# Little Mix The Search

Little Mix The Search is a British reality television music competition that was announced in October 2019, and began airing on BBC One on 26 September 2020, concluding with the final on 7 November 2020. The series was judged by British girl group Little Mix, with the winning act from the series joining them on The Confetti Tour (2022). In August 2021 it was announced that the show had been put on an "indefinite hold" after one series.

## History

The premise for Little Mix The Search was announced in October 2019, when applications for the show were opened. The premise of The Search was for British girl group Little Mix to find singers to form a new group. It was confirmed that the members of Little Mix, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson, would act as judges. Applications closed on 10 January 2020, and filming commenced later that month. In March 2020, it was announced that comedian Chris Ramsey would be presenting The Search.
The auditions and group formation episodes had been filmed and were set to air on BBC One in April 2020 with the live shows following shortly afterwards. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their Summer 2020 Tour was cancelled and the series was postponed while the production team debated how to proceed under lockdown guidelines. When asked about the effect of the pandemic on The Search, Edwards said: "The live shows bit is coming, obviously we don’t know when but everything else before the live shows we’ve already filmed. So everything’s good to go, we’re basically just waiting for lockdown." On 20 July 2020, it was announced that the series would premiere later in the year, later confirmed to be on 26 September 2020, beginning with the pre-filmed auditions and group formation episodes, before commencing the live shows under social distancing guidelines. The groups competed for a chance to support Little Mix on their Confetti Tour in 2021, later rescheduled to 2022.
On 14 October 2020, it was announced via Twitter that the first live episode, originally set for broadcast on 17 October, had been postponed to 24 October due to several members of the production crew having been tested positive for COVID-19 and entering self-isolation. The showrunners and producers confirmed that none of the members of Little Mix tested positive for the virus. On 21 October, it was announced that Thirlwall, who had decided to self-isolate at home as a precaution, would appear during the first live episode solely via video link. On 24 October, Little Mix performed "Sweet Melody" as part of the "Battle of the Bands" episode, a performance that Thirlwall was absent for. On 31 October, the semi-final was postponed to 6 November in favour of a BBC News special due to the announcement of new COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in England, with the final following it on 7 November. On 7 November, it was announced that Nelson would be unable to appear during the final due to an illness; she would ultimately quit the band just over a month after the series had concluded.

## Cancellation

On 26 August 2021, it was announced that the show would not be returning for a second series and had been put on an "indefinite hold", with the head of BBC Entertainment citing Edwards' and Pinnock's pregnancies as a factor.

## Episodes

| No. | Episode | Original release date |
| 1 | "Boyband" | 26 September 2020 (2020-09-26) |
| Little Mix kick off the series by searching for a boyband. Boyband line-up (New Priority): Adam, Kaci, Lee, Talis and Zeekay. |||
| 2 | "Mixed Group" | 27 September 2020 (2020-09-27) |
| The search continues as Little Mix look for singers to form a mixed group. Mixed group line-up (Jasper Blue): Jordan, Rosie, Liam and Melina. |||
| 3 | "Girl Vocal" | 3 October 2020 (2020-10-03) |
| Little Mix search for a girl vocal group. Girl vocal group line-up (Nostalia): Tamara, Mya-Louise, Esther, Shanice and Tyler. |||
| 4 | "Vocal & Instruments" | 4 October 2020 (2020-10-04) |
| Three bands have been established, and Little Mix search for singers and instrumentalists for their vocal & instruments group. Vocal & instruments group line-up (Since September): Matthew, Jacob, Harry and Patrick. |||
| 5 | "Girl Dance" | 10 October 2020 (2020-10-10) |
| Little Mix search for a girl dance group. Girl dance group line-up (Melladaze): Megan, Ellie, Liv, Aislí and Lauren. |||
| 6 | "Rap R&B" | 11 October 2020 (2020-10-11) |
| Little Mix search for singers and rappers to form a rap R&B group. Rap R&B line-up (YChange): Romina, VerSay, Eden and Ashley. |||
| 7 | "Battle of the Bands" | 24 October 2020 (2020-10-24) |
| With the band names revealed for the first time, all the bands perform in front of Little Mix and a live audience for a place in the semi-final. |||
| 8 | "Semi-Final" | 6 November 2020 (2020-11-06) |
| The remaining five bands perform in front of Little Mix and a live audience for a place in the final. |||
| 9 | "The Final" | 7 November 2020 (2020-11-07) |
| The finalists perform twice in front of a live audience, with a public vote to determine the winner of Little Mix The Search. |||

## Live performances
### Colour key

    Indicates that the group was in the bottom two and had to perform again in the sing off
    Indicates that the group was eliminated
    Indicates that the group won the competition

