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Ranking of The X Factor UK Runners-Up

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X Factor UK Runners-Up

It is an occurring theme when the X Factor Winners aren't always the real winners in the real world! It is quite normal to see runner-up have more success in the outside world. This is a ranking of the acts who finished second in the respective UK series. Although One Direction is one of the most successful acts to come from The X Factor UK, they placed 3rd, not 2nd so they will not be included in this list.

Worst:[]

15.Scarlett Lee

2018 Runner Up

Scarlett Lee with her mentor, Simon Cowell

Although Scarlett finished 2nd in the fifteenth series of the show, it was not the first time she appeared on the show. She first auditioned the previous year in 2017, when throughout her journey, she generally mixed feedback from the judges, particularly from Simon and Sharon. Nevertheless, she made it to the Six Chair Challenge as parts of the Girls category, which was mentored by Sharon, who was the only judge who gave Scarlet a 'no' in her first audition. She was able to get a seat but after a tense sing-off against eventual finalists, Alisah Bonaobra and Rai-Elle Williams, she was sent home by Sharon. She came back stronger the following year and was able to get pass the Six Chair Challenge, with her mentor as Simon, who despite still criticising for her over-singing, eventually chose her as one of his 4 girls for live shows. Throughout the live shows, she was praised for her strong vocal and attitude and made it to the final, where she competed against Dalton Harris and Anthony Russell (who were both acts from the Boys category, mentored by Louis Tomlinson), with her finishing runner-up to Dalton. After the show, Scarlett claimed in an interview about realising an album, although nothing regarding her music has been released. The only notable thing about her post the show was that she got engaged with her boyfriend. With being the only 2nd-place act not to move forward with a music career post the show, Scarlett Lee is the worst runner-up of The X Factor UK.

14.Nicholas McDonald

2013 Runner Up

Nicholas McDonald with his mentor, Louis Walsh

Nicholas didn't have a fantastic start in his X Factor journey. In his first room audition, he got a 'no' from Gary Barlow, who believed he was too young but the other judges put him through to the arenas, when he was able to convince the judges, particularly Gary that he was ready. He continued to impress with his vocals and made it to the live shows with Louis as his mentor. Nicholas eventually became one of the favourites to win and was Louis' best chance of winning the 10th series of the show. Although Nicholas always delivered vocally, he was often criticised by Gary for lack of originality in his performances. Nevertheless, Nicholas was able to make the final, where he got to duet with Shane Filan, who was present at Judges' Houses with Louis and was brought to tears by Nicholas' Judges Houses' performance - Louis claimed that was one of the reasons he chose Nicholas since despite knowing Shane for a very long time, it was the first time he ever saw him cry. Nicholas made the final 2 with Sam Bailey, who eventually won the show, leaving Nicholas as runner-up. After the final, Nicholas criticised Gary for his constant criticism towards him and also criticised former mentor Louis for briefly siding with Sam Bailey, despite still having him in the competition. Despite not winning, Nicholas had the audacity to admit that he believed he and fellow category member Luke Friend (who also made the final, placed 3rd) will be more successful with their careers than Sam Bailey since they were younger. This turned out not to be the case. Although Sam didn't have an outstanding career, Nicholas didn't fare much better himself. He was able to sign with RCA Records but his first single was a big flop compared to his top 10 debut album. Not much else has been heard about him regarding his music - the only recent thing about him was that he got married with his girlfriend in 2019.

Bad:[]

13.Grace Davies

2017 Runner Up

Grace Davies with her mentor, Sharon Osbourne

Like many acts in 2017, Grace performed a lot of amazing original songs in her X Factor journey. After her first few auditions, she was named the favourite to go all the way. She did have a hiccup in Judges' Houses and her mentor Sharon and her kids (Jack and Kelly Osbourne), who were acting as guest mentors for her mother, believed that while Grace was a fantastic songwriter, feared that she wasn't a great vocalist. Sharon however still took a chance on her and chose her for the live shows. Grace was still able to perform original songs occasionally on the live shows and was able to top the public vote twice and win the prize night once. The weeks however where she didn't perform her original songs were rather weak, compared to her original performances. Therefore, Grace started to lose her position as favourite to win to eventual winner, Rak-Su (who were mentored by Simon in the Groups category) and she finished runner-up. Despite not winning, Grace was able to secure a deal with Simon's label and is still associated with label, although Rak-Su split with the label in mid 2018 but Grace only faded into the background herself.

