The X Factor (British TV series) series 6 explained

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The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The sixth series started on ITV on 22 August 2009 and was won by Joe McElderry on 13 December 2009.[1] Cheryl Cole emerged as the winning mentor for the second consecutive year, the first time in the show's history that a mentor has won back-to-back series.[2] The show was presented by Dermot O'Leary, with spin-off show The Xtra Factor presented by Holly Willoughby on ITV2. McElderry's winner's single was a cover version of Miley Cyrus's "The Climb".[3] Public auditions by aspiring singers began in June 2009 and were held in five cities across the UK. Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Dannii Minogue and Cole returned as judges. This season was the first to be sponsored by TalkTalk after they took over the sponsorship from The Carphone Warehouse. For the first time, auditions were held in front of a live audience. Following initial auditions, the "bootcamp" stage took place in August 2009, where the number of contestants was narrowed down to 24. The 24 contestants were split into their categories, Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups, and given a judge to mentor them at the "judges' houses" stage and throughout the finals.

During "judges' houses", the 24 acts were reduced to twelve, with one act being eliminated each week by a combination of public vote and judges' decision until a winner was found. The live shows started on 10 October 2009. The acts performed every Saturday night with the results announced on Sundays. This was change of format from previous series in which the results were announced later on the Saturday evening. This series was sponsored by TalkTalk.

Judges, Presenters and Other Personnel

During series 5, it was rumoured that Dannii Minogue would not return as a judge for series 6.[4] Spice Girls singer Victoria Beckham was reported as a replacement for Minogue.[5] In June 2009, however, it was confirmed that Minogue, Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh would all return as judges for series 6.[4] Walsh missed the first results show due to Boyzone member Stephen Gateley's sudden death and missed the second week due to attending Gateley's funeral.

Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main show on ITV, while Holly Willoughby returned as presenter on The Xtra Factor on ITV2. Brian Friedman returned to the show as creative director and Yvie Burnett returned as vocal coach.

Selection process

Auditions

Auditions were held during June and July 2009 across five cities: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Glasgow.[6] [7] [8] In a change to previous series, auditions were held in front of a live audience due to the success of a similar system on Britain's Got Talent.[9] [10] However, Glaswegian auditionees had already been judged using the old format, meaning that they had to apply again, as their initial audition was void.[11]

Summary of judges' auditions
CityDate(s)Venue
London22–25 June 2009ExCeL Centre
Birmingham29–30 June 2009ICC
Manchester3–5 July 2009Manchester Central
Cardiff9 July 2009International Arena
Glasgow12 July 2009Braehead Arena

Bootcamp

As with the auditions, the "Bootcamp" selection stage was filmed in front of a live audience. Filming took place on 1 August at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo.[12] Approximately 200 acts attended bootcamp. They were initially split into groups of three, and judges gave instant decisions on who would leave based on the group performances, bringing the number of acts down to 100. The judges then cut the number of acts down to 50. Following a further set of auditions, the number of contestants was narrowed to 24. Originally, the group Trucolorz were chosen by the judges for the top 24 but were disqualified due to one of the group's members being too young for the show, and they were replaced by Harmony Hood.[13]

The contestants were then split into the usual four categories before the judges discovered which category they would mentor for the rest of the competition. The Boys (16–24) were mentored by Cole, Minogue had the Girls (16–24), Cowell mentored the Over 25s, and Walsh took charge of the Groups.

Judges' houses

Each judge had help from a guest judge during the "Judges' houses" stage. Will Young assisted Cole in Marrakech, Morocco, Minogue had help from her sister Kylie Minogue in Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai,[14] Boyzone singer Ronan Keating helped Walsh near Lake Como in Italy, and Cowell had help from Sinitta in Los Angeles.[15] At Judges' Houses, each act sang for their respective judge, and each judge and their guest eliminated three acts, leaving 12 acts to perform in the live shows.

Judges Houses Performances:

Boys:

Groups:

Over 25s:

Girls:

Summary of judges' houses
JudgeCategoryLocationAssistantActs Eliminated
ColeBoysMarrakechWill YoungEthan Boroian, Daniel Fox, Duane Lamonte
CowellOver 25sLos AngelesSinittaTreyc Cohen, Nicole Lawrence, Daniel Pearce
MinogueGirlsAtlantis, The Palm, DubaiKylie MinogueNicole Jackson, Stacey McClean, Despina Pilavakis
WalshGroupsLake Como, ItalyRonan KeatingDe-Tour, Harmony Hood, Project A

Acts

Key:

– Winner

– Runner-Up

ActAge(s)HometownCategory (mentor)Result
Joe McElderry18South ShieldsBoys (Cole)Winner
Olly Murs25WithamOver 25s (Cowell)Runner-Up
Stacey Solomon20DagenhamGirls (Minogue)3rd Place
Danyl Johnson27ArborfieldOver 25s (Cowell)4th Place
Lloyd Daniels16TreharrisBoys (Cole)5th Place
18Dublin, IrelandGroups (Walsh)6th Place
Jamie Archer34PutneyOver 25s (Cowell)7th Place
Lucie Jones18PentyrchGirls (Minogue)8th Place
East London9th Place
Miss Frank21–25VariousGroups (Walsh)10th Place
Rikki Loney22GlasgowBoys (Cole)11th Place
Kandy Rain22–25VariousGroups (Walsh)12th Place

