# The X Factor (Australian TV series) season 8

The X Factor was an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original British version, to find new singing talent; the winner of which received a Sony Music Australia recording contract. The eighth season, branded as X Factor: Next Generation, premiered on Seven Network on 3 October 2016. Jason Dundas replaced Luke Jacobz as host; with the judging panel consisting of Mel B, Guy Sebastian, Iggy Azalea and Adam Lambert. The winner was Isaiah Firebrace and his winner's single "It's Gotta Be You" was released after the final. He was mentored by Lambert, who won as mentor for the first and only time.

## Judges and host

In February 2016, reports claimed that Seven Network was mulling over whether or not to delay the series' planned season 8 until 2017. It was later confirmed that The X Factor would return in 2016.
Dannii Minogue reported that she would not be returning to the programme after three series on the judging panel. On 12 June 2016, Iggy Azalea was announced as Chris Isaak's replacement, with Guy Sebastian. The following day, Adam Lambert was confirmed to be the third judge for season 8 replacing James Blunt. On 11 October 2016, shortly before the three-seat challenge, former judge Mel B was announced as the "underdog judge" also to replace Minogue, after months of rumours, whereby three acts who failed to secure a seat in this challenge can be recruited by her for inclusion in the "underdogs" category.
On 24 November 2015, Luke Jacobz announced on his Twitter account that he would not be returning as the host for the eighth season in 2016. On 25 June 2016, Jason Dundas was announced as Jacobz's replacement.

## Selection process

Open auditions in front of the show's producers took place in 17 cities and ran from 18 April to 21 May 2016.

### Auditions
#### Open auditions

Open auditions began on 18 April in Geelong and concluded on 21 May 2016 in Melbourne.
| City | Dates | Venue |
| Geelong | 18 April 2016 | Novotel Geelong |
| Ballarat | 19 April 2016 | Mercure Ballarat |
| Bendigo | 20 April 2016 | All Seasons Bendigo |
| Wagga Wagga | 21 April 2016 | Commercial Club |
| Orange | 22 April 2016 | Orange Ex-Services Club |
| Gosford | 26 April 2016 | The Youth Arts Warehouse, Regional Youth Support Services Inc |
| Port Macquarie | 27 April 2016 | Rydges Port Macquarie |
| Gold Coast | 30 April 2016 | Brisbane Sofitel |
| Toowoomba | 2 May 2016 | Burke & Wills Hotel |
| Bundaberg | 3 May 2016 | Brothers Sports Club |
| Sydney | 7 May 2016 | Sydney Olympic Park |
| Cairns | 11 May 2016 | Shangri-La Hotel |
| Darwin | 13 May 2016 | Oaks Elan Darwin |
| Perth | 15 May 2016 | Parmelia Hilton Perth |
| Bunbury | 17 May 2016 | Mercure Sanctuary Resort |
| Adelaide | 19 May 2016 | AAMI Stadium |
| Melbourne | 21 May 2016 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Center |

#### Judges' auditions

Judges' auditions took at Sydney Olympic Park from 29 June to 1 July and again from 5 to 6 July 2016.
| City | Dates | Venue |
| Sydney | 29 June to 1 July 2016 | Sydney Olympic Park |
| Sydney | 5 to 6 July 2016 | Sydney Olympic Park |

### Bootcamp

Bootcamp was briefly shown during the last audition episode, where the judges found out which category they would mentor. Once the judges found out their categories, they had each of their acts sing acapella for their judge and once everyone sang, the category judge narrowed their category down to 12 acts who would move on to the Three Chair Challenge.

### Three seat challenge

The three seat challenge round of the competition was held at the Sydney Olympic Park between 28 and 29 July 2016. This will be a replacement as the super home visits used in previous seasons. Three acts who were not successful were recruited by underdog judge Mel B.
Key:
    – Act was immediately eliminated after performance without given a seat
    – Act was given a seat but swapped out later in the competition and eventually eliminated
    – Act was given a seat and made the top three of their own category
    – Act did not make the top three of their own category but was later saved by Mel B