### "Battle of the Bands" (24 October 2020)

Special Performances:
* Little Mix – "Sweet Melody"
* Jax Jones and Au/Ra - "I Miss U"
Contestants' performances on the first live show :
| Band | Order | Song(s) | Score | Leaderboard | Result |
| Since September | 1 | "I Knew You Were Trouble" | 84% | 4th | Advanced |
| Nostalia | 2 | "Case of the Ex"/"Try Again" | 90% | 2nd | Advanced |
| New Priority | 3 | "Can't Feel My Face" | 87% | 3rd | Advanced |
| Jasper Blue | 4 | "Just Got Paid" | 79% | 5th | Bottom two |
| YChange | 5 | "West Ten" | 94% | 1st | Advanced |
| Melladaze | 6 | "Sucker"/"Get Right" | 77% | 6th | Bottom two |
| Sing-off details ||||||
| Jasper Blue | 1 | "Walk Me Home" | "Walk Me Home" | "Walk Me Home" | Eliminated |
| Melladaze | 2 | "We Got Love" | "We Got Love" | "We Got Love" | Saved (4 Votes) |

#### Little Mix's votes to send through to the semi-final

* Thirlwall: Melladaze
* Pinnock: Melladaze
* Edwards: Melladaze
* Nelson was not required to vote as there was already a majority, but confirmed she would have voted to send through Melladaze.

### "Semi-Final" (6 November 2020)

Special Performances:
* Little Mix – "Holiday"/"Touch"
* McFly – "Tonight is the Night"
Contestants' performances on the second live show :
| Band | Order | Song(s) | Score | Leaderboard | Result |
| Melladaze | 1 | "Kings & Queens"/"Where Have You Been" | 92% | 2nd | Advanced |
| YChange | 2 | "Gotta Get Thru This" | 90% | 3rd | Advanced |
| New Priority | 3 | "Into You" | 78% | 5th | Bottom two |
| Since September | 4 | "Watermelon Sugar" | 89% | 4th | Bottom two |
| Nostalia | 5 | "As" | 95% | 1st | Advanced |
| Sing-off details ||||||
| New Priority | 1 | "Lose Somebody" | "Lose Somebody" | "Lose Somebody" | Eliminated |
| Since September | 2 | "Before You Go" | "Before You Go" | "Before You Go" | Saved (Tie - Majority of panel later agreed) |

#### Little Mix's votes to send through to the final

* Pinnock: New Priority
* Thirlwall: Since September
* Nelson: New Priority
* Edwards: Since September
With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the girls had to deliberate with each other to decide whom to send through to the final. Pinnock was given the casting vote and eventually chose to send Since September through to the final.

### "Final" (7 November 2020)

Special Performances:
* Little Mix – "Secret Love Song"
* Zara Larsson – "WOW"
Contestants' performances on the third and final live show :
| Band | Order | First song | Score | Order | Second song | Score | Leaderboard | Place on Little Mix: The Search |
| YChange | 1 | "All of the Lights"/"Never Forget You" | 284/300 | 5 | "Runnin' (Lose It All)" | 300/300 | Joint 1st | Top Four |
| Since September | 2 | "Don't Look Back in Anger"/"Survivor" | 280/300 | 6 | "Drag Me Down"/"Old Town Road" | 300/300 | 3rd | Winners |
| Melladaze | 3 | "Confident"/"Kill This Love" | 279/300 | 7 | "Get Lucky" | 284/300 | 4th | Top Four |
| Nostalia | 4 | "No Scrubs"/"Shackles (Praise You)" | 284/300 | 8 | "When the Party's Over"/"Diamonds" | 300/300 | Joint 1st | Top Four |

## Results summary
### Colour key

    Indicates that the group had the highest score and won the episode
    Indicates that the group was in the bottom two and had to perform again in the sing-off
    Indicates that the group was eliminated from the competition
    Indicates that the group won Little Mix The Search
    Indicates that the group was a runner-up
| Band Name | Band Type | Battle of the Bands | Battle of the Bands | Semi-Final | Semi-Final | The Final |
| Band Name | Band Type | Score | Ranking | Score | Ranking | The Final |
| Since September | Vocal & Instruments | 84% | 4th | 89% | 4th | Winner |
| Nostalia | Girl Vocal | 90% | 2nd | 95% | 1st | Runner-up |
| Melladaze | Girl Dance | 77% | 6th | 92% | 2nd | Runner-up |
| YChange | Rap R&B | 94% | 1st | 90% | 3rd | Runner-up |
| New Priority | Boyband | 87% | 3rd | 78% | 5th | Eliminated (Semi-Final) |
| Jasper Blue | Mixed Group | 79% | 5th (6th in the show) | Eliminated (Battle of the Bands) | Eliminated (Battle of the Bands) | Eliminated (Battle of the Bands) |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
| 2020 | I Talk Telly Awards | Best Talent Show | Won | |
| 2021 | National Television Awards | Best Talent Show | Nominated | |