| Popstars The Rivals | |
|---|---|
Popstars The Rivals logo |
|
| Genre | Interactive reality talent show |
| Presented by | Davina McCall |
| Judges | Pete Waterman Louis Walsh Geri Halliwell |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Nigel Hall Duncan Gray |
| Producer(s) | Claudia Rosencrantz Nicholas Steinberg |
| Running time | 60 – 120 minutes |
| Production company(s) | London Weekend Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV1 |
| Original run | 7 September 2002 – 22 December 2002 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Popstars |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Popstars The Rivals (often stylised as Popstars: The Rivals) was a British television talent show series that was broadcast on ITV1 in late 2002. It was the second UK series of the international Popstars franchise. Unlike the Popstars, which resulted in the formation of one winning group – Hear'Say - Popstars: The Rivals created two rival groups, Girls Aloud and One True Voice, who competed against each other for the Christmas Number One spot on the UK Singles Chart.
Popstars The Rivals aired on ITV on Saturday nights from 7 September 2002, beginning with three pre-recorded episodes of preliminary audition rounds, before switching to live broadcasts of studio performances. During the rounds of live show, viewers voted for their favourite performers by telephone and the Red Button on digital television remote controls. In the final weeks, five females and five males were chosen by the British public to form the two groups, boyband One True Voice, and girlgroup Girls Aloud. The final episode of Popstars: The Rivals aired live on 22 December 2002. During the broadcast, Pepsi Chart Show presenter Neil Fox revealed in a live link-up that "Sound of the Underground" recorded by Girls Aloud had reached Number one on the Singles Chart, thereby becoming the Christmas Number One. One True Voice's double A-side single, "Sacred Trust/After You're Gone" entered the chart at Number Two.
The series was hosted by Davina McCall, with the performances judged by Pete Waterman, Louis Walsh and Geri Halliwell. In addition to the main show, Popstars The Rivals Extra aired on ITV2, presented by popstar Dane Bowers and Pop Idol finalist Hayley Evetts.
Contents |
On the judging panel, neither Nigel Lythgoe, Paul Adam nor Nicki Chapman, the three judges from the first series of Popstars, returned for Popstars: The Rivals. Lythgoe had left ITV to work with Simon Fuller at 19 Entertainment and become the executive producer of Pop Idol and American Idol,[1] although he initially expressed an interest in appearing.[2] Chapman also went to 19, where she managed the careers of Pop Idol winner and runner-up Will Young and Gareth Gates.[1] Adam turned down the opportunity to return as he was too busy working as a music executive at RCA Records.[1]
The judges for Popstars: The Rivals were announced as record producer and songwriter Pete Waterman, who as part of 1980–90s production trio Stock Aitken Waterman had worked with Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Rick Astley and Steps amongst others; Geri Halliwell, who rose to fame as part of Spice Girls and later had a career as a solo popstar;[3][4][1] and Chris Evans, who had presented breakfast shows on BBC Radio 1 and Virgin Radio, and The Big Breakfast and TFI Friday on Channel 4.[5] Evans later decided not to appear, and after approaching Sharon Osbourne,[6] producers chose Louis Walsh, a music manager who had represented Boyzone, Samantha Mumba, Ronan Keating and Westlife, and who had judged on the 2001 Irish edition of Popstars as the third judge.[1][7]
The series was presented by Davina McCall,[4] who had hosted the Popstars finale in 2001,[8] and also hosted Big Brother, God's Gift, Streetmate, Don't Try This at Home, and the 2001 BRIT Awards.[1] Former Another Level singer Dane Bowers and former Popstars and Pop Idol contestant Hayley Evetts presented Popstars: The Rivals Extra on ITV2.[9][10]
Popstars The Rivals drew on the success of the first series of Popstars, which aired during the winter months of 2000 and 2001,[11] and Pop Idol, which aired in the winter months of 2001–2002.[12] Popstars resulted in the formation of one winning pop group, Hear’Say,[13][14] who was selected solely by the judges,[11] but Pop Idol made extensive use of viewer interactivity with the home audience voting for their favourite act to win the competition either via the show's official website or by calling premium-rate telephone numbers.[12] In the months since Popstars finished, the five runners-up of the show had formed their own group, Liberty X, and were enjoying more commercial success than Hear’Say. The British media had also begun to create a rivalry between the two groups.