12.Reggie 'N' Bollie

2015 Runner Up

Reggie 'N' Bollie with their mentor, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini

When Cheryl chose Reggie 'N' Bollie for the live shows, it was a bit of shock, as many people, including Simon, thought they were the 'joke acts' of the twelfth series. Although the boys were by no means the best vocalists of the series, they still proved to be fantastic performers by bringing the fun performance aspects of the live shows to a whole new level - even able to change Simon's opinion of them. Throughout the series, they were never in the bottom two or bottom three and made it to the final, where they finished 2nd to Louisa Johnson (who was mentored by Rita Ora in the Girls category). Simon ever signed them to his label in early 2016 with their first single failing to reach the top 10 and their second not even charting. Therefore, in 2017, the boys separated from Simon's label and they have continued their music independently, although nothing has been heard. What a shame!

11.Marcus Collins

2011 Runner Up

Marcus Collins with his mentor, Gary Barlow

Despite Marcus' talent, he was by no means one of the most stand out acts throughout the auditions. Even when he was chosen for live shows by his mentor, Gary Barlow, he still did not particularly stand out. It wasn't until the middle of the live shows where he finally got the attention he wanted. He even replaced early favourites Janet Devlin, and Misha B, as the one to go all the way. As the live shows were coming to an end, Marcus was immediately dethroned from his position as favourite to Amelia Lily and then eventual winners Little Mix (who were in the Groups category; mentored by Tulisa). Even though he was a favourite, the voting stats revealed after the show showed that Marcus never won the public vote once, which even surprised presenter Dermot O'Leary. Many fans wished that Marcus was eliminated in the semi-final as fans believed Amelia Lily and Misha B were far better vocalists and fans wanted the final three to be Little Mix, Amelia Lily, and Misha B as those three were more contemporary, and sang more modern songs. After the show, Marcus continued to work with Gary and signed with RCA Records. Although his first single (which was a cover of the song, "Seven Nation Army") received mixed reviews, it still was able to reach the top 10. His second single however didn't even reach the top 100 but his debut album still made the top 10. Afterwards, Marcus separated with RCA and went down the typical musical theatre in West End route like many acts but to be honest, with the massive success of Little Mix, no one else cared about most of the other acts in this series, including Marcus.

OK:[]

10.Andy Abraham

2005 Runner Up

Andy Abraham with his mentor, Sharon Osbourne

Though in her first 4 years in the show she never won, the closest time Sharon was to victory was with Andy in the 2nd series. Andy was one of the strongest vocalists in his year and after the controversial elimination of fellow category member Maria Lawson, was the favourite to win but as the weeks went on, he lost that title to eventual winner Shayne Ward (who was in the 16-24s category, mentored by Louis). Post the show, the success of his career was arguably the same as Shayne's until the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. In the Eurovision, he delivered a surprisingly awful performance, which placed not only him last of the contest but also the entire United Kingdom. After this, nothing much was heard from him till in late 2020, it was revealed that he returned to his old job as a singing bin-man to help the community with the pandemic. Nice to know he is not giving up his roots!

