# The X Factor (British TV series) series 2

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The second series ran from 20 August to 17 December 2005. Shayne Ward became the winner and Louis Walsh emerged as the winning mentor, which also made Ward the first contestant from the 16-24s category to come first. The second series was longer than the first, with seven contestants. in each of the three categories going to the judges' homes, and 12 contestants in the live shows instead of 9 contestants. Kate Thornton returned as presenter of the main show on ITV and Ben Shephard presented the spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2, while Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Walsh returned as judges. 75,000 contestants auditioned for the series.
On the back of their performances and popularity in the competition, Ward (winner), Andy Abraham (runner-up), Journey South (last contestant eliminated) and Maria Lawson (5th contestant eliminated) landed recording contracts. Chico Slimani (8th contestant eliminated) also released a single which topped the UK Singles Chart.
Aired on 24 September 2005, the mentoring selection was made, with Cowell in charge of Groups, Osbourne with the 25 and overs and Walsh managing the 16–24s. The bootcamp stages were shown on 1 October 2005, and those who got through were taken to the "judges' homes".

## Judges, Presenters and Other Personnel

Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh returned as judges, quashing rumours that Osbourne and Walsh might not return for financial reasons. Kate Thornton also returned as presenter of the main show on ITV and Ben Shephard returned as presenter of spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2. Yvie Burnett joined the show as vocal coach.

## Selection process

The auditions episodes were broadcast on 20 August 27 August 3 September 10 September 17 and 24 September 2005. The first two episodes of Bootcamp aired on 1 October 2005 and the last two the following week on 8 October 2005.

### Bootcamp Tasks per Category

16-24s:
Location: artsdepot
Task 1 Songs:
* "Unchained Melody"
* "Careless Whisper"
* "To Love Somebody"
* "From This Moment On"
* "Beautiful"
Task 2 Songs: The 21 remaining contestants in the 16-24s category were divided into three groups of 7 with one song in each of the groups. Each contestant then performed their chosen song solo in front of Louis and his team. The songs were.
* "I'll Be There"
* "End of the Road"
* "Always on My Mind"
Groups:
Location: An Manor House within the Oxfordshire countryside.
Task 1: Perform both an uptempo and a slow song to show versatility.
Task 2: Learn one song of their choice within an hour and then perform it to Simon and his team.
Over 25s:
Location: Café de Paris
Task 1: Perform a song of their choice to Sharon and the rest of the contestants.
Task 2: Choose a song from a list of five and learn it overnight to perform for a place in Judges Houses. The songs performed during this round were:
* "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
* "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"
* "Walk on By"
* "I Only Want to Be with You"
* Last song Not mentioned

### Judges Houses Performances

* Contestant highlighted in bold advanced.
Over 25s:
* Maria: "Since U Been Gone"
* Richie: "One"
* Haifa: "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher"
* Andy: "My Cherie Amour"
* Brenda: "I Just Want to Make Love to You"
* Joanne: "Right Here Waiting"
* Chico: "Livin' la Vida Loca"
Groups:
* The Brothers: "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"
* 4Tune: "I Don't Want to Talk About It"
* 4th Base: "Your Song"
* The Conway Sisters: "You Raise Me Up"
* Eskimo Blonde: "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
* Journey South: "Desperado"
* Addictiv Ladies: "Wishing on a Star"
16-24s
* Shayne: "The Air That I Breathe"
* James: "Lately"
* Alexandra: "Almaz"
* Chenai: "I'm Still Waiting"
* Phillip: "Don't Forget to Remember"
* Nicholas: "You Make Me Feel Brand New"
* Trevor: "This Is the Moment"
Summary of judges' houses :
| Judge | Category | Location | Contestants Eliminated |
| Cowell | Groups | Marbella | 4th Base Eskimo Blonde The Brothers |
| Osbourne | Over 25s | Beverly Hills | Richie Glynn Joanne Hindley Haifa Kayali |
| Walsh | 16-24s | Dublin | James Bellamy Alexandra Burke Trevor Hodgson |

