''X Factor Italia'' is an Italian television show and singing competition, based on the British TV programme ''

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 ...

'', and part of ''The X Factor'' franchise, created by

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 ...

. The show's first series premiered on 10 March 2008 and was broadcast by

Rai Due Rai 2 is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's second television channel, and is known for broadcasting '' TG2'' news bulletins, ta ...

, but since its fifth series, launched on 20 October 2011, it moved to

Sky Uno Sky Uno () is an Italian entertainment television channel, based on the defunct reality television channel ''SKY Vivo'', both owned and operated by Sky Italia. It broadcasts Italian dubs of the shows ''The X Factor'', '' Got Talent'', '' The Ap ...

, becoming the first version of the franchise to be broadcast by a

pay television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription business model, subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichan ...

channel. Each series of the show sees amateur singers of all ages and backgrounds auditioning in front of a panel of judges, selected for their role in the Italian or international music industry. Through several selection stages, each judge chooses a set of singers to mentor. Selected singers later compete on live shows, with a public vote eliminating these contestants one by one, until the final winner is declared. ''X Factor'' was initially presented by

Francesco Facchinetti Francesco Facchinetti (born 2 May 1980), also known as Dj Francesco or as Oz, is an Italian DJ, producer, singer, musician and TV presenter. He rose to fame as a singer during the summer of 2003, when he released his debut single, "La canzone del ...

(series 1–series 4).

Alessandro Cattelan Alessandro Cattelan (born 11 May 1980) is an Italian television and radio presenter best known for presenting the Italian edition of ''Total Request Live'', broadcast by MTV Italia, and '' Le Iene'', broadcast by Mediaset's Italia 1. Cattelan al ...

was the show's presenter from series 5 to series 14, followed by

Ludovico Tersigni Ludovico Tersigni (born 8 August 1995) is an Italian actor. Biography Tersigni was born in Rome and grew up in Nettuno; he graduated from the Chris Cappell College of Anzio. In 2014, he made his acting debut in the film ''Arance & martello'', ...

(series 15),

Francesca Michielin Francesca Michielin (, ; born 25 February 1995) is an Italian singer-songwriter. She rose to fame after winning the X Factor (Italian season 5), fifth season of the Italian talent show ''X Factor (Italian TV series), X Factor'', she published fiv ...

(series 16 and series 17) and

Giorgia Giorgia is the Italian version of the female name Georgia. Notable people with the name include: Arts and entertainment *Giorgia (singer), Italian singer, born ''Giorgia Todrani'' * Giorgia Fumanti, Italian-Canadian soprano and singer of operatic p ...

(series 18). The show launched the career of several popular Italian singers, including

Giusy Ferreri Giuseppa Gaetana "Giusy" Ferreri (; born 17 April 1979) is an Italian singer and songwriter. In 2008, she took part at the first Italian edition of the talent show ''X Factor (Italian TV series), X Factor'', coming in second place. She topped t ...

(series 1), Noemi (series 2),

Marco Mengoni Marco Mengoni (; born 25 December 1988) is an Italian singer-songwriter who rose to fame in 2009, after winning the third season of Italian talent show ''X Factor (Italian TV series), X Factor''. Since then he has sold over 2.8 million reco ...

(series 3),

(series 5),

Chiara Galiazzo Chiara Galiazzo (; born 12 August 1986) is an Italian singer. She rose to fame in 2012, after winning the sixth season of the Italian talent show ''X Factor''. Her debut single, titled " Due respiri" and co-written by Eros Ramazzotti, was rele ...

and Mahmood (series 6),

Michele Bravi Michele Bravi (born 19 December 1994) is an Italian singer, songwriter, and actor. He rose to fame after winning the X Factor (Italian season 7), seventh season of the X Factor (Italian TV series), Italian ''X Factor''. His coronation song, "La v ...

(series 7),

Lorenzo Fragola Lorenzo Fragola (born 26 April 1995) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the eighth season of the Italian talent show ''X Factor''. His winner's single, "The Reason Why", debuted atop the Italian Singles Chart, and was ...

(series 8),

Enrico Nigiotti Enrico Nigiotti (born 11 June 1987) is an Italian singer-songwriter. Rosing in fame as a contestant of Italian talent show ''Amici di Maria De Filippi'' and ''X Factor'', Nigiotti published four studio albums and several singles. He participat ...

and

Måneskin is an Italian Rock music, rock band formed in Rome in 2016. The band is composed of lead vocalist Damiano David, bassist Victoria De Angelis, guitarist Thomas Raggi, and drummer Ethan Torchio. Performing in the streets in their early days, Mån ...

