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 thirteenth series began airing on ITV on Saturday 27 August 2016 and ended on Sunday 11 December 2016.

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 to present the main show on ITV for the ninth time to replace

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 ...

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 Is ...

, who left after

series 12 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 ...

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 ...

was the only judge from the 12th series to return;

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 ...

, Sharon Osbourne and

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 ...

all returned, replacing

Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut stud ...

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini 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 '' Popstars ...

and Nick Grimshaw.

Matt Edmondson Matthew Edmondson (born 27 December 1985) is a British television and Sony Award-nominated radio presenter, best known for his work with BBC Radio 1 and ITV2. Edmondson currently presents the weekend afternoon show Fridays, Saturdays and Sund ...

and

Rylan Clark-Neal Ross Richard Clark (born 25 October 1988), known professionally as Rylan, is an English broadcaster and model. He finished in fifth place on the ninth series of '' The X Factor'' in 2012, and the following year, he won the eleventh series of ...

replaced

Rochelle Humes Rochelle Eulah Eileen Humes (née Wiseman; born 21 March 1989) is an English singer and television presenter. Humes began her career in British pop groups S Club Juniors and The Saturdays, and has gone on to co-present the ITV entertainment se ...

and

Melvin Odoom Melvin Odoom is a British radio DJ and television presenter. He is best known for presenting on BBC Radio 1 alongside Rickie Haywood-Williams and Charlie Hedges. Education Odoom attended the University of Bedfordshire and studied a Media Per ...

as hosts of ''The Xtra Factor'', which was rebranded as ''The Xtra Factor Live'' and was broadcast live twice every week, with Roman Kemp making appearances as a digital presenter and social media reporter.

Matt Terry Matthew James Terry (born 20 May 1993) is an English singer and songwriter. In 2016, he was crowned as the winner of the thirteenth series of ''The X Factor''. His debut single, " When Christmas Comes Around", which was released on 11 December ...

was announced the winner on 11 December 2016, making Scherzinger the winning mentor for the second time.

Saara Aalto Saara Sofia Aalto (born 2 May 1987) is a Finnish singer, songwriter, and voice actress. In 2012 she came second in the first season of '' The Voice of Finland''. In 2016 Aalto finished as the runner-up in the thirteenth series of ''The X Fac ...

finished second.

Judges and presenters

On 18 February 2016, series 12 judge Nick Grimshaw announced that he would not come back for another series on the judging panel. On 5 April 2016, it was confirmed that Cheryl would not return as a judge.

confirmed she was leaving the judging panel on 10 May 2016. On the same day, it was reported that former judges

, Sharon Osbourne and

may return to join

on the judging panel to collectively replace Ora, Cheryl and Grimshaw. Walsh confirmed he had signed a contract on 15 May 2016. The judging line-up was officially confirmed as Cowell, Walsh, Osbourne and Scherzinger on 1 June 2016. On 22 February 2016, during an interview with '' The Sun'',

, who had co-hosted the previous series with

, confirmed his decision to quit the series to focus on his music. In a statement, Murs stated, "This was an incredibly hard decision to make and one I didn't take lightly as I've really enjoyed co-hosting ''The X Factor''." Following Murs' decision to exit the series, Flack confirmed she would exit as well, stating, "I have had a brilliant time working on ''The X Factor'' over the last few years, and hosting the main show was just fantastic – I made some amazing friends." On 29 March 2016, it was confirmed that

would return to present ''The X Factor'' on ITV for the ninth time, after having quit the previous year, and said he was "very flattered to be asked back". For series 12, O'Leary was replaced by Murs and Flack, but the viewing numbers fell and O'Leary was asked back. Richard Holloway, boss of

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, said he was "a much-loved part of ''The X Factor'' and one of the best presenters in the business", while Kevin Lygo, ITV's Director of TV, said he was "an important part of the ITV family". On 27 June 2016, it was confirmed that

will be the new host of '' The Xtra Factor'' replacing

and

. On 1 July 2016, it was confirmed that

will co-host alongside Edmondson, and that Capital FM DJ Roman Kemp would be a digital presenter and social media reporter. Mel B joined the panel for one day of London auditions in lieu of Scherzinger. Osbourne was absent in the Edinburgh auditions and was not replaced by a guest judge.

Selection process

Auditions

The minimum age to audition this year was 16. Contestants needed three or more 'yeses' from the four judges to progress to Bootcamp.

