List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 10)
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'' The X Factor'' is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The tenth series began airing on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
on 31 August, and finished on 15 December 2013. Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main show on ITV and
Caroline Flack Caroline Louise Flack (9 November 1979 – 15 February 2020) was an English television and radio presenter and actress. She won the twelfth series of BBC’s ''Strictly Come Dancing'' in 2014 and presented ''The X Factor'' and later '' Love Isl ...
was back to present spin-off show '' The Xtra Factor'' on
ITV2 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 ...
, along with comedian Matt Richardson, who replaced Olly Murs. Flack also presented backstage segments during the live shows. Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow and Nicole Scherzinger returned as judges for their respective tenth, third and second series, with
Sharon Osbourne Sharon Rachel Osbourne (née Levy, later Arden; born 9 October 1952) is a British-American television personality, music manager and author. She is married to heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing ...
returning to replace Tulisa after five series away. This was Barlow's final series as a judge. Osbourne and Scherzinger also departed the series, but reprised their roles as judges with Walsh again in
series 13 Series 13 or Season 13 may refer to: * Lego Minifigures (theme)#Series 13, the toy line by Lego * Warehouse 13, the TV series * 13" series laptops ** Dell Inspiron 13 ** Dell Latitude 13 *** Dell Latitude 13 Education Series The Dell Latit ...
and
series 14 The Series 14 – NYSE Compliance Official exam is a qualification examination administered to compliance officials at New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) registered broker-dealers. The 110-question test is intended to ensure that individuals designa ...
. Auditions for the series started in March 2013 with mobile auditions taking place in 23 towns and cities. After this, open auditions in front of producers took place in April and May in London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow. Auditions in front of the judges occurred in June and July in the same five cities, with two types of audition: auditionees who were successful in a first audition in an audition room, used for the first time since
series 5 Series 5 may refer to: * Aston Martin V8 Series 5, an automobile model * BMW 5 Series, a line of automobiles * GeForce 5 Series, a line of video cards * Psion Series 5, a line of handheld computers * South African Class 6E1, Series 5, a series o ...
, went on to attend an audition in an arena, which replaced the rooms in
series 6 Series 6 or Season 6 may refer to: *Series 6 exam, officially the Investment Company Products or Variable Life Contracts Representative exam *Apple Watch Series 6, a smartwatch produced by Apple * BMW 6 Series * GeForce 6 series, line of video card ...
. After bootcamp and judges' houses, the live shows began on 12 October 2013, and ran until the final on 15 December 2013, which was won by over 25s contestant Sam Bailey. This marked the first time someone from the over 25s category had won the show since Steve Brookstein won series 1 in 2004. It also marked the first time that Osbourne had been the winning mentor, having failed during her first stint on the show. As the winner, Bailey received a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music, and also supported
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
at one of her shows during the UK leg of her
The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer Beyoncé. Announced in February 2013 with initial dates in Europe and North America, the tour contained seven legs and 132 shows. It began in Belgrade, Serbia on April ...
in 2014. This was the final series of the three-year deal signed by Simon Cowell in 2010, before it was announced by ITV on 15 November that the show's contract was extended by a further three years, keeping it on air until 2016.


Judges, presenters and other personnel

It was reported on 22 February 2013 that Tulisa would not return for series 10, after being a judge for two series. She initially denied this and said she wanted to return, However, Tulisa confirmed on 21 May after months of speculation that she would be departing the show. The following day, it was confirmed that original judge
Sharon Osbourne Sharon Rachel Osbourne (née Levy, later Arden; born 9 October 1952) is a British-American television personality, music manager and author. She is married to heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing ...
, who had been on the panel from series 1 to series 4 would join the remaining three judges from
series 9 The ninth series of the children's television series '' Hi-5'' aired between 11 June 2007 and 10 August 2007 on the Nine Network in Australia. The series was produced by Kids Like Us for Nine with Helena Harris as executive producer. This was t ...
, Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow and Nicole Scherzinger, ending rumours that Scherzinger may leave to focus on her second studio album and be replaced by series 9 guest judge
Mel B Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sc ...
, which happened in
series 11 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 in ...
. Osbourne stated in July that she was back for just one series, "to go out on a high", and during the first live show, Barlow revealed that this would be his last series on the show. Walsh, who had appeared on the show since its inception, announced he would be leaving the show after this series, although he later said he "might come back" if Simon Cowell returned, and later still he said he would most likely continue, claiming "I'm having so much fun this year, I might stay". Walsh eventually confirmed his return for series 11, following the returns of both Cowell and Cheryl Cole. Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main show on ITV for his seventh series, whilst
Caroline Flack Caroline Louise Flack (9 November 1979 – 15 February 2020) was an English television and radio presenter and actress. She won the twelfth series of BBC’s ''Strictly Come Dancing'' in 2014 and presented ''The X Factor'' and later '' Love Isl ...
came back to present spin-off show '' The Xtra Factor'' on
ITV2 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 ...
. Olly Murs, Flack's co-presenter for series 8 and 9, wanted to focus on his music career and therefore did not come back. On 29 May, it was announced that comedian Matt Richardson would co-present ''The Xtra Factor'' with Flack, after reports that
Nick Grimshaw Nicholas Peter Andrew Grimshaw (born 14 August 1984), also known as Grimmy, is an English television and former radio presenter, podcaster and author. He became known for having hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1. He is also known as a t ...
, Dave Berry or Rylan Clark may replace Murs. Flack also presented backstage on the main ''X Factor'' programme, during the live shows on Saturdays.
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 ...
returned as vocal coach. Brian Burke left as creative director and was replaced by Jerry Reeve and Mark "Swany" Hart.


