The X Factor | |
---|---|
Genre | Reality competition |
Created by | Simon Cowell |
Presented by | Dominic Bowden |
Judges | |
Country of origin | New Zealand |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 2 |
No. of episodes | 58 |
Production | |
Executive producer | Andrew Szusterman |
Producers | |
Original release | |
Network | TV3 |
Release | 21 April 2013 – 18 May 2015 |
Related | |
The X Factor is a New Zealand television reality music competition, originating from the original UK series and based on the Australian The X Factor production format. [1] The show began in 2013 and was open to anyone aged 14 and over. The winner was signed to Sony Music Entertainment New Zealand.
The contestants were split into the show's four traditional categories: Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups. [2] From the second series, bands were also able to enter in the group category. [3]
The show was cancelled in 2017, with MediaWorks confirming that the format rights to the show had expired.
The X Factor was created by Simon Cowell in the United Kingdom and the New Zealand version is based on the original UK series. TV3 initially purchased the rights to produce a local version of The X Factor in 2010. [4] In September 2012, TV3 finally confirmed that the first series would begin production in early 2013. [5] Broadcast funding agency NZ On Air confirmed they would contribute $1.6 million to the first series as a minority investor, for the production of 30 episodes of 60 minutes duration each. [6]
Dominic Bowden was the sole-host of both of the seasons of The X Factor. [3] [7]
The judging panel for the first season was composed of All Saints member Melanie Blatt, Australian-born Maori, New Zealand singer-songwriter Ruby Frost and Australian Idol winner Stan Walker and New Zealand-born, UK-based singer-songwriter Daniel Bedingfield. [8]
Upon the return of Season 2, Walker and Blatt returned as judges., [9] and were joined originally by New Zealand-born singer Willy Moon and his wife, English singer Natalia Kills. [10] However, Moon and Kills were fired from their roles as judges after the two humiliated a contestant. [11] They were replaced by Australian X Factor judge Natalie Bassingthwaighte and kiwi drummer of Blindspott and I Am Giant, Shelton Woolright. [12]
The first series was co-produced by MediaWorks and FremantleMedia Australia. The series' key sponsors were Ford New Zealand as broadcast sponsor, Samsung Electronics as technology partner with McDonald's and Coca-Cola as programme partners. [13]
The judging panel for season one consisted of All Saints singer Melanie Blatt, Australian Idol winner Stan Walker, Kiwi singer Ruby Frost and New Zealand-born singer/songwriter Daniel Bedingfield. The judges were accompanied by Dominic Bowden who hosted the series. The series premiered on 21 April 2013 and finished on 22 July 2013. For the judges retreat, judges were assigned or selected an assistant judge to assist their choices, as well as taking their contestants international. Bedingfield was assisted by singer/songwriter and sister Natasha Bedingfield and travelled to Rarotonga, Blatt was assisted by Rachel Stevens and travelled to Mahurangi, Frost was assisted by X Factor Australia judge, Guy Sebastian and travelled to Sydney and Walker was assisted by Hollie Smith and went to Queenstown. Jackie Thomas was announced as X Factor NZ winner for 2013, with Whenua Patuwai placing second and Benny Tipene coming in third place.
A second season of The X Factor was not included in TV3's 2014 line-up, however in August 2014 TV3 confirmed that a second season of the show would be made. Production began in November 2014 and it was confirmed that the series would screen in 2015. [14] NZ On Air contributed $800,000 minority funding to the second series. [15] The broadcast sponsor of the second series were McDonald's, with Mazda, Fruttare, 2degrees and VO5 as programme partners. [16]
The judging panel for the second season saw Husband and Wife Duo, Natalia Kills (now known as Teddy Sinclair) and Willy Moon join original judges Melanie Blatt and Stan Walker. Dominic Bowden returned to host season two. Again in season two, judges retreat went international with the help of celebrity guests. Blatt was assisted by Nicole Appleton and travelled to Pattaya. Walker was assisted by Ginny Blackmore and travelled to Bangkok. Moon was assisted by former New Zealand's Got Talent judge, Jason Kerrison and travelled to Karaka and Kills was assisted by former X Factor New Zealand contestant, Benny Tipene and travelled to Titirangi. On 15 March 2015 during the first live episode of The X Factor, Kills and Moon bullied and verbally attacked a contestant, Joe Irvine from the Over 25s. The next day, several hours before that day's episode aired, it was announced that the two judges had been fired from the show. [17] That night's episode saw only Walker and Blatt attend the panel. Kills and Moon were replaced by X Factor Australia judge, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and kiwi-born, I am Giant drummer - Shelton Woolwright. The series was won by Bassingthwaighte's contestant, Beau Monga. Nyssa Collins placed second and Brendon Thomas and the Vibes followed in third.
