# The X Factor (American TV series) season 2

Season two of the American television music competition show The X Factor premiered on Fox on September 12, 2012, and ended on December 20, 2012.
Based on the UK format, the competition consists of auditions, in front of producers and then the judges with a live audience; bootcamp; judges' houses and then the live finals. Auditions for the show began in May 2012 and concluded in July 2012. The show is hosted by reality star Khloé Kardashian and Extra host Mario Lopez, replacing Steve Jones from the previous year. Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid returned as judges, while Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger were replaced by Britney Spears and Demi Lovato.

## Judges and hosts

On January 9, 2012, Fox announced that The X Factor would undergo some changes for its second season. On January 30, it was confirmed that host Steve Jones and judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul would not be returning for the second season. Following Scherzinger's departure, she transferred to the UK show to replace Kelly Rowland as a judge for the 2012 UK series. On February 6, Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid were the only confirmed judges for season 2. Prior to her death, Whitney Houston was approached as a potential replacement judge. It was also reported that Cowell was in talks with Britney Spears for her to join the show, reportedly offering her $15 million. On May 9, reports surfaced that Spears officially signed on to judge the show. It was also rumored that Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus were in talks to be the second replacement judge. Lovato reportedly signed the deal on May 13, making her the youngest ever X Factor judge. The following day, it was officially confirmed that Spears and Lovato would join The X Factor as the two newest judges. When asked about the new judges, Cowell said:
   I'm absolutely delighted Britney and Demi are joining us. Britney remains one of the biggest stars in the world, she's talented, fascinating – and I believe she knows exactly how to spot the X factor. Demi's had an amazing career in music, TV and film for someone her age. She's young, confident, and enthusiastic. I think it's really important that she speaks to our younger audience. The new panel will be dynamic and will work really well with the changes we are making to the show."
On June 26, 2012, Cowell confirmed that in his search for a new host he had narrowed the possibilities to five candidates. On June 29, Cowell revealed that there would be one male and one female host, and neither of them had hosted before. People considered for hosting slots included Stacy Keibler, Mario Lopez, Khloé Kardashian, Kelly Osbourne, Terrence J, Erin Andrews, and Mike Catherwood. It was also reported that Glee star Kevin McHale was in talks for the male hosting position. According to then-recent reports, Kardashian, McHale, and Nick Jonas were the front runners to host the show. On October 15, 2012, it was officially confirmed by E! News that Kardashian had officially signed on as co-host for the show, with Lopez close to signing a deal and was later confirmed as co-host the next day.
Irish music manager and The X Factor UK judge Louis Walsh filled in for Cowell at the Kansas City auditions while Cowell was recovering from bronchitis. On August 27, it was reported that Nick Jonas had signed a deal to help Lovato at judges' houses. It was later reported that Justin Bieber would be helping Reid, Marc Anthony helping Cowell, and will.i.am helping Spears.
This was the final season to feature L.A. Reid as a judge, after he announced that he was quitting the show in order to concentrate on other projects.

## Selection process
### Auditions

The producers' auditions began on March 14, 2012 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. More producers' auditions were held on March 22 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, April 20 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California, May 1 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina and concluded on May 10 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
The judges' auditions took place between May and July. The auditions went without a host as they had yet to hire new hosts by the time auditions started.
Summary of judges' auditions :
| City | Date | Venue | Date aired | Judges | Judges | Judges | Judges |
| Austin, Texas | May 24–25, 2012 | Frank Erwin Center | September 12 & 19, 2012 | Reid | Spears | Lovato | Cowell |
| Kansas City, Missouri | June 8–9, 2012 | Sprint Center | September 19, 2012 | Reid | Spears | Lovato | Walsh |
| San Francisco, California | June 16–18, 2012 | Cow Palace | September 12–13, 19, & 26-27 2012 | Reid | Spears | Lovato | Cowell |
| Providence, Rhode Island | June 27–29, 2012 | Dunkin' Donuts Center | September 12–13 & 26, 2012 | Reid | Spears | Lovato | Cowell |
| Greensboro, North Carolina | July 8–10, 2012 | Greensboro Coliseum | September 20, & 26-27 2012 | Reid | Spears | Lovato | Cowell |

### Bootcamp

Filming for bootcamp was held on July 25–27, 2012 in Miami. As with the auditions, there were no hosts at bootcamp.
120 contestants made it to the Bootcamp stage. At bootcamp the contestants had to perform two tasks. Task 1 involved the contestants had to sing solo, after which the judges eliminated half of the acts, bringing the total down to 60. In Task 2 the contestants were paired up to perform together. After Task 2 the judges narrowed down the acts to the 24 who progress on to the Judges's homes round.
The groups Fifth Harmony, Playback, and LYRIC 145 were formed from eliminated contestants from the Teens, Young Adults and Groups categories in bootcamp. Fifth Harmony was known as LYLAS at this stage; their name was changed after they made the top 16 when a group consisting of four of Bruno Mars' sisters, called "The Lylas", claimed the show stole their name. Their name changed again for the Top 13 performances, as their mentor Simon Cowell was not in favor of the name 1432 and felt that the show's viewers could make a better name for the group.