## Contestants

Key:
    – Winner
    – Runner-up
| Contestant | Age(s) | Hometown | Category (mentor) | Result |
| Shayne Ward | 21 | Manchester | 16-24s (Walsh) | Winner |
| Andy Abraham | 41 | North London | Over 25s (Osbourne) | Runner-up |
| Journey South | 25 & 30 | Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire | Groups (Cowell) | 3rd place |
| Brenda Edwards | 36 | Luton | Over 25s (Osbourne) | 4th place |
| Chico Slimani | 34 | Bridgend | Over 25s (Osbourne) | 5th place |
| The Conway Sisters | 17-28 | County Sligo, Ireland | Groups (Cowell) | 6th place |
| Nicholas Dorsett | 18 | London Borough of Enfield | 16-24s (Walsh) | 7th place |
| Maria Lawson | 26 | London | Over 25s (Osbourne) | 8th place |
| Chenai Zinyuku | 19 | Bradford | 16-24s (Walsh) | 9th place |
| Phillip Magee | 21 | Larne | 16-24s (Walsh) | 10th place |
| 4Tune | 18-21 | Southampton | Groups (Cowell) | 11th place |
| Addictiv Ladies | 16-17 | London | Groups (Cowell) | 12th place |

## Live shows

The live shows began on 15 October 2005, and the final was broadcast live on 17 December 2005.

### Results summary
#### Colour key

Contestant in 16-24s
Contestant in Over 25s
Contestant in Groups
| – | Contestant was in the bottom two and had to sing again in the final showdown |
| – | Contestant received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no final showdown) |
| – | Contestant received the most public votes |
Weekly results per contestant :
| Contestant | Contestant | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Quarter-Final | Semi-Final | Final | Final |
| Contestant | Contestant | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Quarter-Final | Semi-Final | First Vote | Second Vote |
| | Shayne Ward | Safe | 1st | Safe | Safe | Safe | 2nd | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winner |
| | Andy Abraham | 1st | Safe | 1st | Safe | Safe | 1st | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Runner-Up |
| | Journey South | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | 2nd | 4th | Safe | Safe | Safe | 3rd | Eliminated (final) |
| | Brenda Edwards | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | 3rd | 5th | Safe | Safe | 4th | Eliminated (semi-final) | Eliminated (semi-final) |
| | Chico Slimani | Bottom Two | Safe | Bottom Two | Safe | Safe | 3rd | Bottom Two | 5th | Eliminated (quarter-final) | Eliminated (quarter-final) | Eliminated (quarter-final) |
| | The Conway Sisters | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | 8th | 7th | Bottom Two | Eliminated (week 7) | Eliminated (week 7) | Eliminated (week 7) | Eliminated (week 7) |
| | Nicholas Dorsett | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom Two | 1st | 6th | Eliminated (week 6) | Eliminated (week 6) | Eliminated (week 6) | Eliminated (week 6) | Eliminated (week 6) |
| | Maria Lawson | Safe | Safe | Safe | 1st | 7th | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) |
| | Chenai Zinyuku | Safe | Bottom Two | Safe | Bottom Two | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) |
| | Phillip Magee | Safe | Safe | Bottom Two | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) |
| | 4Tune | Safe | Bottom Two | Eliminated (week 2) | Eliminated (week 2) | Eliminated (week 2) | Eliminated (week 2) | Eliminated (week 2) | Eliminated (week 2) | Eliminated (week 2) | Eliminated (week 2) | Eliminated (week 2) |
| | Addictiv Ladies | Bottom Two | Eliminated (week 1) | Eliminated (week 1) | 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 | Final Showdown | Addictiv Ladies, Slimani | 4Tune, Zinyuku | Magee, Slimani | Dorsett, Zinyuku | The Conway Sisters, Lawson | The Conway Sisters, Dorsett | The Conway Sisters, Slimani | 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 |
| Walsh's vote to eliminate (16-24s) | Walsh's vote to eliminate (16-24s) | Addictiv Ladies | 4Tune | Slimani | Zinyuku | Lawson | The Conway Sisters | — | 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 |
| Osbourne's vote to eliminate (Over 25s) | Osbourne's vote to eliminate (Over 25s) | Addictiv Ladies | 4Tune | Magee | Dorsett | The Conway Sisters | Dorsett | The Conway Sisters | 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 to eliminate (Groups) | Cowell's vote to eliminate (Groups) | Slimani | Zinyuku | Magee | Zinyuku | Lawson | Dorsett | The Conway Sisters | 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 | Eliminated | Addictiv Ladies 2 of 3 votes Majority | 4Tune 2 of 3 Votes Majority | Phillip Magee 2 of 3 votes Majority | Chenai Zinyuku 2 of 3 votes Majority | Maria Lawson 2 of 3 votes Majority | Nicholas Dorsett 2 of 3 votes Majority | The Conway Sisters 2 of 2 votes Majority | Chico Slimani Public vote to save | Brenda Edwards Public vote to save | Journey South Public vote to save | Andy Abraham Public vote to win |
^1 For the only time in The X Factor history, a judge made an unforced decision to Sent home one of their own contestant over another judge's act. ^2 Walsh was not required to vote as there was a majority. ^3 In Lawson's 2008 autobiography, Life Starts Now, she revealed she had topped the vote the week before her elimination. ^4 According to voting figures published in the Sunday Mirror, Lawson turned out to have received twice as many public votes as the Conway Sisters. ^5 Some of the voting results were also published in the same edition of the Sunday Mirror, the full voting results of the sixth week, Dorsett turned out to have topped the fifth week, Abraham topped the first, third and sixth weeks and Ward topped the second week.