Selection process


Auditions


Mobile auditions

Between 25 March and 1 April 2013, mobile auditions took place in
Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
,
Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...
, Warrington, Aberdeen, Colchester,
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...
,
Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...
, Grimsby, Romford, Belfast,
Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
on the Isle of Wight,
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
, Wakefield, Bangor, Middlesbrough, Yeovil,
Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...
, Blackburn, Dublin,
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
,
Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
,
Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
and
Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
in Wales. It was reported that around 20 people attended Colchester auditions on 26 March and producers tried to convince passers-by to audition.


Open auditions

For the first time since
series 6 Series 6 or Season 6 may refer to: *Series 6 exam, officially the Investment Company Products or Variable Life Contracts Representative exam *Apple Watch Series 6, a smartwatch produced by Apple * BMW 6 Series * GeForce 6 series, line of video card ...
, auditions took place in five cities instead of six. Open auditions in front of the show's producers began in London (
ExCeL London ExCeL London (an abbreviation for Exhibition Centre London) is an exhibition centre, international convention centre and former hospital in the Custom House, Newham, Custom House area of London Borough of Newham, Newham, East London. It is sit ...
) on 6 April and continued in Birmingham ( International Convention Centre) on 13 April, Cardiff (
Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
) on 20 April, and Manchester (
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
) on 27 April, before concluding in Glasgow ( SECC) on 1 May. Auditions were not held in Liverpool this year, after it was one of the locations in the past two series. Producers said that they were "mixing it up", although reports claim that they were unimpressed with talent in Liverpool, despite four finalists— Ray Quinn ( series 3), Rebecca Ferguson (
series 7 Series 7 may refer to: *The seventh season of any of many shows or series; see and *Series 7 exam, officially the General Securities Representative Exam, the most comprehensive financial securities exam offered by the FINRA *'' Series 7: The Conte ...
), Marcus Collins (
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 ...
) and
Christopher Maloney Christopher Patrick Maloney is an American singer-songwriter, bass guitarist and music educator. He is widely known for his work with instrumental hard rock band Cosmosquad, his stints in Hardline and with Dweezil Zappa, as an independent solo ...
(
series 9 The ninth series of the children's television series '' Hi-5'' aired between 11 June 2007 and 10 August 2007 on the Nine Network in Australia. The series was produced by Kids Like Us for Nine with Helena Harris as executive producer. This was t ...
)—coming from Liverpool. Additionally, auditions returned to Birmingham after being replaced by Newcastle in series 9. Producers previously held auditions in Newcastle instead of Birmingham because they thought that Birmingham provided "no memorable talent", but reportedly decided to return there after "disappointing" results in Newcastle. Almost 8,000 auditionees attended in London, whilst Cardiff attracted at least 3,000, Birmingham produced around 5,000, over 4,000 auditioned in Manchester and over 2,000 in Glasgow.


Judges' auditions

This series saw the return of the original auditions format last used in
series 5 Series 5 may refer to: * Aston Martin V8 Series 5, an automobile model * BMW 5 Series, a line of automobiles * GeForce 5 Series, a line of video cards * Psion Series 5, a line of handheld computers * South African Class 6E1, Series 5, a series o ...
, where auditionees performed in a room in front of the judges. Those who were successful in the room auditions then faced a second audition in an arena—the format used since series 6—to prove they can impress an audience. If they were successful in this audition, they entered the bootcamp stage of the competition. Cowell hoped the "intimate" room auditions would increase ratings. The room auditions in front of the judges began in Glasgow on 4 June at the Hilton Glasgow Grosvenor Hotel and continued in Birmingham on 10 June at the International Convention Centre. Manchester auditions took place over three days from 13 to 15 June at Old Trafford, followed by London auditions which also took place over three days, from 19 to 21 June at ExCeL London. Due to a lack of successful groups, extra auditions specifically for groups took place on 1 July at Price Studios in Battersea, London. Auditions then concluded in Cardiff on 3 July at the Motorpoint Arena. The arena auditions took place at a single venue, Wembley Arena, over four days, from 15 to 18 July. The broadcast of auditions started on 31 August 2013, with room auditions being shown on Saturday nights and arena auditions on Sundays. The first room audition episode aired on 31 August, and featured auditions from Cardiff, Manchester, London and Birmingham. The second room audition episode featured auditions from Manchester, Cardiff and Glasgow. The third room audition episode showcased auditions from London, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow. Numerous contestants from previous series returned to audition again for this series, including: Amy Mottram, who was Tulisa's wildcard contestant in series 9 and failed to be chosen ahead of Maloney as the 13th contestant; Terry Winstanley, who made it to judges' houses in series 8; Johnny Rocco, whose audition in series 4 ended with him "cursing" Walsh after getting a "no" from all four judges; John Adams, who reached bootcamp in series 8; Curtis Golden, Joseph Whelan and Gathan Cheema, all of whom got to bootcamp in series 9; Stephanie Woods, who got to judges' houses in series 4;
Jade Richards '' The X Factor'' is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The tenth series began airing on ITV on 31 August, and finished on 15 December 2013. Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main show on ITV and Caroline Fl ...
, who got to judges' houses in series 8 and bootcamp in series 9; and
Melanie McCabe ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor'' is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The tenth series began airing on ITV (TV network), ITV on 31 August, and finished on 15 December 2013. Dermot O'Leary return ...
, who got to bootcamp in series 5 and 9 and to judges' houses in series 8. Also auditioning again were groups Rough Copy, who were initially to through to judges' houses in series 9 but had to back out due to visa problems,
The Dolly Rockers The Dolly Rockers were an English girl group from London, Manchester and Leeds. The group's final line-up consisted of Lucie Kay, Sophie King and Brooke Challinor. They first became known when they competed in the third series of ''The X Factor ...
, who made it to judges' houses in series 3 and James Bellamy and Duane Lamonte from Brick City who both made it to judges' houses in series 2 and
series 6 Series 6 or Season 6 may refer to: *Series 6 exam, officially the Investment Company Products or Variable Life Contracts Representative exam *Apple Watch Series 6, a smartwatch produced by Apple * BMW 6 Series * GeForce 6 series, line of video card ...
respectively. Another notable group to audition were 1990s pop rock band
Next of Kin A person's next of kin (NOK) are that person's closest living blood relatives. Some countries, such as the United States, have a legal definition of "next of kin". In other countries, such as the United Kingdom, "next of kin" may have no legal d ...
, who were once labelled "the British Hanson".


