# The X Factor (Australian TV series) season 4

The X Factor is an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original British series, to find new singing talent; the winner of which received a Sony Music Australia recording contract and a new car. The fourth season premiered on the Seven Network on 20 August 2012 and ended on 20 November 2012. The winner was Samantha Jade and her winner's single "What You've Done to Me" was released after the final. Jade was mentored throughout by Guy Sebastian, who won as mentor for the second year in a row, which also made Jade the second contestant from the Over 25s category to come first. The main live shows was presented by Luke Jacobz, while season 3 contestant Johnny Ruffo presented the digital live streaming show The X Stream. Mel B, Guy Sebastian, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Ronan Keating returned as judges.
The competition was split into several stages: auditions, super bootcamp, home visits and live shows. Auditions in front of the show's producers took place throughout February and March 2012. The successful audition contestants chosen by the producers were then invited back to the last set of auditions that took place in front of the judges and a live studio audience in May 2012. After the auditions was super bootcamp, where all four judges worked together and collectively chose 24 contestants, including six contestants from each of the four categories: Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups. Following super bootcamp was the home visits stage, where each of the judges reduced their six contestants to top three contestants, with help from guest mentors Alicia Keys, Kesha, One Direction and Usher. The live shows began on 17 September 2012.
The fourth season sparked controversy when contestant Josh Brookes was disqualified from The X Factor for behaving "in an inappropriate manner" on social media. He was later replaced by Carmelo Munzone. The grand final decider was watched by 1.92 million people, making it the highest rated television episode of the season.

## Judges

In 2012 it was confirmed that Mel B, Sebastian, Bassingthwaighte and Keating would return for the series.

## Selection process
### Auditions

Auditions in front of the show's producers began in February 2012 in seven cities: Hobart (Hotel Grand Chancellor, 18 February), Launceston (Hotel Grand Chancellor, 19 February), Albury (Albury Entertainment Centre, 22 February), Dubbo (RSL Club Resort, 24 February), Darwin (Crowne Plaza Hotel, 26 February), Cairns (Shangri-La Hotel, The Marina Cairns, 28 February), Brisbane (Suncorp Piazza, 3–4 March), Newcastle (Hunter Stadium, 7 March), Sydney (Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, 10–12 March), Perth (Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, 18 March), Adelaide (Adelaide Convention Centre, 20 March) and Melbourne (Flemington Racecourse, 24–26 March). Online auditions were also introduced into the season for the acts who missed out on auditioning in front of the producers. The successful audition contestants chosen by the producers were then invited back to the last set of auditions that took place in front of the judges and a live studio audience. These auditions were held in three cities: Melbourne (Hisense Arena, 3–5 May), Gold Coast (Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, 11–12 May) and Sydney (Sydney Entertainment Centre, 17–19 May).

### Super bootcamp

The super bootcamp stage of the competition saw all four judges working together, unlike in previous series where they disband to manage their own categories. It was filmed on 28, 29 and 30 May 2012. The first day saw the judges split the contestants into four categories: Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups. Each category was given a list of four songs which they had to choose from to perform for the judges. At the end of the day, a third of the contestants were sent home. On the second day, the remaining 74 contestants were put into ensembles and were each given a song which they had to learn and perform for the judges. Each ensemble received vocal coaching from Gary Pinto and choreography practice from Squared Division. At the end of day, the judges sent 28 acts home. On the third day, the remaining 46 contestants each individually performed one song to a live audience of one thousand. On the fourth day of super bootcamp, the judges narrowed down the contestants to 24. Five contestants from the Boys and six rejected contestants from the Girls categories were asked by the judges to form two groups, The Collective (boy band) and Black Ivory (girl band).
The 24 successful contestants were:
* Boys: Josh Brookes, Matt Cenere, Matt Gresham, Adil Memon, Carmelo Munzone, Jason Owen
* Girls: Bella Ferraro, Shiane Hawke, Bella Hunter, Morgan Sheather, Angel Tupai, Vendulka Wichta
* Over 25s: Danielle Blakey, Chris Cayzer, Samantha Jade, Justin Standley, Rob Vegas, Nathaniel Willemse
* Groups: Black Ivory, D&D, Fourtunate, Good Question, The Collective, What About Tonight