In March 2015, it was announced that NZ on Air would not provide any funding for future series, making a third series less likely. [18] In October 2015, Mediaworks confirmed that it would not be producing a third series of The X Factor in 2016. Mediaworks would not say whether the series would return in 2017, however they did note that the series usually ran once every 2 years. [19]
In 2017, MediaWorks confirmed that the format rights to the show had expired, thus revealing that plans for a third series had officially been cancelled. [20]
There are five stages to the competition:
Pre-auditions in front of the show's producers were held in towns and cities across New Zealand. [21] The successful auditionees chosen by the producers were invited back to the last set of auditions held in front of the judges and a live studio audience in Auckland. [22] From the judges' auditions and the second-chance Fast Ford Boot Camp (first series only), successful contestants then progressed to the bootcamp round. [23] In the second series, the bootcamp included a live studio audience and used a six-seat challenge to choose the contestants to progress to the judges retreats' round. [24] At the retreats, contestants are divided into the four categories: Boys, Girls, Over-25s and Groups, and each category is assigned one of the judges as a mentor. Each judge then selects their top three contestants which make up the final 12 and progress to the live shows. [25] In the first series, one additional wildcard contestant was selected by public vote from four previously unsuccessful contestants from judges retreats, making the final 13. [26]
The live shows consist of two weekly live shows, the first featuring the contestants' performances and the second revealing the results of the public voting, culminating in one act being eliminated each week. In the initial live performance shows, each act performs one song (two songs during the semi-final and grand final shows) in front of the judges and a studio audience. The acts usually sing over a pre-recorded backing track, and backup dancers are commonly featured as well as stage props. Acts occasionally accompany themselves on guitar or piano. Each week has a different theme; each act's song is chosen according to the theme. After each act has performed, the judges comment on their performance. Heated disagreements, usually involving judges defending their acts against criticism, are a regular feature of the show. Once all the acts have performed, the phone lines open and the viewing public vote on which act they want to keep in the competition.
The results are announced during the live results show the following day. The two acts that received the lowest number of votes perform again in the "final showdown", and the judges vote on which of the two to send home. If the judges vote is a tie, the showdown goes to deadlock and the act with the lowest number of votes is eliminated from the competition. The live results shows also feature a number of celebrity guest performers.
Two series were broadcast, as summarised below.
Act in Team Daniel
Act in Team Ruby
Act in Team Stan
Act in Team Melanie
Act in Team Shelton
Act in Team Natalie
Season | Premiere | Finale | Winner | Runner-Up | Third Place | Winning Mentor | Presenters | Judges - Seat Order | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||
1 | 21 April 2013 | 22 July 2013 | Jackie Thomas Girls | Whenua Patuwai Boys | Benny Tipene Boys | Daniel Bedingfield | Dominic Bowden | Melanie Blatt | Stan Walker | Ruby Frost | Daniel Bedingfield |
2 | 15 February 2015 | 18 May 2015 | Beau Monga Boys | Nyssa Collins Girls | Brendon Thomas and The Vibes Groups | Natalie Bassingthwaite | Natalie Bassingthwaite* | Shelton Woolright* | |||
*Natalia Kills and Willy Moon were removed from the panel following an incident during the first live show.
In each series, after the audition process, each judge is allocated a category to mentor. Throughout the mentoring process, each judge chooses three acts to progress to the live finals in that specified team. The table below shows, for each series, which category each judge is allocated and which acts he or she put through to the live finals.
– Winning judge/category. Winners are in bold, eliminated contestants in small font.
Series | Melanie Blatt | Stan Walker | Ruby Frost | Daniel Bedingfield |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Groups Moorhouse Gap5 L.O.V.E | Over 25s Anna Wilson Maaka Fiso Taye Williams | Boys Whenua Patuwai Benny Tipene Tom Batchelor Fletcher Mills | Girls Jackie Thomas Cassie Henderson Eden Roberts |
2 | Melanie Blatt | Stan Walker | Natalie Bassingthwaighte | Shelton Woolright |
Over 25s Steve Broad Joe Irvine Sarah Spicer | Girls Nyssa Collins Lili Bayliss Finlay Robertson | Boys Beau Monga Stevie Tonks Nofo Lameko | Groups Brendon Thomas and The Vibes Mae Valley Fare Thee Well Stuss |
The discography of The X Factor consists of music releases from contestants of the show. While some contestants have been signed to record labels, others have released their music independently. Recordings of contestants' weekly performances from The X Factor live shows were released onto the iTunes Store in the second series, and a number of those performances charted on the NZ Singles Chart.