### Live show details
#### Week 1 (15 October)

* Best bits song: "That's What Friends Are For"
Contestants' performances on the first live show :
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Addictiv Ladies | 1 | "Superstar" (Jamelia) | Eliminated |
| Shayne Ward | 2 | "Right Here Waiting" (Richard Marx) | Safe |
| Chico Slimani | 3 | "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (Rod Stewart) | Bottom Two |
| Journey South | 4 | "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" (Elton John) | Safe |
| Phillip Magee | 5 | "Amazed" (Lonestar) | Safe |
| Brenda Edwards | 6 | "Son of a Preacher Man" (Dusty Springfield) | Safe |
| The Conway Sisters | 7 | "SOS" (ABBA) | Safe |
| Nicholas Dorsett | 8 | "On the Wings of Love" (Jeffrey Osborne) | Safe |
| Maria Lawson | 9 | "Emotion" (Destiny’s Child) | Safe |
| 4Tune | 10 | "I Want It That Way" (Backstreet Boys) | Safe |
| Chenai Zinyuku | 11 | "The Closest Thing to Crazy" (Katie Melua) | Safe |
| Andy Abraham | 12 | "Greatest Love of All" (George Benson) | Safe (Highest Votes) |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Cowell: Chico Slimani – said that the judges had to pick the real talent over a "joke act", effectively backing his own contestant, Addictiv Ladies.
* Osbourne: Addictiv Ladies – backed her own contestant, Chico Slimani, whose performance she said was more exciting.
* Walsh: Addictiv Ladies – said that Slimani had the all-round entertainment package.

#### Week 2 (22 October)

* Best bits song: "You Are Not Alone"
Contestants' performances on the second live show :
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Andy Abraham | 1 | "You to Me Are Everything" (The Real Thing) | Safe |
| Chenai Zinyuku | 2 | "Young Hearts Run Free" (Candi Staton) | Bottom Two |
| 4Tune | 3 | "I'll Be There" (Jackson 5) | Eliminated |
| Chico Slimani | 4 | "Play That Funky Music" (Wild Cherry) | Safe |
| Nicholas Dorsett | 5 | "Let's Get It On" (Marvin Gaye) | Safe |
| The Conway Sisters | 6 | "You Raise Me Up" (Westlife) | Safe |
| Maria Lawson | 7 | "The Way You Make Me Feel" (Michael Jackson) | Safe |
| Phillip Magee | 8 | "Wind Beneath My Wings" (Roger Whittaker) | Safe |
| Journey South | 9 | "Desperado" (Eagles) | Safe |
| Brenda Edwards | 10 | "Rescue Me" (Fontella Bass) | Safe |
| Shayne Ward | 11 | "If You're Not the One" (Daniel Bedingfield) | Safe (Highest Votes) |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Cowell: Chenai Zinyuku – gave no reason, though effectively backed his own contestant, 4Tune.
* Walsh: 4Tune – gave no reason, though effectively backed his own contestant, Chenai Zinyuku.
* Osbourne: 4Tune – said that Zinyuku had a better chance of selling records.