9.Jahméne Douglas

2012 Runner Up

Jahmene Douglas with his mentor, Nicole Scherzinger

Jahmene had one of the most memorable first auditions in his year, only for him to mess up in the first part of bootcamp. The judges, although disappointed (particularly Gary Barlow), gave him another chance and sent him through to the second part. Before his performance however he was having a panic attack, due to his previous failure. After wise words from Louis Walsh and his future mentor Nicole Scherzinger, he was able to deliver one of the best bootcamp performances and was sent through to Judges' Houses. Although he once again delivered a brilliant vocal, Nicole was worried about his nerves and believed he was a risk. Nicole decided he was a risk worth taking and put him through to the live shows. As the live shows progressed, his confidence grew and never delivered a weak vocal performance, getting little to no criticism from the judges, like fellow category member James Arthur. He became one of the favourites to win alongside, James and Ella Henderson - with many predicted those three will be the final three, even though James and Ella were predicted to be the final two and for Jahméne to finish third in this prediction. In the seventh live show however, both James and Ella were in the bottom two, which was one of the biggest outrages in the show. After Ella was eliminated, Jahmene became the favourites to win alongside James. He was able to progress to the final, where he finished runner-up to James, despite never being in the bottom two, although James was. Post the show, Jahmene was able to have a No. 1 album after being signed by RCA Records. After that however, Jahmene's career went quite silent. Even controversial act Rylan Clark, who was also in the Boys category with James and Jahmene, gets more recognition than him with his successful career as a TV presenter.

8.Rhydian Roberts

2007 Runner Up

Rhydian Roberts with his mentor, Dannii Minogue

Like Nicholas, Rhydian didn't have the best start in his X Factor journey. He split the panel with his opera and confident singing style, even received a 'no' from his eventual mentor, Dannii. Sharon went on to despise him during the bootcamp but he still got through. Dannii eventually saw something in Rhydian and chose him as one of her 3 boys for the live shows, where he became the most-talked about contestant. Rhydian was pretty much marmite - some people loved him while others absolutely hated him, particularly for his arrogance. Nevertheless, Rhydian proved to be very talented and performed some of the best performances of the year, making him the favourite to win. Although he was the fan-favourite, it was Leon Jackson who stole the title as the winner. This came as a huge shock as Leon was an outsider of winning the show and it was Rhydian was received better from the judges than Leon. This didn't stop him from having a career after the show, thankfully. Whether Rhydian was more successful than Leon in terms of career post the show is very debatable. Although he never had top 10 UK singles like Leon, his debut album became the highest-selling album of 2008. After that however, not much was heard from Rhydian, until fans realised he was quietly dropped in 2011 by Simon's label, which he signed with after his season. It was quite a shock when fans realised he actually released 5 albums, which all haven't really been heard of.

Good:[]

7.Ray Quinn

2006 Runner Up

Ray Quinn with his mentor, Simon Cowell

Ray had a very interesting X Factor journey. Although he was able to get through his first audition, he was originally eliminated by his mentor Simon after messing up his lyrics in bootcamp. Simon however realised he made a mistake in letting him go so asked the producers to change the top 7 for Judges' Houses to top 8 so he sent Ray through to the next round and Simon chose him as one of his 4 final 16-24s. Through the live shows, Ray was often criticised by Louis and Sharon for always sticking to swing-styling songs and believed he was more of a performer than a vocalist. Although Simon, despite being Ray's mentor, agreed that Ray wasn't the best singer in the competition, but still defended him and said that Ray had star quality. Ray still was able to make the final 2, ahead of Ben Mills (who many people believed was going to make the final) and competed against fellow category member Leona Lewis, who many people, including Louis, believed Simon preferred between the two. When Leona and Ray competed in the final, there was absolute no doubt it was going to be Leona, who would have won, which she did. Ray still able was to secure a deal with Simon's label and was able to have a No. 1 album with them but without releasing an original single. He was still dropped by the label in late 2007. He later went to compete on, Dancing On Ice in 2009 and 2014 and is more recognised there than he was on The X Factor.

