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'' (2001–200 ...

'' 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 Joseph McElderry (; born 16 June 1991) is an English singer and songwriter. He won the The X Factor (British series 6), sixth series of ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor'' in 2009. His first single "The Climb (Joe McElderry song), ...

on 13 December 2009.

Cheryl Cole Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. She rose to fame as a member of Girls Aloud, a Pop music, pop girl group created through ITV (TV network), ITV's reality competition show ''Popstars: The R ...

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. The show was presented by

Dermot O'Leary Seán Dermot O'Leary (born 24 May 1973) is a British-Irish broadcaster. He presented the television talent show ''The X Factor'' on ITV from 2007 until its final series in 2018, with the exception of 2015. Since 2021, O'Leary has presented ITV' ...

, with spin-off show ''The Xtra Factor'' presented by

Holly Willoughby Holly Marie Willoughby ( ; born 10 February 1981) is an English television presenter, author and model. She has presented various television shows for ITV, most notably '' This Morning'' (2009–2023) and '' Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2011, 201 ...

on ITV2. McElderry's winner's single was a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...

's " The Climb".Revealed! Tonight's songs
ITV X Factor, 13 December 2009 Public auditions by aspiring singers began in June 2009 and were held in five cities across the UK.

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...

Louis Walsh Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan (singer), Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s an ...

Dannii Minogue Dannii Minogue (; born 20 October 1971) is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. As a child, she became known for her appearances on the television talent show ''Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988). She went on to play the r ...

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 Carphone Warehouse is a mobile phone retailer based in London, United Kingdom. In August 2014 the company became a subsidiary of Currys plc (previously named "Dixons Carphone"), which was formed by the merger of its former parent Carphone Wareh ...

. 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 Series 5 may refer to: * Aston Martin V8 Series 5, an automobile model * BMW 5 Series, a line of automobiles * GeForce 5 Series, a line of video cards * Psion Series 5, a line of handheld computers * South African Class 6E1, Series 5, a series o ...

, it was rumoured that

would not return as a judge for series 6.

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"), Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). They have sold over 10 ...

singer

Victoria Beckham Victoria Caroline, Lady Beckham (; born 17 April 1974) is an English fashion designer, singer, and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spic ...

was reported as a replacement for Minogue. In June 2009, however, it was confirmed that Minogue,

and

would all return as judges for series 6. Walsh missed the first results show due to

Boyzone Boyzone were an Irish boy band created in 1993 by the talent manager Louis Walsh. Before even recording any material, Boyzone made an appearance on RTÉ's ''The Late Late Show (Ireland), The Late Late Show''. Its most successful line-up was co ...

member

Stephen Gateley Stephen Patrick David Gately (17 March 197610 October 2009) was an Irish singer who, with Ronan Keating, was co-lead singer of the pop group Boyzone. All of Boyzone's studio albums during Gately's lifetime hit number one in the United Kingdom, ...

's sudden death and missed the second week due to attending Gateley's funeral.

returned to present the main show on ITV, while

returned as presenter on '' The Xtra Factor'' on

ITV2 ITV2 is a Television in the United Kingdom, British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the fiv ...

Brian Friedman Brian L. Friedman (born May 28, 1977) is an American dancer and choreographer. Friedman has created the choreography for many popular music artists – such as Britney Spears, Cher, Beyoncé Knowles, and Mariah Carey – as well as for music ...

returned to the show as creative director and

Yvie Burnett Yvie Burnett (born 8 August 1963), is a Scottish mezzo-soprano and vocal coach, best known for her work with Simon Cowell on television shows ''The X Factor'' and '' Britain's Got Talent'', '' The Big Reunion'' ''The Voice UK'' and BBC's '' Let ...

returned as vocal coach.

Selection process

Auditions

Auditions were held during June and July 2009 across five cities: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Glasgow. 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 ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global '' Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquial ...

''. However, Glaswegian auditionees had already been judged using the old format, meaning that they had to apply again, as their initial audition was void.