Mobile auditions

In addition to the producers' auditions, the "Mobile Audition Tour" took place throughout the UK and Ireland. Auditions ran between 7 March and 30 April 2016, and visited

Skegness Skegness ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey District of Lincolnshire, England. On the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, the town is east of Lincoln and north-east of Boston. With a population of 19,579 as of 2011, ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, Aberdeen,

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

Telford Telford () is a town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, about east of Shrewsbury, south west of Stafford, north west of Wolverhampton and from Birmingham in t ...

, Edinburgh,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, Sunderland,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

, Leicester,

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It ...

, Northampton,

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...

, Hull, Milton Keynes, Essex,

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

, Swindon,

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

Bognor Regis Bognor Regis (), sometimes simply known as Bognor (), is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns i ...

, Bristol, Blackpool, Preston,

Weston-Super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...

, Brighton,

Newquay Newquay ( ; kw, Tewynblustri) is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, in the south west of England. It is a civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries, spaceport and a fishing port on the North Atlantic coast of ...

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its population was 18,766 in the 2011 census. People of Truro ...

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

, Exeter,

Margate Margate is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook. The town has been a significan ...

Yeovil Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somerset's southern border with ...

and

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

Open auditions

Producers auditions commenced on 7 April in

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 ...

and ended on 14 May in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

Judges' auditions

Originally, the format for auditions was announced to return to that of series 10 and 11, with both room auditions and consequent arena auditions before bootcamp. However, the arena auditions were scrapped at the end of June, towards the end of the filming of the room auditions. The auditions started on 10 June in Leicester and continued in

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 ...

on 13 June. The next auditions took place on 17 June in London where Mel B was a guest judge in place of Scherzinger, while Scherzinger had other commitments. Contestant Philip Hadlow did not progress to Bootcamp, but judged one audition in Walsh's place. Subsequent auditions were held in London on 19 June, with Scherzinger returning, before moving to Edinburgh on 23 June and Dublin on 1 July. Selected auditions were broadcast over seven episodes, between 27 August and 17 September 2016. Notable auditionees this series included Rebekah Ryan, who had UK chart success in the 1990s as an independent artist and previously auditioned in series 4, reaching bootcamp,

, who was the runner-up on series 1 of ''

The Voice of Finland ''The Voice of Finland'' is a Finnish reality singing competition and local version of ''The Voice'' first broadcast as ''The Voice of Holland''. The series premiered on Nelonen on 30 December 2011 and the first season concluded in April 2012. ...

'', and actor Will Rush.

Bootcamp

Bootcamp took place at Alexandra Palace from 6 to 8 July 2016. It was broadcast in a single episode on 18 September 2016. The contestants all chose a song from a wall with sheets of paper attached. Each song appeared three times and the three acts who picked the same song would perform that song as a group. Immediately after each performance, the judges would either put the acts through or eliminate them immediately. 121 acts were successful in this part, and the judges then deliberated to cut the number of contestants down further, to decide who would reach the six-chair challenge. At the end of Bootcamp, the judges discovered which categories they would mentor: Cowell was given the Girls, Scherzinger was given the Boys, Osbourne was given the Over 25s and Walsh was given the Groups.

Six-chair challenge

The six-chair challenge took place from 9 to 12 July, at

The SSE Arena, Wembley 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-sea ...

. It was broadcast over two episodes on 24 and 25 September. Scherzinger and Cowell chose their final six acts during Saturday's show, while Osbourne and Walsh picked their acts during Sunday's show.

Judges' houses

Filming for judges' houses took place in late August and early/mid September. The locations and guest judges were officially confirmed on 21 September 2016. Walsh was assisted in Ibiza by

Fleur East Fleur East (born 29 October 1987) is an English singer-songwriter, rapper and radio presenter on Hits Radio. She competed on the second series of the televised singing competition ''The X Factor'' in 2005 as a member of the girl group Addicti ...

and

Alesha Dixon Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978) is an English singer, rapper, dancer, television personality, and author. She gained recognition in the early 2000s as a member of the R&B, garage and hip hop group Mis-Teeq. The group disbanded i ...

, Cowell went to Malibu with Mel B and

Emma Bunton Emma Lee Bunton (born 21 January 1976) is an English singer, songwriter, actress, and media personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Baby Spice. With over 100 million recor ...

