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 ...

'' was an

Australian television Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with radio stations 3DB and 3UZ, and 2UE in Sydney, using the ''Radiovision'' system by Gilbert Miles and Donald McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Bris ...

reality music competition, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent; the winner of which received a

Sony Music Australia Sony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by American parent company Sony Music Entertainment in Australia. SMEA also formerly published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of Sony ...

recording contract and a new car. The fourth season premiered on the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

on 20 August 2012 and ended on 20 November 2012. The winner was

Samantha Jade Samantha Jade Gibbs (born 18 April 1987) is an Australian singer and songwriter. She has written tracks for artists including JoJo and Ashley Tisdale. In 2012, Jade won the fourth season of ''The X Factor Australia'', the first woman to win ...

and her winner's single "

What You've Done to Me "What You've Done to Me" is the winner's single by season four winner of '' The X Factor Australia'', Samantha Jade. It was released digitally on 20 November 2012, as the lead single from her self-titled debut album. "What You've Done to Me" ...

" was released after the final. Jade was mentored throughout by

Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...

, who won as mentor for the second year in a row. The main live shows was presented by

Luke Jacobz Luke Jacobz (born Luke Jacob Ashwood; 14 February 1981) is an Australian actor and television presenter. Career He appeared in a high school production of ''The Man of Steel'' in 1995. He came to public attention when he starred as Zac Croft f ...

, while season three finalist

Johnny Ruffo John Patrick Ruffo (born 8 March 1988) is an Australian singer, songwriter, dancer, actor and television presenter notable for being a finalist on the third season of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2011. He placed third in the competition and s ...

presented the digital

live streaming Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but n ...

show ''The X Stream''.

Mel B Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sc ...

Natalie Bassingthwaighte Natalie Bassingthwaighte (; born 1 September 1975) is an Australian recording artist, actress, and television personality. Born and raised in Wollongong, New South Wales, she began her career in musical theatre. She later pursued an acting car ...

and

Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career s ...

returned as judges. The competition was split into several stages: auditions, super bootcamp, home visits and live shows. Auditions in front of the show's producers took place throughout February and March 2012. The successful auditionees chosen by the producers were then invited back to the last set of auditions that took place in front of the judges and a live studio audience in May 2012. After the auditions was super bootcamp, where all four judges worked together and collectively chose 24 acts, including six from each of the four categories: Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups. Following super bootcamp was the home visits stage, where each of the judges reduced their six acts to three, with help from guest mentors

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 ...

Kesha Kesha Rose Sebert (; born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to Kemosabe Records. Her first major success came in early 2009 after she was featured on Americ ...

One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...

and

Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** F ...

. The live shows began on 17 September 2012. The fourth season sparked controversy when contestant Josh Brookes was disqualified from ''The X Factor'' for behaving "in an inappropriate manner" on social media. He was later replaced by Carmelo Munzone. The grand final decider was watched by 1.92 million people, making it the highest rated television episode of the season.

Judges

In 2012 it was confirmed that Mel B, Sebastian, Bassingthwaighte and Keating would return for the series.

Selection process

Auditions

Auditions in front of the show's producers began in February 2012 in seven cities:

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

( Hotel Grand Chancellor, 18 February), Launceston ( Hotel Grand Chancellor, 19 February),

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – t ...

(Albury Entertainment Centre, 22 February),

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Go ...

(RSL Club Resort, 24 February), Darwin (Crowne Plaza Hotel, 26 February),

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

(Shangri-La Hotel, The Marina Cairns, 28 February),

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

( Suncorp Piazza, 3–4 March),

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

(Hunter Stadium, 7 March),

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

(

Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre The Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre was a convention, exhibition and entertainment complex in Darling Harbour, Sydney. Designed by Philip Cox, the complex opened in 1988 as part of an urban renewal and redevelopment of the Darling Harbou ...

, 10–12 March),

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

(

Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre The Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre is a privately owned convention centre located in Perth, Western Australia. Description The centre has a floor space of and can cater for 5,000 delegates. It contains state-of-the-art technical fac ...

, 18 March),

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

(

Adelaide Convention Centre The Adelaide Convention Centre is a large convention centre on North Terrace, Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia. It was the first purpose-built convention centre to be built in Australia. History The convention centre was des ...

, 20 March) and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

(

Flemington Racecourse Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is the world's richest handicap and the world's richest 3200-metre horse race. The racec ...