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. 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. 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 William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Ido ...

assisted Cole in

Marrakech Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

, Morocco, Minogue had help from her sister

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

Atlantis, The Palm Atlantis, The Palm is a luxury hotel resort located at the apex of the Palm Jumeirah in the United Arab Emirates. It was the first resort to be built on the island and is themed on the myth of Atlantis but includes distinct Arabian elements. Th ...

, Dubai,

singer

Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and presenter. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop g ...

helped Walsh near

Lake Como Lake Como ( , ) also known as Lario, is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the third-largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At over deep, it is one of the deepest lakes in Europe. ...

in Italy, and Cowell had help from

Sinitta Sinitta Malone known mononymously as Sinitta, is a British-American singer. She initially found commercial success in the mid-1980s with the single " So Macho" and had several other hits during the decade. In the 2000s, she became known for te ...

in Los Angeles. 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: * Acts in bold advanced Boys: * Joe: " Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" * Lloyd: " I'm Yours" * Daniel F: " Without You" * Ethan: "

I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" is a song by English musician Elton John, with music by John and Davey Johnstone and lyrics by Bernie Taupin, released as the first single from John's 17th studio album ''Too Low for Zero''. It was th ...

" * Duane: " Closer" * Rikki: "

You've Got a Friend "You've Got a Friend" is a 1971 song and single by American singer-songwriter Carole King. It was first recorded by King and included on her second studio album, '' Tapestry'' (1971). Another well-known version by James Taylor appears on his ...

" Groups: * Project A: " What's Up?" * Kandy Rain: "

Paparazzi Paparazzi (singular form paparazzo) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people, such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities who go about their daily life routines. Paparazzi are known f ...

" * De-Tour: "

Tiny Dancer "Tiny Dancer" is a song written by English musician and composer Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally released on John's 1971 album ''Madman Across the Water'' as its opening track, and was later produ ...

" * Harmony Hood: "

Never Can Say Goodbye "Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by the Jackson 5. The song was originally written and intended for the Supremes; however, Motown decided it would be better for the Jackson 5. It was the first ...

" * Miss Frank: "

Respect Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or deferential action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also th ...

" * John & Edward: "

I Want It That Way "I Want It That Way" is a song by American boy band Backstreet Boys. It was released on April 12, 1999, as the lead single from their third studio album, ''Millennium''. It was written by Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson, while Martin and Kris ...

" Over 25s: * Olly: "

A Song for You "A Song for You" is a song written and originally recorded by rock singer and pianist Leon Russell for his first solo album ''Leon Russell'', which was released in 1970 on Shelter Records. A slow, pained plea for forgiveness and understandi ...

" * Treyc: "

All the Man That I Need "All the Man That I Need" is a song written by Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore. The song was first recorded as "All the Man I Need" by Linda Clifford for her album ''I'll Keep on Loving You'' (1982) and later covered around the same time by Siste ...

" * Daniel P: "

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

" * Nicole L: " Up to the Mountain" * Danyl: " Fallin'" * Jamie: " Stop Crying Your Heart Out" Girls: * Stacey S:"

Over the Rainbow "Over the Rainbow", also known as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", is a ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg. It was written for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'', in which it was sung by actress Judy Garland in her starring role ...

" * Stacey M:" Sometimes" * Rachel:" Nobody Knows" * Despina:"

The Voice Within "The Voice Within" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her fourth studio album, '' Stripped'' (2002). The song was written by Aguilera and Glen Ballard, with production handled by Ballard. It is a piano-driven ballad that talk ...

" * Lucie:" Anything for You" * Nicole J: " Lately"

Acts

Key: : – Winner : – Runner-Up

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 Series 5 may refer to: * Aston Martin V8 Series 5, an automobile model * BMW 5 Series, a line of automobiles * GeForce 5 Series, a line of video cards * Psion Series 5, a line of handheld computers * South African Class 6E1, Series 5, a series o ...

winner

Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fifth series of the talent television show ''The X Factor'' in 2008. Following the show, she was signed to Syco Music and releas ...

and

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

performed on the first live results show, with

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

and judge Cole on the second.