Bootcamp/Six Chair Challenge

On 17 April 2013, it was reported that this series' bootcamp could be changed and be conducted abroad like judges' houses, however, it was later confirmed that bootcamp would take place at Wembley Arena over four days, across three sessions between 9 and 12 August. It was reported that Cowell was planning to give advice on which acts should progress through this stage, meeting with the judges on his yacht to give opinions on the acts, but further reports claimed that due to a pregnancy scandal, Cowell would instead speak to the judges by telephone, as he did in series 9. However, this did not happen. In a change to the usual format, the judges were allocated their categories before bootcamp, via a phonecall from executive producer Richard Holloway. Walsh has the Boys, Scherzinger had the Girls, Osbourne has the Over 25s and Barlow has the Groups. On the first day of bootcamp, soloists were put into groups of three within their category, and groups were put into pairs. They had to perform within that pair or group, and the category judge would then decide who would continue. There was then a change in the format, that saw the judges choose the acts to advance to judges' houses immediately after their bootcamp performance, instead of waiting until everyone had performed. Each judge had six places to their judges house, and they granted a 'seat' to the performers they wanted to advance in their category. However, if a judge already chose six acts for their category, they could replace them if they preferred a later performer, therefore causing bootcamp to be branded the 'ultimate game of musical chairs' or even Six Chair Challenge was introduced. Bootcamp was broadcast over two episodes, each of 90 minutes, on 28 and 29 September.


Judges' houses

Judges' houses took place in September. Each judge took the remaining members of their category to an overseas location, and had guests to assist them in their decisions. Walsh was assisted by Nicole Appleton and Shane Filan along with the returning Sinitta (who's Walsh's assists for the Second Time and Ninth Overall Appearances in the Judges' Houses) when he mentored the Boys in
Saint-Tropez , INSEE = 83119 , postal code = 83990 , image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Saint-Tropez-A (Var).svg , image flag=Flag of Saint-Tropez.svg Saint-Tropez (; oc, Sant Tropetz, ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence-Al ...
, France, in a property worth £10.5 million, next door to a property owned by
Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...
, whose gardeners interrupted filming. Osbourne took the Over 25s to her own home in
Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...
, assisted by Robbie Williams; Barlow was assisted by
series 6 Series 6 or Season 6 may refer to: *Series 6 exam, officially the Investment Company Products or Variable Life Contracts Representative exam *Apple Watch Series 6, a smartwatch produced by Apple * BMW 6 Series * GeForce 6 series, line of video card ...
runner-up and former ''The Xtra Factor'' co-presenter Olly Murs to mentor the Groups in New York City; and Scherzinger took the Girls to
Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...
with
Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
, staying at the St James Club resort. Groups Code 4 and Rough Copy were forced to lose a member each during judges' houses because of visa problems. At judges' houses, Each act performed two songs for their mentor and his/her guest judge, although only one song was mentioned and shown on the main show, with the other song shown on ''The Xtra Factor'' instead (although only the acts who made it to the live shows had their second songs shown). Judges' houses was broadcast over two programmes, on 5 and 6 October. ;Judges Houses Performances: Boys: * Nicholas: "
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 majori ...
" * Sam C: "
We Are Young "We Are Young" is a song recorded by American band Fun, featuring American singer Janelle Monáe. It is the third track on the group's second studio album, '' Some Nights'' (2012). The song was released on September 20, 2011 as the lead singl ...
" * Luke: " Cannonball" * Giles: " You're Beautiful" * Paul: " Last Request" * Ryan: " Just Give Me a Reason" Groups: * Kingsland Road: "
Dance with Me Tonight "Dance with Me Tonight" is a single by English singer-songwriter Olly Murs, taken from his second studio album, ''In Case You Didn't Know''. It was released as the album's second single on 18 November 2011 and was written by Murs, Claude Kelly ...
" * Brick City: " All Around the World" * Rough Copy: " Boyfriend" * Xyra: " In the Air Tonight" * Code 4: "
Superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...
" * Miss Dynamix: "
Pure Shores "Pure Shores" is a song by English-Canadian girl group All Saints, released by London Records on 14 February 2000 as the lead single from '' The Beach: Motion Picture Soundtrack'' and the group's second studio album, '' Saints & Sinners'' (2000 ...
" Over 25s: * Sam B: " I Have Nothing" * Shelley: " Girl on Fire" * Lorna: " If I Were a Boy" * Andrea: "
High and Dry "High and Dry" and "Planet Telex" are songs by the English rock band Radiohead. They were released as a double-A side single from their second studio album, '' The Bends'' (1995), on 5 March 1995. "High and Dry" was recorded as a demo durin ...
" * Joseph: " I’ll Stand by You" * Zoe: " Fix You" Girls: * Tamera: " Fallin'" * Jade: " Hurt" * Abi: " Only You" * Relley C: "
Many Rivers to Cross "Many Rivers to Cross" is a song written and recorded in 1969 by Jimmy Cliff. It has since been recorded by many musicians, including Harry Nilsson, John Lennon, Joe Cocker, Percy Sledge, Little Milton, Desmond Dekker, UB40, Cher, The Brand Ne ...
" * Melanie: "
Run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...
" * Hannah: " A Change Is Gonna Come"