, Osbourne went to her Los Angeles home where she was joined by

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

, and Scherzinger went to

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

with Calvin Harris. Filipino singer Ivy Grace Paredes, who was originally selected as one of Osbourne's over-25s at the six-chair challenge, withdrew from the competition because her visa would not be issued in time, and she was replaced by Honey G. Four more acts were chosen as wildcards to go to judges' houses. Walsh chose Samantha Lavery for Cowell, Cowell chose Ryan Lawrie for Scherzinger, Scherzinger chose

for Osbourne and Osbourne chose Yes Lad for Walsh. The judges houses episodes were broadcast on 1 and 2 October 2016. ; Judges Houses Performances: Boys: * Matt: "

She's Out of My Life "She's Out of My Life" is a song written by American songwriter Tom Bahler and performed by American singer Michael Jackson. The song was released as the fourth single from Jackson's 1979 album ''Off the Wall'' released on April 19, 1980. In 200 ...

" * James H: "

Ain't No Mountain High Enough "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is a song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla label, a division of Motown. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and ...

" * Freddy: " Love Me Like You Do" * Niall: "

2 Become 1 "2 Become 1" is a song by the English girl group the Spice Girls. Written by the group members, together with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for t ...

" * Ryan: "

You Make My Dreams "You Make My Dreams" is a song by the American duo Hall & Oates, taken from their ninth studio album, '' Voices'' (1980). The song reached number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in 1981. The track received 154,000 digital sales between ...

" * Christian: "

How to Save a Life "How to Save a Life" is a song by American alternative rock band The Fray, released in March 2006 as the second single from their debut studio album of the same name. The song is one of the band's most popular airplay songs and peaked in the t ...

" * Nate: " Summertime" Girls: * Emily: " Ex's and Oh's" * Samantha L: " Make It Rain" * Gifty: " This Girl" * Kayleigh: " Who You Are" * Caitlyn: "

Praying for Time "Praying for Time" is a song written and performed by British singer and songwriter George Michael, released on Epic Records in the United Kingdom and Columbia Records in the United States in 1990. It was the first single from his second stu ...

" * Sohelia: "

Genie in a Bottle "Genie in a Bottle" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). It was written by Pam Sheyne, Steve Kipner and David Frank, and produced by Kipner and Frank. The song was released on May 11, 1 ...

" * Olivia: " Sometimes" Groups: * 5AM: "

She's Got That Vibe "She's Got That Vibe" is the debut single of American R&B singer R. Kelly and band Public Announcement. It was released as the first single from Kelly's debut studio album, '' Born into the 90's'' (1992), on November 22, 1991, and was written and ...

" * Tom & Laura: "

Up Where We Belong "Up Where We Belong" is a song written by Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Will Jennings that was recorded by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes for the 1982 film '' An Officer and a Gentleman''. Warnes was recommended to sing a song from the f ...

" * Bradley & Ottavio: " Candyman" * Yes Lad: "

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" is a single written and recorded by American singer Michael Jackson. Released under Epic Records on July 10, 1979, the song is the first track on Jackson's fifth studio album '' Off the Wall'' (1979). It was t ...

" * Four of Diamonds: " Royals" (wildcard) * The Brooks: " Just a Dream" * Skarl3t: "

Hey Ya! "Hey Ya!" is a song performed by American hip-hop duo Outkast, specifically group member André 3000, who wrote and produced the song. Along with "The Way You Move", recorded by Outkast's other member Big Boi, "Hey Ya!" was released by Arista ...

" Over 25s * Saara: "

The Winner Takes It All "The Winner Takes It All" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. Released as the first single from the group's seventh studio album, '' Super Trouper'' (1980), it is a ballad in the key of G-flat major, reflecting on the end of a relatio ...

" * Honey G: "

Gangsta's Paradise "Gangsta's Paradise" is a single by American rapper Coolio. Interpolating Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "Pastime Paradise", and featuring American singer L.V., the single was released on August 1, 1995. Certified Platinum in October, the song wa ...

" * Relley C: " Up to the Mountain" * Peyton: " Movin' On Up" * Samantha A: "

Tears Tears are a clear liquid secreted by the lacrimal glands (tear gland) found in the eyes of all land mammals. Tears are made up of water, electrolytes, proteins, lipids, and mucins that form layers on the surface of eyes. The different types of ...

" * James W: "

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 ...