Benny Tipene is the most successful act to emerge from The X Factor NZ; he was the only act to chart internationally.
Act | Title | Release date | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NZ | |||||
Jackie Thomas | " Jackie Thomas " | 9 August 2013 | 1 | RMNZ: Gold | |
"Until The Last Goodbye EP" | 12 June 2015 | — | — | ||
Benny Tipene | "Toulouse" EP | 28 February 2014 | 2 | ||
"Bricks" | 17 October 2014 | 4 | |||
Whenua Patuwai | "The Soul Sessions" | 27 June 2014 | 4 | ||
"The Soul Sessions: Christmas Edition" | 5 December 2014 | — | |||
Moorhouse | "Moorhouse" | 5 December 2014 | 55 | ||
"-" denotes an album that did not chart. | |||||
Act | Title | Release date | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NZ [27] | |||||
Brendon Thomas and The Vibes | "The Eclect" | 8 April 2014 | 12 | — | |
Beau Monga | "Beau Monga" | 19 June 2015 | 2 | RMNZ: Gold | |
Sarah Spicer | "Colours" | 16 April 2015 | — | — | |
Joe Irvine | "The Heart of Christmas" | 11 December 2015 | — | ||
Mae Valley | " Mae Valley EP " | 17 March 2016 | 6 | ||
"-" denotes an album that did not chart. | |||||
Year | Artist | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NZ | AUS | |||||
2013 | Jackie Thomas | "It's Worth It" | 1 | — | RMNZ: Platinum | |
Whenua Patuwai | "Something Special" | 3 | — | — | ||
Benny Tipene | "Walking on Water" | 2 | — | RMNZ: Platinum | ||
Moorhouse | "Mama Said" | 8 | — | — | ||
Benny Tipene | "Make You Mine" | 15 | 56 | RMNZ: Gold | ||
2014 | Moorhouse | "Take a Picture" | 38 | — | — | |
"Somebody Loves You" | 61 | — | ||||
Maaka Fiso | "Movin' On" | — | — | |||
L.O.V.E | "Bubblegum" | — | — | |||
Gap5 | "Hold On" | — | — | |||
Tom Batchelor | "Waiting For You" | — | — | |||
Benny Tipene | "Lonely" | 24 | — | |||
"Step On Up" | 14 | — | RMNZ: Gold | |||
Taye Williams | "Now or Never" | 1 | — | — | ||
"Ready to Love" | — | — | ||||
2015 | Jackie Thomas | "Until The Last Goodbye" | 35 | — | ||
"Stars" | — | — | ||||
Benny Tipene | "Lanterns" | 22 | — | |||
Gap5 | "Hold On Part II" | — | — | |||
"-" denotes a single that did not chart. | ||||||
Year | Artist | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NZ | |||||
2015 | Beau Monga | " King and Queen " | 1 | RMNZ: Gold | |
Nyssa Collins | "18" | 24 | — | ||
Stevie Tonks | "So Lonely" | — | |||
"I Will Rise" | — | ||||
Brendon Thomas and The Vibes | "In My Life" | — | |||
"Let the Good Times Roll" | — | ||||
Joe Irvine | "Little Dress" | — | |||
"The Heart of Christmas" | — | ||||
Sarah Spicer | "Understand My Love" | — | |||
"Colours" | — | ||||
"Little Bit of Rain" | — | ||||
2016 | Mae Valley | "Brightside" | 10 | TBA | |
"Glitter" | — | ||||
Finlay Tate | "Control" | — | |||
"-" denotes a single that did not chart. | |||||
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NZ | |||||
"Song For Everyone" | 11 August 2014 | 5 | — | ||
"Fight Song" | 13 April 2015 | 13 | |||
"-" denotes a single that did not chart. | |||||
Act | Title | Peak positions |
---|---|---|
NZ | ||
Benny Tipene | "Laura" | 33 |
Jackie Thomas | "Skinny Love" | 23 |
Act | Title | Peak positions |
---|---|---|
NZ Artists | ||
Stevie Tonks | "Young and Beautiful" | 5 |
Mae Valley | "If I Die Young" | 10 |
Lili Bayliss | "Rude" | 18 |
Brendon Thomas and the Vibes | "Budapest" | 12 |
Nyssa Collins | "How Will I Know" | 19 |
Stevie Tonks | "Crazy" | 5 |
Lili Bayliss | "Tainted Love"/"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) | 14 |
Brendon Thomas and the Vibes | "Make It Rain" | 13 |
Stevie Tonks | "Give Me Love" | 14 |
Mae Valley | "Sparks Fly" | 20 |
Mae Valley | "Landslide" | 17 |
Beau Monga | "Gold Digger" | 20 |
Series | Episodes | Premiere date | Premiere ratings | Rank | Live Grand Final Date | Finale ratings (Grand Finale) | Rank | Final Results Date | Finale ratings (Final Decider) | Rank | Series Average |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 28 | 21 April 2013 | 0.467 | #4 | 21 July 2013 | 0.453 | #2 | 22 July 2013 | 0.598 | #3 | 0.403 |
2 | 30 | 15 February 2015 | 0.343 | #5 | 17 May 2015 | 0.351 | #4 | 18 May 2015 | 0.359 | #6 | 0.328 |