Acts

Key: : – Winner : – Runner-Up


Live shows

The live shows started on 12 October. As in previous series, each week's song choices followed a particular theme. Each contestant performed on Saturday, while eliminations and guest performances took place on Sunday. For the first three weeks, a new "flash vote" took place at the end of each Saturday night show, where the voting lines opened for about eight minutes, and the act with the fewest votes faced the "sing-off" (formerly called the "final showdown") on Sunday. Voting lines for the remaining contestants then reopened, and stayed open until the Sunday shows, where the second contestant to face the "sing-off" was revealed. "Deadlock", where the act with the fewest public votes is eliminated after the judges' votes are tied, was eliminated while there was a flash vote, and instead, in the event that judges' votes were tied, the contestant that lost the flash vote was eliminated. However, in week 4 the flash vote was rested because of
Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...
and Chic's performance, meaning there was not enough time at the end of the show for the flash vote, and "deadlock" would have returned if the judges' votes had been tied, and the flash vote did not return after this. Deadlock was used in weeks 8 and 9 due to tie votes from the judges. The final took place at the normal venue, Wembley Arena on 14 and 15 December 2013.


Musical guests

Each results show featured musical performances from at least two artists, while occasionally, artists performed on the main performances show.
Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...
and
Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
performed on the first results show, Robin Thicke and
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
performed on the second, and The Wanted and Lady Gaga performed on the third. Nile Rodgers and Chic performed a medley of three songs on the fourth live show, in what was billed as a "special edition" of ''The X Factor''.
Little Mix Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British ver ...
performed on the fourth live results show, followed by Taylor Swift with Gary Lightbody. Robbie Williams and Celine Dion appeared on the fifth results show, though Dion's performance was pre-recorded. The sixth live results show featured performances from judge Gary Barlow, who was relaunching his solo career, and Miley Cyrus. Olly Murs performed on the seventh live show, then
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 Ne ...
,
Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
with
Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind''. She studied ...
, and One Direction performed on the seventh live results show. Rebecca Ferguson and
James Arthur James Arthur (born 2 March 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the ninth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2012. His debut single, a cover of Shontelle's "Impossible", was released by Syco Music after the fin ...
performed on the eighth results show, Leona Lewis and Michael Bublé performed on the semi-final live results show, Tom Odell and The Killers performed in the first show of the final, and One Direction, Perry,
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
and Barlow performed in the second show of the final.


Results summary

;Colour key Act in team Nicole Act in team Gary Act in team Sharon Act in team Louis *Owing to the freezing of votes, the voting percentages in Weeks 1, 2 and 3, as well as the Final for all the Sunday Votes do not add up to 100%. Shelley Smith received 0.5% of the Sunday Vote in Week 1, Kingsland Road received 1.1% of the Sunday Vote in Week 2, Miss Dynamix received 0.5% of the Sunday Vote in Week 3 and Luke Friend received 10.3% of the Sunday Vote in the Final. * Miss Dynamix were given a bye in Week 2 as band member SeSe Foster was too ill to perform. Miss Dynamix automatically advanced to Week 3. * Walsh did not need to vote as Scherzinger and Osbourne had already voted to eliminate Miss Dynamix; having lost the flash vote, they would have been eliminated regardless of Walsh's decision. Walsh said he would have voted to eliminate Miss Dynamix. * Walsh did not need to vote as there was already a majority. He said he would have voted to eliminate Abi Alton. * Osbourne did not need to vote as there was already a majority. She said she would have voted to eliminate Sam Callahan.


Live show details


Week 1 (12/13 October)

*Theme: Songs from the 1980s *Group performance: " Get Lucky" *Musical guests:
Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...
(" Burn") and
Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
("
I Hope You Find It "I Hope You Find It" is a country pop and adult contemporary ballad by American entertainer Miley Cyrus. It was written by Steven Robson and Jeffrey Steele for inclusion on the soundtrack of Cyrus' 2010 film '' The Last Song''. Although "I Hope Yo ...
") ;Judges' votes to eliminate''The X Factor'' Series 10-week 1 * Osbourne abstained from voting as both acts were in her category. * Walsh: Lorna Simpson – gave no reason. * Barlow: Shelley Smith – said that Smith was only in the bottom two through a poor song choice, but felt that Simpson would go further in the competition. * Scherzinger: Lorna Simpson – thought that there was "more to see from" Smith. However, if the result was tied, Simpson would have been saved.


Week 2 (19/20 October)

*Theme: Love and heartbreak *Group performance: " Wake Me Up" *Musical guests: Robin Thicke ("
Blurred Lines "Blurred Lines" is a song by American singer Robin Thicke featuring American rappers T.I. and Pharrell Williams from the former's sixth studio album of the same name (2013). Solely produced by Williams, it was released as the album's lead si ...
") and
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
(" Roar") Due to band member SeSe Foster being in the hospital, Miss Dynamix did not perform and were given a bye week which automatically advanced them to the following week. They would have performed " Dreams", but actually performed the song the following week. ;Judges' votes to eliminate *Barlow: Shelley Smith – gave no reason but effectively backed his own act, Kingsland Road. *Osbourne: Kingsland Road – backed her own act, Shelley Smith. *Scherzinger: Shelley Smith – based on the fact that she saved Smith the previous week. *Walsh: Shelley Smith – felt Kingsland Road had more potential. However, if Walsh tied the result, Kingsland Road would have been eliminated.