" * Janet: " Ordinary World"

Acts

Key: : – Winner : – Runner-Up : – Withdrew

Live shows

The live shows began on 8 October 2016, with the performance shows taking place on Saturday night and the results show airing on Sunday night. On 1 October, it was revealed that all the groups would undergo name changes. The new names were revealed as Bratavio (Bradley & Ottavio), Brooks Way (The Brooks) and 5 After Midnight (5AM). The live shows were all filmed at

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 London, apart from the live final and final results show, which were filmed 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 ...

. This was the last series to be filmed at Fountain Studios, and the semi-final results show and the following episode of ''The Xtra Factor'' were the last programmes to be recorded in the studios before its demolition. New for this series, the first five results shows revealed the acts in the bottom three of the votes, and there was then a second round of 'flash votes' which lasted approximately four minutes, with voting only available via the official ''The X Factor'' mobile app. The act who topped this vote avoided the sing-off. Also new, the theme for each week, excluding week 1, is randomly selected via a "jukebox wheel" at the end of the previous week's show, which is spun by O'Leary (apart from week 6, when it was spun by

Ant & Dec Ant & Dec are a British television presenting duo, consisting of Anthony McPartlin (born 18 November 1975) and Declan Donnelly (born 25 September 1975), from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Formed after their meeting as child actors on CBBC's ...

, during a live link-up from Australia). Themes include "Disco", "Movies", "Fright Night", "80s", "Divas", "Motown", "Girlband vs Boyband" and "Louis loves"—named after Louis Walsh. During the sixth live show, it was revealed that viewers would have a chance to suggest a theme for the jukebox. During the seventh live results show, the new theme was revealed as "Christmas". On 10 October 2016, Brooks Way confirmed that they would not be taking part in the show after being absent from the first live show. In a statement released by the official website to confirm their exit, Josh Brooks said, "Due to events in my personal life I've decided that it's best not to be on the show at this time. While not everything that has been claimed is true I would like to apologise to everyone involved." A spokesperson for the show added, "Following the allegations relating to Josh Brooks, we have decided by mutual consent that Brooks Way should leave the competition." The same day, it was confirmed that

Four of Diamonds Four of Diamonds are an English girl group composed of Caroline Alvares, Lauren Rammell, Sophia Saffarian and Yasmin Broom. In 2016, they competed in the thirteenth series of ''The X Factor'', where they finished in eighth place. In 2018, they ...

, who previously made Judges' Houses, would be replacing Brooks Way. Speaking of their second chance in the competition, the girls said that they "are so excited to be back" and "looking forward to performing live, working hard and showing everyone what they are made of". Speaking about why he brought the girl group back, groups mentor Walsh stated that he was "impressed with the girls" but only had "three spots in the live shows". At the time of the episode airing, many viewers were disappointed that they were not chosen and he stated that he'd "listened to the fans" and was "delighted to be bringing the girls back."

Musical guests

Each results show features guest performances, with some guests performing during the main performance show. Performers included 2012 ''The X Factor'' winner

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 fi ...

on the first results show, the cast of '' Motown: The Musical'' on the second live show, OneRepublic and 2011 winners Little Mix on the second results show, Busted,

Shawn Mendes Shawn Peter Raul Mendes (; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian pop singer. He gained a following in 2013, when he posted song covers on the video sharing platform Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manager Andrew Gert ...

and

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...

on the third live results show, 2015 winner

Louisa Johnson Louisa Johnson (born 11 January 1998), also known mononymously as Louisa, is a British singer. In 2015, she won the twelfth series of ''The X Factor''. She subsequently released her winner's single " Forever Young", which peaked at number nin ...

and

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...

on the fourth live results show,

Emeli Sandé Adele Emily Sandé, ( ; born 10 March 1987), known professionally as Emeli Sandé, is a Scottish singer and songwriter. Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, and raised in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by an English mother and a Zambian father ...

and

on the fifth live results show, Sister Sledge on the sixth live show, 2009 runner up

and

Nathan Sykes Nathan James Sykes (born 18 April 1993) is an English singer, best known as a member of the boy band The Wanted. In 2013, Sykes appeared with his bandmates in the E! channel reality television series '' The Wanted Life''. After the band's hiat ...

on the sixth live results show, the cast of '' School of Rock'',

Craig David Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is a British singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single " Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger. David's debut studio album, ''Born to Do It'', was released in 2000, after which he has re ...

and

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

on the seventh live results show, and Busted

Clean Bandit Clean Bandit are an English electronic music group, formed in Cambridge in 2008. They have had four number 1 hits and ten top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart. They direct and produce their own music videos, many of which have been nominated for ...

featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie on the eighth live results show,

Zara Larsson Zara Maria Larsson (, ; born 16 December 1997) is a Swedish pop singer. In 2008, at the age of 10, she won the second season of the talent show '' Talang'', the Swedish version of the ''Got Talent'' format. Since then she has received recognit ...

and

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

on the semi-final live results show,

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, romance, and ...