Live shows

The live shows began on 10 October 2009, and continued through to the finale on 12 December 2009. Starting with this series, the results shows were on Sunday nights instead of Saturdays as they were for the first five series. In another change to the format of previous years, the remaining finalists performed a song as a group at the start of each results show. As previously, each week had a different song theme. Beginning with week 8 of the live shows, with five acts remaining, each contestant would sing two songs. Up to week 8, the two acts with the fewest public votes were in the bottom two and would sing again in the "final showdown". The songs they performed in the bottom two were of their own choice and did not necessarily follow that week's theme. The four judges then each chose one act from the bottom two that they wanted to be eliminated from the show. If each act received an equal number of judges' votes, the vote went to deadlock and the act with the fewest public votes was eliminated. From week 8 onwards, there was no bottom two and the act with the fewest votes was eliminated.

Musical guests

During each results show, either one or two guest artists would perform. Series 5 winner Alexandra Burke and Robbie Williams performed on the first live results show,[16] with Whitney Houston[17] and judge Cole on the second. Michael Bublé and Westlife appeared on the third week,[18] and Bon Jovi and JLS performed in week 4.[19] Leona Lewis and The Black Eyed Peas performed for week 5,[20] while week 6 featured a performance from Shakira. Susan Boyle appeared on the show for week 7 along with Mariah Carey.[21] Rihanna and Alicia Keys performed in week 8 with Janet Jackson and Lady Gaga appearing in week 9. Guests in the final were Robbie Williams, Michael Bublé and George Michael (Saturday show) and Burke, JLS, Lewis, George Michael and Paul McCartney (Sunday show). In some weeks, the guest performers also mentored the acts in the run-up to that week's live show.

The choice of musical guests on The X Factor live shows had a significant impact on the UK Singles Chart. Of the seven singles that made number one from 18 October to 19 December, six of them had done so after having been performed on an X Factor live show the previous weekend. They were, in order: "Bad Boys" by Alexandra Burke, "Fight for This Love" by Cole, "Everybody in Love" by JLS, "Meet Me Halfway" by the Black Eyed Peas, "You Are Not Alone" by the finalists and "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga. This impact was noted by several commentators. After "Bad Romance" became the sixth song to reach Number One off the back of a performance on The X Factor, James Masterton of Yahoo! Music called the show "a guarantor of Number One hits".[22] Gennaro Castaldo of HMV remarked: "In an age when there are very few truly mass-audience platforms left, the X Factor has become pivotal for those labels and artists seeking to reach a family-based audience."[23] Paul Williams, editor of Music Week, explained: "The impact of the programme's incredible numbers on music sales is all too evident, with the top end of the singles and albums charts week after week since the current season began heavily dominated by whoever has been on the show."[24]

Results summary

Colour key Act in Boys

Act in Girls

Act in Over 25s

Act in Groups

 –Act was in the bottom two and had to sing again in the final showdown
 –Act received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no final showdown)
 –Act received the most public votes
Act!style="width:7%" rowspan=2 scope="col"
Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6Week 7Quarter-FinalSemi-FinalFinal
Saturday VoteSunday Vote
Joe McElderry3rd
12.7%
4th
13.3%
2nd
12.9%
3rd
10.2%
2nd
17.2%
2nd
16.0%
1st
34.2%
1st
37.1%
1st
42.2%
1st
52.2%
Winner
61.3%
Olly Murs7th
6.2%
5th
10.6%
7th
8.6%
2nd
13.4%
3rd
12.9%
5th
10.3%
6th
9.8%
3rd
18.7%
2nd
19.6%
2nd
27.7%
Runner-Up
38.7%
Stacey Solomon2nd
12.9%
1st
15.4%
5th
10.7%
5th
8.1%
5th
10.8%
1st
25.5%
2nd
17.7%
2nd
20.1%
3rd
19.4%
3rd
20.1%
Eliminated
(final)
Danyl Johnson1st
27.1%
7th
6.5%
9th
7.6%
1st
36.2%
1st
19.6%
3rd
15.5%
3rd
15.5%
4th
12.5%
4th
18.8%
Eliminated
(semi-final)
Lloyd Daniels6th
6.4%
2nd
15.0%
8th
8.0%
8th
5.5%
4th
12.0%
6th
9.7%
4th
12.1%
5th
11.6%
Eliminated
(quarter-final)
John & Edward8th
4.5%
8th
5.6%
6th
9.2%
6th
6.6%
7th
9.2%
4th
14.6%
5th
10.7%
Eliminated
(week 7)
Jamie Archer5th
8.9%
3rd
14.4%
4th
11.2%
4th
8.7%
6th
9.5%
7th
8.4%
Eliminated
(week 6)
Lucie Jones4th
10.5%
6th
8.1%
3rd
11.3%
7th
6.4%
8th
8.8%
Eliminated
(week 5)
Rachel Adedeji11th
2.3%
10th
3.7%
1st
15.4%
9th
4.9%
Eliminated
(week 4)
Miss Frank9th
4.0%
9th
3.9%
10th
5.1%
Eliminated
(week 3)
Rikki Loney10th
3.0%
11th
3.5%
Eliminated
(week 2)
Kandy Rain12th
1.5%
Eliminated
(week 1)
Final ShowdownAdedeji,
Kandy Rain
Adedeji,
Loney
Johnson,
Miss Frank
Adedeji,
Daniels
John & Edward,
Jones
Archer,
Daniels
John & Edward,
Murs
No final showdown or judges' votes: results were based on public votes alone
Walsh's vote to eliminate (Groups)AdedejiJohnson Daniels Jones Archer Murs
Minogue's vote to eliminate (Girls)Kandy Rain Loney Miss Frank Daniels John & Edward Daniels John & Edward
Cole's vote to eliminate (Boys)Kandy Rain Adedeji Johnson Adedeji John & Edward Archer John & Edward
Cowell's vote to eliminate (Over 25s)Adedeji Loney Miss Frank Adedeji Jones Daniels John & Edward
EliminatedKandy Rain
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock
Rikki Loney
2 of 3 votes
Majority
Miss Frank
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock
Rachel Adedeji
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock
Lucie Jones
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock
Jamie Archer
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock
John & Edward
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Lloyd Daniels
11.6%
to save
Danyl Johnson
18.8%
to save
Stacey Solomon
20.1%
to save
Olly Murs
38.7%
to win
Reference(s)[25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34]