#### Week 3 (29 October)

* Best bits song: "Amazed"
Contestants' performances on the third live show :
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Phillip Magee | 1 | "Johnny B. Goode" (Chuck Berry) | Eliminated |
| Brenda Edwards | 2 | "Midnight Train to Georgia" (Gladys Knight & the Pips) | Safe |
| Shayne Ward | 3 | "Summer of '69" (Bryan Adams) | Safe |
| Chico Slimani | 4 | "Livin' la Vida Loca" (Ricky Martin) | Bottom Two |
| The Conway Sisters | 5 | "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Bonnie Tyler) | Safe |
| Chenai Zinyuku | 6 | "Hero" (Mariah Carey) | Safe |
| Andy Abraham | 7 | "Unforgettable" (Nat King Cole) | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Journey South | 8 | "Angel of Harlem" (U2) | Safe |
| Nicholas Dorsett | 9 | "Let's Stay Together" (Al Green) | Safe |
| Maria Lawson | 10 | "Piece of My Heart" (Janis Joplin) | Safe |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Osbourne: Phillip Magee – gave no reason, though effectively backed her own contestant, Chico Slimani.
* Walsh: Chico Slimani – gave no reason, though effectively backed his own contestant, Phillip Magee.
* Cowell: Phillip Magee – he thought the public would want to see Chico back.

#### Week 4 (5 November)

* Best bits song: "Wishing on a Star"
Contestants' performances on the fourth live show :
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Brenda Edwards | 1 | "Somebody Else's Guy" (Jocelyn Brown) | Safe |
| Nicholas Dorsett | 2 | "I Want You Back" (Jackson 5) | Bottom Two |
| Andy Abraham | 3 | "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (Andy Williams) | Safe |
| Chenai Zinyuku | 4 | "Always on My Mind" (Elvis Presley) | Eliminated |
| Chico Slimani | 5 | "Kiss" (Prince) | Safe |
| Journey South | 6 | "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (Roberta Flack) | Safe |
| Maria Lawson | 7 | "You're Beautiful" (James Blunt) | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Shayne Ward | 8 | "You Make Me Feel Brand New" (Simply Red) | Safe |
| The Conway Sisters | 9 | "One Voice" (Barry Manilow) | Safe |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Osbourne: Nicholas Dorsett – said that Zinyku deserved her place in the competition more.
* Cowell: Chenai Zinyuku – said that Dorsett had not been in the bottom two previously and deserved a second chance.
* Walsh: Chenai Zinyuku – said that it was a tough decision to choose between his own contestants.

#### Week 5 (12 November)

* Best bits song: "Didn't We Almost Have It All"
Contestants' performances on the fifth live show :
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Shayne Ward | 1 | "Cry Me a River" (Justin Timberlake) | Safe |
| Maria Lawson | 2 | "Brown Sugar" (The Rolling Stones) | Eliminated |
| The Conway Sisters | 3 | "Hold On" (Wilson Phillips) | Bottom Two |
| Andy Abraham | 4 | "I'll Make Love to You" (Boyz II Men) | Safe |
| Journey South | 5 | "Livin' on a Prayer" (Bon Jovi) | Safe |
| Chico Slimani | 6 | "Hero" (Enrique Iglesias) | Safe |
| Nicholas Dorsett | 7 | "I Believe I Can Fly" (R.Kelly) | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Brenda Edwards | 8 | "Heartbreaker" (Dionne Warwick) | Safe |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Osbourne: The Conway Sisters – gave no reason, though effectively backed her own contestant, Maria Lawson.
* Cowell: Maria Lawson – gave no reason, though effectively backed his own contestant, The Conway Sisters.
* Walsh: Maria Lawson – went with his heart.
Walsh's decision to eliminate Lawson caused controversy when Osbourne accused Walsh of being part of the "Irish Mafia", since both he and The Conway Sisters are Irish. Cowell, though backed his own act to eliminate Lawson, said that if he had to go with his heart, he would have sent his own act home. He felt they would not have a chance to win, and that Lawson had more talent and her elimination would be the first one that the public would disagree with.
However, voting statistics revealed that Lawson received more votes than The Conway Sisters which meant that if the result went to deadlock, The Conway Sisters would have been eliminated.

