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 ...
'' is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The series saw the creation of the boy band
One Direction
One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...
, from boys who entered the competition as individuals. The winner of the competition was
Matt Cardle
Matthew Sheridan Cardle (born 15 April 1983) is an English pop singer. He was born in Southampton and grew up in Halstead, Essex. Cardle has been involved in music since his early teens and has been a member of two different bands; Darwyn and ...
. Cardle was mentored throughout the show by Dannii Minogue. After the victory, he released his debut single " When We Collide". A total of 15,448,019 votes were cast throughout the series. It was presented by
Dermot O'Leary
Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary Jr. (born 24 May 1973) is an English broadcaster who currently works for ITV and BBC Radio 2. His radio career began when he worked as a disc jockey at Essex Radio, but he is best known for being the presenter of ' ...
Konnie Huq
Kanak Asha "Konnie" Huq (; born 17 July 1975) is a British television and radio presenter, screenwriter and children's author. She became the longest-serving female presenter of the British children's television programme ''Blue Peter'', prese ...
Holly Willoughby
Holly Marie Willoughby ( ; born 10 February 1981) is an English television presenter, author and model. She is currently the co-presenter of ITV's '' This Morning'' (2009–present) and '' Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2011, 2018–present) alongsi ...
.
The competition was split into several stages: auditions, bootcamp, judges' houses and live shows. Auditions took place throughout June and July 2010, with
Simon Cowell
Simon 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 ...
Louis Walsh
Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He later be ...
and
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, she rose to fame in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV's '' Popstar ...
returning as judges. Minogue missed the auditions and bootcamp due to being on maternity leave, so
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle Horner (née Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, author, and actress. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls. With over 100 million records ...
,
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 caree ...
Pixie Lott
Victoria Louise Lott (born 12 January 1991), better known by her stage name Pixie Lott, is an English singer and songwriter. Her debut album, '' Turn It Up'', released in September 2009, reached number six on the UK Albums Chart and sold ov ...
and
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...
were brought in as guest judges. Cole missed the auditions in Manchester and bootcamp because she had
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
. Following bootcamp, successful acts were split into four categories: Boys, Girls, Over 28s and Groups. Minogue and Cole returned for the judges' houses stage, and each judge mentored eight acts through judges' houses. The live shows started on 9 October 2010. Four acts initially eliminated at judges' houses were brought back as wildcards, making this series the first to have 16 acts perform in the live shows.
This was the first series of the show to be filmed in high definition, and was broadcast on
ITV1 HD
ITV1 HD is a British free-to-air HDTV, high-definition public broadcast television network operated by ITV plc, the company which is contracted to provide 13 ITV1 services across the UK. ITV1 HD simulcasts them in high-definition (excluding forme ...
and STV HD. From October, ''The Xtra Factor'' was also shown in high definition, broadcast on the new channel
ITV2 HD
ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a ...
. It was sponsored by TalkTalk in the United Kingdom and
Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza, Inc., trading as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware domiciled and headquartered at the Domino's Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor ...
in Ireland.
This series proved to be highly controversial, with many people complaining about the use of
pitch correction
Pitch correction is an electronic effects unit or audio software that changes the intonation (highness or lowness in pitch) of an audio signal so that all pitches will be notes from the equally tempered system (i.e., like the pitches on a piano) ...
software on the broadcast of contestants' auditions, the decision to form two groups out of rejected soloists at bootcamp, the rejection of popular contestant Gamu Nhengu at judges' houses, Cole abstaining to vote against one of her own acts she mentored in week 5 of the live shows and having a final showdown in the semi-final. Controversy also surrounded contestants Shirlena Johnson, who was axed over fears for her mental health, and Treyc Cohen, who was reported to already have a record deal when the live shows started. There were also accusations of fixing, which were denied by the show's producers. Despite the controversies, this series was the most watched series to date, with an average of 14.13 million viewers per episode. The final was watched by 17.71 million people, making it the highest rated television episode of 2010, and the entire decade, in the UK. The season tended to occupy a 7.30 PM timeslot.
Judges, presenters and other personnel
In February 2010, Dannii Minogue confirmed that she would not attend the auditions for series 7 due to being pregnant. It was confirmed that guest judges would take Minogue's place alongside
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 ...
,
Louis Walsh
Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He later be ...
and
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, she rose to fame in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV's '' Popstar ...
during the auditions. The guest judges were
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle Horner (née Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, author, and actress. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls. With over 100 million records ...
,
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 caree ...
Pixie Lott
Victoria Louise Lott (born 12 January 1991), better known by her stage name Pixie Lott, is an English singer and songwriter. Her debut album, '' Turn It Up'', released in September 2009, reached number six on the UK Albums Chart and sold ov ...
and
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...
. On 11 June, Minogue was confirmed by ITV to return for the judges' houses stage. Cole missed the
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
auditions and bootcamp due to having malaria, so Scherzinger returned as a guest judge for bootcamp. Cole then returned for the judges' houses stage.
Dermot O'Leary
Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary Jr. (born 24 May 1973) is an English broadcaster who currently works for ITV and BBC Radio 2. His radio career began when he worked as a disc jockey at Essex Radio, but he is best known for being the presenter of ' ...
returned for his fourth series as presenter of the main show on ITV, but
Holly Willoughby
Holly Marie Willoughby ( ; born 10 February 1981) is an English television presenter, author and model. She is currently the co-presenter of ITV's '' This Morning'' (2009–present) and '' Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2011, 2018–present) alongsi ...
did not return for her third series as presenter on '' The Xtra Factor'' on ITV2 and was replaced by
Konnie Huq
Kanak Asha "Konnie" Huq (; born 17 July 1975) is a British television and radio presenter, screenwriter and children's author. She became the longest-serving female presenter of the British children's television programme ''Blue Peter'', prese ...
.
Brian Friedman
Brian L. Friedman (born May 28, 1977) is an American dancer and choreographer.
Friedman has created the choreography for many popular music artists – such as Britney Spears, Cher, Beyoncé Knowles, and Mariah Carey – as well as for m ...
returned as creative director, while Ali Tennant and
Savan Kotecha
Savan Harish Kotecha is an American songwriter and record producer from Austin, Texas. Kotecha is of Indian (Gujarati) descent. He was also the executive music producer of the 2020 film '' Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga'', for ...
were hired as vocal coaches. However, Tennant's contract was ended before the live shows and was replaced by
Yvie Burnett
Yvie Burnett (born 8 August 1963), is a Scottish mezzo-soprano and vocal coach, best known for her work with Simon Cowell on television shows ''The X Factor'' and ''Britain's Got Talent'', ''The Big Reunion'' ''The Voice UK'' and BBC's '' Let It ...