## Acts

Key:
    – Winner
    – Runner-up
| Act | Age(s) | Hometown | Category (mentor) | Result |
| Isaiah Firebrace | 17 | Portland, Victoria | 14-21s (Lambert) | Winner |
| Davey Woder | 34 | Logan, Queensland | Over 22s (Sebastian) | Runner-up |
| Vlado | 17 | Sydney | Underdogs (Mel B) | 3rd place |
| Amalia Foy | 14 | Melbourne | 14-21s (Lambert) | 4th place |
| BEATZ | 19–22 | Sydney | Underdogs (Mel B) | 5th place |
| Chynna Taylor | 26 | Corpus Christi, Texas, United States/South Coast, New South Wales | Over 22s (Sebastian) | 6th place |
| Brentwood | 25 & 29 | New Zealand/Melbourne | Groups (Azalea) | 7th place |
| AYA | 16–18 | Sydney | Groups (Azalea) | 8th place |
| Maddison Milewski | 16 | Gold Coast, Queensland | Underdogs (Mel B) | 9th–12th place |
| Timmy Knowles | 30 | Melbourne | Over 22s (Sebastian) | 9th–12th place |
| Time and Place | 17–21 | Various | Groups (Azalea) | 9th–12th place |
| Natalie Ong | 15 | Singapore/Melbourne | 14-21s (Lambert) | 9th–12th place |
*AYA (originally named Chai) was previously known as Montage. Their name was changed a second time after the three-seat challenge.

## Live shows

The live shows began airing on 23 October 2016. Initially, ten live shows were planned, but they were cut down to five, apparently due to scheduling conflicts. Guy Sebastian mentored the Over 22s, Iggy Azalea mentored the Groups and Adam Lambert mentored the 14-21s. Mel B was announced as the mentor of the Underdogs category, where she chose three acts who were eliminated in the three-seat challenge, join her category; the contestants of this category were not revealed until the first live show. The live shows concluded on 21 November 2016, where this would be the final episode of The X Factor to be aired, as the programme was cancelled in January 2017 due to declining ratings.

### Results summary
#### Colour key

Act in Team Mel B  Act in Team Guy  Act in Team Iggy  Act in Team Adam
    – Act in the bottom two and had to perform again in the final showdown
    – Act was in the bottom three but received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated
    – Act received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no final showdown)
Weekly results per act :
| Act | Act | Week 1$^1$ | Week 2 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Final | Final |
| Act | Act | Week 1$^1$ | Week 2 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Sunday Vote | Monday Vote |
| | Isaiah Firebrace | 1st Under 22s | 1st | 3rd | 1st | 1st | Winner |
| | Davey Woder | 2nd Over 22s | 5th | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | Runner-up |
| | Vlado Saric | 1st Underdogs | 4th | 4th | 4th | 3rd | Eliminated (Final) |
| | Amalia Foy | 2nd Under 22s | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 4th | Eliminated (Final) |
| | Beatz | 2nd Underdogs | 7th | 5th | 5th | Eliminated (Semi-final) | Eliminated (Semi-final) |
| | Chynna Taylor | 1st Over 22s | 3rd | 6th | Eliminated (Quarter-final) | Eliminated (Quarter-final) | Eliminated (Quarter-final) |
| | Brentwood | 1st Groups | 6th | 7th | Eliminated (Quarter-final) | Eliminated (Quarter-final) | Eliminated (Quarter-final) |
| | AYA | 2nd Groups | 8th | Eliminated (Week 2) | Eliminated (Week 2) | Eliminated (Week 2) | Eliminated (Week 2) |
| | Maddison Milewski | 3rd Underdogs | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) |
| | Natalie Ong | 3rd Under 22s | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) |
| | Time and Place | 3rd Groups | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) |
| | Timmy Knowles | 3rd Over 22s | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) |
| Final Showdown | Final Showdown | No final showdown; public eliminates one act from each category | Beatz, AYA | Chynna Taylor, Beatz | Beatz, Saric | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins |
| Judges voted to | Judges voted to | No final showdown; public eliminates one act from each category | Eliminate | Eliminate | Send Through | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins |
| Lambert's vote (14-21s) | Lambert's vote (14-21s) | No final showdown; public eliminates one act from each category | Beatz | Beatz | Saric | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins |
| Azalea's vote (Groups) | Azalea's vote (Groups) | No final showdown; public eliminates one act from each category | Beatz | Taylor | Saric | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins |
| Sebastian's vote (Over 22s) | Sebastian's vote (Over 22s) | No final showdown; public eliminates one act from each category | AYA | Beatz | Saric | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins |
| Mel B's vote (Underdogs) | Mel B's vote (Underdogs) | No final showdown; public eliminates one act from each category | AYA | Taylor | —$^2$ | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins |
| Eliminated | Eliminated | Timmy Knowles Public Vote To Save | AYA 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | Brentwood Public Vote To Save | Beatz 0 of 3 votes Minority | Vlado Saric Public Vote To Save | Davey Woder Public Vote To Win |
| Eliminated | Eliminated | Maddison Milewski Public Vote To Save | AYA 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | Brentwood Public Vote To Save | Beatz 0 of 3 votes Minority | Vlado Saric Public Vote To Save | Davey Woder Public Vote To Win |
| Eliminated | Eliminated | Natalie Ong Public Vote To Save | AYA 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | Chynna Taylor 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | Beatz 0 of 3 votes Minority | Amalia Foy Public Vote to Save | Davey Woder Public Vote To Win |
| Eliminated | Eliminated | Time and Place Public Vote To Save | AYA 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | Chynna Taylor 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | Beatz 0 of 3 votes Minority | Amalia Foy Public Vote to Save | Davey Woder Public Vote To Win |
Notes
* $^1$ In week 1, one act from each category was eliminated, hence each category was ranked individually.
* $^2$ Mel B was not required to vote as there was already a Majority.