Week 3 (26/27 October)

*Theme: Songs from films ("Movie week") *Group performance: " Locked Out of Heaven" *Musical guests: The Wanted ("
Show Me Love (America) "Show Me Love (America)" is a song by English-Irish boy band The Wanted. It was released on 25 October 2013 as the fifth single from their third studio album, ''Word of Mouth'' (2013). The ballad, their first since 2011's " Warzone", was co-writt ...
") and Lady Gaga (" Venus"/" Do What U Want") ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Scherzinger: Miss Dynamix – backed her own act, Hannah Barrett. * Barlow: Hannah Barrett – backed his own act, Miss Dynamix, but was surprised Barrett was in the sing off due to her performance from the previous night being one of his favourites. * Osbourne: Miss Dynamix – gave no reason. * Walsh was not required to vote, but stated he would have eliminated Miss Dynamix.


Week 4 (2/3 November)

*Theme:
Disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
*Group performance: " A Night to Remember" *Musical guests: **Saturday:
Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...
and Chic (" Le Freak"/"
He's the Greatest Dancer "He's the Greatest Dancer" is a 1979 song by the American vocal group Sister Sledge. Released on February 3, 1979, the song was written and composed by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, and recorded for the group's successful 1979 album '' We Are ...
"/"
Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...
") **Sunday:
Little Mix Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British ver ...
(" Move") and Taylor Swift featuring Gary Lightbody (" The Last Time") The flash vote was cancelled this week because of lack of time, due to Rodgers and Chic's performance, and the two acts receiving the fewest votes were announced during Sunday's results show. ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Scherzinger: Kingsland Road – backed her own act, Tamera Foster. * Barlow: Tamera Foster – backed his own act, Kingsland Road. * Osbourne: Kingsland Road – gave no comment; she later said on ''The Xtra Factor'' that she could not think of a reason to send them home nor to justify keeping them in the competition despite her own fondness for them. * Walsh: Kingsland Road – said that Foster "sang her heart out" in her sing-off performance and had "star quality". However, voting statistics revealed that Kingsland Road received more votes than Foster which meant that if Walsh sent the result to deadlock, Kingsland Road would have been saved.


Week 5 (9/10 November)

*Theme: Big band *Group performance: " Love Me Again" *Musical guests: Celine Dion ("
Loved Me Back to Life ''Loved Me Back to Life'' is the eleventh English-language and twenty-fifth studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Sony Music Entertainment on 1 November 2013. It was preceded by the lead single and title track, " Loved Me Back ...
") and Robbie Williams (" Go Gentle") The acts performed with a 36-piece live band, instead of a backing track. The flash vote did not return this week, and a show source said there were no plans for it to return. Cowell made an appearance during rehearsals via VT this week and told the final 8 they would be taking part in the 2014 live tour. ;Judges' votes to eliminate *Scherzinger abstained from voting as both acts were in her category. *Barlow: Abi Alton – based on the sing-off performances. *Osbourne: Abi Alton – gave no reason. *Walsh was not required to vote but stated he would have eliminated Alton.


Week 6 (16/17 November)

*Theme: "The Great British Songbook" *Group performance: " Never Forget" *Musical guests: Miley Cyrus (" Wrecking Ball") and Gary Barlow ("
Let Me Go Let or LET may refer to: Sports * Let serve, when the served object in certain racket sports hits the net and lands in the correct service court, such as; ** Let (badminton) ** Let (pickleball) ** Let (tennis) * Ladies European Tour, the ladi ...
") A minimum of 15p from every contestant vote cast, plus a minimum of 50p from every track downloaded from this weekend's live performances, will be donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee's relief efforts following Typhoon Haiyan. ;Judges' votes to eliminate''The X Factor'' series 10-week 6 *Walsh abstained from voting as both acts were in his category. *Scherzinger: Sam Callahan – said Friend was the better singer. *Barlow: Sam Callahan – gave no reason. *Osbourne was not required to vote, but stated she would have eliminated Callahan.


Week 7 (23/24 November)

*Theme: "The Best of ''The X Factor''" (songs recorded or performed by previous finalists) *Guest mentors: Joe McElderry,
Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is a British singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fifth series of the British television series ''The X Factor'' in 2008, and has been signed to Epic Records, RCA Records and Syc ...
,
Shayne Ward Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984) is an English actor and singer. He rose to fame as the winner of The X Factor (British series 2), the second series of ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor''. His debut single, "That's M ...
,
Little Mix Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British ver ...
, Olly Murs and Leona Lewis *Group performance: " Everybody in Love" (with
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 Ne ...
) *Musical guests: **Saturday: Olly Murs ("
Hand on Heart "Hand on Heart" is a song by English singer-songwriter Olly Murs for his third studio album '' Right Place Right Time'' (2012). The song was released as the fifth single from the album, although released to promote the 2013 re-release. It was co ...
") **Sunday: JLS (" Everybody in Love", with finalists),
Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
featuring
Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind''. She studied ...
(" Do You Hear What I Hear?") and One Direction (" Story of My Life") ;Judges' votes to eliminate''The X Factor'' series 10-week 7 *Scherzinger: Rough Copy – backed her own act, Hannah Barrett. *Barlow: Hannah Barrett – gave no reason, but effectively backed his own act, Rough Copy. *Osbourne: Hannah Barrett – because it was Barrett's third time in the bottom two. *Walsh: Hannah Barrett – gave no reason, but on ''The Xtra Factor'' he said that it was because Barrett had been in the sing-off three times and Rough Copy had more to give. However, voting statistics revealed that Barrett received more votes than Rough Copy which meant that if Walsh sent the result to deadlock, Barrett would have advanced to the quarter-final and Rough Copy would have been eliminated.