, 24–26 March). Online auditions were also introduced into the season for the acts who missed out on auditioning in front of the producers. The successful auditionees chosen by the producers were then invited back to the last set of auditions that took place in front of the judges and a live studio audience. These auditions were held in three cities: Melbourne (

Hisense Arena John Cain Arena is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located within Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the second-largest venue and show court for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam professional tenni ...

, 3–5 May), Gold Coast (

Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCCEC) is located on the Gold Coast Highway in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia. The venue was opened on 29 June 2004 at a cost of A$167 million and is linked by a covered walkway to The ...

, 11–12 May) and Sydney (

Sydney Entertainment Centre Sydney Entertainment Centre (later known as Qantas Credit Union Arena) was a multi-purpose arena located in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia. It opened in May 1983, to replace Sydney Stadium, which had been demolished in 1970 to make way for the ...

, 17–19 May).

Super bootcamp

The super bootcamp stage of the competition saw all four judges working together, unlike in previous series where they disband to manage their own categories. It was filmed on 28, 29 and 30 May 2012. The first day saw the judges split the acts into four categories: Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups. Each category was given a list of four songs which they had to choose from to perform for the judges. At the end of the day, a third of the acts were sent home. On the second day, the remaining 74 acts were put into ensembles and were each given a song which they had to learn and perform for the judges. Each ensemble received vocal coaching from

Gary Pinto Gary Pinto is an Australian singer, songwriter and musician and was the lead singer of dance group, CDB. Early life Gary Pinto is an Australian musician of Indian descent. His parents were from Chennai and members of a minority Christian Indi ...

and choreography practice from Squared Division. At the end of day, the judges sent 28 acts home. On the third day, the remaining 46 acts each individually performed one song to a live audience of one thousand. On the fourth day of super bootcamp, the judges narrowed down the acts to 24. Five from the Boys and six rejected soloists from the Girls categories were asked by the judges to form two groups, The Collective (boy band) and Black Ivory (girl band). The 24 successful acts were: *Boys: Josh Brookes, Matt Cenere, Matt Gresham, Adil Memon, Carmelo Munzone, Jason Owen *Girls:

Bella Ferraro Bella Ferraro (born 1994) is an Australian singer most notable for finishing fourth on the fourth season of '' The X Factor Australia'' in 2012. Early life Ferraro was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. She began singing as a child. At age ...

, Shiane Hawke, Bella Hunter, Morgan Sheather, Angel Tupai, Vendulka Wichta *Over 25s: Danielle Blakey,

Chris Cayzer Chris Cayzer (born Christopher Ashley Luke Cayzer on 29 December 1986) is a Filipino-Australian soul, R&B and acoustic singer, actor, DJ and VJ. He was also a Top 6 finalist in the Over 25 Category on The X Factor Australia in 2012. Biog ...

, Justin Standley, Rob Vegas,

Nathaniel Willemse Nate Gilbertson (born 14 July 1985), often known simply as Nathaniel, is a South African-born Australian singer and songwriter most notable for finishing sixth on the fourth season of '' The X Factor Australia''. In 2013, he signed a recording c ...

*Groups: Black Ivory, D&D, Fourtunate, Good Question, The Collective, What About Tonight

Home visits

The final round of the selection process, the home visits, saw the remaining 24 acts travel to exclusive locations around the world to find out which judge would become their mentor. The Boys, Girls and Over 25s travelled to New York City, while the Groups visited London. Each judge reduced their six acts to three, with help from celebrity guest mentors. The Boys were assigned to

and mentored by

, the Girls were assigned to

and mentored by

, the Over 25s were assigned to

and mentored by

, and the Groups were assigned to

and mentored by

. During the first day of home visits, each act was given a private mentoring session with their mentor, ahead of their solo performance in front of their mentor and guest mentor the next day. After, the judges along with their guest mentors, narrowed down the contestants to three each.

Acts

Key: : – Winner : – Runner-Up : – Ejected

Live shows

Results summary

;Colour key Act in Team Mel B
Act in Team Guy
Act in Team Natalie
Act in Team Ronan
: – Act in the bottom two and had to perform again in the final showdown : – Act received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no final showdown) : – Act was ejected from the competition without singing or facing the public vote ;Notes *– Josh Brookes was ejected from the show due to rule violations. Carmelo Munzone replaced him on the second live show. *– Sebastian was not present for this results show. As one of his acts (Nathaniel Willemse) was in the bottom two, a vote against What About Tonight was cast on Sebastian's behalf on the typical assumption that Sebastian would have voted against What About Tonight.