, who worked as vocal coach from
series 2 Series 2 could refer to:
* Apple Watch Series 2, a smart watch by Apple
* Aston Martin Lagonda Series 2, the automobile model
* Aston Martin V8 Series 2, the automobile model
* BMW 2 Series, the automobile model line
* GeForce 2 series, line of nV ...
– 6. Richard "Biff" Stannard began working as show song producer for Minogue's contestant, and Grace Woodward began working on the show as fashion director.
Selection process
Applications and auditions
The first appeal for applicants for series 7 was broadcast during series 6 on 5 December 2009. Applicants for the seventh series were given the opportunity to apply by uploading a video audition to the Internet. Auditions began in June 2010 in six cities: Glasgow (
SEC Centre
The SEC Centre (originally known as the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre until 2017) is Scotland's largest exhibition centre, locate ...
, 9 June), Birmingham ( LG Arena, 13–14 June), London ( ExCeL London, 21–24 June), Dublin (
Convention Centre Dublin
The Convention Centre Dublin () is a convention centre in the Dublin Docklands, Ireland. The Convention centre overlooks the River Liffey at Spencer Dock. It was designed by the Irish-born American architect Kevin Roche. Construction started i ...
, 28 June), Cardiff ( International Arena, 2 July), and Manchester ( Manchester Central, 9–11 July). Dublin returned as an audition city for the first time since the third series in 2006.
Halliwell was the first guest judge, and attended the
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
auditions. Imbruglia was the second guest judge, appearing for the Birmingham auditions. The guest judge slot was axed for the London auditions, but continued with Perry judging in Dublin, Lott in Cardiff and Scherzinger at the auditions in Manchester. Cole was unable to attend the Manchester auditions because she had contracted malaria and was not replaced for them.
The first episode, broadcast on 21 August 2010, featured auditions from Glasgow and London, while episode two, on 28 August, showcased Dublin's auditions and more from London. More London auditions were shown on 4 September, along with those from Birmingham, and Cardiff was featured in 11 September broadcast along with the final set of London auditions. Finally, the Manchester auditions were shown in the 18 and 19 September episodes.
Bootcamp
The bootcamp stage of the competition began on 22 July 2010 at
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-s ...
, London and was broadcast on 25–26 September. Minogue continued her maternity leave and Cole did not attend because she was still in recovery. As Cole and Minogue were absent, producers of the show decided to axe bootcamp's live audience. The bootcamp stage was broadcast in two episodes on 25 and 26 September. The first day of bootcamp saw Cowell and Walsh split the 211 acts into their four categories:
Boys
A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man.
Definition, etymology, and use
According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...
,
Girls
A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...
, Over 25s and
Groups
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...
. They received vocal coaching and each category later performed one song: the Boys sang "
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 ...
", the Girls sang "
If I Were a Boy
"If I Were a Boy" is a song written by BC Jean and Toby Gad and originally performed by Jean in 2008. The song gained international attention the same year in a version by the American singer Beyoncé, from her third studio album '' I Am... Sa ...
", the Over 25s sang " Poker Face" and the Groups sang " Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". At the end of the day, the number of acts was cut to 108. On the second day, acts were given dance lessons by creative director
Brian Friedman
Brian L. Friedman (born May 28, 1977) is an American dancer and choreographer.
Friedman has created the choreography for many popular music artists – such as Britney Spears, Cher, Beyoncé Knowles, and Mariah Carey – as well as for m ...
but they were not judged on their performances.
Scherzinger then returned as a guest judge on the third day, where each act performed one song from a list of 40. On the fifth day, Scherzinger suggested that the Over 25s category be changed to the Over 28s, as the quality of older singers was high. The Boys and Girls categories then comprised singers aged 16 to 27, rather than 16 to 24. As the groups category was the weakest, five rejected soloists from the Boys category and four from the Girls category were asked to form two groups,
One Direction
One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...
and
Belle Amie
Belle Amie were an English pop music, pop girl group based in London. They were formed during the The X Factor (UK series 7), seventh series of ''The X Factor (UK TV series), The X Factor'' in 2010. The band originally consisted of Esther Campbe ...
respectively. After bootcamp, each judge was assigned a category: Cowell was given the Groups, Walsh had the Over 28s, Minogue was asked to look after the Boys and Cole was assigned the Girls.
Judges' houses and wildcards
Minogue and Cole returned to the judging panel for the judges' houses stage of the competition, where each judge mentored eight acts, increased from six in previous series. Each judge had help from a guest judge to choose their final acts. Original judge Sharon Osbourne returned to assist Walsh at
Adare Manor
Adare Manor is a manor house located on the banks of the River Maigue in the village of Adare, County Limerick, Ireland, the former seat of the Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl. The present house was built in the early 19th century, though r ...
in Adare, County Limerick, Ireland, Cole was assisted by
will.i.am
William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.
...
in
Coworth Park
Coworth House, currently known as Coworth Park Hotel, is a late 18th-century country house situated at Sunningdale, near Ascot, in the English county of Berkshire. It is one of the ten hotels operated by the Dorchester Collection, a group of lu ...
,
Ascot, Berkshire
Ascot () is a town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is south of Windsor, east of Bracknell and west of London. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the Royal Ascot meeting, ...
, England, Cowell by
Sinitta
Sinitta Malone (born 19 October 1963), known mononymously as Sinitta, is an American-born British singer, actress and television personality. She initially found commercial success in the mid-1980s with the single "So Macho" and had several ot ...
in
Marbella
Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the reg ...
, Spain, 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 caree ...
returned to assist Minogue in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Australia. Contestants spent a week at judges' houses and performed two songs for their respective judge. Each judge and their guest eliminated five acts, leaving twelve remaining. The judges' houses stage was broadcast in two episodes on 2 and 3 October 2010.
Judges' houses performances
*Acts in bold advanced
Boys:
* Nicolo: " New York"
* Tom: "
Feel
Feel may refer to:
*Feeling
Music Bands
* Feel (New York band), a dance and R&B band
* Feel (Polish band), a pop rock band
Songs
* "Feel" (Kendrick Lamar song), 2017
* "Feel", by Phora, 2018
*"Feel", by Mahmut Orhan, 2016
* "Feel" (Kumi Koda so ...
