits

In the second round, participants who reach this stage are sent to a "bootcamp" to refine their performances, while they are organised into categories based on the conditions of their application. The first category consists of men and women solo acts aged under 24 – both categories were conjoined in the first series until separated in the second series – with the minimum age allowed being 16 (except for the third to seventh series where it was lowered to 14) then it got conjoined back in the eight series with the minimum age allowed being 14. The third category consists of men and women solo acts aged 25 and older (with the exception of 1 series were the minimum age was raised to 22 in series 8 and 24 in series 5). During the bootcamp stage (formerly lock down in season 1, and super bootcamp in seasons 4–6), each judge was assigned one of the four categories to mentor. It was usually held on three days. In seasons 1, 2 and 3, each judge was given 24 acts and had to decide on their 12 acts after day two, and their six acts after day three. Each judge was assisted by a celebrity guest judge who would help them choose their acts. In season one, the judges narrowed down their acts to five instead of six. In seasons 4, 5 and 6, all four judges worked together to collectively choose 24 acts (six from each category) for the next round, home visits, where they find out which category they will mentor. From
season 7 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
, bootcamp were now based around the five seat challenge, where each judge chose their five acts to go through to the super home visits. From seasons 1 to 7, the super home visits stage (formerly judges' houses in seasons 1–2, and home visits in seasons 3–6), saw the judges and their remaining six acts travel to four different places of the world. From season seven, all four judges and their remaining five acts traveled to the same location. During the super home visits, each act performed one song in front of their mentor and celebrity guest judges. Afterwards, each mentor and their guest judges narrowed down the acts to three for the live shows.


Live shows and winner's prize

The finals consisted of two live shows, the first featuring the contestants' performances and the second revealing the results of the public voting, culminating in one/two acts being eliminated each week. The live shows were filmed at
Fox Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
in Sydney. In season 1, the shows were filmed at
Hisense Arena John Cain Arena is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located within Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the second-largest venue and show court for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam professional tenni ...
(formerly Vodafone Arena) in Melbourne. In season two, the live shows were broadcast on Sunday and Monday nights, but moved to Monday and Tuesday nights for seasons three and four. In season five, the live shows returned to Sunday and Monday nights. In season seven, the live shows were once again broadcast on Monday and Tuesday nights. In the initial performance shows, each act performed one song (two songs each during the Semi-Final and three songs each during the Grand Final) in front of the judges and a studio audience. The acts usually sung over a pre-recorded backing track, and backup dancers were commonly featured as well as stage props. Acts occasionally accompanied themselves on guitar or piano. From the second season, each performance show had a different theme; each act's song was chosen according to the theme. The acts' mentors picked the song for them and critiqued their performance in order to get it perfect for the live shows. A celebrity guest connected to the theme was often invited onto ''The X Factor'', and clips were shown of the guest conversing with the contestants at rehearsal. After each act had performed, the judges commented on their performance. Once all the acts had performed, the phone lines opened and the viewing public voted on which act they wanted to keep in the competition. The results were announced during the live decider show the following day, in aid to give the Australian public time to vote. The two acts that received the lowest number of votes performed again in the "final showdown", and the judges voted on which of the two to send home. In the first season, there would never be an even number, therefore one act would always be eliminated by a majority. However, once a fourth judge was added to the panel, this was possible and "deadlock" was introduced in case of a tie vote. If the final showdown got to deadlock, the act with the lowest number of votes was eliminated from the competition. The actual number of votes cast for each act was not revealed, nor was the order. The results show also featured a number of celebrity guest performers promoting their
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
s or
album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
s, usually their latest ones. The winner of ''The X Factor'' was awarded a $1000000 recording contract with
Sony Music Australia Sony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by American parent company Sony Music Entertainment in Australia. SMEA also formerly published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of Sony ...
. In season three, the winner was also awarded a management contract, and in season four, a
Nissan Dualis The Nissan Qashqai () is a compact crossover SUV (C-segment) developed and produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Nissan since 2006. The first generation of the vehicle was sold under the name in Japan and Australia, and Qashqai in other marke ...
car.