Live show details

Week 1 (10/11 October)

Act! scope="col"
Category (mentor)OrderSongMusical HeroResult
Rachel AdedejiGirls (Minogue) 1 "Let Me Entertain You" Bottom Two
Kandy RainGroups (Walsh) 2 "Addicted to Love"
Olly MursOver 25s (Cowell) 3 "She's the One" Safe
Rikki LoneyBoys (Cole) 4 "Back to Black"
Stacey SolomonGirls (Minogue) 5 "The Scientist"
Miss FrankGroups (Walsh) 6 "Who's Lovin' You"
Jamie ArcherOver 25s (Cowell) 7 "Get It On"
Lloyd DanielsBoys (Cole) 8 "Cry Me a River" Justin Timberlake
Lucie JonesGirls (Minogue) 9 "Footprints in the Sand"
John & EdwardGroups (Walsh) 10 "Rock DJ" Robbie Williams
Joe McElderryBoys (Cole) 11 "No Regrets"
Danyl JohnsonOver 25s (Cowell) 12 "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" Safe (Highest Votes)
Final showdown details
Rachel AdedejiGirls (Minogue) 1 "Nobody Knows" Saved
Kandy RainGroups (Walsh) 2 "Fighter" Eliminated

Walsh was absent from the Sunday night results show due to the sudden death of Boyzone singer and close friend Stephen Gately, whom he managed.[36] Due to this, the show did not take its usual format; there were no lights and neither O'Leary nor the three other judges made an entrance. Instead, the show commenced with O'Leary already on stage and the judges already sitting at their desk. Both O'Leary and Cowell addressed the viewers and audience regarding Gately's death and Walsh's absence.[37] Following this, the show went on as normal with Minogue, Cowell and Cole present as judges.

Judges' votes to eliminate[37]

With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Kandy Rain were eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 2 (17/18 October)

Walsh was absent from both shows this weekend, again due to Stephen Gately's death. The funeral took place on 17 October and Walsh paid his respects. This statement was released: "Due to recent tragic events, Louis Walsh will not be appearing on either the Saturday or Sunday live The X Factor shows this weekend as he is attending Stephen Gately's funeral. Louis has been in close contact with his acts throughout the week, although his opinions will not be represented in the show this weekend."[38]

Act! scope="col"
Category (mentor)OrderSong[39] DivaResult
Lucie JonesGirls (Minogue) 1 "How Will I Know" Safe
Olly MursOver 25s (Cowell) 2 "A Fool in Love" Tina Turner
Miss FrankGroups (Walsh) 3 "All the Man That I Need"
Rachel AdedejiGirls (Minogue) 4 "If I Were a Boy" Bottom Two
Joe McElderryBoys (Cole) 5 "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" Safe
Danyl JohnsonOver 25s (Cowell) 6 "I Didn't Know My Own Strength"
Lloyd DanielsBoys (Cole) 7 "Bleeding Love"
John & EdwardGroups (Walsh) 8 "Oops!... I Did It Again"
Rikki LoneyBoys (Cole) 9 "Respect" Bottom Two
Jamie ArcherOver 25s (Cowell) 10 "Hurt" Safe
Stacey SolomonGirls (Minogue) 11 "At Last" Safe (Highest Votes)
Final showdown details
Rachel AdedejiGirls (Minogue) 1 "With or Without You" Saved
Rikki LoneyBoys (Cole) 2 "Flying Without Wings" Eliminated

For the first time in the show's history, a contestant sang a cover version of a new song that had not yet even been sung live by the original recording artist.[40] Cowell's decision for Danyl Johnson to sing "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" garnered a disapproving reception from Houston, with Cowell saying that Johnson "didn't exactly get rave reviews [from Houston and Davis] in that room [for the masterclass]."[40] [41]

Judges' votes to eliminate[26]

Week 3 (24/25 October)