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Regarded as a pop icon, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American ...

and

Westlife Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reun ...

appeared on the third week, and

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

and

JLS JLS (initialism for Jack the Lad Swing) are a British boy band consisting of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill; Williams formed the band. They initially signed with Tracklacers production company New Tr ...

performed in week 4.

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

and

The Black Eyed Peas The Black Eyed Peas are an American musical group formed in Los Angeles in 1995, composed of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo (rapper), Taboo. Fergie (singer), Fergie was a member during the height of their popularity in the 2000s, and ...

performed for week 5, while week 6 featured a performance from

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...

Susan Boyle Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961) is a Scottish singer who rose to fame in 2009 after appearing as a contestant on the third series of '' Britain's Got Talent'', singing " I Dreamed a Dream" from '. As of 2021, Boyle has sold 25 ...

appeared on the show for week 7 along with

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

and

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

performed in week 8 with

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

and

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

appearing in week 9. Guests in the final were

and

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling rec ...

(Saturday show) and Burke, JLS, Lewis,

and

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

(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 "Fight for This Love" is the debut solo single by English singer Cheryl Cole, recorded for her debut studio album, '' 3 Words'' (2009). It was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the lead single on 2009 by Fascination Records (Polydor ...

" by Cole, "

Everybody in Love "Everybody in Love" is a song by English boyband JLS from their self-titled debut album (2009). The song was released as a digital download on 1 November 2009, followed by a physical release the following day. The song became the band's seco ...

" by JLS, "

Meet Me Halfway "Meet Me Halfway" is the third single from the Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album, '' The E.N.D.'' (2009). Released in September 2009, the song peaked at number seven on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and topped the charts of Australia, Germany ...

" by the Black Eyed Peas, "

You Are Not Alone "You Are Not Alone" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his ninth studio album, ''HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I'' (1995). It was released on August 15, 1995, by Epic Records, Epic and Sony Music, Sony, as the second s ...

" by the finalists and "

Bad Romance "Bad Romance" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga from her third extended play (EP), ''The Fame Monster'' (2009)—the reissue of her debut studio album, ''The Fame'' (2008). Following an unauthorized demo leak, Gaga premiered the ...

" 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 James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a British music critic and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worke ...

Yahoo! Music Yahoo Music was a brand under which Yahoo provided music services including Internet radio, a digital music store, music streaming service, media player software, and original programming. Yahoo Music was sold to Rhapsody in early 2008. Pro ...

called the show "a guarantor of Number One hits". Gennaro Castaldo of

HMV HMV is an international music and entertainment retailer, founded in 1921. The brand is owned by Hilco Capital and operated by Sunrise Records, except in Japan, where it is owned and operated by Lawson. The inaugural shop was opened on Lo ...

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." Paul Williams, editor of ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'', 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."

Results summary

;Colour key Act in Boys Act in Girls Act in Over 25s Act in Groups * On behalf of Walsh's absence, an automatic vote was cast against Rachel Adedeji, based on the usual assumption that he would vote to save his act who he mentored, Kandy Rain if he were present which typically occurs when a judge has their own act who they mentor in the final showdown. * Walsh did not vote due to his absence, but confirmed on the following ''The Xtra Factor'' via phone call that he would have voted to eliminate Rikki Loney.

Live show details

Week 1 (10/11 October)

*Theme: Musical heroes *Guest mentor:

*Group performance: "

I Gotta Feeling "I Gotta Feeling" is a song by American group the Black Eyed Peas from their fifth studio album '' The E.N.D.'' (2009). It was written by the group members with the song's producers David Guetta and Frédéric Riesterer. The song was released a ...

" *Musical guests:

featuring

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida ( ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 debut and breakout single "Low (Flo Rida song), Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the ...

(" Bad Boys") and Robbie Williams ("

Bodies Bodies may refer to: Literature * ''Bodies'' (comics), a 2014–2015 Vertigo Comics detective fiction series * ''Bodies'' (novel), a 2002 novel by Jed Mercurio * ''Bodies'', a 1977 play by James Saunders * ''Bodies'', a 2009 book by Susie Orba ...