6.Saara Aalto

2016 Runner Up

Saara Aalto with her mentor, Sharon Osbourne

Saara had a very unpredictable X Factor journey. She delivered one of the best room auditions in her season but went it came to the Six Chair Challenge, her mentor Sharon (who wasn't present at her first audition) didn't connect with her and let her go, which many felt was a travesty. Luckily, Nicole chose her as Sharon's wildcard for Judges Houses and Sharon eventually chose her for her top 3 for the live shows. Despite being arguably the best vocalist in the live shows and having an amazing personality, she was in the bottom 2 in the first 2 weeks. This shocked many people, including Simon. Some fans believe it was because she's from Finland, therefore didn't have a massive fanbase like the other acts who were from the UK. She was able to get through the next 2 week without entering the bottom 2 but ended in the bottom 2 again in the fifth week against Four of Diamonds, only to be saved by the judges, when only Louis, who was mentoring the girlband, voted against her. However, voting statistics, reveal that although she didn't top the lifeline vote in the three weeks she was in the bottom 2, Saara would never have been in the bottom 2 if there was not a lifeline vote or if she won the lifeline vote in the first, second, and fifth weeks. From the fifth week, she began to dramatically improve and never entered the bottom 2 again. She stole the show twice - in the quarter-final and the semi-final. She even became the favourite to win. When she was voted through to the final, it was the first time an act who entered the bottom in the first week ever made the final. Despite having 2 great nights, Saara eventually finished short of winning the title to her friend, Matt Terry (who was mentored by Nicole in the Boys category). After the show, it was revealed that Saara actually topped the public vote the first night of the final, making her first act to top the public vote on the first night of the final but not to win the following night. Not much was heard from Saara till it was revealed in late 2017 that she was representing Finland in the Eurovision 2018, but similar to Andy, she didn't do so well - placing her country below the UK. She was a judge and a mentor on the second series of the Finland show where she mentored the Girls category and won with Tika Liljegren, despite not being present at the final, due to the Eurovision. Saara later took part in the 11th season of Dancing On Ice where she placed 3rd with her partner. Although Saara is big in her home country, not so much in the UK.

5.Fleur East

2014 Runner Up

Fleur East with her mentor, Simon Cowell

Although Fleur took part in the 11th series of the show, it wasn't her first time on The X Factor. She was part of girlband Addictiv Ladies, who participated in the second series of the show where Simon was also their mentor. They made it to the live shows but fell in the bottom 2 in the first week with controversial act Chico Slimani and were voted off by Louis. In terms of her return, she got 3 yeses in the audition - got a 'no' from Louis but Simon himself admitted the audition was boring, even though he gave her a 'yes'. From that moment, Fleur still never had the moment until Judges' Houses. Before she sang, Simon admitted that he didn't remember her but after her performance of "Bang, Bang", she delivered the best performance in her category and Simon took a chance on her, since she left her moment until the last minute. Despite being in the Over 25s category, Fleur proved to be the whole package - she could sing, she could dance and also could rap. Simon said she was by far the most improved contestant. After she sang "Bang, Bang" again for Big Band week (sixth week), Simon believed she could win the whole series. She eventually became one of the favourites to go all the way. In the semi-final, she sang "Uptown Funk" which at the time, wasn't a very well known song but her performance was still considered the performance of the entire series. Simon said it was one of the best performances he has ever witnessed in his years of doing talent shows. Her version of the song even went to No.1 on iTunes. Despite her incredible talent, it was favourite Ben Haenow who took the title of the eleventh winner of the show. Fleur was still able to secure a record deal with Simon's label fortunately. When she released the first single, "Sax", it went to the top 10 and was charted higher than Ben's first single since his winning single. Many would think Fleur would be one of those runners-up who would be more successful than the winners. Unfortunately, it turned out that Fleur was just a one-hit wonder with "Sax". Fleur's second single failed to live to the expectations of the first one and her debut album failed to make the top 10 as well. In October 2017, Fleur was dropped by Simon's label. The last big thing Fleur did was taking part in I'm A Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here in 2018 - something Simon clearly wasn't pleased with. While talking to his act Scarlet in The X Factor final 2018, he said to her, 'I don’t want you in the jungle in two years time drinking worm juice', which was a clear dig to his former contestant. Fleur however didn't take too much offence, especially since her song, "Sax", went back to the Top 40 and I'm a Celebrity was getting higher ratings than The X Factor anyway!