Series overview


Judges and hosts


Judges

''The X Factor'' debuted in 2005 with Australian recording artist
Kate Ceberano Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the soul, jazz, and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her song " Pash" received a gold ...
, record producer
Mark Holden Mark Ronald Holden (born 27 April 1954) is an Australian singer, actor, TV personality, record producer, songwriter, and barrister. He was a pop star in the 1970s and had four top 20 hit singles, "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" (May 1976 ...
, and Scottish events manager John Reid as the judges. Ceberano's judging skills were compared to ''X Factor'' UK judge,
Sharon Osbourne Sharon Rachel Osbourne (née Levy, later Arden; born 9 October 1952) is a British-American television personality, music manager and author. She is married to heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing ...
. When it was announced that ''The X Factor'' would return in 2010, British reality television star
Peter Andre Peter Andre (born Peter James Andrea, 27 February 1973) is an English-Australian singer and television personality of Australian descent. Andre gained popularity as a singer, best known for his singles "Mysterious Girl" and " Flava". He is als ...
was linked to the role. However, he declined the offer as he did not want to be away from his children for so long. The judging line up was announced in May 2010 with Irish recording artist
Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career start ...
, radio presenter
Kyle Sandilands Kyle Dalton Sandilands (born 10 June 1971) is an Australian radio host and television personality. He is currently the co-host, with Jackie O, of the weekday morning radio program '' The Kyle and Jackie O Show'' on Sydney's radio station KIIS ...
, and Australian recording artists
Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first '' Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...
and
Natalie Imbruglia Natalie Jane Imbruglia ( , ; born 4 February 1975) is an Australian singer and actress. In the early 1990s, she played Beth Brennan in the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours''. Three years after leaving the programme, she began a singing car ...
. On 16 March 2011, Sandilands announced that he would not be returning for season 3, stating that he left the show because "it's just too hectic, it's too much work". On 27 April 2011, the
Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
confirmed that Mel B would be Sandilands' replacement, and
Natalie Bassingthwaighte Natalie Bassingthwaighte (; born 1 September 1975) is an Australian recording artist, actress, and television personality. Born and raised in Wollongong, New South Wales, she began her career in musical theatre. She later pursued an acting car ...
was confirmed as Imbruglia's replacement on 6 May 2011. Bassingthwaighte said she would focus on bringing an honest critique to the show and will guide "the artists through the competition", while Mel B said, " he contestantsare either going to love me or hate me but it's going to be a fun ride. I'm really easy to get on with and I'm a hard worker. I'm firm but nice." Keating, Sebastian, Bassingthwaighte and Mel B returned for the fourth season in 2012. In March 2013, Keating confirmed in an interview with
News Limited News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of the American News Corp. One of Australia's largest media conglomerates, News Corp Australia employs more than 8,000 staff nationwide and approximately 3,0 ...
that Sebastian and Mel B had left the show, but stated that he wanted them to return.
Dannii Minogue Danielle Jane Minogue () is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. She initially gained recognition for her appearances on the television show ''Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988) and for her role as Emma Jackson on th ...
was announced as Mel B's replacement on 12 April 2013, and
Redfoo Stefan Kendal Gordy (born September 3, 1975), better known by his stage name Redfoo, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, record producer and DJ best known for being part of the musical duo LMFAO, and for their hit songs " Pa ...
was announced as Sebastian's replacement on 21 April 2013. Minogue, Redfoo, Bassingthwaigte and Keating returned for season 6 in 2014. In April 2015, Keating and Bassingthwaighte announced that they would not be returning for the
