The first series of 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 ...

television reality music competition ''

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 ...

'' premiered on TV3 on 21 April 2013 and ended on 22 July 2013. The show was open to singers aged 14 and over. The contestants were split into the show's four traditional categories: Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups. The winner was 22-year-old

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coas ...

singer Jackie Thomas, and her winner's single, " It's Worth It", was released the day of the final. As the winner, Thomas received a

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...

New Zealand recording contract and a new car. Runners-up Whenua Patuwai and Benny Tipene each released a single via Sony. Fourth-place-getters Moorhouse were also signed to Sony Music New Zealand, with plans for an album release by Christmas 2013. The series was hosted by

Dominic Bowden Dominic Joseph Bowden (born 15 December 1977) is a New Zealand television personality, host and voice actor. He is best known as the host of New Zealand reality series including ''New Zealand Idol, Dancing with the Stars New Zealand and The X ...

. Recording artists

Daniel Bedingfield Daniel John Bedingfield (born 3 December 1979) is a New Zealand-British singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is the eldest brother of fellow singers Natasha Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle. He was a judge on '' The X Factor New Z ...

Melanie Blatt Melanie Ruth Blatt (born 25 March 1975) is an English singer. She rose to fame in 1997 as a member of the girl group All Saints. The group have gained five number one singles, two multi-platinum albums, two BRIT Awards and have sold over 10 mil ...

, Ruby Frost and

Stan Walker Stan Walker (born 23 October 1990) is an Australian-born New Zealand singer, actor, and television personality. In 2009, Walker was the winner of the seventh and last season of ''Australian Idol''. He subsequently signed a recording contract ...

were the show's four judges. Auckland student Georgie Wright was selected from over 100 applicants to present the show's behind-the-scenes video blog ''Samsung Insider''. The initial pre-audition tour of 27 towns and cities was held in January and early February 2013, with the judges auditions round filmed in late February and early March, and the bootcamp filmed in mid-March in Auckland. The series screened on Sunday and Monday evenings.

Development

''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 ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the

version is based on the original UK series. TV3 initially purchased the rights to produce a local version of ''The X Factor'' in 2010. In September 2012, TV3 finally confirmed that the show would begin production in early 2013. Broadcast funding agency

NZ On Air NZ On Air (NZOA; mi, Irirangi te Motu), formally the Broadcasting Commission, is an autonomous Crown entity and commission of the New Zealand Government responsible for funding support for broadcasting and creative works. The commission oper ...

confirmed they would contribute $1.6 million as a minority investor, for the production of 30 episodes of 60 minutes duration each. The series was co-produced by MediaWorks and

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 ...

. The show's key sponsors were

Ford New Zealand Ford Motor Company of New Zealand Limited is the New Zealand subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. The Ford-New Zealand assembly and distribution began in 1936, following the successful representation of Ford's New Zealand business by The Colonial ...

as broadcast sponsor,

Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (, sometimes shortened to SEC and stylized as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea. It is the pinnacle of the Samsung chaebol, a ...

as technology partner with

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

and

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

as programme partners.

Judges and host

In November 2012, '' Australian Idol'' winner and recording artist,

, was announced as the first judge. In December 2012,

was announced as the second judge. The following month, Ruby Frost and former All Saints member,

, were confirmed as the final two judges. In October 2012

was confirmed as the host.

Selection process

Pre-auditions

The first appeal for applicants was made on 11 November 2012, with the announcement of the application process and the pre-audition tour details. Pre-auditions in front of the show's producers began on 5 January 2013 and continued through 27 towns and cities across New Zealand. More than 6,000 contestants auditioned, and were either rejected outright with a "no" response or considered for the next round with a "maybe" response.

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 and a live studio audience. These auditions were filmed at Skycity Theatre in Auckland from 26 February to 3 March and broadcast from 21 to 29 April. The 120 successful contestants then progressed to the bootcamp round. * Auditions 1 (21 April 2013)
Special appearance:

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 ...

Featured successful auditionees: Finlay Robertson, Nick Van de Vlierd, Aotea Beazley, The Steamrollers, Benny Tipene, Maaka Fiso, Meryl Cassie, Madeline Bradley, William Tokelau and Te Ao Te Huia. * Auditions 2 (22 April 2013)
Special appearance:

Topp Twins The Topp Twins (born 14 May 1958) are the folk singing and activist sister comedy duo of New Zealand entertainers Jools and Lynda Topp. They are known for their country music influenced style, live shows and television performances. They often ...