The Popstars producers drew upon this rivalry for Popstars: The Rivals to create two winning pop groups, a boy band and a girl group, in a "battle of the sexes",[3] to vie for the Christmas Number One spot in the UK Singles Chart, a traditionally competitive time in the British music market. To further the rivalry, members of the public were to select who would remain in the show by voting for their favourite acts using premium-rate telephone numbers, text messaging, via the Popstars website, and with the Red Button on digital television remote controls. Each week, the singer with the fewest public votes would be eliminated from the competition until five males and five females remained, who would then form the two rival groups. Elements of Channel 4's Big Brother, which aired during the summer months since 2000,[15] were used in Popstars: The Rivals when the final ten boys and final ten girls moved into two houses and lived together, watched by television cameras.
Initial auditions began on 9 August 2002 at the Wembley Conference Centre in London.[16] and continued in a number of cities around the United Kingdom. This stage of the competition was broadcast over three episodes, with auditions taking place in London,[17] Glasgow, Leeds and Manchester.[18] Most contestants were invited to audition after sending in video tapes of themselves singing, but open auditions were also held at Wembley Conference Centre in Wembley, London on 9 August 2002 and at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester a week later. This was in response to the massive demand of the original Popstars series which had seen thousands turned away due to time restraints.[19] Just two of the hopefuls advanced from the London open auditions.[20]
The open auditions were broadcast across 3 episodes. Around 100 contestants made it through to the next round of the competition.
The 102 remaining contestants had to travel to London for the bootcamp stage, where they were met by Davina McCall. With only 50 places available in the next round, the judges had tough decisions to make. The contestants were put through various workshops to test both their singing and dancing abilities. All contestants were able to choose and song to perform, while choreographers judged them on their dancing.
After two days of the workshop, 52 contestants failed to progress and left the competition. 13-year-old Stephanie McMichael was eliminated after producers discovered she had lied about her age and was below the age limit.
The final 50 were next reduced to 30 through another series of workshops. Pete Waterman mentored the boys, Louis Walsh oversaw the girls and Geri Halliwell acted as an intermediary between the two groups. After much deliberation, the judges called contestants to see them individually and deliver their verdicts. All the contestants returned home, with 30 left in the competition.
The last two episodes before the live shows saw the final 30 being reduced to a final 20, with five boys and five girls failing to make the cut. The three judges were assigned contestants to visit separately and deliver the good or bad news of whether they had reached the live finals. The remaining contestants would move into a house together for the live stages of the competition.
The ten eliminated acts were:
Boys – Justin Webb, Sean Haven, Owen Doyle, Jacob Thompson, Jeremy Medcalf
Girls – Kimberly Walsh, Pollyanna Woodward, Nicola Roberts, Annika Gavitas, Charlie (?)
Ten male and ten female finalists were chosen to perform in the live shows.[21][22] There was some controversy as one of the original finalists, Hazel Kaneswaren, was forced to pull out of the show because she was 10 days too old at the time of the auditions. The show had an age limit of 24 and Hazel had just turned 25. Her situation was further complicated by the fact that she was eight months pregnant. She had the baby in October 2002.[23] Kimberley Walsh, one of the girls who did not make the final 10, took Kaneswaren's place for the live shows. A special half-hour episode was broadcast on 14 October 2002 to show these changes, with Geri Halliwell informing Hazel of her elimination and Louis Walsh inviting Kimberly back onto the show.