### Judges' houses

The judges' houses was filmed September 28 & 29, 2012. The judges received news of their categories from the producers by telephone, seen during the third bootcamp episode on October 10. Reid mentored the over 25s in Beverly Hills, California, assisted by Justin Bieber, accompanied by his manager Scooter Braun; Cowell took the groups to Miami Beach, Florida with Latin singer Marc Anthony, Spears had the teens in Malibu, California with The Black Eyed Peas member and The Voice UK coach will.i.am, and Lovato had the young adults in Los Angeles, with Jonas Brothers member Nick Jonas.
Summary of judges' houses :
| Judge | Category | Location | Assistant(s) | Acts Eliminated |
| Cowell | Groups | Miami Beach, Florida | Marc Anthony | Dope Crisis Playback |
| Lovato | Young Adults | Los Angeles, California | Nick Jonas | Jillian Jensen Nick Youngerman |
| Reid | Over 25s | Beverly Hills, California | Justin Bieber Scooter Braun | Daryl Black Tara Simon |
| Spears | Teens | Malibu, California | will.i.am | Reed Deming James Tanner |

## Acts

The top sixteen acts were confirmed as follows;
Key:
    – Winner
    – Runner-Up
| Act | Age(s) | Hometown | Category (mentor) | Result |
| Tate Stevens | 37 | Belton, Missouri | Over 25s (Reid) | Winner |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar | 13 | Mamaroneck, New York | Teens (Spears) | Runner-Up |
| Fifth Harmony | 15-19 | Various | Groups (Cowell) | 3rd Place |
| Emblem3 | 16-20 | Sequim, Washington | Groups (Cowell) | 4th Place |
| Diamond White | 13 | Los Angeles, California | Teens (Spears) | 5th Place |
| CeCe Frey | 21 | Decatur, Illinois | Young Adults (Lovato) | 6th Place |
| Vino Alan | 40 | Waynesville, Missouri | Over 25s (Reid) | 7th Place |
| Paige Thomas | 22 | San Antonio, Texas | Young Adults (Lovato) | 8th Place |
| Beatrice Miller | 13 | Maplewood, New Jersey | Teens (Spears) | 9th Place |
| Arin Ray | 17 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Teens (Spears) | 10th Place |
| Jennel Garcia | 18 | Rochester, Massachusetts | Young Adults (Lovato) | 11th Place |
| LYRIC 145 | 19-24 | Queens, New York/Flint, Michigan | Groups (Cowell) | 12th Place |
| Jason Brock | 35 | San Francisco, California | Over 25s (Reid) | 13th Place |
| Sister C | 18-21 | Harris County, Texas | Groups (Cowell) | 14th Place |
| David Correy | 27 | Riva, Maryland | Over 25s (Reid) | 15th Place |
| Willie Jones | 18 | Shreveport, Louisiana | Young Adults (Lovato) | 16th Place |

## Live shows

The live shows began on October 31, 2012. This was the debut episode for Lopez and Kardashian as hosts on the show. Each week, the contestants performed on Wednesday, with the voting lines opening after the performances. As with previous season, each live show has a different theme. The live final took place on December 19 and 20. A recording of "Live and Let Die" by The X Factor UK series five winner Alexandra Burke featured on the second week of live shows.
Each results show featured musical performances from at least two artists. There was no guest performer on the first result show. The second results show featured two performances from The X Factor UK series seven finalist One Direction, while Taylor Swift performed on the third result show.The X Factor UK series seven finalist Cher Lloyd and Becky G performed on the fourth results show. Week five included the premiering of a music video by will.i.am featuring judge Spears and performances from season one runner-up Josh Krajcik and Alicia Keys. Season one winner Melanie Amaro and Kesha performed on the sixth week. The semi-final results show featured performances from Bruno Mars and Bridgit Mendler. One Direction performed again in the final, and Pitbull also performed. This was the only season to feature the leaderboard which reveals which act has the most votes.