Featured successful auditionees: Franko Heke, Ashley Tonga, L.O.V.E, The Talent, Voltech, Gap5, Fletcher Mills, Cameron Luxton, Jessie Matthews, Tia Hunt, Cameron Rota, Sam Yeoward and Renee Maurice. * Auditions 3 (28 April 2013)
Featured successful auditionees: Taiaroa Neho, Alex Familton, Anabac, Liam Kennedy-Clark, Eden Roberts, Tjay Faaosofia, Vasa Faaosofia, Cassie Henderson, Tom Batchelor, Oriana Faaumu and Bryan Townley. * Auditions 4 (29 April 2013)
Featured successful auditionees: 3rd Watch, Shaan Singh, Taye Williams, Anna Wilson, Brianna Phillips, Jordan Edwards, Fadzai Paradza, Sorelle, Finley Brentwood, Preeti Narayan, Puhi Tau, Phebe Martin-Holgate, Sharaine Barrett, Hannah Cosgrove, Jasmyn Kereama, Khona Va’aga-Gray, Esther Crispin, Whenua Patuwai, Tania Pari, Moorhouse and Jackie Thomas.

Fast Ford Boot Camp

The Edge David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...

radio station and series sponsor

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

held a second-chance competition called Fast Ford Boot Camp. Chosen from video auditions, five acts attended the week-long Fast Ford Boot Camp in Auckland before auditioning in front of three ''X Factor'' judges live on The Edge's breakfast show on 15 March. From there, singers Geordie Meade, Meghan Fraser and Grace Ikenasio were chosen by the judges to continue to the ''X Factor'' bootcamp round.

Bootcamp

The bootcamp round was filmed at

Vector Arena Spark Arena (also known as Auckland City Arena, and formerly as Vector Arena) is a multipurpose arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The venue is located at Quay Park, Parnell, very close to Britomart Transport Centre and The Strand Station. The ar ...

in Auckland from 16 to 21 March and broadcast on 5 and 6 May. Contestants were given two performance challenges. On the first day, the 120 contestants were split into the four category groups - Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups. Acts in each category were given one song to sing: " Come On Home" (Boys), "

Firework Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...

" (Girls), "

Iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

" (Over 25s) and "

Man in the Mirror "Man in the Mirror" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. It was released on February 6, 1988, as the fourth single from Jackson ...

" (Groups). Contestants were aided by vocal coach Turanga Merito and choreographer Emma McLachlan. After the performances, the judges sent home half the acts. On the second day, the remaining 60 acts were put into ensembles and chose a song which they had to learn and perform for the judges. From the bootcamp, 24 successful acts (six in each category) progressed to the judges' retreats round. Rejected soloists Sam Yeoward and Cameron Rota from the Boys category and former 3rd Watch member Peniamina Sofai were brought back by judges and asked to form a group. This group was named The Young Project (TYP). The elimination of popular contestant Jackie Thomas, who had performed poorly at bootcamp, stirred debate amongst viewers. A Facebook group was formed urging the show to bring her back, while Birdy's 2011 recording of Jackie's audition song "

Skinny Love "Skinny Love" is a song written by American musician and songwriter Justin Vernon. It was originally released by indie folk band Bon Iver, of which Vernon is a member, in 2007. A cover version by the British vocalist Birdy was released in 2011 ...

" entered the New Zealand charts, peaking at number 2. At judges' retreats, Daniel Bedingfield made the decision to bring back Jackie to join the six girls at his retreat. The 25 successful acts were: *Boys: Tom Batchelor, Liam Kennedy-Clark, Fletcher Mills, Taiaroa Neho, Whenua Patuwai, Benny Tipene *Girls: Aotea Beazley, Madeline Bradley, Oriana Faaumu, Cassie Henderson, Eden Roberts, Finlay Robertson, Jackie Thomas *Over 25s: Maaka Fiso, Grace Ikenasio, Jessie Matthews, Bryan Townley, Taye Williams, Anna Wilson *Groups: Anabac, Gap5, L.O.V.E, Moorhouse, Voltech, The Young Project (TYP)

Judges' retreats

The judges retreats episodes were filmed over the month of April in locations in New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Australia. The judges received news of their categories from the show's producer via telephone, seen during the second bootcamp episode on 6 May. Daniel Bedingfield also brought previously eliminated contestant Jackie Thomas back to the Girls category. Bedingfield mentored the Girls in Rarotonga, assisted by his sister

Natasha Bedingfield Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born 26 November 1981) is a British singer and songwriter. Bedingfield released her debut album, '' Unwritten'', in 2004, which contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music. It enjoyed intern ...

