| The X Factor: Celebrity | |
|---|---|
| |
| Series | Spin Off |
| Broadcast from | 12 October - 30 November 2019 |
| Judges | Louis Walsh Nicole Scherzinger Simon Cowell |
| Presenters | Dermot O'Leary Vick Hope (Xtra Bites UK) |
| Network | ITV STV YouTube (Xtra Bites UK) |
| Number of finalists | 13 |
| Winner | Megan McKenna |
| Runner-up | Max & Harvey |
| Notable returnees | Megan McKenna (11, 12) |
| Chronology | |
| Previous | Series 15 |
| Next | The X Factor: The Band |
The X Factor: Celebrity is a British celebrity special edition of The X Factor, which premiered on 12 October 2019 and concluded on 30 November 2019 on ITV.
It was won by 27-year-old reality TV star and singer Megan McKenna, who competed as part of the Under 31s category mentored by Louis Walsh.
Production[]
Due to dwindling ratings for the original series, it was announced in September 2018 that the show would be put on hiatus. It was later revealed that a celebrity version of the show would be screened.
Simon Cowell judged alongside Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger, with Dermot O'Leary presenting the series.
Among the celebrities participating was ex-footballer turned actor Vinnie Jones who originally withdrew due to the death of his wife. He was invited to sit out the auditions but was put straight through to the live shows.
Judges[]
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Louis Walsh | Nicole Scherzinger | Simon Cowell |
Twists/Changes[]
Auditions: The audition process for this edition differed to the usual format of a room/live arena audience. The celebrities sang for the three judges at Simon's mansion in Malibu as well as an audience of industry professionals.
Category Change: The Boys and Girls categories were replaced by the “Under 31s” category and the Over 31s were replaced by the “Overs” category.
Bootcamp: Bootcamp was replaced by a judge eliminating one contestant in their category.
Six Chair Challenge: The Six Chair Challenge was axed in this series and was not replaced by any new rounds. This is the first time a series did not feature the Six Chair Challenge since series 10.
Judges Houses: The judges houses was also axed in this series and was not replaced by any round like the Six Chair Challenge. This is the second series to not feature Judges Houses with the first being The X Factor: Battle of the Stars.
Results Show: For the first time since Series 5 in 2008, there was no results show on Sundays with two acts being sent home on Satuday night. After two acts were eliminated in Week 3, Cowell announced that there would be a public vote to allow the most popular eliminated act to enter the grand final.
Finalists[]
| Act | Category | Finish | Elimination | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ricki Lake 51,Hastings-on-Hudson, New York |
Over 31s | 13th
week one |
Fewest public votes |
|
Olivia Olson 27, Los Angeles, California |
Under 31s | 12th
week one |
Majority vote |
|
Victoria Ekanoye 36, Bury |
Over 31s | 11th week two |
Fewest public votes |
|
Jonny Labey 26, Jersey, Channel Islands |
Under 31s | 10th week two |
Deadlock |
|
Martin Bashir 56, London |
Over 31s | 9th week three |
Fewest public votes |
|
No Love Lost 21-24, Various |
Groups | 8th week three |
Majority vote |
|
Kevin McHale 31, Plano, Texas |
Under 31s | 7th quarter-final |
Majority vote |
|
Vinnie Jones 54, Watford |
Over 31s | 6th semi-final |
Fewest public votes |
|
Try Star 21-34, Various |
Groups | 5th semi-final |
Majority vote |
|
V5 18-21, Various |
Groups | 4th final |
Fewest public votes |
|
Jenny Ryan 37, Bolton |
Over 31s | 3rd final |
Fewest public votes |
|
Max & Harvey 16, Berkshire |
Groups | Runners-up final |
Fewest public votes |
|
Megan McKenna 27, East London |
Under 31s | Winner final |
Most public votes |
Selection process[]
Auditions[]
The celebrity auditions were held in the garden of Simon‘s mansion in Malibu. There were two episodes of the auditions. After the auditions the judges categories were revealed. Each judge had to eliminate one contestant from their category.
Notable returnees[]
Notable celebrities who had previously auditioned included The Only Way is Essex star Megan McKenna, who had auditioned for both Series 11 and Series 12 of the original show, before being eliminated at bootcamp both times. Her appearances were never aired.
Live Shows[]
The live shows spanned across 6 weeks. Each week results in a double elimination. Each judge had one “Safe Seat” to advance a contestant immediately thought to the next week.
Ratings[]
| Episode | Air date | Duration (minutes) | Total viewers (millions) |
Weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auditions 1 | October 12, 2019 |
90 | 6.29 | 7 |
| Auditions 2 | October 19, 2019 |
90 | 5.15 | 11 |
| Live Shows 1 | October 26, 2019 |
140 | 6.21 | Over 15 |
| Live Shows 2 | November 2, 2019 |
125 | 4.63 | Over 15 |
| Live Shows 3 | November 9, 2019 |
110 | 4.93 | Over 15 |
| Live Shows 4 | November 16, 2019 |
95 | 4.99 | Over 15 |
| Live Shows 5 | November 23, 2019 |
TBA | 5.15 | Over 15 |
| Live Shows 6 | November 30, 2019 |
TBA | 6.46 | Over 15 |
| Series average | N/A | TBA | N/A | |
Criticism and controversies[]
The X Factor: Celebrity was one of the most criticised and controversial series ever in The X Factor history. It was deemed “fixed” several of times thought the series and due to heavy criticism, the “Safe Seat” feature was removed from the live shows.
Jenny Ryan's elimination
During episode twos elimination process, Jenny Ryan was among the three celebrities eliminated despite receiving a standing ovation. Her elimination attracted heavy criticism across social media which lead to the decision of bringing her back into the show.
Martin Bashir
Celebrity Martin Bashir survived being in the bottom three for the first two live shows. His first survival was decided by judge Simon Cowell. His second survival was by surviving deadlock after Simon Cowell refused to choose who to eliminate. Viewers later called the show a "fix".
Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell was criticised after he decided Martin Bashir would go through to the next live shows. He was also criticised after he decided not to choose who would be eliminated during the third live shows.
Nicole Scherzinger
Judge Nicole Scherzinger was accused of "motorboating" judge Louis Walsh by pressing her chest on Louis's head.
Pussycat Doll's performace
The Pussycat Doll's performance recieved over 400 complaints with some declaring it as "too racy". Nicole Scherzinger said that the performance wasn't meant to upset any viewers however she said "Our true fans know our intention. Our real fans know we’re empowering and we come from a place of strength as singers and dancers.".
Team Rankings[]
1.Groups (mentored by Simon Cowell)
|
|
|
|
|---|
2.Under 31s (mentored by Louis Walsh)
|
|
|
|
|---|
3.Over 31s (mentored by Nicole Scherzinger)
|
|
|
|
|
|---|
Trivia[]
- This was the final series to feature Louis Walsh on The X Factor UK. He was the longest standing judge, appearing on every series except for Series 12 and Series 15.