### Results summary
#### Color key

| – | Act was chosen as the bottom two by their mentor and had to sing again in the sing-off (no public vote) |
| – | Act was in the bottom two/three and had to sing 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) |
| – | Act received the most public votes |
Weekly results per act :
| Act | Week 1 | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Quarter-Final | Semi-Final | Final | Final |
| Act | Mentor Vote | Mentor Vote | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Quarter-Final | Semi-Final | First Vote | Second Vote |
| Tate Stevens | Saved | Saved | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 1st |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar | Saved | Saved | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 2nd |
| Fifth Harmony | Saved | Saved | 5th | 6th | 7th | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | Eliminated (final) |
| Emblem3 | Saved | Saved | 6th | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 4th | Eliminated (semi-final) | Eliminated (semi-final) |
| Diamond White | Eliminated | Eliminated | 4th | 7th | 5th | 6th | 5th | Eliminated (quarter-final) | Eliminated (quarter-final) | Eliminated (quarter-final) |
| CeCe Frey | Saved | Saved | 12th | 5th | 9th | 5th | 6th | Eliminated (quarter-final) | Eliminated (quarter-final) | Eliminated (quarter-final) |
| Vino Alan | Saved | Saved | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 7th | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) |
| Paige Thomas | Saved | Saved | 8th | 11th | 6th | 8th | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) |
| Beatrice Miller | Saved | Saved | 10th | 8th | 8th | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) |
| Arin Ray | Saved | Saved | 11th | 9th | 10th | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) |
| Jennel Garcia | Saved | Saved | 7th | 10th | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) |
| LYRIC 145 | Saved | Saved | 9th | 12th | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) |
| Jason Brock | Saved | Saved | 13th | Eliminated (week 2) | Eliminated (week 2) | Eliminated (week 2) | Eliminated (week 2) | Eliminated (week 2) | Eliminated (week 2) | Eliminated (week 2) |
| Sister C | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) |
| David Correy | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) |
| Willie Jones | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) |
| Final Showdown | Frey, Jones | Frey, Jones | Brock, Frey | Garcia, Thomas | Frey, Miller | Alan, White | Fifth Harmony, White | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone |
| No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone ||
| No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone ||
| No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone ||
| Judges voted to | Send Through | Eliminate | Eliminate | Eliminate | Eliminate | Eliminate | Eliminate | | | | | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone |
| Reid's vote (Over 25s) | Alan, Stevens | Correy | Frey | Garcia | Miller | White | White | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone |
| Spears' vote (Teens) | Miller, Sonenclar | White | Frey | Garcia | Frey | Alan | Fifth Harmony | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone |
| Lovato's vote (Young Adults) | Garcia, Thomas | Jones | Brock | Thomas | Miller | Alan | White | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone |
| Cowell's vote (Groups) | Emblem3, LYRIC 145 | Sister C | Brock | Garcia | Miller | Alan | White | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone | No final showdown or judges' votes; results were based on public votes alone |
| Eliminated | Willie Jones by Lovato | Willie Jones by Lovato | Jason Brock 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | LYRIC 145 Public vote to save | Arin Ray Public vote to save | Paige Thomas Public vote to save | CeCe Frey Public vote to save | Emblem3 Public vote to save | Fifth Harmony Public vote to win | Carly Rose Sonenclar Public vote to win |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar Public vote to win ||
| Eliminated | Diamond White by Spears | Diamond White by Spears | Jason Brock 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | Jennel Garcia 3 of 4 votes Majority | Beatrice Miller 3 of 4 votes Majority | Vino Alan 3 of 4 votes Majority | Diamond White 3 of 4 votes Majority | Emblem3 Public vote to save | Fifth Harmony Public vote to win | Carly Rose Sonenclar Public vote to win |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar Public vote to win ||
| Reference(s) | | | | | | | | | | |
* ^1 There was no public vote in the first week. Each mentor selected two acts from their own category to advance to the second week and the two remaining acts as the bottom two. The bottom two acts performed another song of their choice in the sing-off and their mentor was required to eliminate one of the bottom two acts they selected.
* ^2 White returned to the competition in week two because the judges felt that she should not have been eliminated in week one.