Empire State of Mind
"Empire State of Mind" is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z featuring American singer Alicia Keys from the former's 11th studio album, ''The Blueprint 3'' (2009). It was released on October 20, 2009. Produced by Al Shux, the song feature ...
"
* Matt: "
If I Were a Boy
"If I Were a Boy" is a song written by BC Jean and Toby Gad and originally performed by Jean in 2008. The song gained international attention the same year in a version by the American singer Beyoncé, from her third studio album '' I Am... Sa ...
"
* Aiden: "
Cannonball
A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...
"
Over 28s:
* Stephen: "
Get the Party Started
"Get the Party Started" is a song by American singer Pink, released on October 16, 2001, as the lead single from her second album, ''Missundaztood'' (2001). It received positive reviews and became an international success and reached the top ten ...
Telephone
A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
"
* Wagner: "
You Got the Love
"You Got the Love" is a song by British songwriting team The Source featuring American singer-songwriter Candi Staton. Originally released in 1986, the song was remixed and re-released in 1991, 1997, and 2006. It reached number three on the UK ...
" (wildcard)
* Mary: "
Fix You
"Fix You" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all four members of the band for their third studio album, '' X&Y'' (2005). It was released on 5 September 2005 as the second single from ''X&Y'' and reached number 4 on the ...
If I Ain't Got You
"If I Ain't Got You" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her second studio album ''The Diary of Alicia Keys'' (2003). Inspired by the 2001 death of singer Aaliyah, the September 11 attacks, and other events in the ...
When Love Takes Over
"When Love Takes Over" is a song by French record producer David Guetta with vocals by American singer Kelly Rowland, from Guetta's fourth studio album, '' One Love''. It was released as the lead single from the album on 21 April 2009 by Virgin R ...
"
* Belle Amie: "
Faith
Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion".
Religious people ofte ...
"
* Princes and Rouges: "
Video Killed the Radio Star
"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley in 1979. It was recorded concurrently by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club (with Thomas Dolby on keyboards) for their album '' English Garden'' an ...
"
* Hustle: "
Tainted Love
"Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of American group the Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964. It attained worldwide fame after being covered and reworked by British synthpop duo Soft Cell in 1 ...
"
* The Reason: "
If You're Not The One
"If You're Not the One" is a song by New Zealand-British singer Daniel Bedingfield. It was released on 25 November 2002 as the third single from his debut studio album, '' Gotta Get Thru This'' (2002). The single entered the top 20 on the major ...
Fireflies
The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...
"
* Gamu: "
Cry Me Out
"Cry Me Out" is a song by English singer Pixie Lott from her debut studio album, '' Turn It Up'' (2009). Written by Lott, Mads Hauge, Phil Thornalley and Colin Campsie, and produced by Hauge and Thornalley, the song was released on 22 November 2 ...
"
* Annastasia: "
How Could an Angel Break My Heart
"How Could an Angel Break My Heart" is a song by American singer and songwriter Toni Braxton, released as the fourth and final single from her second studio album, '' Secrets'' (1996). The song, co-written by Braxton and Babyface and produced by ...
"
* Raquel: "
Ordinary People
''Ordinary People'' is a 1980 American drama film directed by Robert Redford in his directorial debut. The screenplay by Alvin Sargent is based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Judith Guest. The film follows the disintegration of an upp ...
Smile
A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile.
Among humans, a smile expresses ...
"
* Treyc: "
Ave Maria
The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...
" (wildcard)
* Cher: " Cooler Than Me"
In the first live show on 9 October, Paije Richardson, Treyc Cohen, Wagner and Diva Fever were reinstated as wildcards.
The Fountain Studios
Fountain Studios was an independently owned television studio in Wembley Park, northwest London. The company was last part of the Avesco Group plc.
Several companies owned the site before it was bought by Fountain in 1993. Originally a film st ...
in
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
, northwest London. They started on 9 October 2010, with contestants performing on the Saturday night shows and the results being announced on the Sunday night shows. As previously, each week had a different song theme. The two acts with the fewest public votes were in the bottom two and sang again in the "final showdown". The songs they performed in the bottom two were of their own choice and did not necessarily follow that week's theme. The four judges then each chose one act from the bottom two that they wanted to be eliminated from the show. If each act received an equal number of judges' votes, the result went to deadlock and the act with the lowest number public votes was eliminated. The first live show was extended to two and a half hours to include a surprise twist, namely that each judge was given a wildcard, allowing them to bring back one rejected act from judges' houses, thus bringing the number of finalists up from twelve to sixteen. Owing to the addition of the wildcards, the first two results were double eliminations. The quarter-final result was also a double elimination. In the case of a double elimination, instead of the bottom two, the bottom three were announced and the act with the fewest votes was automatically eliminated. The two remaining acts from the bottom three then performed in the final showdown. Starting from the quarter-final of live shows, the acts performed two songs each on the Saturday night.
At the start of each results show, the remaining finalists performed a song as a group. However, the song was pre-recorded and the contestants mimed, because of technical issues with mixing the number of microphones. Starting this series, the contestants' live performances were made available to download from iTunes. However, the songs are not eligible to chart to protect the integrity of the contest. Viewers in Ireland were allowed vote again, having been unable to for four years.
Each results show featured a number of guest performers.
Joe McElderry
Joseph McElderry (; born 16 June 1991) is an English singer and songwriter. He won the sixth series of the ITV show ''The X Factor'' in 2009. His first single " The Climb" reached number one on both the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singl ...
and Usher performed on the first live results show, and
Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers (born 30 July 1991) is an English singer, songwriter, actress and fashion designer, who initially came to public attention as a semi-finalist on ''The X Factor'' in 2008. Vickers signed a record deal with RCA Records and, after to ...
and Katy Perry performed in the second week. The third results show featured performances from judge Cole and
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai () are an English funk and acid jazz band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in th ...
performed in the fourth results show, and
Shayne Ward
Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984) is an English actor and singer. He rose to fame as the winner of the second series of ''The X Factor''. His debut single, "That's My Goal", was released in the United Kingdom on 21 December 2005 an ...
Take That
Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...