### Home visits

The final round of the selection process, the home visits, saw the top 24 contestants travel to exclusive locations around the world to find out which judge would become their mentor. The Boys, Girls and Over 25s travelled to New York City, while the Groups visited London. Each judge reduced their top six contestants to top three contestants, with help from celebrity guest mentors. The Boys were assigned to Mel B and mentored by Usher, the Girls were assigned to Natalie Bassingthwaighte and mentored by Kesha, the Over 25s were assigned to Guy Sebastian and mentored by Alicia Keys, and the Groups were assigned to Ronan Keating and mentored by One Direction. During the first day of home visits, each contestants was given a private mentoring session with their mentor, ahead of their solo performance in front of their mentor and guest mentor the next day. After, the judges along with their guest mentors, narrowed down the contestants to three each.
Summary of judges' houses :
| Judge | Category | Location | Assistant | Contestants eliminated |
| Mel B | Boys | New York City | Usher | Matt Cenere, Matt Gresham, Carmelo Munzone |
| Bassingthwaighte | Girls | New York City | Kesha | Bella Hunter, Morgan Sheather, Vendulka Wichta |
| Sebastian | Over 25s | New York City | Alicia Keys | Danielle Blakey, Chris Cayzer, Rob Vegas |
| Keating | Groups | London | One Direction | Black Ivory, D&D, Good Question |

## Contestants

Key:
    – Winner
    – Runner-Up
    – Ejected
| Contestant | Age(s) | Hometown | Category (mentor) | Result |
| Samantha Jade | 25 | Perth, Western Australia | Over 25s (Sebastian) | Winner |
| Jason Owen | 18 | Dubbo, New South Wales | Boys (Mel B) | Runner-Up |
| The Collective | 17–22 | Various | Groups (Keating) | 3rd Place |
| Bella Ferraro | 18 | Sydney, New South Wales | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 4th Place |
| Shiane Hawke | 14 | Darwin, Northern Territory | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 5th Place |
| Nathaniel Willemse | 27 | South Africa/Melbourne | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 6th Place |
| Fourtunate | 17–20 | Sydney, New South Wales | Groups (Keating) | 7th Place |
| Angel Tupai | 19 | Parramatta, New South Wales | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 8th Place |
| Carmelo Munzone | 23 | Sydney, New South Wales | Boys (Mel B) | 9th Place |
| Justin Standley | 41 | Bundaberg | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 10th Place |
| What About Tonight | 15–19 | Various | Groups (Keating) | 11th Place |
| Josh Brooks | 20 | Perth, Western Australia | Boys (Mel B) | 12th Place |
| Adil Memon | 18 | Ipswich, Queensland | Boys (Mel B) | 13th Place |