Week 8: Quarter-Final (30 November/1 December)

*Theme: Contestant's musical heroes; viewers' choice (billed as "Jukebox week") *Group performance: " Burn" *Musical guests: Rebecca Ferguson (" I Hope") and
James Arthur James Arthur (born 2 March 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the ninth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2012. His debut single, a cover of Shontelle's "Impossible", was released by Syco Music after the fin ...
("
Recovery Recovery or Recover may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * Recovery (novel), ''Recovery'' (novel), a Star Wars e-book * Recovery Version, a translation of the Bible with footnotes published by Living Stream Ministry Film and television * R ...
") For the first time this series, the acts performed two songs each. One song was chosen by a public vote via the official ''The X Factor'' app. On 24 November, the song choices for the public were revealed. ;Judges' votes to eliminate''The X Factor'' series 10-week 8 *Scherzinger: Luke Friend – backed her own act, Tamera Foster, but said that Friend had a gift that no one could take away from him. *Walsh: Tamera Foster – backed his own act, Luke Friend, who he said was better in the sing-off. *Osbourne: Tamera Foster – said that Friend delivered "an organic natural performance" in the sing-off. *Barlow: Luke Friend – could not decide so chose to take the vote to deadlock; he further explained his statement by saying that Friend had one of his "best nights" but thought Foster had "come back strong" in the quarter-final and that she was going to be "one of the biggest stars after the series". With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Foster was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.


Week 9: Semi-Final (7/8 December)

*Themes: Songs by
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
; songs by
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
(billed as "Elton John vs. Beyoncé") *Group performance: " Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" *Musical guests: Leona Lewis ("
One More Sleep "One More Sleep" is a song recorded by British singer Leona Lewis for her first Christmas album and fourth studio album, '' Christmas, with Love'' (2013). It was written by Lewis in collaboration with Richard "Biff" Stannard, Iain James, Jez A ...
") and Michael Bublé ("
You Make Me Feel So Young "You Make Me Feel So Young" is a 1946 popular music, popular song composed by Josef Myrow, with lyrics written by Mack Gordon. It was introduced in the 1946 musical film ''Three Little Girls in Blue'', where it was sung by the characters performed ...
") ;Judges' votes to send through to the final''The X Factor'' series 10-week 9 *Barlow: Rough Copy – gave no reason but essentially backed his own act, Rough Copy. *Walsh: Luke Friend – gave no reason but essentially backed his own act, Luke Friend. *Scherzinger: Rough Copy – gave no reason. *Osbourne: Luke Friend – 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. Friend advanced to the final as the act with the most public votes.


Week 10: Final (14/15 December)

;14 December *Themes: No theme (new song); celebrity duets *Group performance: " Lifted" *Musical guests: Tom Odell (" Another Love");
Kitty Brucknell Kimberley Dayle Edwards (born 15 November 1984), formerly known professionally as Kitty Brucknell, is an English pop singer. She rose to fame as a finalist on the eighth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2011, where she finished in seventh place. ...
,
2 Shoes ''The X Factor'' is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The eighth series aired on ITV on 20 August 2011 and ended on 11 December 2011. Dermot O'Leary hosted the main show on ITV, while Caroline Flack and series 6 ...
, John & Edward, Wagner, Johnny Robinson, Diva Fever and Rylan Clark (" Live and Let Die" / "
Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby) "Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)" is the debut single by Irish pop duo Jedward. The song is a medley of "Under Pressure", originally recorded in 1981 by Queen and David Bowie, and the 1990 Vanilla Ice single "Ice Ice Baby". "Ice Ice Baby" origina ...
" / "
Love Shack "Love Shack" is a song by American new wave band the B-52's from their fifth studio album, ''Cosmic Thing'' (1989). It was released on June 20, 1989, and was produced by Don Was. The song was a comeback for the band following their decline in p ...
" / " Spice Up Your Life"); The Killers (" Human", "
Mr. Brightside "Mr. Brightside" is the debut single of American rock band the Killers. It is taken from their debut studio album, '' Hot Fuss'' (2004). Written by band members Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning, it was one of the first songs the Killers ever w ...
") Luke Friend received the fewest public votes and was automatically eliminated. ;15 December *Themes: Favourite performance ("song of the series"); winner's single *Group performance: " Roar" (all contestants except Lorna Simpson) *Musical guests: One Direction (" Midnight Memories"),
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
("
Unconditionally "Unconditionally" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. It was released as the second single from her fourth studio album ''Prism'' (2013) on October 16, 2013, two days before the album was released. Inspiration for the song came primarily fro ...
") and Gary Barlow featuring
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
(" Face to Face")


Prize

As the winner, Sam Bailey received a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music, she went on to join Beyoncé Knowles for one night in Birmingham, on the UK leg of her
The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer Beyoncé. Announced in February 2013 with initial dates in Europe and North America, the tour contained seven legs and 132 shows. It began in Belgrade, Serbia on April ...
in 2014. Bailey's winner's single "
Skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
" was released on 16 December, the day after she won, and sold over 100,000 copies to become the Christmas number one on 22 December. This made Bailey the first ''X Factor'' winner since
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 S ...
in 2010 to gain the Christmas number one (series 8 winners Little Mix and series 9 winner James Arthur both released their winners' singles two weeks before the Christmas chart, thus avoiding the Christmas number-one battle, although they both charted in the top three of the Christmas chart regardless). On 24 November, it was revealed that the winner's single, like Arthur's, would be a charity release to raise money for
Together for Short Lives Together for Short Lives is the UK registered charity for children's palliative care. Together for Short Lives’ vision is for children and young people in the UK with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions and their families to have as fu ...
, and also the Great Ormond Street Hospital. If
Nicholas McDonald Nicholas "Nicky" McDonald (born 23 November 1996) is a Scottish singer. He was the runner-up of the tenth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2013. After the show, he signed with RCA Records and released his debut album '' In the Arms of an Angel'' ...
had won, he would have released " Superman (It's Not Easy)" as his winner's single.