### Live show details
#### Week 1 (October 31/November 1)

* Theme: Songs by American artists (billed as "Made in America")
Acts' performances on the first live show :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | American Artist | Result |
| Paige Thomas | Young Adults (Lovato) | 1 | "What Is Love" | Haddaway | Safe |
| Arin Ray | Teens (Spears) | 2 | "You Keep Me Hangin' On" | The Supremes | Bottom Two |
| David Correy | Over 25s (Reid) | 3 | "My Love Is Your Love" | Whitney Houston | Bottom Two |
| Sister C | Groups (Cowell) | 4 | "Hell on Heels" | Pistol Annies | Bottom Two |
| Jennel Garcia | Young Adults (Lovato) | 5 | "Home Sweet Home" | Mötley Crüe | Safe |
| Diamond White | Teens (Spears) | 6 | "Hey, Soul Sister" | Train | Bottom Two |
| Vino Alan | Over 25s (Reid) | 7 | "Gotta Be Somebody" | Nickelback | Safe |
| LYRIC 145 | Groups (Cowell) | 8 | "Boom! Shake the Room"/"Gangnam Style" | DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince/Psy | Safe |
| CeCe Frey | Young Adults (Lovato) | 9 | "Because the Night" | 10,000 Maniacs | Bottom Two |
| Tate Stevens | Over 25s (Reid) | 10 | "Tough" | Craig Morgan | Safe |
| Beatrice Miller | Teens (Spears) | 11 | "I Won't Give Up" | Jason Mraz | Safe |
| Jason Brock | Over 25s (Reid) | 12 | "Dance Again" | Jennifer Lopez | Bottom Two |
| Fifth Harmony | Groups (Cowell) | 13 | "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" | Taylor Swift | Bottom Two |
| Willie Jones | Young Adults (Lovato) | 14 | "Here for the Party" | Gretchen Wilson | Bottom Two |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar | Teens (Spears) | 15 | "Something's Got a Hold on Me"/"Good Feeling" | Etta James/Flo Rida | Safe |
| Emblem3 | Groups (Cowell) | 16 | "One Day" | Matisyahu | Safe |
| Sing-off details ||||||
| CeCe Frey | Young Adults (Lovato) | 1 | "Out Here on My Own" | "Out Here on My Own" | Safe |
| Willie Jones | Young Adults (Lovato) | 2 | "You Don't Know Me" | "You Don't Know Me" | Eliminated |
| David Correy | Over 25s (Reid) | 3 | "Since U Been Gone" | "Since U Been Gone" | | Eliminated |
| Jason Brock | Over 25s (Reid) | 4 | "One Moment in Time" | "One Moment in Time" | Safe |
| Arin Ray | Teens (Spears) | 5 | "I Look to You" | "I Look to You" | | Safe |
| Diamond White | Teens (Spears) | 6 | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Eliminated |
| Sister C | Groups (Cowell) | 7 | "When I Look at You" | "When I Look at You" | | Eliminated |
| Fifth Harmony | Groups (Cowell) | 8 | "Skyscraper" | "Skyscraper" | Safe |
* There was no public vote in the first week. Each mentor selected two finalists from their own category as the bottom two. The bottom two acts performed another song of their choice in a sing-off and their mentor was required to eliminate one of them based on the performance.

##### Judges' decisions to eliminate

* Lovato: Willie Jones – gave no reason
* Reid: David Correy – gave no reason
* Spears: Diamond White – gave no reason
* Cowell: Sister C – gave no reason

#### Week 2 (November 7/8)

* Theme: Songs from movies
* Musical guest: One Direction ("Live While We're Young" and "Little Things")
One of the four acts that did not face the public vote in week one and was eliminated by mentor was reinstated to the show as the judges felt that the act should not have been eliminated in the previous week. The reinstated act was announced as Diamond White at the start of the season's second live show. 1432 being known as Fifth Harmony started in week two.
Acts' performances on the second live show :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Movie | Result |
| Arin Ray | Teens (Spears) | 1 | "American Boy" | Obsessed | Safe |
| Paige Thomas | Young Adults (Lovato) | 2 | "Take My Breath Away" | Top Gun | Safe |
| Vino Alan | Over 25s (Reid) | 3 | "When a Man Loves a Woman" | When a Man Loves a Woman | Safe |
| Emblem3 | Groups (Cowell) | 4 | "My Girl"/"California Gurls"/"What Makes You Beautiful" | My Girl/Katy Perry: Part of Me | Safe |
| Beatrice Miller | Teens (Spears) | 5 | "Iris" | City of Angels | Safe |
| Jennel Garcia | Young Adults (Lovato) | 6 | "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" | Crossroads | Safe |
| Tate Stevens | Over 25s (Reid) | 7 | "Wanted Dead or Alive" | Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| LYRIC 145 | Groups (Cowell) | 8 | "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" | Mary Poppins | Safe |
| Diamond White | Teens (Spears) | 9 | "I Have Nothing" | The Bodyguard | Safe |
| CeCe Frey | Young Adults (Lovato) | 10 | "Eye of the Tiger" | Rocky III | Bottom Two |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar | Teens (Spears) | 11 | "It Will Rain" | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 | Safe |
| Jason Brock | Over 25s (Reid) | 12 | "I Believe I Can Fly" | Space Jam | Bottom Two |
| Fifth Harmony | Groups (Cowell) | 13 | "A Thousand Years" | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 | Safe |
| Final showdown details ||||||
| CeCe Frey | Young Adults (Lovato) | 1 | "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" | "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" | Safe |
| Jason Brock | Over 25s (Reid) | 2 | "Total Eclipse of the Heart" | "Total Eclipse of the Heart" | Eliminated |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Lovato: Jason Brock – backed her own act, CeCe Frey.
* Reid: Cece Frey – backed his own act, Jason Brock.
* Spears: CeCe Frey – gave no reason.
* Cowell: Jason Brock – gave no reason.
With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Brock was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