, Louis Tomlinson featuring Steve Aoki and Honey G in the first final performances show, and Kylie Minogue, Madness and Little Mix featuring

Charlie Puth Charles Otto Puth Jr. (; born December 2, 1991) is an American singer and songwriter. His initial exposure came through the viral success of his song videos uploaded to YouTube. Puth initially signed with the record label eleveneleven after p ...

in the final results show.

Results summary

;Colour key Act mentored by Scherzinger Act mentored by Cowell Act mentored by Osbourne Act mentored by Walsh * Brooks Way were ejected from performing in week 1 and withdrew before week 2. * Four of Diamonds were originally eliminated at the Judges Houses stage but returned for the live shows after week 1 to replace Brooks Way who withdrew. * The voting percentages in the Final for the Sunday Vote do not add up to 100%, owing to the freezing of votes. 5 After Midnight received 11.1% of the final vote.

Live show details

Week 1 (8/9 October)

*Theme: "Express yourself" (songs to showcase who they are) *Group performance: " Sax" *Musical guest:

Say You Won't Let Go "Say You Won't Let Go" is a song by English singer and songwriter James Arthur. The song was released as a digital download on 9 September 2016 in the United Kingdom by Columbia Records as the lead single from his second studio album '' Back fr ...

") It was announced at the beginning of Saturday's live show that Brooks Way would not be performing. A spokesperson for the show said: "Due to circumstances that have arisen, Brooks Way will not be appearing on tonight's show." Brooks Way were suspended from performing on only the first week. They withdrew the day after the first result show. They were due to perform "

Cake by the Ocean "Cake by the Ocean" is the debut single by American band DNCE. It was released through Republic Records, as the lead single from their debut EP, ''Swaay'', on September 18, 2015. It is also included on their debut studio album, '' DNCE'' (2016). ...

". Brooks Way were then later replaced by Four of Diamonds. ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Walsh: Saara Aalto – backed his own act, Bratavio. * Osbourne: Bratavio – effectively backed her own act, Saara Aalto. * Scherzinger: Bratavio – based on the sing-off performances. * Cowell: Bratavio – based on the sing-off performances.

Week 2 (15/16 October)

*Theme: " Motown" *Musical guests: **Saturday: Cast of '' Motown: The Musical'' ("

Dancing in the Street "Dancing in the Street" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter. It first became popular in 1964 when recorded by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas whose version reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ...

") **Sunday: OneRepublic ("

Kids Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to: Common meanings * Colloquial term for a child or other young person ** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age * Engage in joking * Young goats * The goat meat of young goats * Kidskin, lea ...

") and Little Mix ("

Shout Out to My Ex "Shout Out to My Ex" is a song recorded by British girl group Little Mix. It was released on 16 October 2016 by Syco Music, as the lead single from the group's fourth studio album '' Glory Days (''2016). A dance-pop and power pop song, it wa ...

") *Best bits song: " Let Her Go" On 10 October 2016, Brooks Way confirmed that they would no longer be taking part in the show after being absent from the first live show. It was later confirmed that Four of Diamonds, who were eliminated at Judges' Houses, would replace them. ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Scherzinger: Saara Aalto – gave no reason but effectively backed her own act, Freddy Parker. * Osbourne: Freddy Parker – backed her own act, Saara Aalto. * Walsh: Freddy Parker – gave no reason. * Cowell: Saara Aalto – said the decision was harder than last week and chose to go with his gut. With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Freddy Parker was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 3 (22/23 October)

*Theme: "Divas" *Guest mentor:

*Group performance: "

Year 3000 "Year 3000" is a song performed by British pop rock band Busted. It was released as the second single from their debut studio album '' Busted'' (2002). "Year 3000" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and became the 34th-biggest seller ...