,
Westlife
Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...
and
JLS
JLS (an initialism of Jack the Lad Swing) are an English boyband, which consists of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, originally formed by Williams. They initially signed to Tracklacers production company ...
all performed on the sixth results show, and
Olly Murs
Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television presenter. He was runner-up on the sixth series of '' The X Factor'' in 2009 and was subsequently signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom ...
performed on the seventh. The quarter-final featured performances from
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
,
The Wanted
The Wanted are a British-Irish boy band consisting of group members Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes and, until his death in 2022, Tom Parker. The group was formed in 2009 and signed a worldwide contract to ...
and
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...
. The cast of ''
Glee
Glee means delight, a form of happiness.
Glee may also refer to:
* Glee (music), a type of English choral music
* ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy
* ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...
'' performed on the semi-final on 5 December, along with Alexandra Burke and
The Black Eyed Peas
Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hi ...
. Rihanna performed again in the first show of the final, and
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
also performed. Take That performed again in the second show of the final.
The final took place on 11 and 12 December, with each episode lasting two hours. During the first show, the voting lines were frozen and the fourth placed contestant was eliminated. The votes carried over and the third placed contestant left on the second show following another freeze. The final two performed the potential winner's singles before the winner was announced.
Results summary
;Colour key
Act in team Dannii
Act in team Simon
Act in team Cheryl
Act in team Louis
* Cowell was not required to vote as there was already a majority. However in the quarter-final, he stated that he would have voted to eliminate Wagner.
* The voting percentages in the final for both Sunday Votes do not add up to 100%, owing to the freezing of votes. Cher Lloyd received 6.65% of the vote at the second freeze, and 4.07% of the final vote. One Direction received 12.69% of the final vote.
Live show details
Week 1 (9/10 October)
* Theme: Number-one singles
* Group performance: "
The Rhythm of the Night
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love
"DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" is a song by American singer Usher, featuring guest vocals from American rapper Pitbull, who co-wrote the song with the producers Shellback and Max Martin, with additional writing from Savan Kotecha. It was release ...
Joe McElderry
Joseph McElderry (; born 16 June 1991) is an English singer and songwriter. He won the sixth series of the ITV show ''The X Factor'' in 2009. His first single " The Climb" reached number one on both the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singl ...
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956.
Kelly ...
" (Nicolo Festa) & "
Superman (It's Not Easy)
"Superman (It's Not Easy)" is a song written and performed by American singer Five for Fighting. It was released on April 16, 2001, as the second single from his second studio album ''America Town''. Following the September 11 attacks, the song ...
" (F.Y.D.)
* Owing to the addition of four wildcard acts, two acts were eliminated from the series' first results show. The three acts with the fewest votes were announced as the bottom three and the act with the fewest public votes was then automatically eliminated. The remaining two acts then performed in the final showdown for the judges' votes. Nicolo Festa was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.
;Judges' votes to eliminate:
* Cowell: Katie Waissel – backed his own act, F.Y.D.
* Cole: F.Y.D. – based on the final showdown performance, effectively backing her own act, Katie Waissel.
* Minogue: F.Y.D. – based on the final showdown performance.
* Walsh: F.Y.D. – stated that he had to choose the act with more potential, as well as "the right" act.
However, voting statistics revealed that F.Y.D received more votes than Waissel, which meant that if Walsh sent the result to deadlock, F.Y.D would have been saved.
Week 2 (16/17 October)
* Theme: Musical Heroes
* Group performance: "
Telephone
A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
"
* Musical guests:
Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers (born 30 July 1991) is an English singer, songwriter, actress and fashion designer, who initially came to public attention as a semi-finalist on ''The X Factor'' in 2008. Vickers signed a record deal with RCA Records and, after to ...
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 ...
")
*Best bits songs: "
Sweet Child o' Mine
"Sweet Child o' Mine" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses. It appears on their debut album, ''Appetite for Destruction''. In the United States, the song was released in June 1988 as the album's third single, topping the ''Billboard'' ...
" (Storm Lee) & "
Take Your Mama
"Take Your Mama" is a song by American band Scissor Sisters, included as the second track on their self-titled debut album (2004). The song, written by Babydaddy and Jake Shears at Shears' parents' horse farm in West Virginia, was inspired by S ...
" (Diva Fever)
* Owing to the addition of four wildcard acts, two acts were eliminated from the series' second results show. The three acts with the fewest public votes were announced as the bottom three and then the act with the fewest votes was automatically eliminated. The remaining two acts then performed in the final showdown for the judges' votes. Storm Lee was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.
;Judges' votes to eliminate
* Walsh: Diva Fever – thought Belle Amie would get better in the competition.
* Minogue: Diva Fever – based on final showdown performances.
* Cole: Diva Fever – gave no reason.
* Cowell was not required to vote as there was already a majority; when asked how he would have voted, he abstained to answer as both were his own acts.
However, voting statistics revealed that Diva Fever received more votes than Belle Amie which meant that if the result went to deadlock, Diva Fever would have been saved.
Week 3 (23/24 October)
* Theme: Guilty pleasures
* Group performance: "
Forget You
"Fuck You" (stylized as "Fuck You!" or "F**k You!"), known as "Forget You" or "FU" for the clean versions, is a song by American recording artist CeeLo Green. It was written as a collaboration among Green, Bruno Mars, the Smeezingtons, and Br ...
"
* Musical guests:
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, she rose to fame in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV's '' Popstar ...
("
Promise This
"Promise This" is a song by English recording artist Cheryl Cole, taken from her second studio album ''Messy Little Raindrops'' (2010). It was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the album's lead single on 24 October 2010 by Fascinati ...
")
*Best bits song: " You Give Me Something"
;Judges' votes to eliminate
* Walsh: Treyc Cohen – said Adeleye had more potential, effectively backing his own act, John Adeleye.
* Minogue: John Adeleye – based on the final showdown performances also stating that she knew what she would see in Adeleye’s future.
* Cole: John Adeleye – backed her own act, Treyc Cohen.
* Cowell: John Adeleye – based on the final showdown performances and stated that Adeleye was not improving as much as Cohen.
However, voting statistics revealed that Adeleye received more votes than Cohen which meant that if Cowell sent the result to deadlock, Adeleye would have been saved.
Week 4 (30/31 October)
* Theme: Halloween
* Group performance: "
Livin' on a Prayer
"Livin' on a Prayer" is a song by the American rock band Bon Jovi, and is the band's second chart-topping single from their third album '' Slippery When Wet''. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, the single, released in ...
Livin' on a Prayer
"Livin' on a Prayer" is a song by the American rock band Bon Jovi, and is the band's second chart-topping single from their third album '' Slippery When Wet''. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, the single, released in ...