#### Week 6 (19 November)

* Best bits song: "End of the Road"
Contestants' performances on the sixth live show :
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| The Conway Sisters | 1 | "One Moment in Time" (Whitney Houston) | Bottom Two |
| Andy Abraham | 2 | "Me and Mrs. Jones" (Billy Paul) | Safe |
| Nicholas Dorsett | 3 | "If I Ever Fall in Love" (East 17) | Eliminated |
| Journey South | 4 | "Angels" (Robbie Williams) | Safe |
| Brenda Edwards | 5 | "Last Dance" (Donna Summer) | Safe |
| Shayne Ward | 6 | "A Million Love Songs" (Take That) | Safe |
| Chico Slimani | 7 | "It's Chico Time" (original song) | Safe |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Walsh: The Conway Sisters – gave no reason, though effectively backed his own contestant, Nicholas Dorsett.
* Cowell: Nicholas Dorsett – backed his own contestant, The Conway Sisters.
* Osbourne: Nicholas Dorsett – gave no reason.
However, voting statistics revealed that Dorsett received more votes than The Conway Sisters which meant that if the result went to deadlock, The Conway Sisters would have been eliminated.

#### Week 7 (26 November)

* Best bits song: "You Raise Me Up"
Contestants' performances on the seventh live show :
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Chico Slimani | 1 | "Billie Jean" (Michael Jackson) | Bottom Two |
| The Conway Sisters | 2 | "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (Starship) | Eliminated |
| Andy Abraham | 3 | "I Have Nothing" (Whitney Houston) | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Shayne Ward | 4 | "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" (The Darkness) | Safe |
| Brenda Edwards | 5 | "I Will Always Love You" (Whitney Houston) | Safe |
| Journey South | 6 | "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (U2) | Safe |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Osbourne: The Conway Sisters – gave no reason, though effectively backed her own contestant, Chico Slimani.
* Cowell: The Conway Sisters – said that both contestants deserved to be in the bottom two, but felt Slimani had an entertainment value and voted to save Chico Slimani The Conway Sisters despite them being his own contestant. This became the first time ever in the history of the show that a mentor decided to save another judge’s own contestant over the contestant from his own category.
* Walsh was not required to vote as there was already a majority.

#### Week 8: Quarter-Final (3 December)

* Best bits song: "Hero"
Contestants' performances in the quarter-final :
| Contestant | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Result |
| Journey South | 1 | "Bad Day" (Daniel Powter) | 6 | "Candle in the Wind" (Elton John) | Safe |
| Chico Slimani | 2 | "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (James Brown) | 7 | "Time Warp" (from The Rocky Horror Show) | Eliminated |
| Brenda Edwards | 3 | "I'm Outta Love" (Anastacia) | 8 | "I'll Never Love This Way Again" (Dionne Warwick) | Safe |
| Shayne Ward | 4 | "Take Your Mama" (Scissor Sisters) | 9 | "Careless Whisper" (George Michael) | Safe |
| Andy Abraham | 5 | "Easy Lover" (Phil Collins) | 10 | "When I Fall in Love" (Nat King Cole) | Safe |
The quarter-final did not feature a final showdown and instead the contestant with the fewest public votes, Chico Slimani, was automatically eliminated. After his elimination, Slimani reprised his performance of "Time Warp" as his exit song.

#### Week 9: Semi-Final (10 December)

* Best bits song: "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
Contestants' performances in the semi-final :
| Contestant | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Result |
| Andy Abraham | 1 | "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (Bryan Adams) | 5 | "Lately" (Stevie Wonder) | Safe |
| Journey South | 2 | "You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" (Rod Stewart) | 6 | "Let It Be" (The Beatles) | Safe |
| Brenda Edwards | 3 | "Respect" (Aretha Franklin) | 7 | "Without You" (Mariah Carey) | Eliminated |
| Shayne Ward | 4 | "If Tomorrow Never Comes" (Ronan Keating) | 8 | "Unchained Melody" (Todd Duncan) | Safe |
The semi-final did not feature a final showdown and instead the contestant with the fewest public votes, Brenda Edwards, was automatically eliminated. After her elimination, Edwards reprised her performance of "Without You" as her exit song.