#### Week 3 (November 14/15)

* Theme: Divas
* Musical guest: Taylor Swift ("State of Grace")
Starting from week three, two acts were eliminated from each results show until the quarter-final. The three acts with the fewest public votes were announced and then the act with the fewest votes was automatically eliminated. The remaining two acts then performed in the final showdown and face the judges' votes.
Acts' performances on the third live show :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Diva | Result |
| Jennel Garcia | Young Adults (Lovato) | 1 | "Proud Mary" | Tina Turner | Bottom Three |
| Tate Stevens | Over 25s (Reid) | 2 | "From This Moment On" | Shania Twain | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Diamond White | Teens (Spears) | 3 | "Halo" | Beyoncé | Safe |
| Beatrice Miller | Teens (Spears) | 4 | "Time After Time" | Cyndi Lauper | Safe |
| LYRIC 145 | Groups (Cowell) | 5 | "We Will Rock You"/"E.T." | Katy Perry | Eliminated |
| Arin Ray | Teens (Spears) | 6 | "Crazy for You" | Madonna | Safe |
| Paige Thomas | Young Adults (Lovato) | 7 | "Last Dance" | Donna Summer | Bottom Three |
| Fifth Harmony | Groups (Cowell) | 8 | "Hero" | Mariah Carey | Safe |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar | Teens (Spears) | 9 | "My Heart Will Go On" | Celine Dion | Safe |
| Vino Alan | Over 25s (Reid) | 10 | "Let's Stay Together" | Tina Turner | Safe |
| Emblem3 | Groups (Cowell) | 11 | "No One" | Alicia Keys | Safe |
| CeCe Frey | Young Adults (Lovato) | 12 | "All by Myself" | Celine Dion | Safe |
| Final showdown details ||||||
| Jennel Garcia | Young Adults (Lovato) | 1 | "The Reason" | "The Reason" | Eliminated |
| Paige Thomas | Young Adults (Lovato) | 2 | "Paradise" | "Paradise" | Safe |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Reid: Jennel Garcia – gave no reason.
* Spears: Jennel Garcia – gave no reason.
* Lovato: Paige Thomas – gave no reason but after the show in an interview, she felt that Garcia "was more talented" despite Thomas having "more star quality".
* Cowell: Jennel Garcia – stated he had an "easy decision" and felt that Thomas had "got the best star potential" after watching her final showdown performance.
After Reid and Spears voted against Garcia, Lopez asked Cowell for his vote. Cowell stated he wanted Lovato to vote before him. Lopez attempted to persuade Cowell to vote before Lovato, but Cowell insisted on Lovato voting before him. As a result, Lopez asked Lovato to vote before Cowell. The second before Lovato appeared to give her response, she pushed Cowell to vote before her as he was asked first but Lopez told Lovato the show was pressed for time and Cowell objected. Lovato voted against Thomas and then Cowell voted against Garcia. In an interview after the show, Cowell said he already intended to vote against Garcia and persisted to have Lovato vote before him because he knew if he voted before Lovato that she would not have to vote, was curious as to who Lovato wanted to save and thought the audience wanted to know who Lovato was going to vote against.
However, voting statistics revealed that Garcia received more votes than Thomas which meant that if the result went to deadlock, Garcia would have been saved.

#### Week 4 (November 21/22)

* Theme: Thanksgiving
* Group performance: "Fix You" (with Bancroft Middle School choir)
* Musical guests: Cher Lloyd featuring Becky G ("Oath")
Acts' performances on the fourth live show :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
| Tate Stevens | Over 25s (Reid) | 1 | "I'm Already There" | Safe |
| Diamond White | Teens (Spears) | 2 | "Because You Loved Me" | Safe |
| Emblem3 | Groups (Cowell) | 3 | "Secrets" | Safe |
| Arin Ray | Teens (Spears) | 4 | "Hero" | Eliminated |
| CeCe Frey | Young Adults (Lovato) | 5 | "Wind Beneath My Wings" | Bottom Three |
| Fifth Harmony | Groups (Cowell) | 6 | "I'll Stand by You" | Safe |
| Beatrice Miller | Teens (Spears) | 7 | "Chasing Cars" | Bottom Three |
| Vino Alan | Over 25s (Reid) | 8 | "God Bless the USA" | Safe |
| Paige Thomas | Young Adults (Lovato) | 9 | "Everytime" | Safe |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar | Teens (Spears) | 10 | "Over the Rainbow" | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Final showdown details |||||
| CeCe Frey | Young Adults (Lovato) | 1 | "Because of You" | Safe |
| Beatrice Miller | Teens (Spears) | 2 | "White Flag" | Eliminated |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Lovato: Beatrice Miller – gave no reason, though effectively backed their own act, CeCe Frey.
* Spears: CeCe Frey – gave no reason, though effectively backed her own act, Beatrice Miller.
* Reid: Beatrice Miller – gave no reason.
* Cowell: Beatrice Miller – thought the competition was "all getting too much for" Miller and that the then-present time was not "the right time for" her.
However, voting statistics revealed that Miller received more votes than Frey which meant that if Cowell sent the result to deadlock, Miller would have been saved.