; Blatt joined the Groups at Mahurangi with

S Club 7 S Club 7 were a British pop group from London, created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller and consisting of members Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O'Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens and Tina Barrett. The gro ...

member

Rachel Stevens Rachel Lauren Stevens (born 9 April 1978) is an English singer, television personality, actress and businesswoman. She was a member of the pop group S Club 7 between 1999 and 2003. She released her solo debut studio album '' Funky Dory'' in Se ...

; Frost took the Boys to Sydney, assisted by former Australian ''

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) ...

'' judge

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 Walker had the Over 25s in Queenstown with New Zealand singer

Hollie Smith Hollie Smith (born 17 November 1982) is a New Zealand soul singer-songwriter based in Auckland, New Zealand. Her four solo albums ''Long Player, Humour and the Misfortune of Others, Water or Gold,'' and ''Coming In From The Dark'' have all reach ...

. Each act performed one song for their mentor and assistant. The judges then selected their top three contestants, which make up the final 12 and progressed to the live shows. At the end of judges' retreats, it was announced that each judge could bring one further act back as a wildcard. The public then voted for which of the four wildcards would become the 13th finalist. This left one judge with an extra act. Fletcher Mills was revealed as the winner on 14 May. The show's producers had originally intended for the wildcard to be announced on the first live show on 19 May, but after judge Melanie Blatt mistakenly tweeted the news on 14 May, the official announcement was made early. Key: : – Wildcard Winner

Contestants

Key: : – Winner : – Runner-Up : – Third Place

Live shows

The live shows began on 19 May and were filmed at Auckland Film Studios in

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * H ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

. The shows were

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simulta ...

on national radio network

More FM More FM is a New Zealand radio network that plays hot adult contemporary music. It is operated by MediaWorks New Zealand. More FM broadcasts in 25 centres throughout New Zealand on 81 transmitters with a mix of local and network programming. ...

Results summary

;Colour key : – Act in the bottom two and had to perform in the final showdown : – Act was in the bottom three but received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated : – Act received the lowest number of public votes and was immediately eliminated (no final showdown)

Live show details

Week 1 (19/20 May)

* Theme: Number-one singles * Musical guests: Willy Moon (" Yeah Yeah") and Ruby Frost ("Volition") ; Judges' vote to eliminate * Bedingfield: L.O.V.E - backed his own act, Eden Roberts. * Blatt: Eden Roberts - backed her own act, L.O.V.E. * Frost: Eden Roberts - felt L.O.V.E were more entertaining. * Walker: Eden Roberts - felt that Roberts had received all the exposure she needed from the show.

Week 2 (26/27 May)

* Theme: New Zealand music * Musical guests: Annabel Fay ("Warrior") and

Smashproof Smashproof is a New Zealand hip hop group, consisting of Sid Diamond, Tyree, and Deach. The name "Smashproof" is a play on the word "Bulletproof". They are best known for the song "Brother", in which they show their version of what is going on i ...

("Paint Fade") ; Judges' vote to eliminate * Blatt: Taye Williams - backed her own act, L.O.V.E. * Walker: L.O.V.E - backed his own act, Taye Williams. * Bedingfield: Taye Williams - gave no reason. * Frost: L.O.V.E - felt she could see Williams as a recording artist. With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Taye Williams was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 3 (2/3 June)

* Theme: Best of British * Musical guests:

("Bulletproof") and Joseph & Maia ("Nothing I Can Do") ; Judges' vote to eliminate * Blatt refused to send home either of her acts. * Walker: L.O.V.E - felt they had a lot of fight in them and would do well after the show. * Bedingfield: L.O.V.E - felt whatever happened would be good for them. * Frost was not required to vote since there was already a majority.

Week 4 (9/10 June)

* Theme: Soul classics * Musical guests:

Titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resista ...

Tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

") and

Aaradhna Aaradhna Jayantilal Patel (born 20 December 1983), better known by her stage name Aaradhna, is a New Zealand singer, songwriter, musical recording artist. She made her musical debut in 2004 featuring on the single "Getting Stronger" with the g ...

("You Don't Love Me Anymore") * Two acts were eliminated from the fourth results show. ; Judges' vote to eliminate * Walker: Gap5 - backed his own act, Maaka Fiso. * Blatt: Maaka Fiso - backed her own act, Gap5. * Bedingfield: Maaka Fiso - felt Gap5 would sell records. * Frost: Maaka Fiso - felt Gap5 were better suited to the competition.