" (with Busted) *Musical guests: **Saturday:

I'm Every Woman "I'm Every Woman" is a song by American singer Chaka Khan, released as her debut solo single from her first album, '' Chaka'' (1978). It was Khan's first hit outside her recordings with the funk band Rufus. "I'm Every Woman" was produced by Arif ...

"/" Respect") **Sunday: Busted ("Year 3000"; with finalists),

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...

") and John Legend (" Love Me Now") ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Walsh: Relley C – backed his own act, Four of Diamonds, who he said had more potential. * Osbourne: Four of Diamonds – gave no reason but effectively backed her own act, Relley C. * Scherzinger: Relley C – based on the sing-off performances. * Cowell: Relley C – said that Four of Diamonds had more potential. However, voting statistics revealed that Relley C received more votes than Four of Diamonds which meant that if Cowell sent the result to deadlock, Relley C would have been saved.

Week 4 (29/30 October)

*Theme: Fright Night *Group performance: "

" *Musical guests:

(" So Good") and

(" 24K Magic") ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Cowell: Four of Diamonds – gave no reason but effectively backed his own act, Gifty Louise. However, he did initially say Louise's name in response, before backtracking. * Walsh: Gifty Louise – backed his own act, Four of Diamonds, who he said had more potential. * Scherzinger: Gifty Louise – gave no reason. * Osbourne: Gifty Louise – gave no reason. However, voting statistics revealed that Louise received more votes than Four of Diamonds which meant that if Osbourne sent the result to deadlock, Louise would have been saved.

Week 5 (5/6 November)

*Theme: "Girlband vs Boyband" *Group performance: " Keep on Movin'" *Musical guests:

(" Breathing Underwater") and

(" Love My Life") During the fifth live results show, O'Leary confirmed that the final 8 would be part of The X Factor UK Live Tour 2017. ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Walsh: Saara Aalto – gave no reason but effectively backed his own act, Four of Diamonds. * Osbourne: Four of Diamonds – gave no reason but effectively backed her own act, Saara Aalto. * Scherzinger: Four of Diamonds – based on the sing-off performances. * Cowell: Four of Diamonds – said he thought Four of Diamonds would be safe based on their first performance but concluded that Aalto was more likely to consistently improve following a bad week. However, voting statistics revealed that Aalto and Four of Diamonds received more votes than Lavery which meant that if Aalto won the lifeline vote, Lavery would have faced Four of Diamonds in the final showdown and in that scenario, if the result went to deadlock, Lavery would have been eliminated. In addition, if Four of Diamonds won the lifeline vote, Lavery would have faced Aalto in the final showdown and in that scenario, if the result went to deadlock, Lavery would have been eliminated.

Week 6 (12/13 November)

*Theme: "Disco" *Group performance: " Rise Up" *Musical guests: **Saturday: Sister Sledge (" We Are Family") **Sunday:

(" Famous") and

(" Grow Up") It was revealed during the sixth live show that the lifeline vote would not return for the remainder of the series. ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Cowell: Ryan Lawrie – gave no reason, but effectively backed his own act, Sam Lavery. * Scherzinger: Sam Lavery – gave no reason, but effectively backed her own act, Ryan Lawrie. * Walsh: Ryan Lawrie – stated that Lavery was who he picked as Cowell's wildcard. * Osbourne: Sam Lavery – could not decide so chose to take the vote to deadlock; although while deliberating, she appeared as though she was going to vote against Lawrie due to him being in the bottom three three times prior; but she eventually said Lavery's name, indicating she was voting to eliminate Lavery. With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Sam Lavery was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 7 (19/20 November)

*Theme: "Movies" (songs from films) *Musical guests: Cast of '' School of Rock'' ("Teacher's Pet"),

(" Change My Love") and

Blended Family (What You Do for Love) "Blended Family (What You Do for Love)" is a song by American recording artist Alicia Keys, featuring vocals from rapper ASAP Rocky. It was written by Keys, Rocky, John Bush, Brandon Aly, Tish Hyman, Dave Kuncio, John Houser, Kenneth Withrow ...

") ;Judges' votes to eliminate * Cowell: Ryan Lawrie – said that despite Lawrie being his wildcard choice for Scherzinger, he felt that Honey G wanted to advance to the quarter-final more. * Osbourne: Ryan Lawrie – backed her own act, Honey G. * Scherzinger: Honey G – backed her own act, Ryan Lawrie. * Walsh: Ryan Lawrie – gave no reason. However, voting statistics revealed that Lawrie received more votes than Honey G which meant that if Walsh sent the result to deadlock, Lawrie would have advanced to the quarter-final and Honey G would have been eliminated.