Nicola Roberts, who also failed to make it through, replaced 19 year old Nicola Ward, who quit the show over what she considered "exploitation" of contestants by the producers.[24]
| Category | Acts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys | Daniel Pearce (23) | Anton Gordon (19) | Andrew Kinlochlan (23) | Peter Smith (23) | Mikey Greene (21) |
| Chris Park (20) | Keith Semple (20) | Jamie Shaw (17) | Matt Johnson (16) | Nikk Mager (18) | |
| Girls | Sarah Harding (20) | Aimee Kearsley (16) | Cheryl Tweedy (19) | Emma Beard (18) | Kimberley Walsh (20) |
| Lynsey Brown (19) | Nicola Roberts (16) | Nadine Coyle (17) | Javine Hylton (20) | Chloe Staines (18) | |
| – | Contestant was in the bottom three/four but was declared safe. |
| – | Contestant was in the bottom two but was declared safe. |
| – | Contestant was eliminated |
| – | Contestant qualified for One True Voice or Girls Aloud. |
| – | Contestant decided to leave the competition. |
| Contestant | Week 1 | Week 3 | Week 5 | Week 7 (Final) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anton Gordon | Safe | Safe | Bottom three | Qualified |
| Matt Johnson | Safe | Safe | Bottom two | Qualified |
| Daniel Pearce | Safe | Safe | Safe | Qualified |
| Keith Semple | Safe | Safe | Safe | Qualified |
| Jamie Shaw | Bottom three | Safe | Safe | Bottom two - Qualified |
| Chris Park | Bottom two | Safe | Safe | Eliminated |
| Mikey Greene | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 5) |
| Nikk Mager | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 3) | |
| Peter Smith | Safe | Withdrew[A] | Withdrew (week 3) | |
| Andrew Kinlochlan | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 1) | ||
| Contestant | Week 2 | Week 4 | Week 6 | Week 8 (Final) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nadine Coyle | Safe | Safe | Safe | Qualified |
| Nicola Roberts | Safe | Safe | Safe | Qualified |
| Cheryl Tweedy | Safe | Bottom four | Bottom two | Qualified |
| Kimberly Walsh | Bottom three | Bottom four | Bottom four | Qualified |
| Sarah Harding | Safe | Safe | Bottom four | Bottom two - Qualified |
| Javine Hylton | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated |
| Aimee Kearsley | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 5) |
| Emma Beard | Bottom two | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 3) | |
| Chloe Staines | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 3) | |
| Lynsey Brown | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 1) | ||
The live shows took on a format where the girls and boys performed on alternate weeks. After the performances had ended the public voted via telephone or the red button to save their favourite act. The live shows were broadcast in two parts, with the performances in the first episode and the results in the second. In the initial episodes, the three contestants with the lowest number of votes made up a bottom three. One was immediately told they were safe and the other two had a nervous wait before one was saved and the other left the competition. In weeks 3 and 4, two contestants were eliminated from each category. The person who was knocked out had to sing again at the end of the show after seeing a montage of their competition journey.
In the final, the six remaining male and female singers performed. Five of the boys formed One True Voice and five of the girls formed Girls Aloud.
The first live show was broadcast on ITV1 on 12 October 2002. The live final took place over two weeks, a couple of weeks before Christmas on 23 November for the boys and 30 November for the girls.
Category performing: Boys
| Artist | Order | Song (original artists) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Pearce | 1 | Against All Odds | Safe |
| Jamie Shaw | 2 | When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman | Bottom three |
| Keith Semple | 3 | Reach Out I'll Be There | Safe |
| Andrew Kinlochlan | 4 | Hard to Say I'm Sorry | Eliminated |
| Nikk Mager | 5 | A Little Bit More | Safe |
| Mikey Green | 6 | Drive | Safe |
| Peter Smith | 7 | Since I Don't Have You | Safe |
| Matthew Johnson | 8 | Amazed | Safe |
| Chris Park | 9 | More Than a Woman | Bottom two |
| Anton Gordon | 10 | Same Old Song | Safe |
Bottom three: Jamie Shaw, Chris Park and Andrew Kinlochlan received the lowest number of votes and ended up in the bottom three. Jamie was told that he was safe, leaving Andrew and Chris in the bottom two. Andrew was eliminated.[25]
Category performing: Girls
| Artist | Order | Song (original artists) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Javine Hylton | 1 | (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman | Safe |
| Kimberley Walsh | 2 | Baby Can I Hold You | Bottom three |
| Chloe Staines | 3 | Where Do Broken Hearts Go | Safe |
| Cheryl Tweedy | 4 | Now That I've Found You | Safe |
| Sarah Harding | 5 | Build Me Up Buttercup | Safe |
| Nadine Coyle | 6 | Show Me Heaven | Safe |
| Lynsey Brown | 7 | All Around the World | Eliminated |
| Nicola Roberts | 8 | River Deep Mountain High | Safe |
| Aimee Kearsley | 9 | Never Had a Dream Come True | Safe |
| Emma Beard | 10 | You Might Need Somebody | Bottom two |
Bottom three: Linsey Brown, Emma Beard and Kimberley Walsh received the lowest number of votes and ended up in the bottom three. Kimberley was told that she was safe, leaving Linsey and Emma in the bottom two. Linsey was eliminated.[26]
Category performing: Boys
| Artist | Order | Song (original artists) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Park | 1 | You Take My Breath Away | Safe |
| Mikey Greene | 2 | I Want You Back | Safe |
| Peter Smith | 3 | I Just Called To Say I Love You | Withdrew* |
| Nikk Mager | 4 | Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow | Eliminated |
| Anton Gordon | 5 | Cherish | Safe |
| Keith Semple | 6 | Over My Shoulder | Safe |
| Matthew Johnson | 7 | Everything I Own | Safe |
| Jamie Shaw | 8 | I Only Have Eyes For You | Safe |
| Daniel Pearce | 9 | Celebration | Safe |
*Note: Two of the male contestants were due to be eliminated via the public vote in this show. However in the results show, Peter Smith shocked everyone (including the judges) as he announced that he was actually several months too old to be involved in the competition and left the show. This meant that only one of the singers would be voted out by the television audience and there was no bottom three.