Great:[]

4.G4

2004 Runner Up

G4 with their mentor, Louis Walsh

Probably the most underrated runners-up of The X Factor. Similar to Rhydian, they were very classical, which isn't very common on X Factor. Although they were originally referred as 'fat buskers' by Simon Cowell, they were able to make the final with the help of Louis Walsh but lost to Steve Brookstein (who was mentored by Simon in the Overs category). Although they are by no means the most successful group ever to come from the show, the 4 boys actually did pretty well for themselves after the show - their former mentor Louis became their manager and they were able to sell quite a lot of records. Even though he was Steve's mentor, Simon admitted that G4 were the true winners of the first series, based on their success and Steve's career simply crashing and burning. In 2007, they split due to disagreements within the band. Despite being one of the biggest-selling acts within the first 10 years of the show, none of their singles appeared in the 'The X Factor - Greatest Hits Album'. They came back in 2014 but their music haven't hit the charts like before.

3.Rebecca Ferguson

2010 Runner Up

Rebecca Ferguson with her mentor, Cheryl Cole

Rebecca is without question one of the best vocalists and performers in her series. She always delivered from her first audition. She became one of the favourites to go all the way, especially since she barely got criticism from the judges and grew from a shy individual to a beautiful and confident vocalist and performer. Cheryl was going for a hat-trick win since she won the previous two years (Alexandra Burke in 2008 and Joe McElderry in 2009) but unfortunately, it was Matt Cardle (who was in the Boys category; mentored by Dannii Minogue) who took the title as the seventh winner of the show - making Rebecca the first ever female runner-up of the show. Similar to between Leon and Rhydian from the 4th series, whether Rebecca was more successful than the winner is quite debatable. Although Rebecca was only able to have one Top 10 UK single, she was able to score 4 Top 10 albums - more than female winners, like Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke! Despite what she has done, it can't be compared to 4th-place Cher Lloyd (who was also in the Girls category, mentored by Cheryl too) who went on to endure a great career but especially can't be compared to 3rd-place One Direction, who went on to become the biggest boyband in The X Factor history!

Best:[]

2.JLS

2008 Runner Up

JLS with their mentor, Louis Walsh

When JLS first auditioned, they made a great impressions on all the judges, so much that Simon admitted any of the judges would like to mentor the Groups category just for the chance to work with them specifically. They were able to make the live shows but already by the third live show, they were the only act from their category as Bad Lashes and Girlband were eliminated in the first 2 weeks respectively. Nevertheless, all the judges, especially their mentor Louis have repeatedly said that JLS were the best group to enter the show within the first 5 years. Sadly, the boys entered the bottom 2 in the seventh live show against Rachel Hylton but were saved when only Rachel's mentor Dannii Minogue voted against them. Simon and Louis admitted that they shouldn't have been in the bottom 2. They underperformed in their first song in the quarter-final and got strong criticism from the judges, specifically from Simon Cowell and Cheryl. They however made a comeback in their second song and got positive comments from the judges again. In the semi-final, Simon predicted that they could have been the first group to win the entire show, despite the fact that they were in the bottom two weeks earlier. They were able to progress to the final where they got to duet with Louis' managed group Westlife, which included Shane Filan, who was present at Louis' Judges' Houses and played a part in JLS getting through to the live shows. Despite having a strong night, the boys finished 2nd to their close friend, Alexandra Burke (who was in the Girls category, mentored by Cheryl). JLS hoped to sign with Simon's label but unfortunately, for that specific year, Simon was only interested in signing the winner, which was Alexandra. The boys were also furious when they found out due to a contract all the finalists are forced to sign with Modest Management, they couldn't be managed by their former mentor Louis, despite the fact that he was very passionate about the boys. Nevertheless, JLS went to sign with Epic Records and went on to become massive stars. Although Alexandra did quite well for herself, it was clear that JLS were enjoying more success, especially after Alexandra's drop by her label in 2012. In late 2013, JLS decided to call it a day, so they can leave on a high after a Goodbye Tour in December 2013. In late 2019, it was reported that JLS were returning together and have done a reunion tour to celebrate, despite the turbulent COVID-19 pandemic. Although he has mentored many memorable acts, including series two winner Shayne Ward, JLS are without question Louis' most successful act and very possibly his most favourite act of mentoring - he even mentioned in a 2013 interview he believed that they still should have won their series, especially since they were more successful than Alexandra. Despite not being rated as high as groups One Direction and Little Mix, these 4 boys are not only the true winners of the fifth series but are also the act with the most number No.1 singles - 5!