(series 11).

Judges and presenters

;Color key: Annotations * ¹ Daniela Collu presented the second and third live show of ''X Factor'' series 14, replacing Alessandro Cattelan, who tested positive to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. * ² Morgan was fired after the fourth live show of the seventeenth series of ''X Factor'' for «inappropriate behaviors», and was not replaced by any other judge for the last three episodes of the show. * ³ Asia Argento served as a judge on the pre-recorded selection stages of the twelfth series of ''X Factor'', but was replaced by Lodo Guenzi for the live shows, following allegations that Argento sexually assaulted actor

Jimmy Bennett James Michael Bennett (born February 9, 1996) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as a child actor in ''Daddy Day Care'', ''Hostage'', '' The Amityville Horror'', ''Poseidon'', ''Evan Almighty'', ''Orphan'', '' Shorts'', and as you ...

Series summary

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Morgan Morgan may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment'', also called ''Morgan!'', a 1966 comedy film * ''Morgan'' (2012 film), an American drama * ''Morgan'' (2016 film), an American science fiction thriller * ...

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Enrico Enrico is both an Italian masculine given name and a surname, Enrico means homeowner, or king, derived from '' Heinrich'' of Germanic origin. It is also a given name in Ladino. Equivalents in other languages are Henry ( English), Henri ( French), ...

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Arisa Rosalba Pippa (born 20 August 1982), better known by her stage name Arisa, is an Italian singer, actress, and television personality. Early life Arisa was born in Genoa. A week after her birth, her family moved back to their original hometown, ...

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Fedez Federico Leonardo Lucia (born 15 October 1989), better known by the stage name Fedez (), is an Italian rapper, singer-songwriter, social media personality, and businessman. In 2011, he released the albums ''Penisola che non c'è'' and ''Il mio pr ...

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Manuel Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...

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Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

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Rkomi Mirko Manuele Martorana (born 19 April 1994), known professionally as Rkomi, is an Italian rapper and singer-songwriter. Early life Rkomi was born and raised in Milan in the famous district of Calvairate, located in the eastern part of the s ...

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Lauro Lauro is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. It is located in lower Irpinia, in a woody valley. Sights include the remains of a 1st-century BC Roman ''thermae In ancient Rome, (from ...

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Contestants, categories and judges

Key: : – Winning judge/category. Winners are in bold, eliminated contestants in small font.

First season (2008)

In the first edition held in the period 10 March 2008 to 27 May 2008, Morgan's contestants (Vocal Groups) were labelled "pastel green contestants", Simona's contestants (25+ years) the "pink contestants" and Mara's (16–24 years) the "pastel blue contestants"

Second season (2008–2009)

The second season was held between 25 November 2008 and 19 April 2009. The three judges were the same as the first series line-up. Simona Ventura mentored the "16-24s", Morgan the "25 and Overs" and Mara Maionchi the Groups. The winner was Matteo Becucci from the 25 and over category.

Third season (2009)

In the third edition from 16 June 2009 until 2 December 2009, the judge Simona Ventura was replaced by Claudia Mori. Morgan's contestants (16–24 years) were dubbed the "blue contestants", Claudia Mori's contestants (25+ years) the "orange" and Mara Maionchi's category of the Vocal Groups, the "red contestants". The A&K, Mara's group, were formed by Andrea and Chiara (Kiara). However, Chiara was later disqualified from the show because of a regulation prohibiting the sons/daughters of RAI employees from entering the show, in this case, Chiara's Mother. She was replaced by Daniele Vit.

Fourth season (2010)

From that year there are four categories with the respective judges: * Mara Maionchi (16-24 Boys) * Anna Tatangelo (16-24 Girls) * Elio (25 +) * Enrico Ruggeri (Vocal Groups)

Fifth season (2011–2012)

The fifth season of ''X Factor'' was televised from 20 October 2011 to 5 January 2012. For the first time, it was broadcast by Sky Uno HD, rather than

Rai 2 Rai 2 is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's second television channel, and is known for broadcasting '' TG2'' news bulletins, ta ...

. The auditions were held from 5 July to 12 September 2011.

Sixth season (2012)

The sixth season of ''X Factor'' started on 20 September 2012. It is broadcast live by Sky Uno HD, and a short version recorded broadcast on free digital TV Cielo.

Seventh season (2013)

The seventh season of ''X Factor'' started on 26 September 2013. It is broadcast live by Sky Uno HD.