Live show details

Week 1 (17/18 September)

* Theme: Judges' Choice * Celebrity performers: Ronan Keating ("Fires") and Guy Sebastian featuring

Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, '' Lupe Fiasco's ...

Battle Scars "Battle Scars" is a song performed by Australian recording artist Guy Sebastian and American rapper Lupe Fiasco. It was released digitally in Australia and New Zealand on 10 August 2012 by Sony Music Entertainment. * Group performance: "

Call Me Maybe "Call Me Maybe" is a song recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen for her EP ''Curiosity'' (2012) and later appeared on her second studio album and first international album ''Kiss'' (2012). The song was written by Jepsen and T ...

" ; Judges' vote to eliminate * Sebastian: Adil Memon – backed his own act, Samantha Jade. * Mel B: Samantha Jade – backed her own act, Adil Memon. * Bassingthwaighte: Adil Memon – stated that Jade had improved more. * Keating: Adil Memon – based on the final showdown performance. ; Notes * The Collective's performance of "Domino" debuted on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

at number 35 on 24 September 2012.

Week 2 (25/26 September)

* Theme: Party All Night * Celebrity performers: James Morrison (" I Won't Let You Go") and

The Script The Script are an Irish rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin, consisting of lead vocalist and keyboardist Danny O'Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan, and drummer Glen Power. The band moved to London after signing to Sony Label Group imprin ...

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

") * Group performance: " R.I.P."/"

How We Do (Party) "How We Do (Party)" is a song by English singer and songwriter Rita Ora from her debut studio album, ''Ora'' (2012). The song was written by Andrew Harr, Bonnie McKee, Christopher Wallace, Hal Davis, Jermaine Jackson, Willie Hutch and seven ot ...

" with

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 ...

;Judges' vote to eliminate *Sebastian: What About Tonight – despite his absence in the results show, an automatic vote was cast to save Nathaniel Willemse based on the usual assumption that he would have voted to save his own act. *Keating: Nathaniel Willemse – backed his own act, What About Tonight. *Bassingthwaighte: What About Tonight – stated she was not voting strategically. *Mel B: Nathaniel Williemse – could not decide and sent the result to deadlock. With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. What About Tonight were eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes. ;Notes *This week's live shows aired on Tuesday and Wednesday nights due to the

's coverage of the

2012 Brownlow Medal The 2012 Brownlow Medal was the 85th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home and away season. The award was won jointly by Sam Mitchell of the Hawthorn Foo ...

. *Sebastian was absent from the results show due to him traveling to New York to perform "Battle Scars" on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production ...

''. *On 30 September 2012, the performances of three finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. The Collective's performance of "Footloose" debuted at number 41, Bella Ferraro's performance of "What Makes You Beautiful" debuted at number 62, and What About Tonight's performance of "Year 3000" debuted at number 97. *Josh Brookes was disqualified from the show and was replaced by Carmelo Munzone.

Week 3 (1/2 October)

* Theme: Top 10 Hits * Celebrity performers:

Lady Antebellum Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar) ...

(" Need You Now") and

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

(" Try") * Group performance: "

Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Hum ...

"/" Untouched"/" 4ever" with The Veronicas ;Judges' vote to eliminate * Bassingthwaighte: Justin Standley – backed her own act, Angel Tupai. * Mel B: Justin Standley – stated that Tupai could go further in the competition. * Sebastian: Angel Tupai – backed his own act, Justin Standley. * Keating: Justin Standley – stated that Tupai was his biggest threat in the competition but chose not to vote strategically. ;Notes *On 7 October 2012, the performances of two finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. The Collective's performance of "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" debuted at number 78, and Bella Ferraro's performance of "Big Yellow Taxi" debuted at number 84. *When Justin Standley was announced in the bottom two, he became the third Over 25 to land in the bottom two in three consecutive weeks, as the other two acts from that category already fell in the bottom two in their respective weeks (Samantha Jade in Week 1 and Nathaniel Willemse in Week 2).

Week 4 (8/9 October)

* Theme: Legends * Celebrity performers:

Labrinth Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. After initially pursuing a career in music production, Simon Cowell signed him to his record lab ...

Earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

") and Birdy ("

Skinny Love "Skinny Love" is a song written by American musician and songwriter Justin Vernon. It was originally released by indie folk band Bon Iver, of which Vernon is a member, in 2007. A cover version by the British vocalist Birdy was released in 2011 ...