## Live shows
### Results summary
#### Colour key

Contestant in Boys  Contestant in Girls  Contestant in Over 25s  Contestant in Groups
    – Contestant in the bottom two and had to perform again in the final showdown
    – Contestant received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no final showdown)
    – Contestant was ejected from the competition without singing or facing the public vote
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 | Monday Vote | Tuesday Vote |
| | Samantha Jade | 11th | 4th | 5th | 1st | 7th | 1st | 5th | 2nd | 1st | 1st | Winner |
| | Jason Owen | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | Runner-Up |
| | The Collective | 1st | 1st | 1st | 5th | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | Eliminated (Final) |
| | Bella Ferraro | 4th | 2nd | 2nd | 6th | 3rd | 6th | 1st | 1st | 4th | Eliminated (Semi-Final) | Eliminated (Semi-Final) |
| | Shiane Hawke | 10th | 8th | 7th | 7th | 4th | 5th | 4th | 5th | Eliminated (Quarter-Final) | Eliminated (Quarter-Final) | Eliminated (Quarter-Final) |
| | Nathaniel Willemse | 8th | 10th | 8th | 2nd | 5th | 4th | 6th | Eliminated (Week 7) | Eliminated (Week 7) | Eliminated (Week 7) | Eliminated (Week 7) |
| | Fourtunate | 9th | 6th | 4th | 8th | 6th | 7th | Eliminated (Week 6) | Eliminated (Week 6) | Eliminated (Week 6) | Eliminated (Week 6) | Eliminated (Week 6) |
| | Angel Tupai | 2nd | 7th | 9th | 4th | 8th | Eliminated (Week 5) | Eliminated (Week 5) | Eliminated (Week 5) | Eliminated (Week 5) | Eliminated (Week 5) | Eliminated (Week 5) |
| | Carmelo Munzone | Eliminated (Home Visits) | 9th | 6th | 9th | Eliminated (Week 4) | Eliminated (Week 4) | Eliminated (Week 4) | Eliminated (Week 4) | Eliminated (Week 4) | Eliminated (Week 4) | Eliminated (Week 4) |
| | Justin Standley | 5th | 5th | 10th | Eliminated (Week 3) | Eliminated (Week 3) | Eliminated (Week 3) | Eliminated (Week 3) | Eliminated (Week 3) | Eliminated (Week 3) | Eliminated (Week 3) | Eliminated (Week 3) |
| | What About Tonight | 7th | 11th | 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) |
| | Josh Brookes | 6th | Ejected (Week 2) | Ejected (Week 2) | Ejected (Week 2) | Ejected (Week 2) | Ejected (Week 2) | Ejected (Week 2) | Ejected (Week 2) | Ejected (Week 2) | Ejected (Week 2) | Ejected (Week 2) |
| | Adil Memon | 12th | 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 | Adil, Jade | What About Tonight, Willemse | Standley, Tupai | Munzone, Fortunate | Tupai, Jade | Fourtunate, Ferraro | Jade, Willemse | The Collective, Hawke | Ferraro, The Collective | 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 | Eliminate | Eliminate | Eliminate | Eliminate | Eliminate | Eliminate | 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 |
| Keating's vote (Groups) | Keating's vote (Groups) | Memon | Willemse | Standley | Munzone | Tupai | Ferraro | Willemse | Hawke | The Collective | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins |
| Bassingthwaighte's vote (Girls) | Bassingthwaighte's vote (Girls) | Memon | What About Tonight | Standley | Munzone | Jade | Fourtunate | Jade | The Collective | Ferraro | 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 25s) | Sebastian's vote (Over 25s) | Memon | What About Tonight | Tupai | Munzone | Tupai | Fourtunate | Willemse | Hawke | The Collective | 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 (Boys) | Mel B's vote (Boys) | Jade | Willemse | Standley | Fourtunate | Jade | Fourtunate | Jade | Hawke | Ferraro | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins | No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who wins |
| Eliminated | Eliminated | Adil Memon 3 of 4 votes Majority | What About Tonight 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | Justin Standley 3 of 4 votes Majority | Carmelo Munzone 3 of 4 votes Majority | Angel Tupai 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | Fourtunate 3 of 4 votes Majority | Nathaniel Willemse 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | Shiane Hawke 3 of 4 votes Majority | Bella Ferraro 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | The Collective Public Vote To Save | Jason Owen Public Vote To Win |

#### Notes

* ^1 – Josh Brookes was ejected from the show due to rule violations. Carmelo Munzone replaced him on the second live show.
* ^2 – Sebastian was not present for this results show. As one of his contestant (Nathaniel Willemse) was in the bottom two, a in favour of Nathaniel was cast on Sebastian's behalf on the typical assumption that Sebastian would have voted in favour of Nathaniel Willemse.

### Live show details
#### Week 1 (17/18 September)

* Theme: Judges' Choice
* Celebrity performers: Ronan Keating ("Fires") and Guy Sebastian featuring Lupe Fiasco ("Battle Scars")
* Group performance: "Call Me Maybe"
Contestants' performances on the first live show :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
| What About Tonight | Groups (Keating) | 1 | "Glad You Came" | Safe |
| Josh Brookes | Boys (Mel B) | 2 | "Don't Wanna Go Home" | Safe |
| Angel Tupai | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 3 | "Happy" | Safe |
| Justin Standley | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 4 | "Father and Son" | Safe |
| Fourtunate | Groups (Keating) | 5 | "Payphone" | Safe |
| Jason Owen | Boys (Mel B) | 6 | "Heaven" | Safe |
| Adil Memon | Boys (Mel B) | 7 | "Fast Car" |
| Samantha Jade | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 8 | "Wide Awake" |
| The Collective | Groups (Keating) | 9 | "Domino" | Safe |
| Bella Ferraro | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 10 | "Brother" | Safe |
| Nathaniel Willemse | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 11 | "Love on Top" | Safe |
| Shiane Hawke | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 12 | "Crazy" | Safe |
| Final showdown details |||||
| Adil Memon | Boys (Mel B) | 1 | "Just the Way You Are" | Eliminated |
| Samantha Jade | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 2 | "Without You" | Safe |

##### Judges' vote to eliminate

* Sebastian: Adil Memon – backed his own contestant, Samantha Jade.
* Mel B: Samantha Jade – backed her own contestant, Adil Memon.
* Bassingthwaighte: Adil Memon – stated that Jade had improved more.
* Keating: Adil Memon – based on the final showdown, Jade had participated better.