### Live show details
#### Week 1 (23/24 October)

* Theme: Judges' Choice (Free Choice)
* Group performance: "Battle Scars"/"Fancy"/"Whataya Want from Me"/"Wannabe"
* Celebrity performers: Jessica Mauboy ("Flame Trees") and Zara Larsson ("Ain't My Fault")
One act from each category was eliminated from the competition after the first show, as voted by viewers
Acts' performances on the first live show :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
| Beatz | Underdogs (Mel B) | 1 | "Sax" | Safe |
| Timmy Knowles | Over 22s (Sebastian) | 2 | "Hands to Myself" | Eliminated |
| Amalia Foy | 14-21s (Lambert) | 3 | "Angel" | Safe |
| Time and Place | Groups (Azalea) | 4 | "Ride" | Eliminated |
| Chynna Taylor | Over 22s (Sebastian) | 5 | "Open Arms" | Safe |
| Maddison Milewski | Underdogs (Mel B) | 6 | "Addicted to You" | Eliminated |
| Isaiah Firebrace | 14-21s (Lambert) | 7 | "Lay It All on Me" | Safe |
| AYA | Groups (Azalea) | 8 | "Secret Love Song" | Safe |
| Vlado | Underdogs (Mel B) | 9 | "Closer" | Safe |
| Brentwood | Groups (Azalea) | 10 | "Say It" | Safe |
| Davey Woder | Over 22s (Sebastian) | 11 | "With a Little Help from My Friends" | Safe |
| Natalie Ong | 14-21s (Lambert) | 12 | "When Love Takes Over" | Eliminated |

#### Week 2 (30/31 October)

* Theme: Judges' Makeovers (Free Choice)
* Group performance: "Money Maker" with Throttle, LunchMoney Lewis and Aston Merrygold
* Celebrity performers: Adam Lambert ("Evil In The Night") and Shawn Mendes ("Mercy")
Acts' performances on the second live show :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
| AYA | Groups (Azalea) | 1 | "End of Time" | Bottom Two |
| Vlado | Underdogs (Mel B) | 2 | "Into You" | Safe |
| Chynna Taylor | Over 22s (Sebastian) | 3 | "Pride (In the Name of Love)" | Safe |
| Amalia Foy | 14-21s (Lambert) | 4 | "Frozen" | Safe |
| Brentwood | Groups (Azalea) | 5 | "Latch" | Safe |
| Davey Woder | Over 22s (Sebastian) | 6 | "Small Bump" | Safe |
| Beatz | Underdogs (Mel B) | 7 | "If You Love Me"/"Whip My Hair" | Bottom Two |
| Isaiah Firebrace | 14-21s (Lambert) | 8 | "Let It Be" | Safe |
| Final showdown details |||||
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
| Beatz | Underdogs (Mel B) | 1 | "Bang Bang" | Safe |
| AYA | Groups (Azalea) | 2 | "Domino" | Eliminated |

##### Judges' vote to eliminate

* Mel B: AYA – backed her own act, Beatz.
* Azalea: Beatz – backed her own act, AYA.
* Lambert: Beatz – said AYA had stronger vocals.
* Sebastian: AYA – could not decide and sent the result to deadlock.
With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. AYA were eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