1.Olly Murs

2009 Runner Up

Olly Murs with his mentor, Simon Cowell

Ever since the first auditions, Olly was without doubt one of the most stand out contestants and became a fan-favourite. He made it all the way to Judges' Houses stage where his nerves got the better of him. His mentor Simon Cowell admitted that Olly was a risk but decided to take the risk. Throughout the first few weeks, Olly became very popular with not only the public but also the judges. He was the show's best performer and became the favourite to win. In the seventh week, he ended up in the bottom two with controversial act John & Edward - which was a shock amongst the public and Simon. Fortunately, Olly was saved when only John & Edward's mentor Louis Walsh voted to send John & Edward through to the quarter-final while Simon, Cheryl Cole, and Dannii Minogue voted to send Olly through to the quarter-final. In the semi-final, Olly was forced to miss his twin brother's wedding due to preparations but he got through to the final. In the final, he performed his audition song, "Superstition" again, Simon admitted putting him through to the live shows was 'the best risk I have ever taken in my life'. He also duetted with Robbie Williams on his song, "Angels" but Robbie came in the wrong time and messed up his lines, but Olly luckily helped him get into place. He made it to the final two where in the public vote he finished 2nd to new favourite Joe McElderry (who was in the Boys category; mentored by Cheryl) by over 22%. After the show, it was revealed that all the judges (except Dannii who backed an act, who she let go from Judges' Houses) and even presenters Dermot O'Leary and Holly Willoughby predicted that Olly was going to win. Sadly, the voting statistics revealed that although Olly was a favourite, he actually never topped the public voting while acts, Stacey Solomon (who placed 3rd), won weeks two and six , Danyl Johnson (who placed 4th) won weeks one, four, and five, even Rachel Adedeji (who placed 9th) won week three and the final four weeks by Joe. Voting statistics also revealed in the seventh week, John & Edward received more votes than Olly which meant that if Dannii sent the result to deadlock, John & Edward would have advanced to the quarter-final and Olly would have been eliminated. These statistics greatly disappointed Olly. Fortunately, this didn't affect Olly's post-show career. Olly had a joint deal with both Syco and RCA records and went on to have a successful international career, unlike many solo male winners, including Joe McElderry, who was dropped by his label in 2011. Aside from singing, he also took an interest in TV presenting. He went on to present The Xtra Factor UK with Caroline Flack in 2011 and 2012 which was popular among fans but didn't return the following year to focus on his music and was replaced by Matt Richardson. In 2015, after Dermot stepped down from presenting the main show, he and Caroline presented the show. Their presenting however received a lot of criticism, especially after Olly messed up the results, regarding Monica Michael's exit in the third live show. They were therefore replaced again by Dermot for the following years. In 2018, Olly controversially become a coach on the UK edition of The Voice, a show which is seen as a rival to The X Factor. This decision really angered his former mentor Simon, especially since he offered Olly an opportunity to be a permanent judge on The X Factor, which Olly rejected. Olly revealed although he and Simon are not enemies, they are not on talking terms like before, which is quite sad, given how great their working relationship was when Olly was a contestant on the show. Regardless, Olly has had 8 Top 10 UK singles - with 4 of them being No. 1. This guy is many things - the true winner of the sixth series, one of the most successful solo male artists to come from the show but more importantly, Olly Murs is the best runner-up of The X Factor UK!

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