Nikk Mager received the lowest number of votes and was eliminated.[27]
Category performing: Girls
| Artist | Order | Song (original artists) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Javine Hylton | 1 | Let's Stay Together | Safe |
| Aimee Kearsley | 2 | I Only Want To Be With You | Safe |
| Emma Beard | 3 | Be My Baby | Eliminated |
| Chloe Staines | 4 | Rescue Me | Eliminated |
| Nicola Roberts | 5 | Shout | Safe |
| Kimberley Walsh | 6 | Unbreak My Heart | Bottom four |
| Sarah Harding | 7 | Anyone Who Had a Heart | Safe |
| Cheryl Tweedy | 8 | You're Still The One | Bottom four |
| Nadine Coyle | 9 | Fields of Gold | Safe |
Davina announced at the beginning of the show that two girls would be leaving the competition this week.
All the girls got positive comments from at least two of the three judges. Nadine received the best verdict from the judges. After she had performed "Fields of Gold", Louis told her "The performance of the night. Stole the show for me" while Geri said "I'd love to buy a single of yours already".[28]
The girls were split into two groups and were told that one girl would be eliminated from each group. The four girls with the lowest votes were Kimberley Walsh, Chloe Staines, Emma Beard and Cheryl Tweedy. Chloe and Emma were the two girls who were knocked out.[29]
Category performing: Boys
| Artist | Order | Song (original artists) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mikey Greene | 1 | Hello | Eliminated |
| Chris Park | 2 | If You Don't Know Me By Now | Safe |
| Daniel Pearce | 3 | For Once In My Life | Safe |
| Matthew Johnson | 4 | Pray | Bottom two |
| Anton Gordon | 5 | You Can't Hurry Love | Bottom three |
| Keith Semple | 6 | Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word | Safe |
| Jamie Shaw | 7 | Working My Way Back To You | Safe |
Bottom three: Only one contestant was eliminated this week. Anton Gordon, Mikey Greene and Matthew Johnson received the lowest number of votes and ended up in the bottom three. Anton was told that he was safe, leaving Mikey and Matthew in the bottom two. Mikey was eliminated.[30]
Category performing: Girls
| Artist | Order | Song (original artists) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aimee Kearsley | 1 | You Keep Me Hanging On | Eliminated |
| Javine Hylton | 2 | End of the Road | Safe |
| Nicola Roberts | 3 | The Wind Beneath My Wings | Safe |
| Sarah Harding | 4 | I'll Be There | Bottom four |
| Kimberley Walsh | 5 | Emotions | Bottom four |
| Nadine Coyle | 6 | When I Fall In Love | Safe |
| Cheryl Tweedy | 7 | Nothing Compares to You | Bottom two |
Nadine, Javine and Nicola found out they had made it to the final when the results were announced. Cheryl, Sarah, Kimberley and Aimee knew that one of them would be heading home. Davina then revealed that Sarah and Kimberley were through, leaving Cheryl and Aimee pushing for the one remaining spot. Aimee was eliminated.[31]
The boys' final was broadcast on ITV1 on November 23, 2002. Each of the singers performed one song before the public voted for who they wanted in the band. The contestants knew that one of them would miss out.
| Artist | Order | Song (original artists) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Semple | 1 | You Are So Beautiful | Qualified |
| Daniel Pearce | 2 | Candle in the Wind | Qualified |
| Matthew Johnson | 3 | I'll Be There for You | Qualified |
| Anton Gordon | 4 | I Believe I Can Fly | Qualified |
| Jamie Shaw | 5 | Everybody Hurts | Bottom two - qualified |
| Chris Park | 6 | With a Little Help From My Friends | Eliminated |
Results: Davina McCall returned in the results show to announce the five boys who had qualified. Matthew Johnson became the first member and he was followed by Keith Semple, Daniel Pearce and Anton Gordon. This left Jamie Shaw and Chris Park fighting for the last remaining spot. Davina revealed that Jamie was the final member of the band, meaning Chris was eliminated.[32]
The girls final was broadcast on ITV1 a week later, on 30 November 2002. As with the boys there were six contestants remaining so one would lose out on a place in the band.
| Artist | Order | Song (original artists) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Harding | 1 | Holding Out for a Hero | Bottom two - qualified |
| Nadine Coyle | 2 | I Wanna Dance With Somebody | Qualified |
| Kimberley Walsh | 3 | Chain Reaction | Qualified |
| Javine Hylton | 4 | I'm Every Woman | Eliminated |
| Nicola Roberts | 5 | I'm So Excited | Qualified |
| Cheryl Tweedy | 6 | Right Here Waiting | Qualified |
Note: Sarah was suffering from a sore throat prior to the live show but still managed to perform.
