| The X Factor | |
|---|---|
| Format | Interactive reality talent show |
| Created by | Simon Cowell |
| Presented by | Luke Jacobz (2010–) Matthew Newton (2010 auditions) Daniel MacPherson (2005) |
| Judges | Guy Sebastian (2010–) Ronan Keating (2010–) Natalie Bassingthwaighte (2011–) Mel B (2011–) Kyle Sandilands (2010) Natalie Imbruglia (2010) Kate Ceberano (2005) Mark Holden (2005) John Reid (2005) |
| Voices of | Nicholas McKay |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 88 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Vodafone Arena – Melbourne, Victoria (2005) Fox Studios – Sydney, New South Wales (2010–present) |
| Running time | 1-2 hours (including commercials) |
| Production company(s) | FremantleMedia Australia FremantleMedia SYCOtv |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Network Ten (2005) Seven Network (2010–present) |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo (2005) Dolby Digital 5.1 (2010–present) |
| Original run | Original series: 6 February 2005 – 15 May 2005 Revived series: 30 August 2010 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The X Factor (UK) The X Factor (U.S.) |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The X Factor is an Australian television reality music competition, adapted from the original UK series to find new singing talent. The first season began in 2005 and was originally broadcast on Network Ten, until the show got cancelled due to poor ratings. The show was revived in 2010 after the Seven Network acquired the rights through meetings with creator Simon Cowell.[1]
The original judging panel was Kate Ceberano, Mark Holden and John Reid. After the show re-launched in 2010 for season two, the former judges were replaced by Natalie Imbruglia, Guy Sebastian, Ronan Keating and Kyle Sandilands. In season three, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Mel B joined the judging panel as replacements for Imbruglia and Sandilands. In the initial televised audition phase of the show, auditionees sing on a stage in front of the judges and a live audience. Successful auditionees go through to "boot camp" and then "home visits", where judges narrow down the acts in their category to three acts to mentor for the live shows, where the public vote for their favourite acts following weekly live performances by the contestants. There have been three winners to date: Random, Altiyan Childs and Reece Mastin. The winning contestant's single is released following their win on the show and they receive a recording contract with record label Sony Music Australia.[2]
Contents |
The Australian version of The X Factor mirrors the UK format. The show aims to find talent over the age of fourteen in four categories: Under 25 Boys (males aged 14-24), Under 25 Girls (females aged 14-24), Over 25s and Groups.[3][2] On the first season, the categories were the same except the Under 25s category for both boys and girls were combined as one category.[4] In season three, the minimum age for contestants was changed to 14,[2] having originally been 16.[5]
There are five stages to the competition:
The first set of auditions is held in front of producers months before the show is aired. After the producers have selected the best auditionees, they are invited to perform in front of the judges and a live audience. An act must receive at least three 'yes' votes (two when there are three judges present) in order to make it through to the next stage of the competition – "bootcamp".[5] The judges' auditions are held on selected dates and locations in the five major cities of Australia—Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide— and are broadcast during the first few weeks of The X Factor, before the live shows begin.
During the "bootcamp" stage (formerly "lock down" in season one)[4], the producers allocate each of the judges a category to mentor.[5] The "boot camp" stage is held on three days. Each judge receives 24 acts and has to narrow down their acts to twelve each after day 2, and six acts each after day 3. The judges are each assisted by a celebrity guest judge who help them decide their acts. In season one, the judges each picked their final five acts instead of six.[4]
During the "home visits" stage (formerly "judges' houses" in season two),[6] the judges reduce their six acts to three for the live shows. Each judge takes their six acts to exclusive locations around the world to experience the life of a superstar, introduce them to international artists and set the stage to inspire them to give the performance of a lifetime.
The finals consist of a series of two live shows, the first featuring the contestants' performances and the second revealing the results of the public voting, culminating in one act being eliminated each week.[5] Celebrity guest performers also feature regularly. These live shows are filmed at Fox Studios in Sydney. In season one, the shows were filmed at Hisense Arena (formerly known as Vodafone Arena) in Melbourne.[7] They are broadcast on Monday and Tuesday nights.[8] In previous seasons, the shows were broadcast on Sunday and Monday nights.