Act! scope="col"
Category (mentor)OrderSong[42] Big Band Artist Result
Olly MursOver 25s (Cowell) 1 "Bewitched" Safe
Lloyd DanielsBoys (Cole) 2 "Fly Me to the Moon"
Miss FrankGroups (Walsh) 3 "That's Life" Bottom Two
Rachel AdedejiGirls (Minogue) 4 "Proud Mary" Safe (Highest Votes)
Jamie ArcherOver 25s (Cowell) 5 "Angel of Harlem" U2Safe
Stacey SolomonGirls (Minogue) 6 "When You Wish upon a Star"
Danyl JohnsonOver 25s (Cowell) 7 "Feeling Good" Nina SimoneBottom Two
Joe McElderryBoys (Cole) 8 "Sway" Safe
Lucie JonesGirls (Minogue) 9 "My Funny Valentine"
John & EdwardGroups (Walsh) 10 "She Bangs" Ricky Martin
Final showdown details
Miss FrankGroups (Walsh) 1 "Love Don't Live Here Anymore"Eliminated
Danyl JohnsonOver 25s (Cowell) 2 "With a Little Help from My Friends" Saved
Judges' votes to eliminate[27]

With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Miss Frank were eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 4 (31 October/1 November)

Act! scope="col"
Category (mentor)OrderSong[43] Rock Artist Result
Joe McElderryBoys (Cole) 1 "Don't Stop Believin'" JourneySafe
Lucie JonesGirls (Minogue) 2 "Sweet Child o' Mine" Guns N' Roses
Danyl JohnsonOver 25s (Cowell) 3 "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" Safe (Highest Votes)
Lloyd DanielsBoys (Cole) 4 "I Kissed a Girl" Bottom Two
Stacey SolomonGirls (Minogue) 5 "Somewhere Only We Know" Safe
Jamie ArcherOver 25s (Cowell) 6 "Rocks" Primal Scream
Rachel AdedejiGirls (Minogue) 7 "One" U2Bottom Two
John & EdwardGroups (Walsh) 8 "We Will Rock You" Safe
Olly MursOver 25s (Cowell) 9 "Come Together" The Beatles
Final showdown details
Rachel AdedejiGirls (Minogue) 1 "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" Eliminated
Lloyd DanielsBoys (Cole) 2 "You Are So Beautiful" Saved
Judges' votes to eliminate[28]

With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Adedeji was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 5 (7/8 November)

Act! scope="col"
Category (mentor)OrderSong[44] FilmResult
Stacey SolomonGirls (Minogue) 1 "Son of a Preacher Man" Pulp Fiction Safe
Olly MursOver 25s (Cowell) 2 "Twist and Shout" Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Lloyd DanielsBoys (Cole) 3 "Stand by Me"/"Beautiful Girls" Stand by Me
Jamie ArcherOver 25s (Cowell) 4 "Crying" Gummo
Lucie JonesGirls (Minogue) 5 "This Is Me" Camp Rock Bottom Two
Danyl JohnsonOver 25s (Cowell) 6 "Purple Rain" Purple Rain Safe (Highest Votes)
John & EdwardGroups (Walsh) 7 "Ghostbusters" Ghostbusters Bottom Two
Joe McElderryBoys (Cole) 8 "Circle of Life" The Lion King Safe
Final showdown details
Lucie JonesGirls (Minogue) 1 "One Moment in Time" Eliminated
John & EdwardGroups (Walsh) 2 "Rock DJ" Saved
Judges' votes to eliminate[29]

With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Jones was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 6 (14/15 November)

Act! scope="col"
Category (mentor)OrderSong[47] Result
Jamie ArcherOver 25s (Cowell) 1 "Radio Ga Ga" Bottom Two
Lloyd DanielsBoys (Cole) 2 "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
Olly MursOver 25s (Cowell) 3 "Don't Stop Me Now" Safe
Joe McElderryBoys (Cole) 4 "Somebody to Love"
John & EdwardGroups (Walsh) 5"Under Pressure"/"Ice Ice Baby"
Stacey SolomonGirls (Minogue) 6 "Who Wants to Live Forever" Safe (Highest Votes)
Danyl JohnsonOver 25s (Cowell) 7 "We Are the Champions"Safe
Final showdown details
Jamie ArcherOver 25s (Cowell) 1 "The Show Must Go On" Eliminated
Lloyd DanielsBoys (Cole) 2 "Last Request"Saved
Judges' votes to eliminate[30]

With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Archer was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 7 (21/22 November)

Act! scope="col"
Category (mentor)Order Song[50] Artist Result
Lloyd DanielsBoys (Cole) 1 "Faith"George Michael Safe
Stacey SolomonGirls (Minogue) 2 "I Can't Make You Love Me" cover by George Michael
John & EdwardGroups (Walsh) 3 "I'm Your Man"/"Wham Rap!" Wham! Bottom Two
Danyl JohnsonOver 25s (Cowell) 4 "Careless Whisper" George Michael/Wham! Safe
Olly MursOver 25s (Cowell) 5 "Fastlove"George MichaelBottom Two
Joe McElderryBoys (Cole) 6 "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" George Michael and Elton John Safe (Highest Votes)
Final showdown details
John & EdwardGroups (Walsh) 1 "No Matter What" Eliminated
Olly MursOver 25s (Cowell) 2 "Wonderful Tonight" Saved
Judges' votes to eliminate

However, voting statistics revealed that John & Edward received more votes than Murs which meant that if Minogue sent the result to deadlock, John & Edward would have advanced to the quarter-final and Murs would have been eliminated.