##### Notes

* On 24 September 2012, the performances of one contestant entered the ARIA Singles Chart. The Collective's performance of "Domino" debuted at number 35.

#### Week 2 (25/26 September)

* Theme: Party All Night
* Celebrity performers: James Morrison ("I Won't Let You Go") and The Script ("Hall of Fame")
* Group performance: "R.I.P."/"How We Do (Party)" with Rita Ora
Contestants' performances on the second live show :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
| Angel Tupai | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 1 | "Young Hearts Run Free" | Safe |
| Jason Owen | Boys (Mel B) | 2 | "Dancing in the Moonlight" | Safe |
| Fourtunate | Groups (Keating) | 3 | "Blame It on the Boogie" | Safe |
| What About Tonight | Groups (Keating) | 4 | "Year 3000" | Bottom Two |
| Bella Ferraro | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 5 | "What Makes You Beautiful" | Safe |
| Nathaniel Willemse | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 6 | "Canned Heat" | Bottom Two |
| Justin Standley | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 7 | "Bohemian Rhapsody" | Safe |
| Carmelo Munzone | Boys (Mel B) | 8 | "Everlasting Love" | Safe |
| Samantha Jade | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 9 | "Freefallin" | Safe |
| Shiane Hawke | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 10 | "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" | Safe |
| The Collective | Groups (Keating) | 11 | "Footloose" | Safe |
| Final showdown details |||||
| What About Tonight | Groups (Keating) | 1 | "The Way You Make Me Feel" | Eliminated |
| Nathaniel Willemse | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 2 | "It Will Rain" | Safe |

##### Judges' vote to eliminate

* Sebastian: What About Tonight – despite his absence in the results show, an automatic vote was cast to save Nathaniel Willemse based on the usual assumption that he would have voted to save his own contestanr.
* Keating: Nathaniel Willemse – backed his own contestant, What About Tonight.
* Bassingthwaighte: What About Tonight – stated she was not voting strategically, meant she felt Williamse was better during the sing-off.
* Mel B: Nathaniel Williemse – could not decide who to save and sent the result to deadlock.
With the contestants in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. What About Tonight were eliminated as the contestant with the fewest public votes.

##### Notes

* This week's live shows aired on Tuesday and Wednesday nights due to the Seven Network's coverage of the 2012 Brownlow Medal.
* Sebastian was absent from the results show due to him traveling to New York to perform "Battle Scars" on the Late Show with David Letterman.
* On 30 September 2012, the performances of three contestants entered the ARIA Singles Chart. The Collective's performance of "Footloose" debuted at number 41, Bella Ferraro's performance of "What Makes You Beautiful" debuted at number 62, and What About Tonight's performance of "Year 3000" debuted at number 97.
* Josh Brookes was disqualified from the show and was replaced by Carmelo Munzone.

#### Week 3 (1/2 October)

* Theme: Top 10 Hits
* Celebrity performers: Lady Antebellum ("Need You Now") and Pink ("Try")
* Group performance: "Lolita"/"Untouched"/"4ever" with The Veronicas
Contestants' performances on the third live show :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
| Justin Standley | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 1 | "Some Nights" | Bottom Two |
| The Collective | Groups (Keating) | 2 | "You Got It (The Right Stuff)"/"Billie Jean" | Safe |
| Angel Tupai | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 3 | "Next to Me" | Bottom Two |
| Carmelo Munzone | Boys (Mel B) | 4 | "Whataya Want from Me" | Safe |
| Samantha Jade | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 5 | "Everytime" | Safe |
| Bella Ferraro | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 6 | "Big Yellow Taxi" | Safe |
| Jason Owen | Boys (Mel B) | 7 | "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" | Safe |
| Nathaniel Willemse | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 8 | "Try a Little Tenderness" | Safe |
| Shiane Hawke | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 9 | "Beautiful" | Safe |
| Fourtunate | Groups (Keating) | 10 | "Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)" | Safe |
| Final showdown details |||||
| Justin Standley | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 1 | "The Reason" | Eliminated |
| Angel Tupai | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 2 | "Open Arms" | Safe |

##### Judges' vote to eliminate

* Bassingthwaighte: Justin Standley – backed her own contestant, Angel Tupai.
* Mel B: Justin Standley – stated that Tupai could go further in the competition.
* Sebastian: Angel Tupai – backed his own contestant, Justin Standley.
* Keating: Justin Standley – stated that Tupai was his biggest threat in the competition but chose not to vote strategically, meant he felt Tupai did better in the sing-off.