season 7 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
in 2015. Redfoo also announced his departure the following month. On 3 May 2015, it was announced that Sebastian would be returning to the panel along with two new judges
James Blunt James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount; 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. A former reconnaissance officer in the Life Guards regiment of the British Army, he served under NATO during the 1999 Kosovo War. After l ...
and
Chris Isaak Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. He is widely known for his breakthrough hit and signature song "Wicked Game", as well as other songs such as "Blue Hotel", "Baby D ...
. Minogue was the only judge from the previous season who returned. On 12 June 2016,
Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea (), is an Australian rapper. At the age of 16, Azalea moved from Australia to the United States in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognitio ...
was announced as a new judge for the series. On 20 June 2016,
Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first '' Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...
was confirmed to be returning as a judge. The following day,
Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...
was announced as the third judge for season 8. In October 2016, it was confirmed that former judge Mel B would be joining the show as the fourth and final judge for season 8, as "The Underdog Judge". File:Natalie Imbruglia Cannes.jpg,
Natalie Imbruglia Natalie Jane Imbruglia ( , ; born 4 February 1975) is an Australian singer and actress. In the early 1990s, she played Beth Brennan in the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours''. Three years after leaving the programme, she began a singing car ...
(2010) File:Ronan Keating - 2016330211548 2016-11-25 Night of the Proms - Sven - 1D X II - 0567 - AK8I4903 mod.jpg,
Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career start ...
(2010–2014) File:Kyle Sandilands 2014.jpg,
Kyle Sandilands Kyle Dalton Sandilands (born 10 June 1971) is an Australian radio host and television personality. He is currently the co-host, with Jackie O, of the weekday morning radio program '' The Kyle and Jackie O Show'' on Sydney's radio station KIIS ...
(2010) File:Guy Sebastian ESC2015 Eurovision Village Vienna 08crop2.jpg,
Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first '' Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...
(2010–2012, 2015–2016) File:Natalie Bassingthwaighte 4, 2012.jpg,
Natalie Bassingthwaighte Natalie Bassingthwaighte (; born 1 September 1975) is an Australian recording artist, actress, and television personality. Born and raised in Wollongong, New South Wales, she began her career in musical theatre. She later pursued an acting car ...
(2011–2014) File:Mel B The New Face of Jenny Craig.jpg, Mel B (2011–2012, 2016) File:Dannii Minogue arrives at the 58th Annual Logie Awards at Crown Palladium (26904220225) cropped.jpg,
Dannii Minogue Danielle Jane Minogue () is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. She initially gained recognition for her appearances on the television show ''Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988) and for her role as Emma Jackson on th ...
(2013–2015) File:Redfoo Sydney 2014.jpg,
Redfoo Stefan Kendal Gordy (born September 3, 1975), better known by his stage name Redfoo, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, record producer and DJ best known for being part of the musical duo LMFAO, and for their hit songs " Pa ...
(2013–2014) File:James-Blunt2.jpg,
James Blunt James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount; 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. A former reconnaissance officer in the Life Guards regiment of the British Army, he served under NATO during the 1999 Kosovo War. After l ...
(2015) File:Chris-isaak.jpg,
Chris Isaak Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. He is widely known for his breakthrough hit and signature song "Wicked Game", as well as other songs such as "Blue Hotel", "Baby D ...
(2015) File:Iggy Azalea August 2015.jpg,
Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea (), is an Australian rapper. At the age of 16, Azalea moved from Australia to the United States in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognitio ...
(2016) File:Queen + Adam Lambert 4 (15659934964).jpg,
Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...
(2016)