Reception


Ratings

The series launch on 31 August 2013 received average overnight ratings of 8.78 million, a 40% share of the viewing audience at that time, and peaked at 9.08 million. The average rating was 680,000 more viewers than the series 9 launch, but still 2.5 million fewer than the series 8 launch. The first Sunday show the following night attracted average overnight ratings of 9.21 million, a 36.2% audience share. This was officially the highest rated episode of the series. The following Saturday, on 7 September, the ratings dropped to 840,000 fewer than the launch, an overnight rating of 7.94 million. The second Sunday show saw viewers fall by 300,000 viewers compared to the previous Sunday, but it was up by more than 1 million on the fourth auditions episode of series 9. The ratings for the third Saturday show were up on the second by 710,000, with an average overnight rating of 8.65 million. The next day, the average overnight ratings reached 9.08 million and peaked at 10.7 million. The final weekend of auditions saw viewers decrease by around 200,000 on the Saturday, though the next day saw the show reach a new peak audience of 9.42 million, according to overnight figures. Includes advert breaks
The ITV+1 figure for this episode is unavailable as it was outside the top 10 programmes of the week on BARB.
The rank for the ITV broadcast, compared with all channels for that week, from Monday to Sunday.
The average figure for ITV+1 includes only the episodes with figures available.


Controversy and criticism


Trailer

The mash-up video trailer promoting the tenth series was published as a "mash up of all the best a decade of ''X Factor'' has to offer" on 25 July 2013. The trailer consists of various music videos from 13 past contestants: winners
Shayne Ward Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984) is an English actor and singer. He rose to fame as the winner of The X Factor (British series 2), the second series of ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor''. His debut single, "That's M ...
, Leona Lewis,
Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is a British singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fifth series of the British television series ''The X Factor'' in 2008, and has been signed to Epic Records, RCA Records and Syc ...
, Joe McElderry,
Little Mix Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British ver ...
and
James Arthur James Arthur (born 2 March 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the ninth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2012. His debut single, a cover of Shontelle's "Impossible", was released by Syco Music after the fin ...
, and finalists One Direction,
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 Ne ...
, Olly Murs, Union J, Amelia Lily, Cher Lloyd and Misha B. However, fans questioned the absence of successful contestants Diana Vickers and Rebecca Ferguson, and winners Steve Brookstein, Leon Jackson and
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 S ...
were also not included. Cardle's manager Will Talbot said that he believed the show was "attempting to erase Matt from the history books. ..In truth, it pretty much sums up Syco's attitude to him during the months after he inconveniently (for them) won the show. Unfortunately there is a misconception that Matt has slagged off the show and fallen out with Sony but this is not true." Cardle later described being omitted from the advert as "disappointing", especially for fans who would have liked to have seen him in it.
Melanie C Melanie Jayne Chisholm (12 January 1974 - 25 December 2022), better known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer-songwriter and media personality. She is best known as one of the five members of the Spice Girls, during which time she was ni ...
, who has collaborated with Cardle, was more critical, saying: "I think it's really f****** rude the way they have left him out."


Format changes

The change to the format of the auditions was criticised by Alex Fletcher from entertainment news website
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
, who said he could not see the logic in having auditions broadcast on both Saturdays and Sundays, as complaints from series 9 were not about needing extra auditions, but about "dour judges" and "underwhelming finalists". He praised the return of the audition room but felt that "the producers and imonCowell evidently weren't confident in the format change and have kept the arena auditions as an extra second round," stating that the Bootcamp stage of the competition could have been used to show "how the acts cope under pressure with a live audience," adding that "the Sunday show feels like a bit of a formality" and "generally the singers who stun us on Saturday will impress again on Sunday." He said that "the extra Sunday helping of ''The X Factor'' will still rate much higher than anything else that was going to air in that slot for ITV. So for the bean counters and ''X Factor'' PR machine it will probably be labelled a hit. In the long-term, however, I fear this 'Supersized ''X Factor'' may lead some viewers to reach for their remotes suffering from reality TV fatigue." Additionally, Fletcher was critical of the format change to bootcamp, saying "The show can be cruel for those taking part, brutal for those who don't make the grade, and its fickleness is nothing compared to the harsh realities of the music industry. However, the argument that 'the music industry is meaner' fell apart this week. ..I refuse to believe that anyone in the music industry has even been given a contract, told they're brilliant and then forced to watch 15 other people sing and have that contract ripped up in front of their faces. And even if they have, I bet they didn't have an audience of 4,000 people chanting at them to be on their way. This was reality TV at its most cruel." He wondered if the change was a "desperate attempt to create interest in a series that has performed solidly in the ratings, but without creating any real talking points or memorable moments", and said that "watching Karen Harding,
Lydia Lucy Lydia Lucy White (born 9 July 1993) from Collier Row, Greater London, is an English singer and television personality. She has been featured in many acts with will.i.am and other musicians. In 2013, she featured in the tenth series of ''The X F ...
and Sheena McHugh get put into the Top 6 and then have the dream of a spot at Judges' Houses snatched away from them felt needlessly mean. Whether the trio deserved to make Judges' Houses or not felt irrelevant. The audience finger-pointing and the chanting of 'Swap! Swap! Swap!' made the whole process terribly ugly." He questioned the show's producers' "need to make it even more vicious", opined that the new twist "definitely undermines the credibility of the show's judges", and said, "The whole twist felt contrived and unpleasant, and I hope it won't be returning in 2014." Fans and viewers of the show also criticised the bootcamp format, with some viewers said to be fearing for the contestants' wellbeing, with one calling it "blood sport". Singer Lily Allen, who watched the show, said, "When did become alright to f*** with people's minds. ''X Factor'' has got fully mean." Contestant Lydia Lucy, who was initially chosen to be in Scherzinger's final six but was replaced by Abi Alton, said, "It still hasn't sunk in. I've been absolutely devastated. ..If Simon Cowell was in front of me now I'd tell him to change the format back to how it was. This way is like dangling a carrot in front of someone and then taking it away." The new "flash vote" twist during the live shows was met negatively by
Lorna Simpson Lorna Simpson (born August 13, 1960) is an American photographer and multimedia artist. She came to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s with artworks such as ''Guarded Conditions'' and ''Square Deal''. Simpson is most well-known for her work in c ...
, who was the first contestant to be eliminated. Simpson said it was unfair that she had far less time to prepare than fellow sing-off contestant Shelley Smith, claiming "They set me up to go out in the first week". It was reported that Cowell was planning to axe the flash vote after ''The X Factor'' was heavily beaten by ''
Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...
'' in the ratings for the second live show. The flash vote was not used in week 4 due to a performance at the start of the show by
Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...
and Chic, and was not used again in week 5. A source from the show said, "at the moment it is not scheduled to return". The flash vote was not used again after week 3.