"),
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai () are an English funk and acid jazz band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in th ...
("
White Knuckle Ride
"White Knuckle Ride" is the first single from British alternative group Jamiroquai's studio album ''Rock Dust Light Star''. The single was released via Digital Download on 31 October 2010, with a Limited Edition Vinyl release due to appear on 1 ...
Only Girl (In the World)
"Only Girl (In the World)" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her fifth album, ''Loud (Rihanna album), Loud'' (2010). Serving as the album's lead single, it was released on September 10, 2010. Crystal Nicole, Crystal Johnson wrote the so ...
")
*Best bits song: " Issues"
;Judges' votes to eliminate
* Cowell: Katie Waissel – backed his own act, Belle Amie.
* Cole: Belle Amie – backed her own act, Katie Waissel.
* Minogue: Belle Amie – based on the final showdown performance.
* Walsh: Katie Waissel – gave no reason; though on ''The Xtra Factor'' he stated that he could not decide so chose to take the vote to deadlock.
With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Belle Amie were eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.
Week 5 (6/7 November)
* Theme: American Anthems
* Group performance: " So What"
* Musical guests:
Shayne Ward
Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984) is an English actor and singer. He rose to fame as the winner of the second series of ''The X Factor''. His debut single, "That's My Goal", was released in the United Kingdom on 21 December 2005 an ...
("
Gotta Be Somebody
"Gotta Be Somebody" is the first official single released from Canadian rock band Nickelback's sixth studio album, '' Dark Horse''. It reached number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming their sixth and final top-10 hit.
Background
...
Better than Today
"Better Than Today" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eleventh studio album, ''Aphrodite'' (2010). The track was originally written and produced by Nerina Pallot and Andy Chatterley for Pallot's 2009 extended play, ' ...
")
*Best bits song: " Happy"
;Judges' votes to eliminate
* Cowell: Treyc Cohen – based on who he would prefer to see again the following week.
* Cole refused to vote off either of her acts; she asked O'Leary to have her vote after Minogue and Walsh to send the result deadlock, however, O'Leary then announced the result would be determined by a majority vote by the other three judges.
* Minogue: Katie Waissel – gave no reason although said both acts sung better under pressure.
* Walsh: Treyc Cohen – stated that he would follow his heart and save Waissel.
However, voting statistics revealed that Cohen received more votes than Waissel which meant that if the result went to deadlock, Cohen would have been saved.
JLS
JLS (an initialism of Jack the Lad Swing) are an English boyband, which consists of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, originally formed by Williams. They initially signed to Tracklacers production company ...
Westlife
Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...
Take That
Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...
What If
What If may refer to:
Film
* ''What If'', a 2006 TV film starring Niall Buggy
* ''What If...'' (2010 film), an American film
* ''What If...'' (2012 film), a Greek film
* ''What If'' (2013 film) or ''The F Word'', a Canadian-Irish film
Telev ...
"
;Judges' votes to eliminate
* Cowell: Aiden Grimshaw – gave no reason.
* Cole: Aiden Grimshaw – backed her own act, Katie Waissel.
* Minogue: Katie Waissel – gave no reason, though effectively backed her own act, Aiden Grimshaw.
* Walsh: Katie Waissel – felt Grimshaw had more potential.
With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Grimshaw was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.
Week 7 (20/21 November)
* Theme: Songs by
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
* Group performance: "
Heroes
Heroes or Héroes may refer to:
* Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good
Film
* ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama
* ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film
Gaming
* ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
" (all finalists)
* Musical guest:
Olly Murs
Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television presenter. He was runner-up on the sixth series of '' The X Factor'' in 2009 and was subsequently signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom ...
("
Thinking of Me
"Thinking of Me" is a song by British singer Olly Murs, taken from his debut studio album, ''Olly Murs''. It is written by Murs, Wayne Hector and Steve Robson, and was released as Murs's second single on 19 November 2010. Murs performed it live ...
")
*Best bits song: "
Make You Feel My Love
"Make You Feel My Love", also known as "To Make You Feel My Love" is a song written by Bob Dylan for his album '' Time Out of Mind'', released in September 1997. It was first released commercially in August 1997 by Billy Joel for his compilation ...
"
;Judges' votes to eliminate
* Cowell: Paije Richardson – said he would want to back Lloyd whom he had continually supported though he stated that both acts did not deserve to be in the final showdown.
* Cole: Paije Richardson – backed her own act, Cher Lloyd.
* Minogue: Cher Lloyd – backed her own act, Paije Richardson.
* Walsh: Paije Richardson – gave no reason, though he stated on ''The Xtra Factor'' that Lloyd had performed better in the final showdown.
However, voting statistics revealed that Richardson received more votes than Lloyd which meant that if Walsh sent the result to deadlock, Richardson would have advanced to the quarter-final and Lloyd would have been eliminated.
Week 8: Quarter-Final (27/28 November)
* Theme: Rock
* Musical guests:
The Wanted
The Wanted are a British-Irish boy band consisting of group members Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes and, until his death in 2022, Tom Parker. The group was formed in 2009 and signed a worldwide contract to ...
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
Baby
An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...
") and
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...
Can't Take My Eyes Off You
"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a 1967 song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was recorded as a single by Frankie Valli. The song was among his biggest hits, earning a gold record and reaching No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for a we ...
" (Wagner)
For the first time this series, each act performed two songs.
* Two acts were eliminated from the series' eighth results show. The three acts with the fewest votes were announced as the bottom three and then the act with the fewest votes was automatically eliminated. The remaining two acts then performed in the final showdown for the judges' votes. Katie Waissel was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.
;Judges' votes to eliminate
* Walsh: Wagner – based on the final showdown performances.
* Minogue: Wagner – backed Byrne who she thought was the better singer.
* Cole: Wagner – gave no reason.
* Cowell was not required to vote as there was already a majority, but said that he would have voted to eliminate Wagner as he wanted to return the show to being a talent competition.
Week 9: Semi-Final (4/5 December)
* Themes: Club classics; "songs to get you to the final" (no theme)
* Musical guests: Alexandra Burke (" The Silence"), ''
Glee Cast
''Glee'' (stylized as ''glee'') is an American musical comedy-drama television series that aired on the Fox network in the United States from May 19, 2009, to March 20, 2015. It centers on the glee club called the New Directions at the fictional ...