#### Week 5 (November 28/29)

* Theme: Number-ones
* Musical guests: Josh Krajcik ("One Thing She’ll Never Know") and Alicia Keys ("Girl on Fire")
* Music video premiere: will.i.am featuring Britney Spears ("Scream & Shout")
Acts' performances on the fifth live show :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
| Diamond White | Teens (Spears) | 1 | "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" | Bottom Three |
| Vino Alan | Over 25s (Reid) | 2 | "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" | Bottom Three |
| Paige Thomas | Young Adults (Lovato) | 3 | "Never Gonna Give You Up" | Eliminated |
| Fifth Harmony | Groups (Cowell) | 4 | "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" | Safe |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar | Teens (Spears) | 5 | "Rolling in the Deep" | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Tate Stevens | Over 25s (Reid) | 6 | "Somebody Like You" | Safe |
| CeCe Frey | Young Adults (Lovato) | 7 | "Lady Marmalade" | Safe |
| Emblem3 | Groups (Cowell) | 8 | "I'm a Believer" | Safe |
| Final showdown details |||||
| Diamond White | Teens (Spears) | 1 | "I Was Here" | Safe |
| Vino Alan | Over 25s (Reid) | 2 | "Trouble" | Eliminated |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Reid: Diamond White – backed his own act, Vino Alan.
* Spears: Vino Alan – backed her own act, Diamond White.
* Lovato: Vino Alan – gave no reason.
* Cowell: Vino Alan – gave no reason.

#### Week 6: Quarter-Final (December 5/6)

* Themes: Unplugged songs; Pepsi Challenge songs
* Musical guests: Melanie Amaro ("Long Distance") and Kesha ("C'Mon")
For the first time this season, each act performed two songs. The list of song choices for the Pepsi Challenge was released via Twitter on December 1, 2012.
List of song choices for Pepsi Challenge :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Song choices | Result |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar | Teens (Spears) | "If I Were a Boy" | Chosen |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar | Teens (Spears) | "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" | Not Chosen |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar | Teens (Spears) | "Your Song" | Not Chosen |
| CeCe Frey | Young Adults (Lovato) | "Die Young" | Not Chosen |
| CeCe Frey | Young Adults (Lovato) | "Part of Me" | Chosen |
| CeCe Frey | Young Adults (Lovato) | "So What" | Not Chosen |
| Diamond White | Teens (Spears) | "Diamonds" | Chosen |
| Diamond White | Teens (Spears) | "Kiss from a Rose" | Not Chosen |
| Diamond White | Teens (Spears) | "Mercy" | Not Chosen |
| Emblem3 | Groups (Cowell) | "I Gotta Feeling" | Not Chosen |
| Emblem3 | Groups (Cowell) | "Forever Young" | Chosen |
| Emblem3 | Groups (Cowell) | "Marry You" | Not Chosen |
| Fifth Harmony | Groups (Cowell) | "What Makes You Beautiful" | Not Chosen |
| Fifth Harmony | Groups (Cowell) | "Anything Could Happen" | Not Chosen |
| Fifth Harmony | Groups (Cowell) | "Give Your Heart a Break" | Chosen |
| Tate Stevens | Over 25s (Reid) | "The Dance" | Not Chosen |
| Tate Stevens | Over 25s (Reid) | "She's Country" | Not Chosen |
| Tate Stevens | Over 25s (Reid) | "If Tomorrow Never Comes" | Chosen |
Acts' performances in the quarter-final :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Unplugged song | Order | Pepsi Challenge song | Result |
| CeCe Frey | Young Adults (Lovato) | 1 | "The Edge of Glory" | 7 | "Part of Me" | Eliminated |
| Emblem3 | Groups (Cowell) | 2 | "Just the Way You Are" | 8 | "Forever Young" | Safe |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar | Teens (Spears) | 3 | "As Long as You Love Me" | 9 | "If I Were a Boy" | Safe |
| Fifth Harmony | Groups (Cowell) | 4 | "Set Fire to the Rain" | 10 | "Give Your Heart a Break" | Bottom Three |
| Diamond White | Teens (Spears) | 5 | "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" | 11 | "Diamonds" | Bottom Three |
| Tate Stevens | Over 25s (Reid) | 6 | "Livin' on a Prayer" | 12 | "If Tomorrow Never Comes" | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Final showdown details |||||||
| Fifth Harmony | Groups (Cowell) | 1 | "Anytime You Need a Friend" | "Anytime You Need a Friend" | "Anytime You Need a Friend" | Safe |
| Diamond White | Teens (Spears) | 2 | "I Hope You Dance" | "I Hope You Dance" | "I Hope You Dance" | Eliminated |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Cowell: Diamond White – gave no reason, though effectively backed his own act, Fifth Harmony.
* Spears: Fifth Harmony – gave no reason, though effectively backed her own act, Diamond White.
* Reid: Diamond White – gave no reason.
* Lovato: Diamond White – gave no reason.