Results: Davina returned in the results show to reveal the lucky five who had made the band. Cheryl was the first to hear her name called out, despite the negative comments from the judges, and she was joined by Nicola, Nadine and Kimberley. Sarah and Javine were therefore in the bottom and Sarah eventually found out she was to become the fifth member of the group. Javine was eliminated.[33]
A month after Girls Aloud had been formed, ITV broadcast a special show on 22 December 2002 to reveal which of the two groups (if either) had made it to number one in the UK Singles Chart. The show connected with Neil Fox at the Pepsi Chart Show studios where he ran down the top 10 singles before revealing the act that had charted highest. Girls Aloud were the lucky ones, with their song "Sound of the Underground" reaching number one with first week sales of around 213,000. "Sacred Trust"/"After You're Gone", the double A-side from One True Voice went straight in at number two having sold close to 137,000 copies, while another Popstars: The Rivals act, The Cheeky Girls charted at number three.[34] "Sound of the Underground" remained at number one for four weeks in total, stretching into 2003.
The girls performed their new single live together for the second time at the end of the programme. Both acts had premiered their debut singles a couple of weeks before on Popstars: The Rivals.
Following on from their Christmas number one, the female winners Girls Aloud released their debut album Sound of the Underground in May 2003 and it went to Number 2 in the UK albums chart. They released three singles in 2003 which charted in the top 3 in the UK. They have been successful in achieving a string of 20 consecutive UK Top 10 singles (including four number ones), two UK number one albums, and having been nominated for four BRIT Awards, winning Best Single in 2009 for "The Promise".
Each of the girls have also launched careers outside of the band. Cheryl Cole has become a successful solo artist in her own right, following a guest appearance on will.i.am's "Heartbreaker" in 2008. Her debut solo single "Fight for This Love" saw international success, reaching number one in Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, as well as top ten in eleven others. Her album 3 Words was certified three times platinum in the UK. Cole is also a judge on the highly popular series The X Factor and a L'Oréal spokesperson. Nadine Coyle released her debut album through a partnership with Tesco in November 2010. She has worked with numerous songwriters and producers including Steve Booker, Guy Chambers, Toby Gad, Tony Kanal, and William Orbit.
Following an appearance in the BBC television film Freefall, Sarah Harding had a starring role in the film St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold. Harding recorded three solo songs for the soundtrack. Nicola Roberts decided to start a solo career of her own. In June 2011, she released her debut single Beat of My Drum which was critically acclaimed. September saw the release of Roberts' debut album Cinderella's Eyes which was also critically acclaimed by many reveiwers. Roberts also created Dainty Doll, a make-up range aimed at fair-skinned individuals like herself. She has become vocal in her support of laws preventing minors from using sunbeds, in addition to highlighting the dangers of tanning in a BBC Three documentary Nicola Roberts: The Truth About Tanning. In 2010, she filmed a guest appearance on Britain's Next Top Model. Kimberley Walsh has become a notable television presenter, following her appearances alongside Cole on The X Factor, her coverage of the 63rd British Academy Film Awards for MTV, and a stint co-presenting The 5 O'Clock Show. She is currently hosting Suck my pop for Viva alongside Will Best. Walsh has also modeled for high street chain New Look and Schwarzkopf hair products.
One True Voice, the winning male group, had a very different level of success. After the disappointment of missing out on the top spot with their debut single and despite the Popstars: The Rivals joint tour with Girls Aloud being cancelled due to poor sales,[35] they released a further single entitled "Shakespeare's (Way With) Words" which only just reached the top 10 in the summer of 2003. Daniel Pearce quit the group at the beginning of June 2003 and, despite the band denying reports that the group was going to split,[36] they inevitably broke up in August 2003.[37] Pearce later went on to audition for the 2009 series of The X Factor, reaching the judges' houses stage before being eliminated. Keith Semple moved to the United States and became the lead singer of Chicago-based rock band 7th Heaven. He auditioned for the ninth season of American Idol, but lost his "golden ticket" place due to his legal status and residency considerations.