'' ("
Don't Stop Believin'
"Don't Stop Believin' is a song by American rock band Journey. It was released in October 1981 as the second single from the group's seventh studio album, ''Escape'' (1981), released through Columbia Records. "Don't Stop Believin'" shares writ ...
") and
The Black Eyed Peas
Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hi ...
("
The Time (Dirty Bit)
"The Time (Dirty Bit)" is a song by American musical group the Black Eyed Peas from their sixth studio album, '' The Beginning''. It was written by group members will.i.am and apl.de.ap along with DJ Ammo, who produced the song with will.i.am ...
")
*Best bits song: " The Garden"
For the first time in ''The X Factor'' history, the judges chose which act they wanted to see progress to the final.
;Judges' votes to send through to the final
* Walsh: Mary Byrne – backed his own act, Mary Byrne.
* Minogue: Cher Lloyd – thought Lloyd’s performance was emotional but also acknowledged that both acts did "an incredible performance" and were "great contestants in the show".
* Cole: Cher Lloyd – backed her own act, Cher Lloyd.
* Cowell: Cher Lloyd – gave no reason although he praised Byrne as a contestant and singer as well as Lloyd's final showdown performance.
However, voting statistics revealed than Byrne received more votes than Lloyd which meant that if Cowell sent the result to deadlock, Byrne would have advanced to the final and Lloyd would have been eliminated.
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
Halo
Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to:
* Halo (optical phenomenon)
* Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head
HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Video games
* ''Halo'' (franch ...
"
12 December
* Themes: No theme; winner's single
* Group performances: " Never Forget" (with
Take That
Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...
) and "
Bad Romance
"Bad Romance" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third extended play (EP), ''The Fame Monster'' (2009)—the reissue of her debut studio album, ''The Fame'' (2008). Gaga wrote and produced the song with RedOne. Following an illegal ...
" (auditionees)
* Musical guest:
Take That
Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...
Baby
An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...
" (One Direction), "
The Voice Within
"The Voice Within" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her fourth studio album, ''Stripped'' (2002). The song was written by Aguilera and Glen Ballard, with production handled by Ballard. It is a piano-driven ballad that talk ...
" (Rebecca Ferguson) & "
Cannonball
A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...
" (Matt Cardle)
Charity single
The series 7 finalists recorded a cover of
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
's 1977 song "
Heroes
Heroes or Héroes may refer to:
* Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good
Film
* ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama
* ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film
Gaming
* ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
" as a charity single in aid of
Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes (H4H) is a British charity which provides lifelong recovery support to British Armed Forces service personnel who have been wounded or injured in the line of duty, and to their families, originally only since 11 September 2001, th ...
, a charity which supports injured servicemen and women. The song was recorded in the week beginning 18 October 2010. The video for the single was filmed on 2 November at
Three Mills Studios
3 Mills Studios is a centre for film, television and theatre production near Stratford in East London. The site of a former distillery in Three Mills became a dedicated centre for television and film production work with the establishment in th ...
. All sixteen finalists performed the song on 20 November's results show. It was the third year in a row that finalists have released a
charity record
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 ...
. The single entered both the Irish Singles Chart on 25 November 2010 and the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
on 28 November 2010 at number 1.
Winner's single
It was reported on 2 December 2010 by the ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...
'' that the top four contestants, Matt Cardle, Cher Lloyd, One Direction and Rebecca Ferguson, would each record a different song, rather than the same song as in previous series, for their potential debut single. The change was made after Cowell reportedly increased the budget as he wanted songs to suit each act. It was reported on 10 December that Cardle's song would be "
Many of Horror
"Many of Horror" is an alternative rock song written by Simon Neil of Scottish band Biffy Clyro for their fifth studio album '' Only Revolutions''. The song was released as the fourth single from the album on 18 January 2010. The song was recor ...
", Lloyd's would be "
Impossible
Impossible, Imposible or Impossibles may refer to:
Music
* ''ImPossible'' (album), a 2016 album by Divinity Roxx
* ''The Impossible'' (album)
Groups
* The Impossibles (American band), a 1990s indie-ska group from Austin, Texas
* The Impossibl ...
", Ferguson's would be " Distant Dreamer" and One Direction's song would be " Forever Young". Cardle and Ferguson performed their songs in the final as the last two remaining acts and upon Cardle's winning the contest, his version of "Many of Horror", renamed to " When We Collide", was released. It entered both the UK and Ireland Singles Charts at number 1.
Voting, revenue and sponsors
Over the course of the live shows, 15,488,019 votes were cast. Votes made via
landline
A landline (land line, land-line, main line, home phone, fixed-line, and wireline) is a telephone connection that uses metal wires or optical fiber telephone line for transmission, as distinguished from a mobile cellular network, which uses ...
telephones or from the Red Button service cost 35 pence each, with calls made from mobile telephones expected to be more expensive. The votes brought in revenue of more than £5.4 million, though it was expected to be a lot higher because of the unknown cost of mobile phone votes. Proceeds were split between production company
Syco
Syco Entertainment is a British media entertainment company, headquartered in London, founded and owned by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. The company focuses on TV production. The company was formed in 2005 through So ...
, co-producer
FremantleMedia
Fremantle (; formerly FremantleMedia) is a British multinational television production and distribution company based in London. Fremantle takes its name from Fremantle International, acquired by predecessor company All American Television i ...
, broadcaster ITV and phone vote operator Harvest Media. Advertising slots during the final were sold for up to £250,000, which expected to bring in a further £25 million in advertising revenues, with the number of commercial breaks increased from five to six.
For the second year in a row, ''The X Factor'' was sponsored by TalkTalk, as part of a three-year sponsorship deal thought to be worth £20 million, including sponsorship of the show, the 2011 live tour and rights to online clips. TalkTalk enlisted that series 6 contestants John & Edward to launch its interactive initiative on 17 August 2010. Viewers were invited to record a video of themselves performing karaoke in front of a TalkTalk bright lights backdrop, and clips were screened as part of TalkTalk's sponsorship break bumpers. In Ireland, where the series was broadcast on TV3, ''The X Factor'' was sponsored by
Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza, Inc., trading as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware domiciled and headquartered at the Domino's Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor ...
.