Week 8: Quarter-Final (28/29 November)

Act! scope="col"
Category (mentor)OrderTake That song[53] OrderElton John songResult
Danyl JohnsonOver 25s (Cowell) 1 "Relight My Fire" 7 "Your Song" Safe
Lloyd DanielsBoys (Cole) 2 "A Million Love Songs" 6 "I'm Still Standing" Eliminated
Olly MursOver 25s (Cowell) 3 "Love Ain't Here Anymore" 8 "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" Safe
Joe McElderryBoys (Cole) 4 "Could It Be Magic" 9 "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" Safe (Highest Votes)
Stacey SolomonGirls (Minogue) 5"Rule the World" 10 "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" Safe

The quarter-final did not feature a final showdown and instead the act with the fewest public votes, Lloyd Daniels, was automatically eliminated. After his elimination, Daniels reprised his quarter-final performance of "A Million Love Songs" as his exit song.

Week 9: Semi-Final (5/6 December)

Act! scope="col"
Category (mentor)OrderMichael Jackson Song[55] OrderMentor's ChoiceResult
Olly MursOver 25s (Cowell) 1 "Can You Feel It" 5 "We Can Work It Out" Safe
Joe McElderryBoys (Cole) 2 "She's Out of My Life" 6 "Open Arms" Safe (Highest Votes)
Stacey SolomonGirls (Minogue) 3 "The Way You Make Me Feel" 7 "Somewhere" Safe
Danyl JohnsonOver 25s (Cowell) 4"Man in the Mirror" 8 "I Have Nothing" Eliminated

The semi-final did not feature a final showdown and instead the act with the fewest public votes, Danyl Johnson, was automatically eliminated. After his elimination, Johnson reprised his semi-final performance of "Man in the Mirror" as his exit song.

Week 10: Final (12/13 December)

12 December

Act! scope="col"
Category (mentor)OrderFirst songscope=colOrderSecond song scope=colDuet Partnerscope=colOrderThird songResult
Stacey SolomonGirls (Minogue) 1 "What a Wonderful World" 4 "Feeling Good" 7 "Who Wants to Live Forever" Eliminated
Olly MursOver 25s (Cowell) 2 "Superstition" 5 "Angels" 8 "A Fool in Love" Safe
Joe McElderryBoys (Cole) 3 "Dance with My Father" 6 "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" 9 "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" Safe (Highest Votes)

The show also featured Jeff Brazier reporting from Solomon's home town of Dagenham, Michael Underwood in Colchester for Murs and Kimberley Walsh in McElderry's home town of South Shields.

13 December

Act! scope="col"
Category (mentor)OrderFirst song[57] scope=colOrderSecond songResult
Olly MursOver 25s (Cowell) 1 "Twist and Shout" 3 "The Climb" Runner-Up
Joe McElderryBoys (Cole) 2 "Don't Stop Believin'" 4 "The Climb" Winner

Sponsors

This series of The X Factor was sponsored by TalkTalk and featured break bumpers pioneered by CHI & Partners, showing light graffiti set against night-time backdrops across the United Kingdom. Part of the deal, which applied to ITV, ITV2 and the programme's website, saw TalkTalk customers having the chance to design the break bumpers and download exclusive content.[58] In the Republic of Ireland, the series was sponsored by Domino's Pizza.

Reception

Ratings

The first episode, which was broadcast on 22 August and showed the first set of auditions, attracted 9.9 million viewers; 47.9% of the viewing audience and the largest number of viewers within its timeslot.[59] One week later, 9.75 million people viewed the second episode; a 47.1% share of the TV audience.[60] The third episode averaged 11.76 million viewers and a 51.9% audience share.[61] Episode four attracted 10.26 million viewers.[62] The fifth episode, which was scheduled directly against Strictly Come Dancing drew in about 9.27 million viewers, compared to 7.72 for Strictly.[63] The X Factor reached a record high number of viewers for the second and third results shows on 18 and 25 October, scoring 14.8 million viewers each.[64] This was beaten on 8 November when the fifth results show peaked at 16.6 million people.

The final episode peaked with 19.1 million viewers when Joe McElderry was announced as the winner.[65]

EpisodeAir dateOfficial ITV rating[66] Weekly rankShare
Auditions 1 11.00 1 47.9%
Auditions 2 10.81 1 47.1%
Auditions 3 12.84 1 51.9%
Auditions 4 11.31 1 51.7%
Auditions 5 10.57 2 38.0%
Auditions 6 11.37 1 41.4%[67]
Bootcamp 1 10.39 2 36.6%[68]
Bootcamp 2 11.86 1 42.5%[69] [70]
Judges' houses 1 11.46 2 38.9%[71]
Judges' houses 2 13.35 1 44.9%[72]
Live show 1 12.64 2 43.8%[73] [74]
Results show 1 13.82 1 46.4%[75]
Live show 2 12.07 2 42.1%
Results show 2 13.89 1 46.7%
Live show 3 12.80 2 44.1%[76]
Results show 3 14.02 1 47.9%[77]
Live show 4 11.74 2 42.3%[78]
Results show 4 14.52 1 47.8%[79]
Live show 5 13.05 2 46.9%
Results show 5 15.00 1 49.4%[80] [81]
Live show 6 13.45 2 45.1%[82]
Results show 6 15.02 1 47.9%[83]
Live show 7 14.03 2 48.6%[84]
Results show 7 14.51 1 46.5%[85]
Live show 8 13.46 2 47.8%[86]
Results show 8 14.34 1 45.9%[87]
Live semi-final 13.40 2 49.5%[88]
Live semi-final results 13.55 1 46.2%[89]
Final 13.34 2 48.0%[90]
Winner announces 16.28 1 53.2%[91]
Series average 2009 13.00 45.9%

