The X Factor ( UK series 15 ) - wikipedia The X Factor ( UK series 15 ) hide This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. ( Learn how and when to remove these template messages ) This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia 's quality standards. The specific problem is : consistent tone Please help improve this article if you can. ( August 2018 ) This article may require copy editing for consistent spelling and date format ; removal of copy - edit vio !. You can assist by editing it. ( August 2018 ) The X Factor Series 15 Broadcast from 1 September 2018 ( 2018 - 09 - 01 ) -- present Judges Simon Cowell Louis Tomlinson Ayda Field Robbie Williams Presenter ( s ) Dermot O'Leary ( ITV ) Co-presenter ( s ) Becca Dudley ( ITV Hub ) Tinea Taylor ( ITV Hub ) Broadcaster ITV ITV Hub ( Xtra Bites ) Chronology ◀ 2018 The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The fifteenth series began airing on ITV on 1 September 2018, presented by Dermot O'Leary. Simon Cowell returned alongside new judges Louis Tomlinson, Ayda Field ( credited as Ayda Williams ) and Robbie Williams who replace departing judges Nicole Scherzinger, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh. Contents 1 Judges and presenters 2 Selection process 2.1 Auditions 2.2 Deliberations 2.3 Six Chair Challenge 2.4 Judges ' Houses 3 Finalists 4 Live shows 4.1 Musical guests 4.2 Results summary 4.3 Live show details 4.3. 1 Week 1 ( 20 / 21 October ) 4.3. 2 Week 2 ( 27 / 28 October ) 4.3. 3 Week 3 ( 3 / 4 November ) 5 Reception 5.1 Ratings 6 Controversies 6.1 Felix Shepherd 6.2 Sharon Osbourne 7 References 8 External links Judges and presenters Series 15 Judges Simon Cowell Louis Tomlinson Ayda Field Robbie Williams On 6 June 2018, it was announced that Sharon Osbourne would return to judge the fifteenth series, but only for the live shows, due to her ongoing work commitments in the United States. The next day, long - serving judge Louis Walsh announced that after thirteen years on the show, he would leave to focus on other projects. Earlier in the year, it was reported that Nicole Scherzinger would not return as a judge for the fifteenth series. On 30 September 2018, Osbourne announced her decision to no longer appear as a judge during the live shows, stating that she had `` seen the new judges finding their rhythm and are doing brilliantly ''. This was clarified during an interview with Jane Moore for The Sun, where Osbourne confirmed she was originally hired as a full - time judge on the panel, fired, then rehired, and ultimately declined a reduced role on the show. Simon Cowell confirmed his return as head judge and Dermot O'Leary 's return as presenter. After much speculation, it was announced on 16 July 2018 that Ayda Field ( credited as Ayda Williams ), Louis Tomlinson and Robbie Williams would join Cowell on the series ' judging panel. On 30 July 2018 a promo for the series -- featuring judges Cowell, Ayda Williams and Robbie Williams -- aired during a Love Island commercial break on ITV2. On 23 August 2018, it was announced that Just Eat 's Xtra Bites would return after a first series, presented by Becca Dudley again, and she would be joined by a co-host named Tinea Taylor. Selection process Auditions Auditions for performers took place only at London 's SSE Arena, Wembley, on 18 -- 20, 22 -- 24 and 26 -- 28 July 2018. Deliberations Instead of the traditional bootcamp stages, a deliberation stage ( similar to that employed by Britain 's Got Talent ) was introduced to cut down the number of performers at the six - chair challenge. This took place on 30 July 2018 at the Tobacco Dock in London. It was broadcast on a single episode on 23 September 2018 after the final auditions show. After the `` deliberation '' and `` reveal '' stages, but before the start of the `` six - chair challenge '', the judges found out the categories they are mentoring : Cowell mentored the `` Girls '', Field mentored the `` Overs '', Williams mentored the `` Groups '', and Tomlinson mentored the `` Boys ''... Six chair challenge The Six Chair Challenge took place over the course of three days, from 1 - 3 August 2018, at the SSE Arena in Wembley. A new twist was added with the introduction of a golden button, similar to Britain 's Got Talent 's Golden Buzzer. When this was pressed, the act in question was guaranteed a ' Safe Seat ', and would go straight through to Judges ' Houses. The Six Chair Challenge was aired over 3 episodes starting on 29 September 2018 and finished on 6 October 2018. Judges ' Houses It was announced by O'Leary during an appearance on This Morning that the Judges ' Houses would be filmed in late September, 2018, and that three of the judges ' houses would be in Los Angeles ( Cowell, Field and Williams ) ; Tomlinson 's houses would be hosted in Ibiza. Cowell judged from Malibu, while Field and Williams each judged their categories separately from their home in Beverley Hills. The guest judges were announced to be : Adam Lambert and Leona Lewis in assisting Ayda, David Walliams with Robbie, and Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest, Diane Warren, Babyface, Lewis and Sinitta to assist Cowell, who hosted a house party consisting of various singers, songwriters and record producers for the Girls to perform in front of. Liam Payne and Nile Rodgers were announced to assist Tomlinson. Maria Laroco was not able to secure the correct visa in time to travel to Malibu with the remaining Girls for this stage of the competition. Unlike similar instances where the affected contestants withdrew from the competition, Laroco sang to Cowell via video link from a London studio. 16 finalists were put through to the live shows at this stage, 4 from each category. This last - minute change was lobbied by Cowell who was unable to narrow his Girls down to just 3 ; the other judges were then allowed one more act each for their own categories as well. Summary of Judges ' Houses Judge Location Assistants Contestants eliminated Cowell Girls Malibu Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest, Diane Warren, Babyface, Michelle Visage, Adam Lambert, Leona Lewis, Sinitta, Paul Anka, Tricky Stewart and Dallas Austin Georgia Burgess, Maria Laroco Field Overs Beverly Hills Adam Lambert and Leona Lewis Ricky John, Louise Setara Tomlinson Boys Ibiza Liam Payne and Nile Rodgers J - Sol, Thomas Pound Williams Groups Beverly Hills David Walliams Panda and Burgandy, Sweet Sense Finalists Main article : List of The X Factor finalists ( UK series 15 ) -- Eliminated Category ( Mentor ) Acts Boys ( Tomlinson ) Dalton Harris Armstrong Martins Brendan Murray Anthony Russell Girls ( Cowell ) Shan Ako Scarlett Lee Bella Penfold Molly Scott Overs ( Field ) Janice Robinson Giovanni Spano Danny Tetley Olatunji Yearwood Groups ( Williams ) Acacia & Aaliyah LMA Choir Misunderstood United Vibe Live shows The finalists were announced after each category performed at Judges ' Houses. There will be 16 finalists ( 4 from each category ) this year. The Live Shows will be broadcast for 7 weeks from 20 October to 2 December. This year the live shows reverts to the previous format of all performances on the Saturday night and the results show on the Sunday night. However, due to the last - minute change to 16 finalists for the reduced number of live shows, many of these live shows will be double eliminations. Musical guests Rak - Su, the winners of the previous series, and Keala Settle performed on the first live results show. Kylie Minogue and Little Mix both performed on the second live results show. James Arthur and Liam Payne will perform on the third live results show. Results summary Colour key -- Contestant was in the bottom two / three and had to perform again in the sing - off -- Contestant was in the bottom three but received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated -- Contestant received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated ( no sing - off ) -- Contestant received the most public votes Weekly results per contestant Contestant Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Saturday Sunday Acacia & Aaliyah Safe Safe Shan Ako Safe Safe Dalton Harris Safe Safe Scarlett Lee Safe Safe Misunderstood Safe Safe Brendan Murray Safe 12th Bella Penfold Safe Safe Anthony Russell Safe Safe Molly Scott Safe Safe Giovanni Spano Safe Safe Danny Tetley Safe Safe United Vibe Safe Safe LMA Choir Safe 13th Eliminated ( week 2 ) Janice Robinson Bottom three 14th Eliminated ( week 2 ) Armstrong Martins Bottom three Eliminated ( week 1 ) Olatunji Yearwood 16th Eliminated ( week 1 ) Sing - off Robinson, Martins LMA Choir, Murray No sing - off or judges ' votes : results were based on public votes alone Williams ' vote to eliminate Martins Murray Field 's vote to eliminate Martins LMA Choir Tomlinson 's vote to eliminate Robinson LMA Choir Cowell 's vote to eliminate Martins Murray Eliminated Olatunji Yearwood Fewest votes to save Janice Robinson Fewest votes to save Armstrong Martins 3 of 4 votes Majority LMA Choir 2 of 4 votes Deadlock Reference ( s ) Live show details Week 1 ( 20 / 21 October ) Theme : This is Me Musical guests : Keala Settle ( `` This Is Me '' ) and Rak - Su ( `` I Want You To Freak '' ) This week 's results show featured a double elimination. The three acts with the fewest votes were announced as the bottom three, and the act out of the three with the fewest public votes was then automatically eliminated. The remaining two acts then performed in the final showdown for the judges ' votes. Contestants ' performances on the first live show Act Order Song Result Misunderstood `` Chewing Gum '' ( original song ) Safe Anthony Russell `` Issues '' Safe Danny Tetley `` Hero '' Safe Molly Scott `` Fake Love '' Sa1e Janice Robinson 5 `` Clarity '' Bottom three Brendan Murray 6 `` Break Free '' Safe Bella Penfold 7 `` Beneath Your Beautiful '' Safe Armstrong Martins 8 `` Story of My Life '' Bottom three Giovanni Spano 9 `` Saturday Night 's Alright for Fighting '' Safe United Vibe 10 `` Slow Hands '' Safe Shan Ako 11 `` Imagine '' Safe Olatunji Yearwood 12 `` Jiggle It '' ( original song ) Eliminated Scarlett Lee 13 `` ( You Make Me Feel Like ) A Natural Woman '' Safe LMA Choir 14 `` Circle of Life '' Safe Acacia & Aaliyah 15 `` Finesse '' Safe Dalton Harris 16 `` Life On Mars ? '' Safe Sing - off details Janice Robinson `` The Climb '' Saved Armstrong Martins `` True Colors '' Eliminated Judges ' votes to eliminate Field : Armstrong Martins - backed her own act, Janice Robinson. Tomlinson : Janice Robinson - backed his own act, Armstrong Martins. Williams : Armstrong Martins - gave no reason. Cowell : Armstrong Martins - believed the sing - off performances were n't the right songs for either performer but decided that despite Armstrong being more interesting, Robinson, who he felt had slipped in excitement since her audition, was the better singer. Week 2 ( 27 / 28 October ) Theme : Guilty Pleasures Musical guests : Little Mix ( `` Woman Like Me '' ) and Kylie Minogue ( `` A Lifetime to Repair '' ) Boyband United Vibe were asked to change their name by Cowell, who criticised their name. Williams even agreed that United Vibe is a `` terrible '' name and invited fans to pitch them new monikers on Twitter. `` I think Simon 's right, we need to pick a name for you, ' cause United Vibe is terrible, '' he added. `` Come on Twitter, give us a name, what should these boys be called ? '' This week 's results show featured a double elimination. Lines were frozen