Hosts and other personnel

When ''The X Factor'' began in 2005,
Daniel MacPherson Daniel Donald MacPherson (born 25 April 1980) is an Australian actor and television presenter, known for his roles as Joel Samuels in ''Neighbours'', PC Cameron Tait in ''The Bill'', Sergeant Samuel Wyatt in Sky and Cinemax's '' Strike Back'', ...
was the main host of the show and
Chloe Maxwell Chloe Maxwell is an Australian model and television presenter who appeared as the "Jeans West Girl" in a Jeans West campaign. She was discovered by chance during an ''A Current Affair'' story, featuring a model recruiter who claimed they coul ...
was the host of the spin-off show, ''The Xtra Factor''. Following the announcement that ''The X Factor'' was returning in 2010, the ''
Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald S ...
'' reported that MacPherson was favourite to fill the hosting role but was unable to commit because of his duties on '' Dancing with the Stars''. On 30 May 2010, actor
Matthew Newton Matthew Joseph Newton (born January 22, 1977) is an Australian actor, writer, and director, and son of TV personalities Bert Newton, Bert and Patti Newton. His acting career was interrupted by treatment in a psychiatric unit for bipolar disor ...
was announced as the host. However, on 22 August 2010, it was revealed that Newton had to withdraw after an altercation in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
with his now ex-girlfriend
Rachael Taylor Rachael May Taylor (born 11 July 1984) is an Australian actress and model. Her first lead role was in the Australian series ''headLand'' (2005–2006). She then made the transition to Hollywood, appearing in films including ''Man-Thing'' (2005 ...
. Newton flew from Rome to
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, where he was to film segments for ''The X Factor'' with Keating. However, he was escorted back to Australia by a producer of the show after they decided he was in no state to film. He was then checked into
Wentworthville Wentworthville is a suburb in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wentworthville is located 27 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. Wentworthville is split ...
's Northside West Clinic. On 23 August 2010, it was announced that actor
Luke Jacobz Luke Jacobz (born Luke Jacob Ashwood; 14 February 1981) is an Australian actor and television presenter. Career He appeared in a high school production of ''The Man of Steel'' in 1995. He came to public attention when he starred as Zac Croft f ...
would take over as host and all original audition footage with Newton was removed with footage of Jacobz being shot instead. On 28 August 2010, it was announced that radio presenter Natalie Garonzi would host ''The Xtra Factor'' on 7Two. Season three finalist Johnny Ruffo joined the fourth season live shows as the host of the online
live streaming Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...
show, ''The X Stream''. Comedy duo Luke & Wyatt joined the sixth season live shows as the hosts of the online show, ''The Fan Factor''. On 24 November 2015, Jacobz announced on his Twitter account that he would not be returning as the host for the eighth season in 2016. On 25 June 2016, Jason Dundas was announced as Jacobz's replacement. File:Daniel MacPherson.jpg,
Daniel MacPherson Daniel Donald MacPherson (born 25 April 1980) is an Australian actor and television presenter, known for his roles as Joel Samuels in ''Neighbours'', PC Cameron Tait in ''The Bill'', Sergeant Samuel Wyatt in Sky and Cinemax's '' Strike Back'', ...
(2005) File:Luke Jacobz X Factor.jpg,
Luke Jacobz Luke Jacobz (born Luke Jacob Ashwood; 14 February 1981) is an Australian actor and television presenter. Career He appeared in a high school production of ''The Man of Steel'' in 1995. He came to public attention when he starred as Zac Croft f ...
(2010–2015) File:Jason Dundas 2015 (cropped).jpg,
Jason Dundas Jason Dundas (born 25 July 1982) is an Australian-born television presenter, actor, producer and director, known for his roles as special correspondent for CBS's '' Entertainment Tonight'', the host of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2016, host ...
(2016)


Judges' categories and their contestants

In each season, each judge is allocated a category to mentor and chooses a small number of acts (three acts) to progress to the live finals. This table shows, for each season, which category each judge was allocated and which acts he or she put through to the live finals. : – Winning judge/category. Winners are in bold, eliminated contestants in small font.