") * Group performance: "

I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" is a 1965 hit song recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "I Can't Help Myself" is one of the most well-know ...

"/"What a Man"/"

Land of a Thousand Dances "Land of a Thousand Dances" (or "Land of 1000 Dances") is a song written and first recorded by American rhythm and blues singer Chris Kenner in 1962. It later became a bigger hit in versions by Cannibal & the Headhunters and Wilson Pickett. A ve ...

" with Jessica Mauboy ;Judges' vote to eliminate *Keating: Carmelo Munzone – backed his own act, Fourtunate. *Bassingthwaighte: Carmelo Munzone – stated Fourtunate could improve more. *Mel B: Fourtunate – backed her own act, Carmelo Munzone. *Sebastian: Carmelo Munzone – based his decision on who he felt needed more work. ;Notes *Nathaniel Willemse's performance of "The Scientist" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 75 on 14 October 2012.

Week 5 (15/16 October)

*Theme: Songs from the 1980s *Celebrity performers:

Reece Mastin Reece Mastin (born 24 November 1994) is an English-born Australian singer and songwriter who won the third season of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2011. Mastin subsequently signed with Sony Music Australia. His debut single " Good Night" reac ...

(" Rock Star") and

Psy Park Jae-sang (, ; born December 31, 1977), known professionally as Psy (stylized in all caps as PSY) (; ; ), is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Psy is known domestically for his humorous videos and stage per ...

Gangnam Style "Gangnam Style" ( ko, 강남스타일, ) is a K-pop song by South Korean rapper Psy, released on July 15, 2012, by YG Entertainment as the lead single of his sixth studio album, ''Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1'' (''Ssai Yukgap Part 1''). The ...

") *Group performance: " Do You Remember"/" So High"/" Down" with

Jay Sean Kamaljit Singh Jhooti (born 26 March 1981), better known by the stage name Jay Sean, is a British singer and songwriter. He debuted in the UK's Asian Underground scene as a member of the Rishi Rich Project with " Dance with You", which reache ...

;Judges' vote to eliminate * Sebastian: Angel Tupai – backed his own act, Samantha Jade. * Bassingthwaighte: Samantha Jade – backed her own act, Angel Tupai. * Keating: Angel Tupai – based on the final showdown performance. * Mel B: Samantha Jade – based on the performances throughout the competition. With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Angel Tupai was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes. ;Notes *On Monday night, viewers were able to vote for the judge they would have liked to see perform the "Gangnam Style" dance routine on Tuesday night. Mel B won the vote, therefore she joined Psy to perform the "Gangnam Style" routine. *The Collective's performance of "Like a Prayer" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 65 on 21 October 2012.

Week 6 (22/23 October)

*Theme: Latest and Greatest *Celebrity performers:

Cher Lloyd Cher Lloyd (born 28 July 1993) is an English singer. She finished fourth place in the seventh series of ''The X Factor'' in 2010. Following the seventh series finale, Lloyd was signed to Syco Music. Her debut single, "Swagger Jagger", was re ...

Want U Back "Want U Back" is a song by English singer Cher Lloyd from her debut studio album, ''Sticks and Stones'' (2011). It was released as the third single from the album on 3 February 2012, and it was released as the lead single from the US version of ...

") and Matchbox Twenty ("

She's So Mean "She's So Mean" is a song by American alternative rock band Matchbox Twenty. It was released on June 12, 2012, as the first single from their fourth studio album ''North'' (2012). The song received generally favorable reviews from music critics, ...

") *Group performance: " Part of Me" ;Judges' vote to eliminate * Sebastian: Fourtunate – said that Ferraro had more potential and wanted to see her improve. * Bassingthwaighte: Fourtunate – backed her own act, Bella Ferraro. * Keating: Bella Ferraro – backed his own act, Fourtunate. * Mel B: Fourtunate – said Ferraro had more potential and wanted to see her journey throughout the competition. ;Notes *The Collective's performance of "Lego House" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 70 on 28 October 2012.

Week 7 (29/30 October)

*Theme: Made in Australia *Celebrity performers:

Little Mix Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British v ...

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expre ...

") and

Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...

Anything Could Happen "Anything Could Happen" is a song by English singer Ellie Goulding from her second studio album, ''Halcyon'' (2012). It was released on 17 August 2012 as the album's lead single. Written and produced by Goulding and Jim Eliot of English electro ...