on Sunday at 7 : 30pm, 30 minutes before the results show, and Janice Robinson was eliminated after the special guest performance from Little Mix after receiving the fewest votes. Lines then reopened and the two acts with the next fewest votes then performed in the sing - off. Contestants ' performances on the second live show Act Order Song Result LMA Choir `` Proud Mary '' Bottom three Shan Ako `` Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word '' Safe Danny Tetley `` Crazy for You '' Safe Brendan Murray `` Believe '' Bottom three Misunderstood 5 `` Close to You '' Safe Molly Scott 6 `` Little Do You Know '' Safe Dalton Harris 7 `` I Have Nothing '' Safe Scarlett Lee 8 `` Always On My Mind '' Safe Acacia & Aaliyah 9 `` All My Life '' / `` Shutdown '' Safe Giovanni Spano 10 ``... Baby One More Time '' Safe Anthony Russell 11 `` I Want to Know What Love Is '' Safe United Vibe 12 `` Party in the U.S.A. '' Safe Bella Penfold 13 `` Diamonds Are Forever '' / `` Diamonds from Sierra Leone '' Safe Janice Robinson 14 `` Show Me Love '' Eliminated Sing - off details LMA Choir `` A Change Is Gonna Come '' Eliminated Brendan Murray `` High and Dry '' Saved Judges ' votes to eliminate Williams : Brendan Murray - backed his own act, LMA Choir. Tomlinson : LMA Choir - backed his own act, Brendan Murray. Cowell : Brendan Murray - gave no reason. Field : LMA Choir - could not decide so chose to take it to deadlock. With the acts in the sing - off receiving two votes each, the result was deadlocked and reverted to the earlier public vote. LMA Choir were eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes. Week 3 ( 3 / 4 November ) Theme : Fright Night Musical guests : James Arthur and Liam Payne Contestants ' performances on the third live show Act Order Song Result Acacia & Aaliyah TBA `` TBA '' TBA Shan Ako TBA `` TBA '' TBA Dalton Harris TBA `` TBA '' TBA Scarlett Lee TBA `` TBA '' TBA Misunderstood TBA `` TBA '' TBA Brendan Murray TBA `` TBA '' TBA Bella Penfold TBA `` TBA '' TBA Anthony Russell TBA `` TBA '' TBA Molly Scott TBA `` TBA '' TBA Giovanni Spano TBA `` TBA '' TBA Danny Tetley TBA `` TBA '' TBA United Vibe TBA `` TBA '' TBA Sing - off details TBA `` TBA '' TBA TBA `` TBA '' TBA Judges ' votes to eliminate Williams : Field : Tomlinson : Cowell : Reception Ratings As of August 2018, all official ratings include those who watched on demand via the ITV Hub. Episode Air date Official rating ( millions ) Weekly rank Auditions 1 1 September 7.59 Auditions 2 2 September 6.43 11 Auditions 3 8 September 6.57 13 Auditions 4 9 September 6.38 Outside top 15 Auditions 5 15 September 7.08 10 Auditions 6 16 September 6.08 Outside top 15 Auditions 7 22 September 6.59 15 Auditions 8 23 September 6.34 Outside top 15 Six - chair challenge 1 29 September TBA TBA Six - chair challenge 2 30 September TBA TBA Six - chair challenge 3 6 October TBA TBA Judges Houses 1 7 October TBA TBA Judges Houses 2 13 October TBA TBA Judges Houses 3 14 October TBA TBA Live show 1 20 October TBA TBA Live results 1 21 October TBA TBA Live show 2 27 October TBA TBA Live results 2 28 October TBA TBA ^ 1 The ratings over a 28 - day period, including the broadcasts on ITV and streaming through ITV Hub using BARB 's 4 - figure dashboard system ( includes viewers watching on tablets / smartphones ). ^ 2 The rank for the combined ITV, ITV HD and ITV + 1 broadcasts, compared with all channels for that week, from Monday to Sunday. Controversies Felix Shepherd During the audition stage, 20 - year - old trans man Felix Shepherd impressed the judges with his rendition of `` All I Want '' by Kodaline, and received a standing ovation from the crowd. Before singing, Williams asked him about his background ; Shepherd said he was there to prove to people that he was `` more than just a transgender guy. '' Williams responded by