#### Week 10: Final (17 December)

* Themes: No theme; Christmas songs; song of the series; winner's single
* Musical guest: The X Factor rejex ("My Way")
* Contestant Best bits songs: "One", "Greatest Love of All" & "Your Song"
Contestants' performances in the final :
| Contestant | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Order | Third song | Order | Fourth song | Result |
| Journey South | 1 | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (Elton John) | 4 | "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" (John Lennon) | 7 | "Let It Be" (live show 9) | N/A | N/A (already eliminated) | Eliminated |
| Andy Abraham | 2 | "When a Man Loves a Woman" (Percy Sledge) | 5 | "O Holy Night" (Traditional) | 8 | "Me and Mrs. Jones" (live show 6) | 10 | "That's My Goal" | Runner-Up |
| Shayne Ward | 3 | "If You're Not the One" (live show 2) | 6 | "When a Child Is Born" (Johnny Mathis) | 9 | "Over the Rainbow" (Judy Garland) | 11 | "That's My Goal" | Winner |

## Reception
### Ratings

| Episode | Air date | Official ITV1 rating | Weekly rank |
| Auditions 1 | 20 August | 6.72 | 20 |
| Auditions 2 | 27 August | 7.48 | 14 |
| Auditions 3 | 3 September | 7.75 | 13 |
| Auditions 4 | 10 September | 7.29 | 19 |
| Auditions 5 | 17 September | 9.79 | 7 |
| Auditions 6 | 24 September | 10.04 | 10 |
| Bootcamp 1 | 1 October | 8.93 | 13 |
| Bootcamp 2 | 1 October | 8.96 | 12 |
| Judges' houses 1 | 8 October | 9.09 | 14 |
| Judges' houses 2 | 8 October | 9.96 | 10 |
| Live show 1 | 15 October | 7.87 | 19 |
| Live results 1 | 15 October | 8.96 | 15 |
| Live show 2 | 22 October | 8.47 | 16 |
| Live results 2 | 22 October | 9.02 | 12 |
| Live show 3 | 29 October | 8.60 | 13 |
| Live results 3 | 29 October | 9.52 | 10 |
| Live show 4 | 5 November | 7.76 | 18 |
| Live results 4 | 5 November | 7.51 | 19 |
| Live show 5 | 12 November | 9.09 | 15 |
| Live results 5 | 12 November | 8.99 | 17 |
| Live show 6 | 19 November | 8.95 | 19 |
| Live results 6 | 19 November | 8.76 | 20 |
| Live show 7 | 26 November | 8.45 | 25 |
| Live results 7 | 26 November | 9.13 | 18 |
| Live show 8 | 3 December | 10.00 | 12 |
| Live results 8 | 3 December | 8.95 | 22 |
| Live show 9 | 10 December | 7.80 | 22 |
| Live results 9 | 10 December | 8.48 | 20 |
| Live final | 17 December | 9.65 | 13 |
| Live final results | 17 December | 9.90 | 11 |
| Series average | 2005 | 8.73 | — |

## Controversies
### Elimination of Maria Lawson and "Irish Mafia"

After the final showdown in week 5, controversy was created around the judges' voting process when Walsh cast the deciding vote to keep The Conway Sisters, who are Irish, in the show at the expense of Maria Lawson. Osbourne later claimed that Lawson was the victim of the "Irish Mafia" after Walsh chose to keep The Conway Sisters in. When the voting statistics were revealed at the end of the series, Lawson was revealed to have received twice as many public votes as The Conway Sisters. Osbourne's "Irish Mafia" remark resulted in an investigation by media regulator Ofcom over Osbourne's "Irish Mafia" remark, however on 9 January 2006, Ofcom cleared Osbourne of any wrongdoing.

### Louis Walsh

Rumours later circulated that Walsh had quit the show after being humiliated and "bullied" by Osbourne and Cowell. In addition to the media outrage at his choice to eliminate Lawson, there were verbal assaults. Furthermore, on 19 November, during the sixth live show of the series, Osbourne threw water over Walsh live on air after he asked her, "Are you on drugs? Are you taking Ozzy's drugs?" at the start of her (positive) critique of Journey South's performance of Robbie Williams' 1997 hit single "Angels". Cowell apparently "begged" Walsh to come back and, in the event, Walsh did turn up for the next show; it was stated that he had indeed quit midweek but had been persuaded to return. He explained how he had felt he could not take the pressure any more, and denied that the episode was a publicity stunt.