") * Best bits song: "

Emotion Emotions are physical and mental states brought on by neurophysiology, neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavior, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or suffering, displeasure. There is ...

" Walsh was absent from the Sunday night results show due to the sudden death of

singer and close friend

Stephen Gately Stephen Patrick David Gately (17 March 197610 October 2009) was an Irish singer who, with Ronan Keating, was co-lead singer of the pop group Boyzone. All of Boyzone's studio albums during Gately's lifetime hit number one in the United Kingdom, ...

, whom he managed. 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. Following this, the show went on as normal with Minogue, Cowell and Cole present as judges. ;Judges' votes to eliminate *Walsh: Rachel Adedeji – despite his absence, an automatic vote was cast to save Kandy Rain based on the usual assumption that he would have voted to save his own act. *Minogue: Kandy Rain – backed her own act, Rachel Adedeji. *Cole: Kandy Rain – gave no reason. *Cowell: Rachel Adedeji – said that Kandy Rain had not been given a "fair crack" in the competition and was interested in seeing them for a second week. 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)

*Theme:

Diva Diva (, ) is the Latin word for a goddess. Diva is a name from Roman mythology, and is associated with the nouns divus, diva, which means god, goddess, and the adjective divinius, which means divine or heavenly. It has often been used to refer t ...

s *Guest mentors:

and

Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...

*Group performance: " Queen of the Night" *Musical guests:

") and Whitney Houston (" Million Dollar Bill") * Best bits song: "

Chasing Cars "Chasing Cars" is a song by Northern Irish–Scottish alternative rock band Snow Patrol, released on 6 June 2006 in the United States and 24 July in the United Kingdom as the second single of their fourth album, '' Eyes Open'' (2006). The son ...

" Walsh was absent from both shows this weekend, again due to

'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." 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. 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 rom Houston and Davisin that room or the masterclass" ;Judges' votes to eliminate *Minogue: Rikki Loney – gave no reason but effectively backed her own act, Rachel Adedeji. *Cole: Rachel Adedeji – backed her own act, Rikki Loney. *Cowell: Rikki Loney – based his choice on their last performances. *Walsh was not present for the results show, but according to a phone call on ''The Xtra Factor'', he would have voted to eliminate Loney.

Week 3 (24/25 October)

*Theme:

Big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

*Guest mentor:

*Group performance: " Fascination" *Musical guests:

(" What About Now") and Michael Bublé (" Cry Me a River") * Best bits song: "

Chasing Pavements "Chasing Pavements" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele Adkins for her debut studio album, '' 19'' (2008). Written by Adele with her producer Francis White, the song was released as the second single from the album on 14 Ja ...

" ;Judges' votes to eliminate *Walsh: Danyl Johnson – backed his own act, Miss Frank. *Cowell: Miss Frank – backed his own act, Danyl Johnson. *Minogue: Miss Frank – based on the final showdown performance. *Cole: Danyl Johnson – felt confused by the public vote 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. Miss Frank were eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 4 (31 October/1 November)

*Theme: Rock *Group performance: "

Walk This Way "Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboa ...

" *Musical guests:

We Weren't Born to Follow "We Weren't Born to Follow" is the first single released in August 2009 from Bon Jovi's eleventh studio album, '' The Circle''. The single premiered on radio on August 17, 2009. The single was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance ...

") and

") * Best bits song: " Take a Bow" ;Judges' votes to eliminate *Minogue: Lloyd Daniels – backed her own act, Rachel Adedeji. *Walsh: Lloyd Daniels – called Adedeji an "amazing singer". *Cole: Rachel Adedeji – backed her own act, Lloyd Daniels. *Cowell: Rachel Adedeji – could not decide so chose to take the vote to deadlock; said Adedeji sang better than Daniels, but took Daniels' sore throat into account and thought the public were not accepting Adedeji after her third time in the showdown in four weeks. 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)

*Theme: Songs from films *Group performance: "

Hot n Cold "Hot n Cold" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. The song was written by Perry, Dr. Luke, and Max Martin and produced by Luke and Benny Blanco for her second studio album, ''One of the Boys'' (2008). It was released as the album's second s ...