#### Week 3: Quarter-Final (6/7 November)

* Theme: Viewers' Choice
* Guest mentors: Dami Im, Jess & Matt, Samantha Jade, Jai Waetford, Cyrus and Taylor Henderson
* Group performance: "Sound of Silence"
* Celebrity performers: Dami Im ("Fighting for Love"), Guy Sebastian ("Set in Stone"), Disturbed ("The Sound of Silence")
The viewers were given the power to choose this week's songs.
Dundas confirmed during Sunday's live show that this week would be a double elimination.
Song choices for the jukebox theme :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Song Choices | Result |
| Amalia Foy | 14-21s (Lambert) | "You've Got the Love" | Not Chosen |
| Amalia Foy | 14-21s (Lambert) | "Mamma Mia" | Chosen |
| Beatz | Underdogs (Mel B) | "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" | Chosen |
| Beatz | Underdogs (Mel B) | "I Gotta Feeling" | Not Chosen |
| Brentwood | Groups (Azalea) | "September" | Not Chosen |
| Brentwood | Groups (Azalea) | "Go Your Own Way" | Chosen |
| Chynna Taylor | Over 22s (Sebastian) | "Mercy" | Chosen |
| Chynna Taylor | Over 22s (Sebastian) | "The Horses" | Not Chosen |
| Davey Woder | Over 22s (Sebastian) | "Working Class Man" | Chosen |
| Davey Woder | Over 22s (Sebastian) | "Better Man" | Not Chosen |
| Isaiah Firebrace | 14-21s (Lambert) | "No Woman, No Cry" | Not Chosen |
| Isaiah Firebrace | 14-21s (Lambert) | "Happy" | Chosen |
| Vlado | Underdogs (Mel B) | "Love Yourself" | Not Chosen |
| Vlado | Underdogs (Mel B) | "Thriller" | Chosen |
Acts' performances in the quarter-final :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
| Chynna Taylor | Over 22s (Sebastian) | 1 | "Mercy" | Bottom Three |
| Brentwood | Groups (Azalea) | 2 | "Go Your Own Way" | Eliminated |
| Beatz | Underdogs (Mel B) | 3 | "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" | Bottom Three |
| Amalia Foy | 14-21s (Lambert) | 4 | "Mamma Mia" | Safe |
| Davey Woder | Over 22s (Sebastian) | 5 | "Working Class Man" | Safe |
| Isaiah Firebrace | 14-21s (Lambert) | 6 | "Happy" | Safe |
| Vlado | Underdogs (Mel B) | 7 | "Thriller" | Safe |
| Final showdown details |||||
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
| Chynna Taylor | Over 22s (Sebastian) | 1 | "What's Up?" | Eliminated |
| Beatz | Underdogs (Mel B) | 2 | "Fighter" | Safe |

##### Judges' vote to eliminate

* Sebastian: Beatz – backed his own act, Chynna Taylor.
* Mel B: Chynna Taylor – backed her own act, Beatz.
* Azalea: Chynna Taylor – wanted a group to stay in the competition.
* Lambert: Beatz – could not decide and sent the result to deadlock.
With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Chynna Taylor was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

#### Week 4: Semi-Final (13/14 November)

* Theme: Killer Tracks & Curveballs
* Group performance: "Wings"
* Celebrity performers: Little Mix ("Shout Out to My Ex"), Samantha Jade & Cyrus Villanueva ("Hurt Anymore") and The Veronicas ("On Your Side")
For the first time this season, the contestants will sing two songs each.
Acts' performances in the semi-final :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Killer Track Song | Order | Curveball Song | Result |
| Davey Woder | Over 22s (Sebastian) | 1 | "Fortunate Son" | 6 | "Billie Jean" | Safe |
| Amalia Foy | 14-21s (Lambert) | 2 | "Brave" | 9 | "Faded" | Safe |
| Vlado | Underdogs (Mel B) | 7 | "Perfect Strangers" | 3 | "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" | Bottom Two |
| Isaiah Firebrace | 14-21s (Lambert) | 8 | "A Change Is Gonna Come" | 4 | "FourFiveSeconds" | Safe |
| Beatz | Underdogs (Mel B) | 5 | "Move" | 10 | "Walk This Way" | Bottom Two |
| Final showdown details |||||||
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Song | Song | Result |
| Beatz | Underdogs (Mel B) | 1 | "Survivor" | "Survivor" | "Survivor" | Eliminated |
| Vlado | Underdogs (Mel B) | 2 | "Cold Water" | "Cold Water" | "Cold Water" | Safe |

##### Judges' vote to send through

* Lambert: Vlado – went with his gut.
* Azalea: Vlado – has said multiple times Vlado was her favourite in the competition.
* Sebastian: Vlado – also trusted his gut feeling.
* Mel B was not required to vote as there was already a majority and did not say how she would have voted as both acts were in her category.