"Under 25 Boys" or "Under 25s" category
"Under 25 Girls" category
"Over 25s" category
"Groups" category
| Season | Start | Finish | Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Winning mentor | Main host | The Xtra Factor host | Judges | Guest mentors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One | 6 February 2005 | 15 May 2005 | Random | Russell Gooley | Vincent Harder | Mark Holden | Daniel MacPherson | Chloe Maxwell | Mark Holden Kate Ceberano John Reid |
N/A |
| Two | 30 August 2010 | 22 November 2010 | Altiyan Childs | Sally Chatfield | Andrew Lawson | Ronan Keating | Luke Jacobz | Natalie Garonzi | Kyle Sandilands Ronan Keating Natalie Imbruglia Guy Sebastian |
Rai Thistlethwayte Brian McFadden Mel B Robin Gibb |
| Three | 29 August 2011 | 22 November 2011 | Reece Mastin | Andrew Wishart | Johnny Ruffo | Guy Sebastian | N/A | Ronan Keating Guy Sebastian Natalie Bassingthwaighte Mel B |
Alice Cooper Stevie Nicks |
The judges from the first season was former Australian Idol judge Mark Holden, music manager John Reid and recording artist Kate Ceberano.[9] After the show re-launched in 2010 for the second season, the former judges were not re-hired and the Seven Network hired recording artists Natalie Imbruglia, Guy Sebastian and Ronan Keating and radio presenter Kyle Sandilands.[10] On 16 March 2011, Sandilands announced on his breakfast radio show that he would not be returning for the third season.[11] Following his announcement, rumours began to circulate that recording artist Delta Goodrem and radio hosts Merrick Watts and Jackie O, were possible considerations to replace Sandilands.[12] Others who were also rumoured to be replacing him included, Mel B, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, George Michael and Brian McFadden.[13][14] However, on 31 March 2011, it was announced that Bassingthwaighte was Imbruglia's replacement as a judge for the third season.[14] In late April, it was announced that Mel B was Sandilands' replacement.[15] Sebastian and Keating are the only judges from the second season who returned for the third season.[16]
The show's presenter for the first season was actor Daniel MacPherson,[4] while model Chloe Maxwell hosted The Xtra Factor.[17] Following the announcement of the show's re-launch in 2010 for season two, it was rumored that actors Hugh Sheridan and Axle Whitehead and former MTV Australia VJ Darren McMullen, were possible considerations to be the host.[18] However, on 30 May 2010, it was announced that actor Matthew Newton would be the host, becoming his first gig since he checked out of a rehab clinic for a drug and alcohol addiction two weeks prior and was placed on suicide watch.[19] A week before the second season was about to premiere, Newton was dropped from the show after re-admitting himself to rehab[20] and also due to an alleged assault on his now former girlfriend, Rachel Taylor.[21] He was later replaced by actor and former Popstars Live host Luke Jacobz.[22] Newton was edited out of the original footage and new shots of Jacobz were shot instead. On 28 August 2010, it was announced that radio presenter, Natalie Garonzi would be the host for The Xtra Factor on digital channel 7Two.[23]
In each season, each judge is allocated a category to mentor and chooses three acts to progress to the live shows. This table shows, for each season, which category each judge was allocated and which acts he or she put through to the live shows.