Week 5 (16/17 June)

* Theme: Top 40 * Musical guests: Sons of Zion ("Superman") and Jamie McDell ("Life in Sunshine") ; Judges' vote to eliminate * Blatt: Anna Wilson - backed her own act, Gap5. * Walker: Gap5 - backed his own act, Anna Wilson. * Frost: Anna Wilson - felt Wilson did not have a clear identity. * Bedingfield: Anna Wilson - felt Gap5 had more potential as popstars.

Week 6 (23/24 June)

* Theme: Songs from movies * Musical guests:

Dane Rumble Dane Aaron Rumble (born 9 February 1982) is a New Zealand recording artist. He is a former member of New Zealand hip hop group, Fast Crew. Background Rumble was born in Kirwee, Kirwee, Canterbury, and received his secondary education at St Peter' ...

("Not Alone") and

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 ...

(" Rock Star") ; Judges' vote to eliminate * Frost refused to send home either of her acts. * Blatt: Benny Tipene - felt his heart was not in it. * Bedingfield: Tom Batchelor - gave no reason. * Walker: Tom Batchelor - gave no reason.

Week 7 (30 June/1 July)

* Theme: Made in America * Musical guests: Aotearoa Reggae All Stars (" Sensitive to a Smile") and

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (drums, percussion, soundscapes), plus ...

If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 24 August 1998, through Epic Records as the first single from their fifth studio album, ''This Is My Truth T ...

") ; Judges' vote to eliminate * Blatt: Cassie Henderson - backed her own act, Gap5. * Bedingfield: Gap5 - backed his own act, Cassie Henderson. * Frost: Gap5 - felt their recent performances had been unprofessional. * Walker: Gap5 - felt Henderson still had a lot of potential.

Week 8: Quarter-Final (7/8 July)

* Theme: Coke Choice (songs from act's year of birth, as chosen by public online vote) * Musical guests:

("Every Little Thing") and

Timomatic Timothy Ugbedo Omaji (born 9 September 1987), better known by his stage name Timomatic, is a Nigerian-born Australian singer-songwriter and dancer. Omaji rose to fame as a contestant on ''So You Think You Can Dance'' (Australia) in 2009 and pl ...

("Parachute")

= Coke Choice

= Songs performed during week eight were chosen by public vote from a shortlist of three songs from the contestant's birth year. Voting was done via ''The X Factor'' Facebook page, running from 17 to 29 June. Key: : – Chosen Song ; Judges' vote to eliminate * Bedingfield: Whenua Patuwai - backed his own act, Cassie Henderson. * Frost: Cassie Henderson - backed her own act, Whenua Patuwai. * Walker: Cassie Henderson - gave no reason. * Blatt: Whenua Patuwai - felt the business would be too harmful for Patuwai. With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Cassie Henderson was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 9: Semi-Final (14/15 July)

* Themes: Love and heartbreak; the best of rock * Musical guests:

("Inventing Myself") and

Ginny Blackmore Virginia Blackmore (born 6 March 1986) is a singer and songwriter from Auckland, New Zealand. Blackmore's song, ''Bones'', has received regular airplay throughout the United States and she has also performed the song on KIIS-FM, Weekend Mixtape ...

("Bones") ;Notes * For the first time this series, each act performed two songs. * The semi-final did not feature a final showdown and instead the act with the fewest public votes, Moorhouse, was automatically eliminated. After their elimination, Moorhouse performed "

Mirrors A mirror or looking glass is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the direction of the ima ...

Week 10: Final (21/22 July)

= 21 July

= * Themes: Judges' choice; duets ;Notes * In the duets section, acts duetted with a New Zealand artist, singing a previous hit for that artist.

= 22 July

= * Musical guests: The top 13 contestants (" Get Lucky") and

(" Get Along"). ;Notes *For the first time this series there was no theme.

Ratings

The grand final decider episode on Monday 22 July had a

cume In the practice of measuring the size of US commercial broadcasting and newspaper audiences, cume, short for "cumulative audience", is a measure of the total number of unique consumers over a specified period. The technical definition of cume is r ...

(cumulative audience) of 1,326,000 viewers in the 5+ demographic and an average audience of 598,100. During the series, 3,285,500 viewers watched the show at some stage.

N.Z. Nielsen ratings

; Colour key: : – Highest rating during the season : – Lowest rating during the season

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:X Factor (New Zealand series 1), The New Zealand 01 2013 New Zealand television seasons series 01