#### Week 7: Semi-Final (December 12/13)

* Themes: Contestant's choice; "songs to get you to the final" (no theme)
* Group performance: "Coming Home" / "Coming Home, Pt. II"
* Musical guests: Bridgit Mendler ("Ready or Not") and Bruno Mars ("Locked Out of Heaven")
Acts' performances in the semi-final :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Result |
| Tate Stevens | Over 25s (Reid) | 1 | "Bonfire" | 5 | "Fall" | Safe |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar | Teens (Spears) | 2 | "Your Song" | 6 | "Imagine" | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Emblem3 | Groups (Cowell) | 3 | "Baby, I Love Your Way" | 7 | "Hey Jude" | Eliminated |
| Fifth Harmony | Groups (Cowell) | 4 | "Anything Could Happen" | 8 | "Impossible" | Safe |
The semi-final did not feature a final showdown nor a leaderboard. Instead the act with the fewest public votes, Emblem3, were automatically eliminated.

#### Week 8: Final (December 19/20)

The final consisted of two two-hour episodes on December 19 and 20.

##### December 19

* Themes: Favorite performance (billed as "song of the season"); celebrity duets; winner's song (billed as "$5 million song")
* Group performance: "You Are Not Alone" (all top 13 contestants; in dedication to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims)
Acts' performances on the Wednesday Final :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | First song | Order | Second song (Duet) | Order | Third song |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar | Teens (Spears) | 1 | "Feeling Good" | 4 | "How Do I Live" (with LeAnn Rimes) | 7 | "Hallelujah" |
| Tate Stevens | Over 25s (Reid) | 2 | "Anything Goes" | 5 | "Pontoon" (with Little Big Town) | 8 | "Tomorrow" |
| Fifth Harmony | Groups (Cowell) | 3 | "Anything Could Happen" | 6 | "Give Your Heart a Break" (with Demi Lovato) | 9 | "Let It Be" |

##### December 20

* Theme: Christmas songs
* Group performances: "All You Need Is Love" and "The Climb" (performed by Carly Rose Sonenclar and Tate Stevens)
* Musical guests: Pitbull ("Don't Stop the Party" / "Feel This Moment") and One Direction ("Kiss You")
Acts' performances on the Thursday Final :
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
| Tate Stevens | Over 25s (Reid) | 1 | "Please Come Home for Christmas" | Winner |
| Fifth Harmony | Groups (Cowell) | 2 | "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" | Eliminated |
| Carly Rose Sonenclar | Teens (Spears) | 3 | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" | Runner-Up |

## Contestants who Appeared on Other Seasons or Shows

* Arin Ray competed in Season 1 as a member of InTENsity, who were eliminated in 12th place.
* Jeff Gutt auditioned again in Season 3. He lost against Alex & Sierra in the finale.
* Fifth Harmony members Normani and Ally Brooke competed on the 24th and 28th seasons of Dancing with the Stars, respectively. Both finished in 3rd place in their respective seasons.
* Diamond White later found success as a voice actor, starring in shows such as Transformers: Rescue Bots and The Lion Guard.
* Jillian Jensen auditioned for 13th season of American Idol. She made it to the Top 30.

## Famous Relations

* Sophie Tweed-Simmons, who was cut during the Boot Camp round, is the daughter of Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed.