Reception


Viewership


Awards and nominations


Spin-offs


''The Xtra Factor''

''The Xtra Factor'' is a companion show that was broadcast after the main live shows. In season one, ''The Xtra Factor'' was broadcast on
Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
and hosted by
Chloe Maxwell Chloe Maxwell is an Australian model and television presenter who appeared as the "Jeans West Girl" in a Jeans West campaign. She was discovered by chance during an ''A Current Affair'' story, featuring a model recruiter who claimed they coul ...
. After ''The X Factor'' was revived for a second season in 2010, Natalie Garonzi became the new host of ''The Xtra Factor'' on the
Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
's digital channel 7Two. The show was not renewed when ''The X Factor'' returned for a third season in 2011. The voiceover for both series of ''The Xtra Factor'' was Nicholas McKay. The show featured behind-the-scenes footage of ''The X Factor'' and the emotional responses of the contestants after the judges commented on their performances. A celebrity panel was usually featured, who gave their opinions on the contestants. The judges and contestants also answered phone calls from viewers, while
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
statuses, tweets, and
SMS message Short Message/Messaging Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile devices exchange short text ...
s appeared on screen. ''The Xtra Factor'' also showed extra auditions, bootcamp performances and the judges' houses performances. During the finalists time on ''The X Factor'', ''The Xtra Factor'' camera crew followed the finalists about during their day. The footage which was filmed throughout the week would be broadcast once the show went live, once a week. There would also be an exclusive interview of the act which had been eliminated during that week of the show, and an exclusive interview with the winner and their mentor.


''The X Stream''

''The X Stream'' is an online live streaming show that was broadcast via ''The X Factor''s official website during the season four live performance shows on Monday nights. The show began on 17 September 2012 and was hosted by season three finalist Johnny Ruffo. ''The X Stream'' featured behind-the-scenes footage of the green room where contestants stay before and after their performances, a view of them waiting backstage as well as the contestants' responses after the judges commented on their performances. They also answered questions from viewers via Twitter. ''The X Stream'' did not return in 2013.


''The Fan Factor''

''The Fan Factor'' is an online show that was hosted by comedy duo Luke & Wyatt. It began on 13 August 2014 and featured an all-access pass to ''The X Factor''. The hosts also answered questions and completed challenges that viewers sent in. New episodes were released via ''The X Factor''s official website on Wednesday nights. ''The Fan Factor'' did not return in 2015.