") *Group performance: "

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 ...

" with Silver Sneakerz ;Judges' vote to eliminate * Bassingthwaighte: Samantha Jade – stated that Willemse can improve more. * Keating: Nathaniel Willemse – based on the final showdown performance. * Mel B: Samantha Jade – based on the final showdown performance; though stated that she was not impressed with either performance. * Sebastian: Nathaniel Willemse – could not send either of his own acts home and sent the result to deadlock. With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Nathaniel Willemse was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes. ;Notes *On 4 November 2012, the performances of two finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Bella Ferraro's performance of "Sweet Disposition" debuted at number 59, and Nathaniel Willemse's performance of "Red" debuted at number 91.

Week 8: Quarter-Final (5/6 November)

*Theme: Judges' Challenge *Celebrity performers:

(" Take It Home") and

Die Young "Die Young" is a song by American singer and songwriter Kesha. It was released on September 25, 2012, as the lead single from her second studio album, ''Warrior'' (2012). Kesha co-wrote the song with its producers, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, and ...

") *Group performance: "

Turn Up the Love "Turn Up the Love" is a song by American group Far East Movement from their fourth studio album ''Dirty Bass''. It features vocals from Barbadian group Cover Drive. The song was released on June 21, 2012, as the album's third single. The song was ...

" ;Judges' vote to eliminate * Bassingthwaighte: The Collective – backed her own act, Shiane Hawke. * Keating: Shiane Hawke – backed his own act, The Collective. * Mel B: Shiane Hawke – stated that she wanted The Collective to improve. * Sebastian: Shiane Hawke – stated that although Hawke had potential as an artist, The Collective could go further in the competition. ;Notes *On 11 November 2012, the performances of two finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Bella Ferraro's performance of "Dreams" debuted at number 82, and The Collective's performance of "Beauty and a Beat" debuted at number 94. Samantha Jade's performance of "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" debuted at number 96 on 18 November 2012.

Week 9: Semi-Final (12/13 November)

* Theme: Power and Passion * Celebrity performers:

Sam and the Womp Sam and the Womp is a British pop group consisting of trumpeter Sam Ritchie and Dutch-born vocalist Bloem de Ligny, also known as Lady Oo. The band's music mixes traditional elements of Balkan music with modern dub and drum 'n' bass elements. ...

(" Bom Bom") and

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

vs.

Pnau Pnau ( ) is an Australian dance music trio originating from Sydney. The trio, a duo before 2016, consists of the musicians Nick Littlemore (vocals, production), Peter Mayes (guitar, production) and Sam Littlemore (production), with the latter j ...

("Sad" and "

Good Morning to the Night ''Good Morning to the Night'' is the first remix album by Elton John and Pnau, released in July 2012. The album's tracks are created from samples of various early John songs mixed together to form completely new songs. The album debuted at No. ...

") ;Judges' votes to send through to the grand final *Keating: The Collective – backed his own act, The Collective. *Bassingthwaighte: Bella Ferraro – backed her own act, Bella Ferraro. *Mel B: Bella Ferraro – stated that Ferraro had improved more. *Sebastian: The Collective – could not decide and sent the result to deadlock. With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. The Collective advanced to the final as the act with the most public votes. ;Notes *For the first time this season, each act performed two songs. *Also for the first time, the judges chose which act in the bottom two they wanted to see progress to the grand final. *On 18 November 2012, the performances of three finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Samantha Jade's performances of "Heartless" and "Where Have You Been" debuted at numbers 12 and 51, respectively. The Collective's performance of "Apologize" debuted at number 47 and their performance of "Yeah 3x" debuted at number 72. Bella Ferraro's performance of "The Last Day On Earth" debuted at number 90.

Week 10: Final (19/20 November)

;19 November *Celebrity performer: Guy Sebastian (" Get Along") *Group performance: "

On the Floor "On the Floor" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her seventh studio album, '' Love?'' (2011). Featuring American rapper Pitbull, it was released by Island Records on February 8, 2011, as the lead single from the album. ...

" (performed by all contestants except Josh Brooks and Adil Memon) The Collective received the fewest public votes and were automatically eliminated. ;20 November *Celebrity performers: One Direction (" Little Things") *Group performances: **" I Can Only Imagine" (performed by top 3 contestants) **" Good Time" with

Owl City Owl City is an American electronic music project created in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. It is one of several projects by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young, who created the project while experimenting with music in his pa ...