" *Musical guests:

") and

Happy Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...

") * Best bits song: " I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" ;Judges' votes to eliminate *Walsh: Lucie Jones – backed his own act, John & Edward. *Minogue: John & Edward – gave no reason but effectively backed her own act, Lucie Jones. *Cole: John & Edward – gave no reason. *Cowell: Lucie Jones – stated that although neither act could win, he was more interested in seeing John and Edward again and that there was "a ceiling" for Jones. 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)

*Theme: Songs by

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

*Guest mentors:

Brian May Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...

and Roger Taylor *Group performances: "

Bohemian Rhapsody "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock music, rock band Queen (band), Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''A Night at the Opera (Queen album), A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by Queen's lead si ...

" (performed with Brian May and Roger Taylor) and "

" (all finalists) *Musical guest:

(" Did It Again") * Best bits song: "

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

" ;Judges' votes to eliminate *Cowell: Lloyd Daniels – gave no reason but effectively backed his own act, Jamie Archer. *Cole: Jamie Archer – backed her own act, Lloyd Daniels. *Walsh: Jamie Archer – believed Daniels would go further in the competition. *Minogue: Lloyd Daniels – thought Archer sang better in the final showdown. 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)

*Theme: Songs by

Wham! Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981 consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to ...

*Group performance: "

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is a song by English pop duo Wham!, first released as a single in the UK on 14 May 1984. It became their first UK and US number one hit. It was written and produced by George Michael. The single was certified plat ...

" *Musical guests:

Wild Horses The wild horse (''Equus ferus'') is a species of the genus ''Equus'', which includes as subspecies the modern domesticated horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') as well as the endangered Przewalski's horse (''Equus ferus przewalskii'', sometimes tr ...

") and

I Want to Know What Love Is "I Want to Know What Love Is" is a power ballad by the British-American rock band Foreigner. It was released in November 1984 as the lead single from their fifth album, ''Agent Provocateur''. The song reached number one on both the United King ...

") * Best bits song: "

Let's Get Ready to Rhumble "Let's Get Ready to Rhumble" is a song by PJ & Duncan AKA, the performing name used by British duo Ant & Dec at the time. The song was released in the UK on 11 July 1994 by Telstar Records as the third single from their debut studio album, ''Psy ...

" ;Judges' votes to eliminate *Cowell: John & Edward – backed his own act, Olly Murs. *Cole: John & Edward – gave no reason, despite saying that she would be sad if John & Edward leave the competition. *Walsh: Olly Murs – backed his own act, John & Edward; though expressed surprise that Murs was in the bottom two. *Minogue: John & Edward – based on the premise that the show is a "singing competition". 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)

*Themes: Songs by

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...

; songs by

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

*Group performance: "

I Don't Feel Like Dancin' "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" is a song by American pop band Scissor Sisters. It was released in August 2006 as the first single from their second album, '' Ta-Dah'' (2006). The song was written by Jason Sellards, Scott Hoffman and Elton John, th ...

" *Musical guests:

Empire State of Mind "Empire State of Mind" is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z featuring American singer Alicia Keys from the former's eleventh studio album, '' The Blueprint 3'' (2009). It was released by his then-newfound record label Roc Nation and Atl ...

" / "

Doesn't Mean Anything "Doesn't Mean Anything" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. It written and produced by Keys and longtime partner Kerry "Krucial" Brothers for her fourth studio album ''The Element of Freedom'' (2009), with its lyrics sp ...

" / " No One") and

Russian Roulette Russian roulette () is a potentially lethal game of chance in which a player places a single round in a revolver, spins the cylinder, places the muzzle against the head or body (their opponent's or their own), and pulls the trigger. If the ...