Music releases by ''The X Factor'' contestants

After ''The X Factor'' winner was announced in the grand final, the winner received a recording contract with
Sony Music Australia Sony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by American parent company Sony Music Entertainment in Australia. SMEA also formerly published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of Sony ...
and their winner's single was made available to download on the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
. A few weeks later, their debut album was released, which contained their winner's single and cover versions of songs they performed during the live shows. From season three, the contestants' weekly performances were released onto the iTunes Store for a limited time only, which lead to a number of downloads and in some cases their performances appeared on the ARIA Singles Chart. Some top twelve finalists of the competition were also offered record deals, while others went on to release their music independently. Contestants that did not win but signed with Sony Music Australia include Johnny Ruffo,
Young Men Society Young Men Society are an Australian boy band consisting of members Andi Tahta, Josh Fonmosa and Nathan Tamati. They rose to fame as grand finalists on the third season of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2011. The group later signed with Sony Mus ...
, The Collective, Jason Owen,
Bella Ferraro Bella Ferraro (born 1994) is an Australian singer most notable for finishing fourth on the fourth season of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2012. Early life Ferraro was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. She began singing as a child. At age ...
,
Nathaniel Willemse Nate Gilbertson (born 14 July 1985), often known simply as Nathaniel, is a South African-born Australian singer and songwriter most notable for finishing sixth on the fourth season of ''The X Factor Australia''. In 2013, he signed a recording co ...
, Third Degree,
Taylor Henderson Taylor James Henderson (born 23 March 1993) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Originating from Ceres, Victoria, Henderson rose to fame after placing third on the fourth series of '' Australia's Got Talent'' in 2010. Three years later, ...
,
Jai Waetford Jai Waetford (born 25 January 1999) is an Australian pop singer and songwriter who came third on the fifth season of ''The X Factor Australia''. He subsequently signed with Sony Music Australia and released his debut single " Your Eyes", which ...
, Dean Ray and
Reigan Derry Reigan Elisse Derry (born 19 September 1988), also known mononymously as Reigan, is an Australian singer and songwriter. Derry rose to fame after placing eleventh on the fourth season of ''Australian Idol'' in 2006. The following year, she beca ...
. Other contestants
Christina Parie Christina Parie (born 10 February 1996), also known by her stage names KYA and Christina Castle, is an Australian singer, best known as a finalist on the third season of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2011. She subsequently signed with Warner M ...
and
Brothers3 Brothers3 are an Australian country music band from Mudgee, New South Wales. The band consists of brothers Makirum, Shardyn and Tayzin Fahey-Leigh. In 2014, Brothers3 placed third on the sixth season of ''The X Factor Australia''. Early life Br ...
signed with
Warner Music Australia Warner Music Australia Pty Limited (WMA) is the Australian division of the Warner Music Group. WMA also distributes in New Zealand. History In 1969, Warner Bros. Records branched out and WEA was born. The first country in which it was estab ...
. In November 2011, season three winner
Reece Mastin Reece Mastin (born 24 November 1994) is an English-born Australian singer and songwriter who won the third season of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2011. Mastin subsequently signed with Sony Music Australia. His debut single " Good Night" reac ...
became the first contestant to reach number one on the ARIA Singles Chart with the winner's single. Mastin is the most successful contestant, having released two top-five albums and three number-one singles (two in Australia and one in New Zealand). Season four winner
Samantha Jade Samantha Jade Gibbs (born 18 April 1987) is an Australian singer and songwriter. She has written tracks for artists including JoJo and Ashley Tisdale. In 2012, Jade won the fourth season of ''The X Factor Australia'', the first woman to win ...
was the second contestant that topped the ARIA Singles Chart with the winner's single. Fifth season winner,
Dami Im Dami Im ( , , ; born October 17, 1988) is a South Korean-born Australian singer and songwriter. She represented Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 held in Stockholm, Sweden with the song " Sound of Silence", placing second and ach ...
became the first ''X Factor Australia'' contestant to follow up a number one single with a number one album on the ARIA Charts. Im's debut single "Alive" was certified Platinum and topped the singles charts while her self titled debut album also certified Platinum and hit the top of the albums chart. Contestants have also achieved success on the
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and South Korean charts.


Charity singles

The top twelve finalists of the fourth season recorded a cover of Carly Rae Jepsen's " Call Me Maybe" as a
charity single A charity record or charity single is a song released by musicians with most or all proceeds raised going to a dedicated foundation or charity. George Harrison's "Bangla Desh" single in 1971 is commonly acknowledged as the first ever purpose-made ...
, in aid of Sony Foundation's You Can program which aims "to build specialised and age-appropriate youth cancer centres across Australia". The single was released on the iTunes Store on 18 September 2012. It marked the first time finalists on the Australian version had released a charity single. The show's second charity single, a cover of
Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he ...
' " Happy", was also released to help raise funds for the You Can program. It was recorded by the top six finalists of the sixth season with Australian pop group Justice Crew and released on the iTunes Store on 29 September 2014.


International broadcast


See also

*
List of Australian music television shows This is a list of Australian produced music television shows. Early days of music television pre-dated video clips, and included variety style series, miming series, and pop series, and with the advent of music videos, shows gave way to slickly ...
* List of Australian television series * ''
The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
''


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:X Factor, The 2005 Australian television series debuts 2005 Australian television series endings 2010 Australian television series debuts 2016 Australian television series endings Australian music television series English-language television shows Music competitions in Australia Network 10 original programming Television series by Fremantle (company) Australian television series revived after cancellation Television shows set in Melbourne Television shows set in Sydney Seven Network original programming Australian television series based on British television series