Reception
Ratings
The first episode on 21 August attracted 11.88 million viewers on ITV1, the highest ever ratings for a series premiere of ''The X Factor''. It was watched by 46.5% of television viewers during its original broadcast. The episode also received ratings of 568,000 on ITV1 HD. The first live performance show on 9 October 2010 gained 12.62 million viewers, attaining a 48.5% share of the audience during broadcast. The final result on 12 December was the highest rated episode with 16.55 million viewers on ITV1, a 51.5% audience share and 1.16 million viewers on ITV1 HD. It peaked at 19.4 million (18.14 million on ITV1 and 1.3 million on ITV1 HD) and was the highest rated television episode of 2010 in the UK. Official ratings concluded that the series averaged 14.13 million (including HD), making it the most watched series to date. The series dominated the weekly rankings, taking up the top position for the first four weeks, then the top two positions until the final. The first part of the final was beaten into fourth place by two episodes of '' Coronation Street'' which celebrated its 50th anniversary that week.
Controversies and criticism
The seventh series of ''The X Factor'' sparked several heated controversies, with over 5,000 complaints registered with Ofcom throughout the series. A spokesperson told the ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...
'' newspaper that ITV bosses were worried about the number of complaints as claims that the show had become "seedy and oversexed" and accusations of fixing would tarnish the image of the show and ITV.
Contestants
On 25 August, it was announced that contestant Shirlena Johnson had been asked to leave the show because of concerns over her mental health. Producers said the medical report from her general practitioner, requested during bootcamp, arrived late. A spokesperson said, "The welfare of contestants is of paramount importance, and for this reason it has been agreed that Shirlena Johnson should not continue in the competition."
The decision to form two groups, Belle Amie and One Direction, from soloists at the end of the bootcamp stage was branded unfair by some of the other groups, as neither had entered the competition as groups. The controversy deepened after Cowell put through both Belle Amie and One Direction and picked just one of the original applicants.
More controversy erupted after the '' News of the World'' reported that after failing to qualify in 2009, Treyc Cohen signed a management deal with Artimis Music Management Ltd that landed her a recording contract in October that year with
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
-based Ajoupa Records and she released a single entitled "A Time to Be Heard". The rules of ''The X Factor'' strictly forbid record deals while a contestant is on the show. According to the newspaper, ''The X Factor'' was attempting to release Cohen from her management deal and remove the single from sale. Katie Waissel also had to be released from a contract in the United States after her audition.
Judges' actions
Controversy was caused when Cole chose not to send popular contestant Gamu Nhengu through to the live shows. Nhengu was an early favourite to win and many viewers were upset that Katie Waissel and Cher Lloyd were put through despite stumbling through their performances at judges' houses. Around 1,000 people complained to ITV and by 7 October, 220,000 had joined a Facebook page called "Gamu Should Have Got Through". Cole reportedly became the target of death threats, and took extra security precautions in her home as well as at ''The X Factor''. Bookmaker
Paddy Power
Paddy Power is an Irish gambling company founded in 1988. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. The business is split into two divisions, UK Ireland (UKI) and International. UKI operations ...
were forced to give odds on Nhengu winning the show after a large number of bets were placed, and made her the favourite to win, but all punters had their losing bets refunded when Nhengu was not chosen as Cole's wildcard. There was speculation that Cole was pressured by producers to eliminate Nhengu over issues with her visa, but Cole denied those claims, saying it was entirely down to her "gut instinct" and that she believed Lloyd, Waissel and Rebecca Ferguson were the best singers in her category. Later in her 2012 autobiography ''Cheryl: My Story'', Cole confessed that she had chosen Waissel for the live shows because she was more entertaining, claiming that, " owellhad spent the past two years drumming into me that we needed acts who would be 'good TV.'... she had the character and drive it took to withstand the pressure of the show, and so I put her through, even though she messed up when she sang in front of Cole and
will.i.am
William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.
...
."
Hundreds of viewers complained when, in week 5 of the live shows, Cole abstained from voting against either of her acts who she mentored in the bottom two (Cohen and Waissel) and was not allowed to vote last to send the result to deadlock. When the time came for the judges to determine the result, Cowell was asked to vote first and voted against Cohen. However, O'Leary then asked Cole to vote second rather than last which traditionally occurs when a judge has two of their own acts in the sing-off. Cole stated that she wanted to abstain from voting. When O'Leary asked her to clarify what she meant, Cole responded that she was abstaining at that moment but wanted O'Leary to ask Minogue and Walsh to cast their votes then ask Cole again where she would vote last and send the result to deadlock which is how a judge with two acts they mentor in the sing-off would vote when voting last. Due to Cole abstaining from voting against Cohen or Waissel when she was asked second, she was not allowed to send the result to deadlock. A spokesperson for ''The X Factor'' explained: "A judge can abstain from placing a vote. Cheryl made it clear that she would not send anyone home and therefore abstained from voting. Dermot went back to her to clarify that it was going to go to a majority vote if she did that. Cheryl was unable to take the vote to deadlock as deadlock requires a valid active vote." O'Leary revealed that during the previous commercial break, when the bottom two was known to the producers, they realised that Cole might abstain and decided that if she did, the result would be decided by a majority vote. After the series ended, voting statistics showed that Cohen received more votes than Waissel, meaning if Cole was allowed to send the result to deadlock, Cohen would have been saved.
Accusations of fixing
After O'Leary's revelation that producers had rehearsed what would happen if Cole abstained in week 5, allegations were made that the result was rigged to save Waissel, on the producers' assumption that her outlandish performances and growing unpopularity with the public resulted in better ratings and sensational press reports and article releases for the show. One of the assumptions that viewers believed was part of the presumed rigging was to not have Cole vote last and stop the result from going to deadlock. Cowell denied this claim, saying he would never want to defraud viewers and said the situation had "been blown out of proportion". O'Leary defended himself and the show on Twitter, saying "We never know which way the judges are going to vote. Ever. The only thing I know is who's in the bottom two when I'm given the card. I don't know which judge to go to until I'm called and the judges, including owell don't know the vote or who we're coming to next. It's that simple." The following week, ''
Heat
In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is ...
'' magazine printed a report claiming that Cowell was aware of the public votes before the judges cast their votes, and several other media reports contained rumours of the show being fixed. ''The X Factor'' bosses instructed their lawyers to file a formal complaint to the
Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) was a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC closed on Monday 8 September 2014, and was replaced by the Inde ...
against ''Heat'', saying that the article was a lie, that very few people know the actual public voting results and conspiracy theories being printed in the media are "total and utter rubbish". ''Heat'' printed an apology in their 1 January 2011 issue and accepted that Cowell was unaware of the public votes cast until after the final.