") * Best bits song: " You Give Me Something" 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)

*Themes: Songs by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

; mentor's choice *Group performance: "

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson recorded for his sixth studio album ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It is the opening track of the album and was released as its fourth single on May 9, 1983, by Ep ...

" / " Don't Stop the Music" *Musical guests:

") and

(" All for You" / " Make Me") * Best bits song: " What About Now" 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 *Themes: Audition songs; celebrity duets; mentor's favourite performance ("song of the series") *Musical guest:

(" You Know Me") *Best bits song: "

What a Wonderful World "What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong on August 16, 1967. In April 1968, it topped the pop chart in the United Kingdom, but performed p ...

" The show also featured

Jeff Brazier Jeffrey Carl Brazier (born Jeffrey Carl Smith; 27 May 1979) is an English television presenter. He rose to fame after appearing on the third series of '' Shipwrecked'' (2001), before going on to present television shows including '' Finders Keep ...

reporting from Solomon's home town of

Dagenham Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross. It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Fo ...

Michael Underwood Michael Paul Underwood (born 26 October 1975) is an English television presenter, best known as a children's TV presenter on CBBC and CITV. He can be seen as a fifteen-year-old in an episode of ''The Crystal Maze'', then presented by Richar ...

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

for Murs and

Kimberley Walsh Kimberley Jane Scott ( Walsh; born 20 November 1981) is an English singer, dancer, television presenter and actress. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality series ''Popstars: The Rivals'' on ITV (TV network), ITV. Th ...

in McElderry's home town of

South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England; it is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. The town was once known in Roman Britain, Roman times as ''Arbeia'' and as ''Caer Urfa'' by the Early Middle Ag ...

. 13 December *Themes: Favourite performance ("song of the series"); winner's single *Group performance: " Never Forget" (all finalists) *Musical guests:

and

(" Bad Boys" / "

"),

(" Stop Crying Your Heart Out"),

(" December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas)"),

(" Drive My Car" and " Live and Let Die" ) *Best bits songs: "

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

" (Olly Murs) & "

The World's Greatest "The World's Greatest" is a song written and performed by American R&B singer R. Kelly. The song was originally featured on the soundtrack to the film ''Ali'', and also appeared on bootleg copies of Kelly's unreleased album, ''Loveland'', whic ...

" (Joe McElderry)

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. One week later, 9.75 million people viewed the second episode; a 47.1% share of the TV audience. The third episode averaged 11.76 million viewers and a 51.9% audience share. Episode four attracted 10.26 million viewers. The fifth episode, which was scheduled directly against ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...

'' drew in about 9.27 million viewers, compared to 7.72 for ''Strictly''. ''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. 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.

Controversies

Bootcamp

On 2 August 2009, ''

The People The People may refer to: Legal jargon * The People, term used to refer to the people in general, in legal documents * "We the People of the United States", from the Preamble to the U. S. Constitution * In philosophy, economics, and political scienc ...

'' 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. 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

, who branded it "too intimidating", and the members of

who stated it detracted from the intimacy of the auditions.

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 ''

''.

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. 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."

Minogue also apologised on the live results show on 11 October, saying Danyl was not upset by her comments. It has since been reported that

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, internet, telecommunications and mail, postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-rang ...

received around 4000 complaints from viewers over the comment.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:X Factor British series 6 06 2009 in British television 2009 in British music 2009 British television seasons United Kingdom 06

Judges, Presenters and Other Personnel

Selection process

Auditions

Bootcamp

Judges' houses

Acts

Live shows

Musical guests

Results summary

Live show details

Week 1 (10/11 October)

Week 2 (17/18 October)

Week 3 (24/25 October)

Week 4 (31 October/1 November)

Week 5 (7/8 November)

Week 6 (14/15 November)

Week 7 (21/22 November)

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

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

Week 10: Final (12/13 December)

Sponsors

Reception

Ratings

Controversies

Bootcamp

Audition format

Recycled contestants

Danyl Johnson

References

External links