A number of the contestants who failed to make it into One True Voice or Girls Aloud have managed to achieve some level of success outside of the show. The five boys who did not make it into One True Voice formed the group Phixx after being given a £500,000 record deal with independent record label Concept Records, the label of Popstars rejects Liberty X.[38] Four of the five girls who failed to qualify for Girls Aloud created CLEA (the name comes from each girl's initials). Javine Hylton decided to pursue a career as a solo artist, with a debut single Real Things reaching the top 10 in the United Kingdom. She was also chosen to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, where she performed a song called "Touch My Fire".[39]
Two girls from Romania who did not make it past the auditions, Monica and Gabriela, were given a record deal to release songs as The Cheeky Girls. They charted one place behind One True Voice in the 2002 Christmas countdown with "The Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)" and released an album entitled PartyTime. They went on to release several more singles, including "Take Your Shoes Off" and "Hooray Hooray It's A Cheeky Holiday".
When CLEA disbanded, members Aimee Kearsley and Emma Beard formed a group named LoveShy and attempted to be the British entry for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest but were knocked out by another girl group, The Revelations. Former Phixx member Nikk Mager auditioned for The X Factor in 2008, in front of Cheryl Cole from Girls Aloud. He failed to advance through the audition stages. Stephanie McMichael, a contestant who pretended she was 16 but then revealed she was 13, later went on and appeared as a contestant on Big Brother 2008. She was the first to be evicted, and later released a single called "Camera Shy", and went on to audition for The X Factor.
| Programme | Episode | UK Air Date | Timeslot | Viewers (millions)[40] | Weekly Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ?? | 7 September 2002 | 19:15 | 7.6 | 19 |
| 2 | ?? | 14 September 2002 | 19:15 | 7.6 | 13 |
| 3 | ?? | 21 September 2002 | 19:10 | 6.8 | 15 |
| 4 | ?? | 28 September 2002 | 19:00 | 7.0 | 14 |
| 5 | ?? | 5 October 2002 | 19:00 | 7.8 | 12 |
| 6 | ?? | 5 October 2002 | 21:15 | 6.5 | 17 |
| 7 | ?? | 6 October 2002 | 19:00 | 5.3 | 24 |
| 8 | ?? | 12 October 2002 | 20:25 | 6.6 | 16 |
| 9 | ?? | 19 October 2002 | 19:00 | 7.2 | 16 |
| 10 | ?? | 26 October 2002 | 19:00 | 7.4 | 15 |
| 11 | ?? | 26 October 2002 | 21:05 | 7.4 | 16 |
| 12 | ?? | 2 November 2002 | 19:00 | 7.2 | 15 |
| 13 | ?? | 2 November 2002 | 21:05 | 6.8 | 19 |
| 14 | ?? | 9 November 2002 | 19:10 | 7.2 | 16 |
| 15 | ?? | 16 November 2002 | 19:05 | 7.3 | 17 |
| 16 | ?? | 23 November 2002 | 18:55 | 7.2 | 16 |
| 17 | ?? | 23 November 2002 | 20:55 | 8.9 | 10 |
| 18 | ?? | 30 November 2002 | 18:55 | 7.3 | 14 |
| 19 | ?? | 30 November 2002 | 20:55 | 8.5 | 10 |
| 20 | ?? | 7 December 2002 | 19:35 | 7.2 | 16 |
| 21 | ?? | 14 December 2002 | 18:45 | 5.4 | 24 |
| 22 | ?? | 22 December 2002 | 18:30 | 6.0 | 20 |
As well as contestants being forced out for being over and under the age limit, ITV was met with controversy amid claims that the voting had been rigged in the girls final. It was claimed that viewers wanted to vote for Javine Hylton had been unable to register their votes, with some votes apparently being given to Sarah Harding in error. Hylton ultimately missed out on the final spot in Girls Aloud, which was given to Harding.
London radio station Capital FM received complaints from viewers during their news bulletin. However, the company Red Fig who handled the voting, denied the viewers claims. A spokesman for the show also said they were "satisfied" with the procedure.[41]
McDonald's sponsored the show in a £4 million deal which covered the programmes on ITV1 and ITV2 and the official website. The sponsorship provided promotion for the show nationwide in McDonald's restaurants. Martin Strowde, the sponsorship director at Granada Television said "We're delighted that McDonald's has teamed up with us for what promises to be the most exciting hit this autumn".[42]
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