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

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n television music competition that aims to find a new music talent to become a star. The first season began airing on September 17, 2011, on Antena 1 and ended on January 1, 2012. The winner received a price of €200,000. Based on the UK format, the competition consists of auditions in front of specialized judges that afterwards become mentors. Auditions for the show began in May, 2011 and concluded in June, 2011. The show is hosted by TV presenters Răzvan Simion and Dani Oțil, while the judging panel consists of recording artist and producer Adrian Sînă of the group

Akcent Akcent () is a Romanian dance pop group whose members sing in Romanian Language, Romanian, English Language, English and Spanish Language, Spanish. Their name originated as a wordplay on wikt:accent, ''accent''. Originally a duo, it consisted of A ...

, singer-songwriter

Paula Seling Paula Seling (; born 25 December 1978) is a Romanian singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. She has released more than thirteen albums (including three Christmas albums) and over twenty singles, which include two top-te ...

and Radio DJ Mihai Morar.

Selection process

Auditions

Auditions for producers began in

Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

România Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to the east, and the Black Sea t ...

, on May 14, 2011. They then took place in

Constanța Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...

, on May 21 in

Timișoara Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...

on May 24, 2011, on June 4 in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

and concluded on June 11, 2011 in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

Bootcamp

After the bootcamp period, there were twenty-four acts left. 16-24s: Sanziana Nicolae, Andrei Leonte, Cristina Dobrescu, Bogdan Medvedi, Bianca Purcarea, Tania Kramar, Irina Florea, Nae Ovidiu Nicolae

Judges houses

During Judges houses period, they were sectioned into three different categories.

, helped by

Alexander Rybak Alexander Igorevich Rybak (; born 13 May 1986) or Alyaksandr Iharavich Rybak () is a Belarusian-born Norwegian musician and actor. Based in Oslo, Norway, Rybak extensively worked on television programs and on tours in Europe, particularly in S ...

, Adrian Sînă, helped by Alexandra Ungureanu and Mihai Morar, helped by Laurențiu Duță

Contestants

The 12 contestants were confirmed as follows; Key: : – Winner : – Runner up : – Third Place

Live shows

Results summary

;Color key

Live show details

Week 1 (October 29/30)

*Theme(s): Number-one singles *Group Performance: Oficial îmi merge bine *Musical guest: Oceana — "Cry, Cry"

Week 2 (November 5/6)

*Theme(s):

Romanian songs Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

*Group Performance:

Billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least 1,000,000,000, one billion units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. It is a sub-category of the concept of the ultr ...

*Musical guest:

Voltaj Voltaj (; ) is a Romanian pop rock group. They are widely regarded as one of the most successful bands in Romanian history, with songs such as "20", " De la capăt" and "De mâine" being household hits. History ''Voltaj'' was formed in 1982, in ...

— "20" & "Dă vina pe Voltaj"

Week 3 (November 12/13)

*Theme(s): Songs from movies *Group Performance:

You're the One That I Want "You're the One That I Want" is a song performed by American actor and singer John Travolta and Anglo-Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John for the 1978 film version of the musical '' Grease''. It was written and produced by John ...

*Musical guest: Touch & Go — " Would You...?"

Week 4 (November 19/20)

*Theme(s):

Love song A love song is a song about love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sad and emotion ...

s *Group Performance:

Don't Stop Believin' "Don't Stop Believin" is a song by American rock band Journey. It was released in October 1981 as the second single from the group's seventh studio album, '' Escape'' (1981), released through Columbia Records. "Don't Stop Believin shares writi ...

*Musical guest: Holograf — "Să nu-mi iei niciodată dragostea"

Week 5 (November 26/27)

*Theme(s): Mentors' favorite songs *Group performance:

Beat It "Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produced by Quincy Jones, and co-produced by Jackson. Jones encouraged Jackson to ...

*Musical guest:

East 17 East 17 are an English pop boy band started by Tony Mortimer, Brian Harvey, John Hendy, and Terry Coldwell in 1991. They are best known for their 1994 hit single " Stay Another Day", which was the UK Christmas number one that year. The g ...

— "

Thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

Week 6 (December 3/4)

*Theme: Live Band *Group Performance:

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership, it features a guitar riff by Richards that opens and drives the song. The riff is w ...

*Musical guest: Direcția 5 — "Îți mulțumesc" & "Ai un loc"

Week 7 (December 10/11)

*Theme: Audience' choice and Mentors' choice *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 guest:

— "Europe Skies" and "

Fairytale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful being ...

" *As a worldwide X Factor premiere, Diana Hetea wasn't able to perform a "Save Me Song" because she suffered of

Laryngitis Laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx (voice box). Symptoms often include a hoarse voice and may include fever, cough, pain in the front of the neck, and trouble swallowing. Typically, these last under 2 weeks. Causes Laryngitis is cat ...

that night. So as a convention, the producers decided to put on a footage with all of her performances during the X Factor galas.

Week 8: (December 17/18)

*Theme(s): Musical Heroes / Mentor's Choice *Group Performance:

Another Brick in the Wall "Another Brick in the Wall" is a three-part composition on Pink Floyd's 1979 album '' The Wall'', written by the bassist, Roger Waters. "Part 2", a protest song against corporal punishment and rigid and abusive schooling, features a children ...

*Musical guest:

In-Grid Ingrid Alberini, known by her stage name In-Grid, is an Italian dancer and singer-songwriter. Her 2003 club song " Tu es foutu", (English title: "You Promised Me"), charted in several European countries, Australia, Latin America and in the United ...

- "

Tu es foutu "Tu es foutu" (English: "You're screwed/fucked") is a song by Italian dancer and singer-songwriter In-Grid. It was released in December 2001 as the lead single from her debut album, '' Rendez-vous'' (2003). An English version of the song titled " ...

" & "Vive Le Swing"

Week 9: (December 24/25)

*Theme(s):

Christmas Songs Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of carols, may employ lyrics about the nativity of J ...

, Mentors' choice *Group Performance: * 24 December : Contestants from auditions — "Deschide ușa, creștine" * 25 December : X Factor Finalists — "La casa di peste drum" *Musical guest:

— " Colindăm (Iarna)", "

Timpul ''Timpul'' (Romanian for "The Time") is a literary magazine published in Romania. Originally a political newspaper, it was the official platform of the Conservative Party between 1876 and 1914. The publication is still active (2018) and publish ...

" & " Noapte caldă"

Week 10: (January 1)

*Theme(s): Audition Songs, Celebrity Duets, Winner's Single *Group Performance:

We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song by the British rock band Queen from their 1977 album '' News of the World'', written by guitarist Brian May. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA it p ...

*Musical guests: Vama ("Copilul care aleargă către mare"), Mandinga ("

Danza Kuduro "Danza Kuduro" (; ) is a Spanish/ Portuguese song by Puerto Rican recording artist Don Omar and Portuguese–French singer Lucenzo, from Don Omar's collaborative album '' Meet the Orphans''. The song is an adaptation of Lucenzo's " Vem Dançar Ku ...

", " Zaleilah"), ROA ("Ne place", "Sonată în la minor"), Vunk ("Artificii pe tavan"), Laurențiu Duță feat. X Factor Finalists ("Amintirile")

Ratings

References

External links

X Factor Romania Official website
{{X Factor (Romania) Romania 01 Music of Romania X Factor (Romanian TV series) 2011 Romanian television series debuts Antena 1 (Romania) original programming 2010s Romanian television series 2011 Romanian television seasons 2012 Romanian television seasons