## Reception
### U.S. Nielsen ratings

| Ep. # | Episode | Airdate | Rating | Share | Rating/share (18-49) | Viewers (millions) | Rank (timeslot) | Rank (night) |
| 1 | Auditions 1 | September 12 | 5.2 | 8 | 3.4/10 | 8.73 | #2 | #3 |
| 2 | Auditions 2 | September 13 | 5.2 | 9 | 3.1/10 | 8.28 | #2 | #2 |
| 3 | Auditions 3 | September 19 | 5.5 | 9 | 3.6/11 | 9.54 | #2 | #2 |
| 4 | Auditions 4 | September 20 | 5.9 | 10 | 3.5/11 | 10.15 | #1 | #1 |
| 5 | Auditions 5 | September 26 | 5.7 | 9 | 3.4/10 | 9.63 | #2 | #5 |
| 6 | Auditions 6 | September 27 | 5.9 | 10 | 3.2/10 | 9.39 | #2 | #6 |
| 7 | Bootcamp 1 | October 3 | 5.5 | 9 | 3.5/11 | 9.71 | #2 | #2 |
| 8 | Bootcamp 2 | October 4 | 5.7 | 9 | 3.2/10 | 9.25 | #2 | #6 |
| 9 | Bootcamp 3/Judges' houses 1 | October 10 | 5.6 | 9 | 3.5/10 | 9.56 | #2 | #6 |
| 10 | Judges' houses 2 | October 11 | 5.0 | 8 | 2.9/8 | 8.43 | #2 | #3 |
| 11 | Judges' houses 3 – Part 1 | October 17 | 4.1 | 6 | 2.3/6 | 6.34 | #3 | #6 |
| 12 | Judges' houses 3 – Part 2 | October 23 | 3.7 | 6 | 2.3/6 | 5.71 | #1 | #7 |
| 13 | Live show 1 | October 31 | 4.7 | 7 | 2.7/8 | 7.60 | #2 | #5 |
| 14 | Live results 1 | November 1 | | | 2.3/6 | 6.24 | #3 | #6 |
| 15 | Live show 2 | November 7 | | | 2.6/7 | 7.03 | #4 | #8 |
| 16 | Live results 2 | November 8 | | | 2.3/6 | 6.33 | #3 | #7 |
| 17 | Live show 3 | November 14 | 6.0 | 9 | 2.9/8 | 8.15 | #3 | #6 |
| 18 | Live results 3 | November 15 | | | 2.4/7 | 7.47 | #2 | #6 |
| 19 | Live show 4 | November 21 | | 7 | 2.2/7 | 7.28 | #3 | #5 |
| 20 | Live results 4 | November 22 | | 8 | 2.8/9 | 9.04 | #1 | #2 |
| 21 | Live show 5 | November 28 | | | 2.9/8 | 8.20 | #1 | #2 |
| 22 | Live results 5 | November 29 | | | 2.7/8 | 8.32 | #2 | #5 |
| 23 | Live show 6 | December 5 | | | 2.8/8 | 8.25 | #1 | #2 |
| 24 | Live results 6 | December 6 | | | 2.5/7 | 7.84 | #2 | #6 |
| 25 | Live semi-final | December 12 | | | 2.7/8 | 7.79 | #2 | #4 |
| 26 | Live semi-final results | December 13 | | | 2.4/7 | 7.66 | #2 | #6 |
| 27 | Live final | December 19 | | | 2.7/8 | 8.35 | #1 | #1 |
| 28 | Live final results | December 20 | | | 3.1/9 | 9.66 | #1 | #1 |
Notes
* 1 2 Due to a three-hour rain delay during Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, only the first hour of the third judges' houses episode aired. Due to the delay, ratings for the October 17 episode were lower than usual. The second hour aired as a separate episode in a special airing on October 23 on Fox in United States. In Canada on CTV, due to the delay caused by the Championship Series, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which was scheduled to air at 10:00pm, aired at 8:00pm EST. in place of The X Factor, while The X Factor aired in full from 9:00pm to 11:00pm EST.
* 1 2 Due to the 2012 World Series, The X Factor was preempted on October 18, 24 and 25. It returned on October 31. The first live show was originally scheduled to air on November 1, while the first results show was originally scheduled as a special airing on Sunday November 4.

### Controversy
#### Broadcast interruption of judges' houses

During the airing of the judges' houses episode on October 17, the show was stopped abruptly in the middle of Lovato's selection for the top 16 and cut immediately to a game of the National League Championship Series. This was due to the fact that the game was halted and rescheduled later in the day due to a rain delay, to be played concurrently with The X Factor. Between the two, Fox decided to air the game instead of the rest of the episode. Many viewers took to the internet and called Fox to complain about the interruption. Cowell even took to his Twitter to comment that: "It's what's known as a total f up." The show instead aired the following week in its entirety.

#### "Rejected" votes of Paige Thomas

During the fifth live show in November, many voters reported of having their votes "rejected" and their calls cut off when attempting to vote for Paige Thomas; Thomas was eliminated the following night. Fox and The X Factor affiliates have not confirmed or denied whether this had anything to do with Thomas' subsequent elimination the following night.

#### Don Philip audition

In the season two premiere, Don Philip, who once collaborated with Britney Spears on her debut album, auditioned in front of the judges, and received a "no" from all judges. He then told Access Hollywood that ten minutes of footage from the interview was edited out because he felt like the judges bullied him into revealing that he is gay. Spears reportedly replied "I think it’s fine you’re gay," though this was edited out as well. Fox then released a statement saying:
"The judges were not given any information at all about Mr. Philip prior to his audition. The personal information that Mr. Philip quickly volunteered at the start of his audition was a surprise to the judges, who asked what had happened during the past 10 years, as they were interested in Mr. Philip’s career. While we understand his decision to discuss his personal life, Mr. Philip’s sexual orientation was not something that any of the judges or producers felt was relevant to this audition. When advertising and promoting open auditions, thousands of people are informed about the ways to enter the show. Mr. Philip himself chose to enter for a chance to win a five million dollar recording contract."
Later that year, an insider revealed that he was contacted specifically by producers because of his association with Spears, and that according to him, "she already knew he was going to be there, of course, because this is a reality show".