Eight season (2014)

The eight season of ''X Factor'' started on 18 September 2014. It is broadcast live by Sky Uno HD.

Ninth season (2015)

The ninth season of ''X Factor'' started on 10 September 2015. It is broadcast live by Sky Uno HD.

Tenth season (2016)

The tenth season of ''X Factor'' started on 22 September 2016. It was broadcast live by Sky Uno HD, and a recorded version was broadcast on free digital channel TV8.

Eleventh season (2017)

The eleventh season of ''X Factor'' started on 14 September 2017. It is broadcast live by Sky Uno HD, and a recorded version is broadcast on free digital channel TV8. The season finale, aired on 14 December 2017, marked the victory of

Lorenzo Licitra Lorenzo Licitra (born 25 September 1991) is an Italian singer, best known for winning the eleventh season of the Italian talent show ''X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon ...

against

and became the most viewed Italian X Factor live show ever.

Twelfth season (2018)

The twelfth season of ''X Factor'' started on 6 September 2018. It was broadcast live by Sky Uno HD, and a recorded version was broadcast on free digital channel TV8. The final episode of the season, aired on both Sky Uno HD and TV8, was won by

Anastasio Anastasio is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name * Anastasio Alfaro (1865–1951), Costa Rican zoologist, geologist and explorer * Anastasio Aquino (1792–1833), Salvadoran indigenous ...

. This marked

Mara Maionchi Mara Maionchi (; born 22 April 1941) is an Italian record producer and television personality. Biography Mara began her career in 1967, as secretary in the ''Ariston Records'' press office, working with Ornella Vanoni and Mino Reitano. She is ...

's second victory in a row. This season also featured

Asia Argento Asia Argento (; born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento; 20 September 1975) is an Italian actress and filmmaker. The daughter of filmmaker Dario Argento, she has had roles in several of her father's features and achieved mainstream success with ...

as a judge before she was fired after being accused of sexual misconduct by actor

Thirteenth season (2019)

The thirteenth season of ''X Factor'' started on 12 September 2019. It was broadcast live by Sky Uno HD, and a recorded version was broadcast on free digital channel TV8.

Fourteenth season (2020)

The fourteenth season of ''X Factor'' started on 17 September 2020. It was broadcast live by Sky Uno HD and a recorded version was broadcast on free digital channel TV8. The final episode of the season, aired on both Sky Uno HD and TV8, was won by

Casadilego Elisa Coclite (born 22 March 2003), known professionally as Casadilego, is an Italian singer, most known for winning the fourteenth season of the Italian talent show ''X Factor''. Her stage name literally means ''Lego-House'', after the Ed Sheer ...

. This marked Hell Raton's first victory.

Fifteenth season (2021)

The fifteenth season of ''X Factor'' started on 16 September 2021 and concluded on 9 December with

Baltimora Baltimora was an Italian music project from Milan, active from 1984 to 1987. They are best known for their 1985 single " Tarzan Boy" and are often considered a one-hit wonder in the United Kingdom and the United States. In other European countri ...

being the winner, marking the second and final victory for Hell Raton.

Sixteenth season (2022)

The sixteenth season of ''X Factor'' started on 15 September 2022 and concluded on 8 December with

Santi Francesi , a pun on the members' last names), previously known as The Jab, is an Italian musical duo from Ivrea, consisting of Alessandro De Santis and Mario Lorenzo Francese. They won the sixteenth season of ''X Factor Italia''. History Founded as The ...

winning, marking the only victory for Rkomi.

Seventeenth season (2023)

The seventeenth season of ''X Factor'' started on 14 September 2023, and concluded on 7 December with Sarafine winning, marking the second win for Fedez. Following the fourth live show, Morgan would be fired as judge following inappropriate behavior towards production and fellow judges. This would mark the second time in the show's history of a judge being fired mid-season.

Eighteenth season (2024)

The eighteenth season of ''X Factor'' started on 12 September 2024, and concluded on 5 December with Mimì Caruso winning, marking the first win for Manuel Agnelli. This season, mentor

Achille Lauro Achille Lauro (; 16 June 1887 – 15 November 1982) was an Italian businessman and politician. He is widely considered one of the main precursors of modern populism in Italian politics. He was nicknamed by his supporters ''Il Comandante'' ("Th ...

became the first judge in the history of the show to bring three acts to the final.

References

External links

Official website
{{X Factor (Italy) 2008 Italian television series debuts Italian music television series Italian reality television series Television series by Fremantle (company) 2010s Italian television series Italian television series based on British television series RAI original programming