(performed with the contestants except Josh Brooks and Adil Memon) **" End of the Road" with

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan ...

(performed with top three finalists) ;Notes *For the first time this season there was no theme.

Charity single

The finalists recorded a cover of

Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...

's "Call Me Maybe" as a

charity single A charity record or charity single is a song released by musicians with most or all proceeds raised going to a dedicated foundation or charity. George Harrison's "Bangla Desh" single in 1971 is commonly acknowledged as the first ever purpose-made ...

in aid of Sony Foundation's You Can program which aims "to build specialised and age-appropriate youth cancer centres across Australia." The single was made available for download via the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

on 18 September 2012, after all twelve finalists performed the song on the first live results show that same day. It is the first time on ''X Factor Australia'' that finalists have released a charity single.

Winner's single

On 16 November 2012, the ''

Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald ...

'' reported that the winner's singles for the top three finalists, Samantha Jade, The Collective and Jason Owen, were written by Australian songwriting and production duo

DNA Songs DNA Songs is a songwriting and production company founded by Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci in Australia in 2004. They have worked with a variety of international and local artists including Ricky Martin, Geri Halliwell, The Veronicas, Guy S ...

. Jade's single was "

", The Collective's single was "

Surrender Surrender may refer to: * Surrender (law), the early relinquishment of a tenancy * Surrender (military), the relinquishment of territory, combatants, facilities, or armaments to another power Film and television * ''Surrender'' (1927 film), an ...

", and Owen's single was "Make It Last". Each finalist performed their song during the grand final performance show on 19 November. After Jade was announced as the winner, "What You've Done to Me" was released. It entered the ARIA Singles Chart at number one on 26 November. Two days after ''The X Factor'' ended, it was announced that The Collective and Owen both signed recording contracts with

and would release "Surrender" and "Make It Last" as their debut singles.

The X Factor: One Direction to Superstardom

''The X Factor: One Direction to Superstardom'' was a television special that aired on the Seven Network on 27 September 2012. The special followed the rise of One Direction, from their journey during the seventh series of ''

The X Factor UK ''The X Factor'' is a British reality television music competition, created by Simon Cowell. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's Thames and Cowell's production company Syco Entertainment for ITV, as well as simulca ...

'' to becoming global superstars of today. It also featured One Direction's interview with ''X Factor Australia'' host

. Aside from One Direction, the special included success stories of ''X Factor UK'' series three winner

Leona Lewis Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieved natio ...

, ''X Factor Australia'' season three winner Reece Mastin and finalist Johnny Ruffo, as well as the judges' opinions about the show and its "capacity to create global singing sensations." ''One Direction to Superstardom'' was watched by 691,000 viewers and was ranked fifteenth overall for the night.

Reception

Contestants

On 20 September 2012, the Seven Network issued a statement saying that contestant Josh Brookes was disqualified from ''The X Factor'' because he "behaved in an inappropriate manner" on social media. A Twitcam video that was later uploaded to YouTube displays Brookes and contestant Adil Memon asking teenage girls for "sneaky banana pics", a phrase used by teenagers that means naked images. The Seven Network stated, "After a careful review of the incident, FremantleMedia Australia, producers of the program, together with Channel Seven, made a joint decision to remove him from the competition". During the second live performance show on 25 September, Mel B announced that Carmelo Munzone, who was eliminated during the "home visits" stage, was Brookes' replacement in the show.

Ratings

The premiere episode of ''The X Factor'', which was broadcast on 20 August 2012, topped the night's overall ratings with 1,598,000 viewers. The next five episodes of auditions also ranked first on their respective nights. The first live performance show on 17 September 2012 gained 1,588,000 viewers and topped the night's overall ratings. The announcement of the winner during the grand final decider show on 20 November 2012 was watched by 1,921,000 viewers, making it the highest rated episode of the fourth season. ; Colour key: : – Highest rating during the season : – Lowest rating during the season

References

External links

*
The X Factor
' at

Yahoo!7 Yahoo! Australia (formerly Yahoo7 between 2006 and 2018) is the Australian subsidiary of global internet company Yahoo! Originally a 50/50 joint venture between Yahoo! and Seven West Media, it has been a 100% subsidiary of Verizon Media since ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:X Factor (Australia season 4) Season 4 2012 Australian television seasons Australia 04