During the first live show of the second series, judges Natalia Kills and her husband Willy Moon verbally attacked and ridiculed a contestant, Joe Irvine, resulting in an audible backlash from the audience and fellow judge Melanie Blatt, who later described Kills as "a twat" on social media for her behaviour. [30] The following day, MediaWorks received several complaints from viewers and the major sponsors of the show; McDonald's and 2degrees. It was later announced by the show's producers that both Kills and Moon had been immediately removed from the program. The results night aired with only Walker and Blatt in attendance at the judging panel. [31]
The Xtra Factor is a television programme that was broadcast immediately after the live shows of the second New Zealand series of The X Factor, in the format of a "sports-style analysis show". [32] [33] It was filmed live in Vector Arena (where The X Factor was filmed), off to the side of the main stage, and presented by Guy, Sharyn & Clint's Guy Williams, Sharyn Casey, and Clint Roberts. When The X Factor ran overtime, Four broadcast the TV3 feed until it had finished. It aired on Four, sister channel of The X Factor's channel TV3, on Sunday and Monday, then repeats were aired on The Edge TV on Monday and Tuesday at 7 pm. It was a replacement of behind-the-scenes video blog Samsung Insider, which was part of the first series of The X Factor. [34] [35] The first episode aired on 15 March 2015, immediately preceding the first live show, [36] and the final episode on 18 May 2015, immediately preceding the final results show. In the final episode, series winner Beau Monga was presented with his car as part of his prize. On 25 May 2015, the trio presented an hour long special entitled The X Factor All Access in The X Factor's previous Monday timeslot on TV3. It featured behind-the-scenes footage and the presenters' favourite moments of the second New Zealand series of The X Factor. [37]
Daniel John Bedingfield is a New Zealand-British singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. His debut studio album, Gotta Get thru This (2002), spawned three UK number ones, "Gotta Get thru This", "If You're Not the One" and "Never Gonna Leave Your Side", and sold 1.6 million copies in that country. His second album, Second First Impression, was released in 2004. Bedingfield was a judge on The X Factor New Zealand in 2013. He has written songs for other artists and has acted in the West End theatre in London, UK.
Melanie Ruth Blatt is an English singer. She rose to fame in 1997 as a member of the girl group All Saints. The group have gained five UK number-one singles, two multi-platinum albums and two BRIT Awards, and have sold over 10 million records worldwide.
The X Factor is an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent. The first season of the show premiered on Network Ten on 6 February 2005. Ten dropped The X Factor after the first season due to its poor ratings. In 2010, the Seven Network won the rights to the show, and a second season went into production. The X Factor was renewed after the highly successful Australian Idol was no longer broadcast on Network Ten. The X Factor was produced by FremantleMedia Australia, and was broadcast on the Seven Network in Australia and on TV3 in New Zealand. The program was cancelled after its eighth season in 2016.
The X Factor is a British reality television music competition, and part of the global X Factor franchise created by Simon Cowell. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's British entertainment company, Thames, and Cowell's production company Syco Entertainment for ITV, as well as simulcast on Virgin Media One in Ireland. The programme ran for around 445 episodes across fifteen series, each one primarily broadcast late in the year, until its final episode in December 2018. The majority of episodes were presented by Dermot O'Leary, with some exceptions: the first three series were hosted by Kate Thornton; while Caroline Flack and Olly Murs hosted the show for the twelfth series.
Natalia Noemi "Teddy" Sinclair is a British singer-songwriter and actress. She has recorded music under various aliases, most famously as Natalia Kills and Verbalicious. She is currently the lead vocalist of the band Cruel Youth, which also releases music under the name The Powder Room.