Controversies

Bootcamp

On 2 August 2009, The People reported that some bootcamp contestants felt they had been poorly treated by the show's producers; one compared the experience with that of a concentration camp and another claimed that those competing were only allowed to use the toilet twice a day.[92] However, a spokesperson for the programme denied the claims, saying "Yes, it was long hours but they knew what they were signing up for. The hopefuls got breakfast at the hotel and decent food throughout the day".

Audition format

This season's audition format, in which the auditions were held in front of a studio audience, was criticised by fans, by Cole and by certain former contestants. These included Alexandra Burke, who branded it "too intimidating", and the members of JLS who stated it detracted from the intimacy of the auditions.[93]

Recycled contestants

The show was criticised in September 2009 for "recycling" contestants, as three singers from the final 24 acts had already been in pop bands, two had auditioned for The X Factor in previous years and one had appeared on Britain's Got Talent.[94]

Danyl Johnson

Controversy began after the first live show on 10 October, after Minogue commented on press reports regarding Danyl Johnson's sexuality, sparking an online backlash.[95] Minogue released a statement on her comments:

"I want to clear up exactly what happened on last night's X Factor show and post my sincere apologies to anyone who took offense . I made a comment about Danyl changing the lyrics of his song. It was meant to be a humorous moment about the fact he has an opportunity to have fun with his song. An openly bi-sexual singing a song that is lyrically a 'girl's song'. Danyl and I were joking about the very same thing in rehearsals on Friday, so it carried on to the show. I'd like to apologise to anyone that was offended by my comments, it was never my intention. I spoke to Danyl straight after the show last night and he wasn't offended or upset by my comments, and knew exactly what I was saying."[96]