There were accusations from viewers of fixing during the semi-final when O'Leary announced that only the public's votes would decide which acts would advance to the final, but the next day in the semi-final result show, this was changed and there was a final showdown. The show's official website also stated that the result would be decided by the public vote, and Walsh confirmed that on a radio show earlier in the week. It was the first time in the show's history that the judges were given a vote in a semi-final. Cowell (incorrectly) said that "There has always been a sing-off when there are five people left in the competition. This is a lot of nonsense about nothing." However, semi-finalist, Mary Byrne said she believed the result would be solely down to the public until the day of the semi-final performances in which the next day, she ended up in the final showdown with Cher Lloyd. She claimed that Cowell really wanted Lloyd in the final because of Cowell constantly praising Lloyd's performances, Lloyd as an artist, and Lloyd having a high likability from Cowell throughout the live shows and Byrne to be voted out because she believed that Cowell thought that Byrne's type of music of
easy listening
Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...
, was too different among the other semi-finalists and old-fashioned compared to the more modern mainstream music. Public supporters of Byrne also felt that their votes to vote Byrne into the final were wasted and demanded refunds for their votes as they along with the viewers were not notified of the final showdown until the conclusion of the semi-final result show and due to the result not being decided by the public vote as Byrne was voted out by the judges. Byrne, viewers and Byrne supporters believed that at Cowell's and other executive producers' behest, the final showdown was put in place by producers who scrambled at the last minute, (just before the result announcement, more specifically, right after the semi-final public voting period closed and when the votes were being counted), only to prevent Byrne from having a place in the final and guarantee Lloyd's place if Byrne finished fourth in the public vote and if Lloyd finished last in the public vote. Other viewers and Byrne voters believed that Minogue was told by producers to vote to send Lloyd through to the final, on the producers' assumption at the time that Byrne finished fourth in the public vote and Lloyd finished last in the public vote in order to preclude Byrne from advancing to the final and the result from going to deadlock. Following Byrne's comments and the accusations by viewers and public supporters of Byrne, Cowell wrote an open letter to the viewers in the ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...
'' to explain why the final showdown in the semi-final occurred by saying:
During the final four press conference, a press reporter asked Cowell about how thoughts on the infuriated public who felt misguided on the semi-final result show format. Cowell replied by claiming he re-watched the semi-final result show, that the show misleading the viewers was unintended, and issued an apology to the enticed public voters who felt enraged with the semi-final result.
Voting statistics revealed that if there was not a final showdown or if Minogue or Cowell voted to send Byrne through to the final or if the result went to deadlock, Byrne would have advanced to the final and Lloyd would have been eliminated.
Due to the high accusations of the final showdown in the semi-final this series, the final showdown in the semi-final did not return until 2013 UK series and continued onwards with the exception of the 2017 UK series.
Pitch-correction use
Following the first episode, viewers complained on social networking websites after it appeared that
pitch correction
Pitch correction is an electronic effects unit or audio software that changes the intonation (highness or lowness in pitch) of an audio signal so that all pitches will be notes from the equally tempered system (i.e., like the pitches on a piano) ...
(which has been seen as controversial in the music industry) was used to improve the quality of some singers' voices, and forty-five viewers complained to Ofcom. Series producers claimed post-production work was necessary on the show because of the number of microphones used during filming: "The judges make their decisions at the auditions stage based on what they hear on the day, live in the arena. The footage and sound is then edited and dubbed into a finished programme, to deliver the most entertaining experience possible for viewers. When it gets to the live shows, it will be all live." In October 2010, Ofcom ruled that viewers had not been "materially misled" as pitch correction was only used during auditions and not when viewers were paying to vote for the contestants.
"Raunchy" final
In December 2010, it emerged that Ofcom were investigating the show after claims that viewers were being encouraged to purchase songs recorded by guest performers
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...
and
Diana Vickers
Diana Vickers (born 30 July 1991) is an English singer, songwriter, actress and fashion designer, who initially came to public attention as a semi-finalist on ''The X Factor'' in 2008. Vickers signed a record deal with RCA Records and, after to ...
. Ofcom also received over 2,868 complaints from viewers about "raunchy" dance routines from Rihanna and
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
during the final. Although an ITV spokesperson denied the routines were inappropriate, Cowell was warned by ITV to "cut the sleaze". In April 2011, Ofcom ruled that there had been no breach of guidelines over the performances, and highlighted that "approximately 2,000" of the complaints were received after the routines were covered by the '' Daily Mail'', and said the newspaper's report featured a number of stills that were "significantly more graphic and close-up" than material broadcast, and that were "taken from a different angle to the television cameras".
Praise and awards
In its 7 December 2010 issue, ''
Heat
In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is ...
'' magazine said series 7 of ''The X Factor'' had been the best series to date, citing many of the controversies, plus events such as Lloyd singing on a spiral staircase, Wagner's "ludicrous" performances and Walsh likening Richardson to "a little
Lenny Henry
Sir Lenworth George Henry (born 29 August 1958) is a British actor, comedian, singer, television presenter and writer.
Henry gained success as a stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in '' The Le ...
", as moments that helped make it "the most deliriously, thrilling, controversial and demented yet. ..This was the year the biggest and best show on TV somehow got bigger and better." Before the final, Digital Spy's reality television editor Alex Fletcher listed his five favourite moments from the series. His favourite moment was Nhengu's elimination, on which he said "No other show can make people so passionate, angry and feel like they really know the programme's stars. With only approximately 30 minutes of screentime, Gamu had managed to capture the hearts of millions. Whatever you think of Simon Cowell's programmes, you have to give them credit for achieving that."
The series won in the Most Popular Talent Show category at the
16th
16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and .
In English speech, ...
National Television Awards
The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are vot ...
in 2011, beating
series 4 Series 4 could refer to:
* Aston Martin Lagonda Series 4, the automobile model
* BMW 4 Series, the automobile model line
* GeForce 4 series, line of nVidia video cards
* Scania 4-series, the truck model line
* South African Class 6E1, Series 4, e ...
of ''
Britain's Got Talent
''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloqui ...
series 8
Series may refer to:
People with the name
* Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series
* George Series (1920–1995), English physicist
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Series, the ordered sets used i ...
of '' Strictly Come Dancing''. It was also nominated in the TV Reality Programme category at the 2011
TRIC awards
The Television and Radio Industries Club (widely known as TRIC) is a British institution chartered in 1931 to "promote goodwill in the television and radio industries". The Club holds an annual awards ceremony each March honouring achievement in te ...