#### Week 5: Final (20/21 November)
##### 20 November

* Theme: Showstoppers & Duets
* Celebrity performer: James Arthur ("Safe Inside")
Acts' performances on the Sunday Final :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Showstopper Song | Order | Duet Song | Result |
| Amalia Foy | 14-21s (Lambert) | 1 | "Set Fire to the Rain" | 5 | "Boom Clap" (with Charli XCX) | Eliminated in Round 1 |
| Vlado | Underdogs (Mel B) | 6 | "Closer" | 2 | "Say You Won't Let Go" (with James Arthur) | Eliminated in Round 2 |
| Davey Woder | Over 22s (Sebastian) | 3 | "7 Years" | 7 | "Angels" (with Robbie Williams) | Safe |
| Isaiah Firebrace | 14-21s (Lambert) | 8 | "Halo" | 4 | "Wake Me Up" (with Jessica Mauboy) | Safe |

##### 21 November

* Theme: Winner's Songs
* Group performances:
** "Final Song" (Top 12)
** "Heroes (We Could Be)" (Top 12)
* Celebrity performers: Charli XCX ("After the Afterparty"), Tove Lo ("Cool Girl"), Tori Kelly ("Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing") and Robbie Williams ("Love My Life")
Acts' performances on the Monday Final :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Winner's Song | Result |
| Isaiah Firebrace | 14-21s (Lambert) | 1 | "It's Gotta Be You" | Winner |
| Davey Woder | Over 22s (Sebastian) | 2 | "Coming Home" | Runner-up |

## Reception
### Ratings

Ratings data is from OzTAM and represents the average viewership from the 5 largest Australian metropolitan centres (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide).
X-Factor Australia (Season 8) ratings, with overnight ratings and timeshift viewers. :
| Week | Episode | Episode | Air date | Overnight ratings | Overnight ratings | Timeshift ratings | Timeshift ratings | Timeshift ratings | Source |
| Week | Episode | Episode | Air date | Viewers | Rank | Viewers | Overall | Rank | Source |
| 1 | 1 | "Auditions 1" | 3 October 2016 | 904,000 | #6 | 60,000 | 964,000 | #8 | |
| 1 | 2 | "Auditions 2" | 4 October 2016 | 895,000 | #6 | 45,000 | 940,000 | #7 | |
| 1 | 3 | "Auditions 3" | 5 October 2016 | 809,000 | #7 | 34,000 | 843,000 | #8 | |
| 2 | 4 | "Auditions 4" | 9 October 2016 | 914,000 | #7 | 28,000 | 941,000 | #8 | |
| 2 | 5 | "Auditions 5" | 10 October 2016 | 833,000 | #7 | 39,000 | 872,000 | #9 | |
| 2 | 6 | "Auditions 6" | 11 October 2016 | 838,000 | #7 | 43,000 | 881,000 | #7 | |
| 3 | 7 | "Three seat challenge 1" | 16 October 2016 | 815,000 | #5 | 30,000 | 845,000 | #5 | |
| 3 | 8 | "Three seat challenge 2" | 17 October 2016 | 798,000 | #8 | 43,000 | 841,000 | #8 | |
| 3 | 9 | "Three seat challenge 3" | 18 October 2016 | 806,000 | #8 | 41,000 | 847,000 | #7 | |
| 4 | 10 | "Live show 1" | 23 October 2016 | 752,000 | #6 | 30,000 | 782,000 | #6 | |
| 4 | 11 | "Live decider 1" | 24 October 2016 | 756,000 | #10 | 64,000 | 820,000 | #9 | |
| 5 | 12 | "Live show 2" | 30 October 2016 | 676,000 | #7 | 44,000 | 720,000 | #7 | |
| 5 | 13 | "Live decider 2" | 31 October 2016 | 603,000 | #14 | 54,000 | 657,000 | #15 | |
| 6 | 14 | "Live show 3" | 6 November 2016 | 700,000 | #7 | 32,000 | 732,000 | #6 | |
| 6 | 15 | "Live decider 3" | 7 November 2016 | 732,000 | #10 | 53,000 | 785,000 | #11 | |
| 7 | 16 | "Live show 4" | 13 November 2016 | 559,000 | #10 | 24,000 | 578,000 | #9 | |
| 7 | 17 | "Live decider 4" | 14 November 2016 | 697,000 | #11 | 17,000 | 715,000 | #12 | |
| 8 | 18 | "Live grand final" | 20 November 2016 | 665,000 | #6 | 24,000 | 677,000 | #6 | |
| 8 | 19 | "Live grand final decider" | 21 November 2016 | 751,000 | #11 | 27,000 | 779,000 | #10 | |