Key:
| Season | Mark Holden | Kate Ceberano | John Reid | N/A |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One | Groups Random Kaya The Brothership |
Under 25s Vincent Harder Jacob Butler Gemma Purdy |
Over 25s Russell Gooley Roslynn Mahe Janie Shrapnel |
|
| Season | Guy Sebastian | Ronan Keating | Natalie Imbruglia | Kyle Sandilands |
| Two | Groups Mahogany Luke & Joel Kharizma |
Over 25s Altiyan Childs Amanda Grafanakis James McNally |
Under 25 Girls Sally Chatfield Hayley Teal India-Rose Madderom |
Under 25 Boys Andrew Lawson Mitchell Smith Chris Doe |
| Season | Guy Sebastian | Ronan Keating | Natalie Bassingthwaighte | Mel B |
| Three | Under 25 Boys Reece Mastin Johnny Ruffo Declan Sykes |
Groups Three Wishez Young Men Society Audio Vixen |
Over 25s Andrew Wishart Mitchell Callaway Cleo Howman |
Under 25 Girls Christina Parie Jacqui Newland Tyla Bartoli |
| The Xtra Factor | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Simon Cowell |
| Presented by | Natalie Garonzi (2010) Chloe Maxwell (2005) |
| Voices of | Nicholas McKay (2010) |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 54 |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Network Ten (2005) 7Two (2010) |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
The Xtra Factor was a companion show that was broadcast on digital channel 7Two on Sunday and Monday nights following the main show.[23] Chloe Maxwell was the host of the first season of The Xtra Factor, and Natalie Garonzi took over when the show re-launched in 2010 for the second season.[23] The show did not return in 2011 for the third season.
The show featured behind-the-scenes footage of The X Factor, including interviews with the contestants and judges on stage right after the main show had finished, in response to their performances. After the interviews, The Xtra Factor would then re-locate to the green room, where the show included more interviews and discussions with the contestants, judges and sometimes celebrity guests. Footage of the contestants during the week, were also shown on The Xtra Factor. While the show was broadcast on air, tweets that the viewers have sent to The X Factor Twitter account appeared on screen, as well as SMS messages that were sent to the show via mobile phones.
| Country / Region | Channel |
|---|---|
| New Zealand | TV3[24] |
| Artist(s) | Season | Position in show | Album | Release date | AUS peak chart position |
Ref(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Random | 1 | Winners | Random | 9 October 2005 | 79 | [25] | |
| Altiyan Childs | 2 | Winner | Altiyan Childs | 10 December 2010 | 3 | [26] | |
| Vince Harder | 1 | Third place | The Space Between Us | 28 March 2011 | — | [27] | |
| Reece Mastin | 3 | Winner | Reece Mastin | 9 December 2011 | 2 | [28] | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or was not released in that country. | |||||||
| Artist(s) | Season | Position in show | Extended play | Release date | AUS peak chart position |
Ref(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke and Joel | 2 | Fifth place | L & J | 20 January 2011 | — | [29] | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or was not released in that country. | |||||||
| Artist(s) | Season | Position in show | Title | Release date | AUS peak chart position |
Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Random | 1 | Winners | "Put Your Hands Up" | 10 June 2005 | 7 | [30] |
| Random | 1 | Winners | "Are You Ready" | 2 September 2005 | 36 | [30] |
| Vince Harder | 1 | Third place | "Strobe Light" | 17 November 2008 | — | [31] |
| "Strobe Light" (Nor Remix) | 16 February 2009 | — | [32] | |||
| "Lyrical Love" | 17 March 2009 | — | [33] | |||
| Jacob Butler | 1 | Sixth place | "Coma" | 7 August 2009 | — | [34] |
| Vince Harder | 1 | Third place | "Say This With Me" | 29 March 2010 | — | [35] |
| "Alone No More" | 9 August 2010 | — | [36] | |||
| Altiyan Childs | 2 | Winner | "Somewhere in the World" | 22 November 2010 | 8 | [26] |
| Vince Harder | 1 | Third place | "Summer Dayz" | 6 December 2010 | — | [37] |
| Sally Chatfield | 2 | Runner-Up | "Recovery" | 28 February 2011 | — | [38] |
| "Cross My Heart and Hope To" | — | |||||
| Vince Harder | 1 | Third place | "I Want This Forever" | — | [39] | |
| Mahogany | 2 | Fourth place | "New Zealand (My Home Town)" | 28 March 2011 | — | [40] |
| "Thank You" | 2 April 2011 | — | [41] | |||
| Altiyan Childs | 2 | Winner | "Ordinary Man" | 23 September 2011 | — | [42] |
| Reece Mastin | 3 | Winner | "Good Night" | 22 November 2011 | 1 | [43] |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or was not released in that country. | ||||||
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