asking him : `` So when you were born, what was your name ? '', thus dead - naming him. Although many fans of the show were supportive of the representation, many were outraged at Williams ' actions, though Shepherd stated that he was n't offended by Williams. Sharon Osbourne On 5 September 2018, whilst on Howard Stern 's radio show, Osbourne accused Cowell of underpaying her for the new series. She used some offensive language to criticise Cowell and the show 's auditionees, which led to a backlash from fans who suggested that Osbourne should be replaced. Osbourne subsequently announced her decision to not participate during the live shows. Various sources reported that Osbourne had been fired over the interview and Stern stated that he believed she had been tipped off to keep quiet. Osbourne later refuted Stern 's allegations and stated that her comments were only made in jest and were not to be taken literally, but that they were misappropriated by other people including The X Factor 's production company due to Stern wanting to give Cowell a bad reputation by using his radio show. She added that although the company wanted to fire her, Cowell was not upset with the comments and wanted her to remain on the show, but that it was ultimately her decision to step down out of fear of awkwardness between her and fellow judges Williams and Field, with whom she is close friends with, though she did not rule out a return to the show in the future. References Jump up ^ Lee, Ben ( 7 June 2018 ). `` Louis Walsh quits The X Factor, after 13 years ''. Digital Spy. United Kingdom. Retrieved 12 June 2018. Jump up ^ Daly, Helen ( 2018 - 06 - 07 ). `` X Factor 2018 judges : Sharon Osbourne lands new deal ''. Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2018 - 06 - 25. ^ Jump up to : Lenniger, Shea ( 2 October 2018 ). `` Sharon Osbourne Says Goodbye to UK X Factor ''. Billboard. United States : Eldridge Industries. Retrieved 3 October 2018. Jump up ^ https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/7421363/sharon-osbourne-x-factor-sacking-drama/ Jump up ^ `` New X Factor judges ( finally ) confirmed ''. BBC News. United Kingdom. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018. Jump up ^ `` X Factor 2018 : Judges star in new Love Island themed teaser ''. Mail Online. Retrieved 2018 - 07 - 31. Jump up ^ `` The Just Eat Xtra Bites is back for series 2 with a new host ; Tinea Taylor joins Becca Dudley ! ! ! ''. www.itv.com. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 2018 - 08 - 24. Jump up ^ `` X Factor 2018 judges ' categories REVEALED - spoilers ! ''. TellyMix. 2018 - 08 - 01. Retrieved 2018 - 08 - 01. Jump up ^ `` X Factor introduces brand new twist to the six chair challenge ''. TellyMix. 2018 - 08 - 01. Retrieved 2018 - 08 - 01. Jump up ^ Capital. `` Guest Judges Confirmed ''. Metro Newspaper UK. Retrieved 2018 - 10 - 06. Jump up ^ Radio Times Jump up ^ https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1034113/The-x-factor-2018-live-shows-how-many-live-shows-are-there-uk-judges-finalists-itv Jump up ^ `` It 's been such a crazy year since we won @ TheXFactor and this Sunday we 'll be back where it started performing our brand new single I Want You To Freak ! ! ! 🙌 🏾 ''. Twitter. Retrieved 2018 - 10 - 18. ^ Jump up to : @ LittleMix ( 24 October 2018 ). `` @ LittleMix : We 're coming back to @ TheXFactor ! 💃 🏽 Ca n't wait to be back on that stage performing # WomanLikeMe this Sunday night ! Tune in on @ ITV ♥ ️ X the girls '' ( Tweet ). Retrieved 25 October 2018 -- via Twitter. line feed character in title = at position 49 ( help ) Jump up ^ `` It 's been such a crazy year since we won @ TheXFactor and this Sunday we 'll be back where it started performing our brand new single I Want You To Freak ! ! ! 🙌 🏾 ''. Twitter. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018. Jump up ^ https://twitter.com/TheXFactor/status/1053678766130688000?s=19 Jump up ^ https://twitter.com/TheXFactor/status/1056142636480892928 ^ Jump up to : `` Four screen dashboard ( see relevant week under - select 28 day data ) ''. BARB. Retrieved 15 October 2018. Jump up ^ `` Robbie Williams slammed by X Factor fans for asking trans contestant his ' birth name ' ''. PinkNews. Retrieved 2018 - 09 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Robbie Williams draws criticism after asking transgender X Factor contestant about their birth name ''. Gay Times. 2018 - 09 - 09. Retrieved 2018 - 09 - 09. Jump up ^ Beaumont - Thomas, Ben ( 2018 - 09 - 05 ). `` Sharon Osbourne accuses Simon Cowell of underpaying her for X Factor ''. the Guardian. Retrieved 2018 - 09 - 09. External links The X Factor at itv.com The X Factor at stv.tv hide The X Factor ( UK ) Discography Controversy and criticism Series Main 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Celebrity Battle of the Stars Finalists Series 1 Steve Brookstein G4 Tabby Callaghan Rowetta Satchell Roberta Howett Series 2 Shayne Ward Andy Abraham Journey South Brenda Edwards Chico Slimani The Conway Sisters Maria Lawson Series 3 Leona Lewis Ray Quinn Ben Mills The MacDonald Brothers Kerry McGregor Series 4 Leon Jackson Rhydian Roberts Same Difference Niki Evans Hope Matthew Protheroe Daniel de Bourg Series 5 Alexandra Burke JLS Eoghan Quigg Diana Vickers Ruth Lorenzo Laura White Series 6 Joe McElderry Olly Murs Stacey Solomon Jedward Lucie Jones Rachel Adedeji Series 7 Matt Cardle Rebecca Ferguson One Direction Cher Lloyd Mary Byrne Katie Waissel Aiden Grimshaw Belle Amie John Adeleye Series 8 Little Mix Marcus Collins Amelia Lily Misha B Janet Devlin Kitty Brucknell Frankie Cocozza Series 9 James Arthur Jahméne Douglas Christopher Maloney Union J Rylan Clark Ella Henderson Lucy Spraggan Carolynne Poole Series 10 Sam Bailey Nicholas McDonald Luke Friend Rough Copy Kingsland Road Series 11 Ben Haenow Fleur East Andrea Faustini Lauren Platt Stereo Kicks Stevi Ritchie Only the Young Jake Quickenden Chloe Jasmine Blonde Electra Series 12 Louisa Johnson Reggie ' n ' Bollie 4th Impact Series 13 Matt Terry Saara Aalto 5 After Midnight Honey G Ryan Lawrie Series 14 Rak - Su Alisah Bonaobra Spencer Sutherland Series 15 Brendan Murray Janice Robinson Olatunji Yearwood Singles Winners singles `` Against All Odds '' `` That 's My Goal '' `` A Moment Like This '' `` When You Believe '' `` Hallelujah '' `` The Climb '' `` When We Collide '' `` Cannonball '' `` Impossible '' `` Skyscraper '' `` Something I Need '' `` Forever Young '' `` When Christmas Comes Around '' `` Dimelo '' Charity singles `` Hero '' `` You Are Not Alone '' `` Heroes '' `` Wishing on a Star '' Related articles The X Factor franchise The Xtra Factor I Ca n't Sing ! The X Factor Musical X Factor Around the World Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_X_Factor_(UK_series_15)&oldid=866519150 '' Categories : 2018 British television seasons 2018 in British music The X Factor ( UK TV series ) The X Factor ( TV series ) seasons Hidden categories : CS1 errors : invisible characters Articles needing cleanup from August 2018 All pages needing cleanup Cleanup tagged articles with a reason field from August 2018 Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from August 2018 Wikipedia articles needing copy edit from August 2018 All articles needing copy edit Articles with multiple maintenance issues Use dmy dates from August 2018 Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August 2018 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Gaeilge Magyar Edit links This page was last edited on 30 October 2018, at 20 : 51 ( UTC ). 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Question: who's judging the x factor this year
Answer: Simon Cowell