The X Factor, also known as The X Factor USA, is an American reality television music competition show created by Simon Cowell and produced by FremantleMedia North America and SYCOtv, a partnership between Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment, which aired on Fox. Based on the original British show, and an addition to The X Factor franchise, the series found new singing talent, drawn from public auditions, and they competed against each other for votes. The winners were determined by the show's viewers via telephone, the Internet, and SMS text voting, and were awarded a recording contract with Cowell's record label Syco Music, worth $5 million in seasons one and two, and $1 million in season three. America voted for the following winners: Melanie Amaro, Tate Stevens, and Alex & Sierra, respectively.
William George Sinclair, better known by his stage name Willy Moon, is a New Zealand singer, songwriter and producer. He is known for his 2012 single "Yeah Yeah", which appeared on the 2012 Apple iPod advert and peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. In March 2015, Moon and his wife, Natalia Kills, were fired as judges from The X Factor New Zealand for their harsh and offensive comments towards one of the contestants.
The first series of the New Zealand television reality music competition The X Factor premiered on TV3 on 21 April 2013 and ended on 22 July 2013. The show was open to singers aged 14 and over. The contestants were split into the show's four traditional categories: Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups.
Jackie Thomas is a New Zealand singer who won the first New Zealand season of The X Factor in 2013. Competing in the Girls category, she was mentored in the series by Daniel Bedingfield. Her winner's single "It's Worth It" was released on 22 July 2013 and debuted at number one on the New Zealand Music Charts. The song became certified Gold in its first week and eventually reached Platinum by its third week.
Benjamin Tipene is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician. He is known for his appearance on the first New Zealand series of The X Factor where he was the last contestant eliminated Competing in the Boys category, he was mentored by Ruby Frost. His debut single "Walking on Water" was released on 29 July 2013 and debuted at number two on the Official New Zealand Music Chart and was certified platinum.
Moorhouse was a New Zealand boy band consisting of members Jason Aileone, Brock Ashby, Rory McKenna, Marley Sola Wilcox-Nanai and Rameka Uitime-Paraki. They formed in Christchurch in 2012 and are best known for their appearance in the first New Zealand series of The X Factor where they and were the tenth contestant eliminated. Competing in the Groups category, they were mentored by Melanie Blatt. Their debut single "Mama Said" was released in August 2013, peaking at number eight in the New Zealand charts. In February 2015 the band announced it had split up.
The second and final series of the New Zealand television reality music competition The X Factor premiered on TV3 in February 2015. Pre-auditions began in October 2014. As well as again being open to singers aged 14 and over, the series was also open to bands, which had to contain no more than five members and have at least two singers. The contestants were split into the show's four traditional categories: Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups.
This is a list of New Zealand television events and premieres that occurred in 2015, the 56th year of continuous operation of television in New Zealand.
Lili Bayliss is a New Zealand singer from Wellington who was the eighth contestant eliminated on the second season of The X Factor.
Stephen Reuben Tonkin, known as Stevie Tonks, is a New Zealand singer from Christchurch, who was the tenth contestant eliminated on the second season of The X Factor. In the boys category he was mentored by Natalie Bassingthwaighte, and before that by Natalia Kills.
Steve James Broad is a New Zealand singer and radio presenter, known for coming 5th on the second season of the New Zealand edition of The X Factor and 3rd on the second season of New Zealand Idol. He was elected to the Invercargill City Council in 2023.
Beau Monga is a New Zealand singer/beatboxer from Manurewa, who won the second season of the New Zealand version of The X Factor.
Brendon Thomas and The Vibes is a New Zealand rock band consisting of members Brendon Thomas, Timothee Nolier, and Michael Anderson. They formed in Auckland in 2013 and was the last contestant eliminated on the second series of the New Zealand version of The X Factor. Competing in the Groups category, they were mentored by Willy Moon then Shelton Woolwright. They are the first band in the New Zealand version of The X Factor to make it into the final.
Shelton Woolright is a New Zealand musician. Born and raised in Auckland, he became the drummer of alternative rock band Blindspott in 1997, before leaving the group in 2008. Later that year, Woolright formed the group I Am Giant in the United Kingdom, before the group returned to New Zealand to produce their music career. Woolright launched his solo project Deadbeat in November 2017.
Ireland's Got Talent is the Irish version of the international Got Talent franchise. The series launched on 3 February 2018 on Virgin Media One and was hosted by Lucy Kennedy, accompanied by a sister show entitled Ireland's Got Mór Talent presented by Glenda Gilson and James Kavanagh.