Minogue also apologised on the live results show on 11 October, saying Danyl was not upset by her comments.[97] It has since been reported that Ofcom received around 4000 complaints from viewers over the comment.[98]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Joe McElderry wins X Factor crown . 13 December 2009. BBC News. 14 December 2009.
  2. News: Susan. Daly. The boo hoo factor. Irish Independent. 8 August 2009. 9 August 2009.
  3. http://xfactor.itv.com/2009/music/this-weeks-songs/detail/item_100309.htm Revealed! Tonight's songs
  4. Web site: Dannii Minogue to return to X Factor. 9 May 2009. The Daily Telegraph. 6 October 2014.
  5. Web site: Simon Cowell 'asks Victoria Beckham to join X Factor'. 6 October 2014.
  6. News: Dianne. Bourne. X Factor judges' 20-yard car ride. Manchester Evening News. 4 July 2009. 29 July 2009.
  7. News: Andrew. Dagnell. Cardiff X Factor wannabes pour into Cardiff's CIA. Wales on Sunday. 12 July 2009. 29 July 2009.
  8. News: Daniel. Kilkelly. Cowell helps distressed 'X Factor' fan. Digital Spy. 14 July 2009. 29 July 2009.
  9. News: Alex. Fletcher. 'X Factor' auditions to have live audience. Digital Spy. 15 June 2009. 29 July 2009.
  10. News: Daniel. Kilkelly. Susan Boyle inspired 'X Factor' changes. Digital Spy. 17 June 2009. 29 July 2009.
  11. News: Alex. Fletcher. 'X Factor' contestants to re-audition. Digital Spy. 22 June 2009. 29 July 2009.
  12. News: Kate. McMahon. X Factor boot camp to be filmed with live audience. Broadcast. 27 July 2009. 29 July 2009.
  13. News: 'X Factor' group Tru Colourz axed. Digital Spy. Alex. Fletcher. 28 September 2009. 28 September 2009.
  14. News: Will Young helps Cole on The X Factor. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 31 August 2009. 19 September 2009.
  15. News: X FACTOR JUDGE LOUIS FLYS INTO MILAN. Daily Mirror. Peter. Dyke. 4 September 2009. 19 September 2009.
  16. News: Robbie Williams to launch comeback on X Factor. Daily Mirror. Jody. Thompson. 18 September 2009. 4 October 2009.
  17. News: Whitney confirms 'X Factor' performance. Digital Spy. Nick. Levine. 8 October 2009. 8 October 2009.
  18. News: X Factor line up Westlife and Michael Bublé. STV. 16 October 2009. 18 October 2009.
  19. News: JLS, Bon Jovi to perform on 'X Factor'. Digital Spy. David. Balls. 22 October 2009. 22 October 2009.
  20. News: Leona, BEP confirmed for 'X Factor'. 30 October 2009. 30 October 2009. Digital Spy. Alex. Fletcher.
  21. News: Boyle 'to sing on X Factor in November'. Digital Spy. Mayer. Nissim. 30 September 2009. 4 October 2009.
  22. Web site: Week Ending December 19th. James. Masterton. James_Masterton. 14 December 2009. Yahoo! Music. 6 September 2010.
  23. Web site: Is The X Factor killing pop?. Esther. Addley. 14 November 2009. The Guardian. 6 September 2010.
  24. Williams . Paul . Paul . Williams . 21 November 2009 . . 21.11.09 . 4 . CMP . London . 0265-1548 . 60620772 . Music week.
  25. Web site: In Pictures: 'X Factor' Week One. Alex. Fletcher. 10 October 2009. Digital Spy. 1 April 2020.
  26. Web site: 'X Factor' Week Two: What The Judges Said. Catriona. Wightman. 17 October 2009. Digital Spy. 1 April 2020.
  27. Web site: 'X Factor' Week Three: What The Judges Said. Catriona. Wightman. 24 October 2009. Digital Spy. 1 April 2020.
  28. Web site: 'X Factor' Week Four: What The Judges Said. Catriona. Wightman. 31 October 2009. Digital Spy. 1 April 2020.
  29. Web site: 'X Factor' Week Five: What The Judges Said. Catriona. Wightman. 7 November 2009. Digital Spy. 1 April 2020.
  30. Web site: 'X Factor' Week Six: What the judges said. Catriona. Wightman. 14 November 2009. Digital Spy. 1 April 2020.
  31. Web site: 'X Factor' Week Seven: What the judges said. Digital Spy. 21 November 2009. 1 April 2020.
  32. Web site: 'X Factor' Week Eight: What the judges said. Digital Spy. 28 November 2009. 1 April 2020.
  33. Web site: 'X Factor' semi-final: What the judges said. Catriona. Wightman. 5 December 2009. Digital Spy. 1 April 2020.
  34. Web site: 'X Factor' Final: What the judges said. Catriona. Wightman. 13 December 2009. Digital Spy. 1 April 2020.
  35. Web site: Revealed! This week's songs. 10 October 2009. itv.com. 10 October 2009.
  36. News: Walsh 'will not appear on X Factor'. Digital Spy. Catriona. Wightman. 11 October 2009. 11 October 2009.
  37. News: Kandy Rain first out of X Factor. 12 October 2009. BBC News. 17 October 2009.
  38. News: Walsh to miss full 'X Factor' weekend. Digital Spy. Alex. Fletcher. 15 October 2009. 17 October 2009.
  39. Web site: Revealed! This week's songs. 17 October 2009. 17 October 2009. itv.com.
  40. News: Whitney Houston gives Simon Cowell a dressing down over use of 'new' song. Daily Mirror. Clemmie. Moodie. 20 October 2009. 23 October 2009.
  41. Episode 13. The X Factor (series 6). The X Factor (UK). ITV. London. 17 October 2009.
  42. Web site: Revealed! This week's songs. itv.com. 24 October 2009. 24 October 2009.
  43. Web site: Revealed! This week's songs. itv.com. 31 October 2009. 31 October 2009.
  44. Web site: Revealed! This week's songs. itv.com. 7 November 2009. 7 November 2009.
  45. News: Cowell scraps plans for 'X Factor' dance week. Ireland On-Line. 10 November 2009. 10 November 2009.
  46. News: Shakira confirmed for 'X Factor'. Digital Spy. Mayer. Nissim. 30 October 2009. 30 October 2009.
  47. Web site: Revealed! This week's songs. itv.com. 14 November 2009. 14 November 2009.
  48. Web site: Wham week!. itv.com. 18 November 2009. 19 November 2009.
  49. News: Susan Boyle to appear on 'X Factor'. Digital Spy. Mayer. Nissim. 30 October 2009. 30 October 2009.
  50. Web site: Revealed! This week's songs. itv.com. 21 November 2009. 22 November 2009.
  51. News: Take That/Elton John Theme for X Factor. Digital Spy. 24 November 2009. 24 November 2009.
  52. News: Rihanna, Keys to perform on 'X Factor'. Digital Spy. 18 November 2009. 24 November 2009.
  53. Web site: Revealed! This week's songs. itv.com. 28 November 2009. 29 November 2009.