Week 8: Quarter-Final (26/27 November)

*Theme: "Louis Loves" (songs chosen by Walsh); acts' own choice (no theme) *Group performance: "

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" (sometimes written "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)") is a song originally recorded by English musician Elton John. John composed it with his long-time songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. It was r ...

" *Musical guests: Busted (" On What You're On") and

featuring Anne-Marie and Sean Paul (" Rockabye") For the first time this series, the acts performed two songs. ;Judges' votes to eliminate *Walsh: Honey G – backed his own act, 5 After Midnight, saying they were better than Honey G. *Osbourne: 5 After Midnight – gave no reason but effectively backed her own act, Honey G. *Scherzinger: Honey G – gave no reason. *Cowell: Honey G – said that he had to do what the public would expect, and that Honey G had gone as far as she could in the competition; and although he expected 5 After Midnight to be in the sing-off, he believed that they would continue to improve in the competition.

Week 9: Semi-Final (3/4 December)

*Theme: "Christmas"; "Get Me to the Final" *Group performance: " Do They Know It's Christmas? (2014)" *Musical guests:

I Would Like "I Would Like" is a song by Swedish singer Zara Larsson. It was released on 11 November 2016, by TEN Music Group, Epic Records and Sony Music. First released as a promotional single, it was later announced as an official single and the fourth sin ...

"/" Lush Life") and

Million Reasons "Million Reasons" is a song recorded by American singer Lady Gaga for her fifth studio album, '' Joanne'' (2016). Initially released as a promotional single, it was released to radio stations on October 29, 2016, as the album's second single. Th ...

") ;Judges' votes to send through to the final *Cowell: Emily Middlemas – gave no reason but effectively backed his own act, Emily Middlemas. *Scherzinger: Matt Terry – gave no reason but effectively backed her own act, Matt Terry. *Walsh: Matt Terry – gave no reason. *Osbourne: Matt Terry – gave no reason.

Week 10: Final (10/11 December)

;10 December *Themes: New song (no theme); celebrity duets *Group performance: "Final Night"/"

"/"

Can't Stop the Feeling! "Can't Stop the Feeling!" is a song recorded by American singer Justin Timberlake. It was released on May 6, 2016, as the lead single of the soundtrack to the film '' Trolls'' (2016), in which Timberlake voiced the character "Branch" and served a ...

" (all finalists except Brooks Way, and Beck Martin, who reached bootcamp singing his own song, "Friday Night") *Musical guests: Louis Tomlinson and Steve Aoki ("

Just Hold On "Just Hold On" is a song by American DJ Steve Aoki and English singer and songwriter Louis Tomlinson, released through Ultra Music as the latter's debut solo single on 10 December 2016. The song was written by Aoki and Tomlinson alongside Eric ...

"), Honey G ("

Men in Black In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are purported men dressed in black suits who claim to be quasi- government agents, who harass, threaten, or sometimes even assassinate unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesse ...

"/"

Ice Ice Baby "Ice Ice Baby" is a hip hop song by American rapper Vanilla Ice, K. Kennedy and DJ Earthquake. It was based on the bassline of the song "Under Pressure" by British rock band Queen and British singer David Bowie, who did not receive songwritin ...

"/"

Jump Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...

"/"The Honey G Show") and

Can't Feel My Face "Can't Feel My Face" is a song performed by Canadian singer the Weeknd from his second studio album ''Beauty Behind the Madness'' (2015). The song was released on June 8, 2015, as the third single from the album. It was written by Max Martin, Pe ...

"/" Starboy") 5 After Midnight received the fewest public votes and was automatically eliminated. ;11 December *Themes: Song of the series; no theme *Group performance: "

Everybody's Free (To Feel Good) "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" is a song by Zambian-born Zimbabwean singer Rozalla, released in August 1991 as the second single from her second album, '' Everybody's Free'' (1992). It had been a staple in the clubs in Ibiza and Mallorca in ...

" (Final 2 with Kylie Minogue) *Musical guests: Kylie Minogue with Final 2 ("

"), Madness (" Mr Apples"/" Our House"/" It Must Be Love"), auditionees (" Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now") and Little Mix featuring

("Oops"/"

Touch In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch ( haptic perception), as well as temperature ( thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It ...