Contestants

Before judges' houses, urban act Code 4 had to drop one of their members, Mark Wyman, after it emerged that he had a criminal record, and a spokesman for ''The X Factor'' said, "Unfortunately due to problems in getting a visa Mark was unable to travel to Judges' Houses in America, meaning that he ended up having to leave the band to carry on in the competition as a three piece." Code 4 did not make it to the live shows. Three-piece band Rough Copy also had to lose member Kazeem "Kaz" Ajobe before the six-chair challenge due to visa problems. The same had happened to the group in series 9, but this year the other two members, Sterling Ramsay and Joey James, continued without Ajobe and advanced to judges' houses as a duo. Fans questioned the events, and the extent to which ITV wanted to resolve them, saying they had a year to get a visa, and Barlow could have stayed in the United Kingdom, the latter sentiment to which Barlow admitted to Ajobe he should have done during the judges' houses episodes. Barlow put Rough Copy through to the live shows and Ajobe was allowed to rejoin the band. Furthermore, just after Ajobe was reinstated, controversy was caused when his criminal past was publicised. Ajobe responded by stating: "I've done things I am not proud of. I haven't been an angel but I am a changed man now." There was criticism over SeSe Foster of Miss Dynamix being allowed to compete in the show, because she was five months pregnant when the live shows began. Some viewers also thought it was unfair that Miss Dynamix got an automatic bye to the next week when Foster collapsed before the second live show. Foster dismissed this, saying that she "deserve a shot at a better life" and insisted her collapse was not related to her pregnancy. The following week, Miss Dynamix were eliminated after losing the flash-vote and the sing-off to Hannah Barrett. Following this, Barlow stated that he felt that all public hopes of the group continuing in the competition had ended with their absence in week 2, despite him previously hoping that Foster's collapse would have gained more sympathy for them from the public.


Judges' comments

Some viewers were shocked by a comment made by Osbourne following 16-year-old Nicholas McDonald's performance of " She's the One" during the second live show. As McDonald got to the end of the song, a female backing dancer walked towards him and he kissed her cheek after the song finished. Despite the minimum age of sexual consent in the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies standing at 16, Osbourne then said to McDonald, who was 16 and therefore legal, "Who on earth was that piece of whatever next to you? That paedophile. You're only 16. You can't be doing that. That's a disgrace ITV." She was later spoken to by producers, but Walsh defended her, saying "She meant nothing wrong by it. We all say things we shouldn't and ''X Factor'' is not scripted." The dancer declined to comment, but a source close to her said that she was embarrassed by Osbourne's comment.


Guest performances

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
received around 200 complaints about Lady Gaga's performance, including her costume and lyrics, during the third results show on 27 October 2013. ITV received 60 complaints directly. Lady Gaga wore nude-coloured underwear and her lyrics included "do what you want with my body". A spokeswoman for ITV said, "We do not believe Lady Gaga's performance was inappropriate for the family audience of ''The X Factor'' results show, which has an established tradition of featuring performances from the biggest music stars. Lady Gaga is well known for her highly individual performance style." Ofcom said, "We will assess all the complaints received on this issue before deciding whether to investigate." Robin Thicke's performance, which featured a large number of scantily-clad female dancers, also received a total of 317 complaints. On 16 December, both Gaga and Thicke were cleared of any wrongdoing, with an Ofcom spokesman stating, "We assessed the complaints and concluded there were no grounds to investigate."


Final

There were technical problems during Sam Bailey's duet performance with Scherzinger, when Jedward's voices could be heard as they completed a microphone test. The duet was panned by viewers who accused Scherzinger of being "selfish" by singing the "best" lines and notes of the song.


References


External links


''The X Factor''
{{DEFAULTSORT:X Factor British series 10 2013 in British music 2013 British television seasons 10 United Kingdom 10