  54. Web site: Janet Jackson and Lady GaGa confirmed!. 27 November 2009. 29 November 2009. itv.com.
  55. Web site: Revealed! This week's songs. itv.com. 5 December 2009. 5 December 2009.
  56. Web site: Revealed! Tonight's songs. itv.com. 12 December 2009. 13 December 2009.
  57. http://xfactor.itv.com/2009/episodes/video/item_201031.htm Joe: "I can't believe it!"
  58. News: Camille. Alarcon. TalkTalk to sponsor The X Factor. Marketing Week. 3 August 2009. 8 August 2009.
  59. News: Neil. Wilkes. 'The X Factor' opens to 9.9 million. Digital Spy. 23 August 2009. 24 August 2009.
  60. News: 'X Factor' maintains ratings pace. Neil. Wilkes. Digital Spy. 31 August 2009. 31 August 2009.
  61. News: 'X Factor' grows audience by 2 million. Neil. Wilkes. Digital Spy. 6 September 2009. 7 September 2009.
  62. News: Latest 'X Factor' draws 10.3 million . . Neil . Wilkes . 14 September 2009 . 16 September 2009.
  63. News: X Factor' wins ratings battle with 'Strictly . . Neil . Wilkes . 20 September 2009 . 7 October 2009.
  64. News: X Factor hits record 14.8m high. Broadcast. Kate. McMahon. 19 October 2009. 19 October 2009.
  65. News: Dan. French. Joe McElderry's 'X Factor' win draws 19.7m. Digital Spy. 14 December 2009. 14 December 2009.
  66. Web site: Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week) . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140701091700/http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing/weekly-top-30?_s=4 . 1 July 2014 .
  67. News: 'Doc Martin' returns to 7.7 million . . Dan . French . 21 September 2009 . 7 October 2009.
  68. News: Gap narrows between 'X Factor', 'Strictly' . . Neil . Wilkes . 29 September 2009 . 7 October 2009.
  69. News: TV ratings – 27 September: Doc Martin a step ahead at 7.2m despite slip . . Chris . Tryhorn . 28 September 2009 . 7 October 2009.
  70. News: 'House' finale pulls in 549,000 . . Dan . French . 29 September 2009 . 7 October 2009.
  71. News: Saturday 'X Factor' tops 10 million . . Neil . Wilkes . 5 October 2009 . 7 October 2009.
  72. News: 12.4 million see 'X Factor' top 12 unveiled . . Neil . Wilkes . 5 October 2009 . 7 October 2009.
  73. News: X Factor wins battle for viewers . Press Association . 11 October 2009 . 11 October 2009.
  74. News: First 'X Factor' live show draws 11.3m . . Dan . French . 11 October 2009 . 11 October 2009.
  75. News: 'The X Factor' hits new series high. Digital Spy. Dan. French. 12 October 2009. 17 October 2009.
  76. News: Strictly's early start draws 8.4m . Broadcast. EMAP. Kate. McMahon. 26 October 2009. 26 October 2009.
  77. News: X Factor matches 14.8m peak. Broadcast. EMAP. Kate. McMahon. 26 October 2009. 26 October 2009.
  78. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a184963/103m-tune-in-for-x-factor-rock-week.html 10.3m tune in for 'X Factor' Rock Week
  79. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a184796/the-x-factor-hits-new-high-of-139m.html 'The X Factor' hits new high of 13.9m
  80. News: Lucie's shock 'X Factor' exit draws 14.4m. Digital Spy. Dan. French. 9 November 2009. 9 November 2009.
  81. http://www.xfactorcentral.net/news/ratings/lucies-shock-exit.xfc Lucie’s shock exit seen by 16.6m
  82. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a186973/119m-tune-in-for-x-factor-queen-week.html 11.9m tune in for 'X Factor' Queen Week
  83. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s7/doctorwho/news/a187054/waters-of-mars-seen-by-91m.html 'Waters of Mars' seen by 9.1m
  84. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a188056/x-factor-hits-saturday-high-with-13m.html 'X Factor' hits Saturday high with 13m
  85. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a188148/john--edwards-x-factor-exit-draws-138m.html John & Edward's 'X Factor' exit draws 13.8m
  86. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a189174/x-factor-top-five-performances-draw-123m.html 'X Factor' top five performances draw 12.3m
  87. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a189179/135m-tune-in-for-lloyds-x-factor-exit.html 13.5m tune in for Lloyd's 'X Factor' exit
  88. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a190218/x-factor-jacko-week-draws-124m.html 'X Factor' Jacko week draws 12.4m
  89. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a190202/13m-tune-in-for-danyls-x-factor-exit.html 13m tune in for Danyl's 'X Factor' exit
  90. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a191173/124m-see-stacey-voted-off-x-factor.html 12.4m see Stacey voted off 'X Factor'
  91. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a191274/joe-mcelderrys-x-factor-win-draws-191m.html Joe McElderry's 'X Factor' win draws 19.7m
  92. News: 'X Factor' stars reveal boot camp woes. Digital Spy. Daniel. Kilkelly. 2 August 2009. 4 August 2009.
  93. News: X Factor judge Cheryl Cole hints she prefers old audition format. Daily Mirror. 29 September 2009. 16 October 2009.
  94. News: X Factor: one in four acts 'former contestants or pop stars'. The Daily Telegraph. 28 September 2009. 28 September 2009.
  95. Web site: Dannii Minogue outing Danyl Johnson as gay . Unreality Shout . 11 October 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091014132901/http://unrealityshout.com/blogs/dannii-minogue-outing-danyl-johnson-gay . 14 October 2009 .
  96. Web site: OFFICIAL STATEMENT: Dannii Minogue & Danyl Johnson . Danniiminogueofficial.blogspot.com . 11 October 2009 . 11 October 2009.
  97. News: SORRY FOR JOKE: Dannii Minogue & Danyl Johnson . https://web.archive.org/web/20091014134124/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hza__4o-kfaICJ2D03uoLW88UupQ . dead . 14 October 2009 . TPA hosted by Google. 11 October 2009 . 11 October 2009.
  98. News: Dannii's Danyl disaster. Heat. Bauer Verlagsgruppe. 15 October 2009. 15 October 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20091018045342/http://www.heatworld.com/Article/12567/Dannii-Minogue/Dannii%E2%80%99s-Danyl-disaster. 18 October 2009.