") Following the announcement that Terry had won, he performed his winner's single, "

When Christmas Comes Around "When Christmas Comes Around" is the debut single by English singer Matt Terry. The song was written by Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge and was released as the winner's single of thirteenth series of ''The X Factor'' on 11 December 2016. All the record ...

Winner's single

On 4 December 2016, it was announced that all VAT from the winner's single would be donated to charity, meaning that the charities Together for Short Lives and

Shooting Star Chase Shooting Star Children's Hospices is an English children's hospice charity (No: 1042495). The charity cares for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families, across Surrey and West London. They provide spec ...

would receive 100% of all profits from sales of the single. It is the sixth year running that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has waived VAT on ''The X Factor'' winner's single.

Reception

Ratings

: Includes advert breaks : The ratings over a 28-day period, including the broadcasts on ITV and streaming through

ITV Hub ITVX (formerly ITV Hub) is a British online video-on-demand service operated by ITV plc, ITV. The service offers predominantly features content from ITV1, as well as ITV Digital Channels, ITV Digital channels and some licensed content. The serv ...

. : The ratings over a 28-day period, including the broadcasts on ITV, ITV HD and streaming through

. : The ratings over a 28-day period, including the broadcasts on ITV, ITV HD, ITV+1 and streaming through

. : The rank for the combined ITV, ITV HD and ITV+1 broadcasts, compared with all channels for that week, from Monday to Sunday.

Controversy and criticism

Brooks Way's withdrawal

Just hours before the first live show, duo Brooks Way, consisting of twin brothers Kyle and Josh Brooks, were suspended from the competition, over allegations that Josh had been violent with his ex-girlfriend Amelia Clark, allegedly breaking her nose and kicking her in the face during a New Year Eve party earlier in the year. It was reported throughout the weekend that Josh was regularly beating up Kyle. Kyle and Amelia came to Josh's defence, saying respectively that the allegations were false and that they were written by a friend and fan who chose to exploit from the show. During the broadcast, presenter

acknowledged the brothers' absence stating that it was due to "circumstances that have arisen". The following Monday, the duo released a statement saying that they were withdrawing from the competition, from "mutual consent" with the producers, whilst denying the "false allegations" and saying that "truth always wins". They were replaced by girl group, Four of Diamonds later that week.

Fix claims

''The X Factor'' were forced to deny that the competition was fixed when nightclub Kittys & Kandy, in Kirkcaldy, posted on Facebook that Honey G would be performing there on 10 December 2016, the same night as the show's final. The post was deleted and the venue said they had secured the date in case Honey G was eliminated before that date, but a spokesperson for ''The X Factor'' said, "This story is not true and there is no foundation to any fix claims. The club was mistaken in their post that she would be there on 10 December and the post has since been removed." Several viewers suspected that the jukebox wheel was rigged after it selected "Fright Night" for the theme for week 4, two days before Halloween. O'Leary insisted the wheel was not rigged, calling it "the most rudimentary hamster wheel you've ever seen in your life". Scherzinger also said she thought it was not fixed because, "I can't pick my songs until we know what theme we're doing—and the producers aren't picking anything as well." Contestant Middlemas said of the wheel: "It's not computerised, it's an old-fashioned wheel. We can see it at the side and there's no-one else around apart from Dermot 'Learypulling the wheel. We do it at rehearsals and it lands on something different each time. All of the producers knew people would say it was fixed. But we know how it works."

Voting

At the start of the third live show, O'Leary announced that the voting lines were open for all contestants before they had performed, instead of after they performed as it had been in the first two live shows. Isobel Mohan from ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' claimed this was unfair and gave an advantage to those performing first and turned it into a popularity contest instead of a talent show. During the fifth results show, many viewers claimed that they were unable to vote via the mobile app. This also led to claims of a fix.

Swearing

Ofcom received five complaints from viewers after Gifty Louise was heard swearing when she said, "I fucking told you" during the third live results show, when Sam Lavery was announced as the first act through to the following week. O'Leary issued an apology after the results. Ofcom confirmed that they were assessing the complaints before deciding whether to investigate.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:X Factor (British series 13), The 2016 British television seasons The X Factor (British TV series), 13 The X Factor seasons, United Kingdom 13 2016 in British music