##### Notes

* On 7 October 2012, the performances of two contestants entered the ARIA Singles Chart. The Collective's performance of "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" debuted at number 78, and Bella Ferraro's performance of "Big Yellow Taxi" debuted at number 84.
* When Justin Standley was announced in the bottom two, he became contestant from the Over 25s to land in the bottom two in three consecutive weeks, as the other two contestants from that category already fell in the bottom two in their respective weeks (Samantha Jade in Week 1 and Nathaniel Willemse in Week 2).

#### Week 4 (8/9 October)

* Theme: Legends
* Celebrity performers: Labrinth ("Earthquake") and Birdy ("Skinny Love")
* Group performance: "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)"/"What a Man"/"Land of a Thousand Dances" with Jessica Mauboy
Contestants' performances on the fourth live show :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Legend | Result |
| Carmelo Munzone | Boys (Mel B) | 1 | "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" | The Police | Bottom Two |
| Fourtunate | Groups (Keating) | 2 | "Easy Lover" | Phil Collins | Bottom Two |
| Shiane Hawke | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 3 | "Piece of My Heart" | Erma Franklin | Safe |
| Samantha Jade | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 4 | "Run to You" | Whitney Houston | Safe |
| Jason Owen | Boys (Mel B) | 5 | "Dancing in the Dark" | Bruce Springsteen | Safe |
| The Collective | Groups (Keating) | 6 | "A Hard Day's Night" | The Beatles | Safe |
| Bella Ferraro | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 7 | "Ray of Light" | Madonna | Safe |
| Nathaniel Willemse | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 8 | "The Scientist" | Coldplay | Safe |
| Angel Tupai | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 9 | "Dirty Diana" | Michael Jackson | Safe |
| Final showdown details ||||||
| Carmelo Munzone | Boys (Mel B) | 1 | "Feeling Good" | "Feeling Good" | Eliminated |
| Fourtunate | Groups (Keating) | 2 | "Without You" | "Without You" | Safe |

##### Judges' vote to eliminate

* Keating: Carmelo Munzone – backed his own contestant, Fourtunate.
* Bassingthwaighte: Carmelo Munzone – stated Fourtunate could improve more.
* Mel B: Fourtunate – backed her own contestant, Carmelo Munzone.
* Sebastian: Carmelo Munzone – based his decision on who he felt needed more work, meant Fourtunate did better during the live shows.

##### Notes

* Nathaniel Willemse's performance of "The Scientist" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 75 on 14 October 2012.

#### Week 5 (15/16 October)

* Theme: Songs from the 1980s
* Celebrity performers: Reece Mastin ("Rock Star") and Psy ("Gangnam Style")
* Group performance: "Do You Remember"/"So High"/"Down" with Jay Sean
Contestants' performances on the fifth live show :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
| Jason Owen | Boys (Mel B) | 1 | "I'm Still Standing" | Safe |
| Angel Tupai | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 2 | "I Want to Know What Love Is" | Bottom Two |
| Nathaniel Willemse | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 3 | "What's Love Got to Do with It" | Safe |
| Fourtunate | Groups (Keating) | 4 | "How Will I Know" | Safe |
| Bella Ferraro | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 5 | "99 Red Balloons" | Safe |
| Samantha Jade | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 6 | "You Can't Hurry Love" | Bottom Two |
| Shiane Hawke | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 7 | "True Colors" | Safe |
| The Collective | Groups (Keating) | 8 | "Like a Prayer" | Safe |
| Final showdown details |||||
| Angel Tupai | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 1 | "Family Portrait" | Eliminated |
| Samantha Jade | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 2 | "I Will Be" | Safe |

##### Judges' vote to eliminate

* Sebastian: Angel Tupai – backed his own contestant, Samantha Jade.
* Bassingthwaighte: Samantha Jade – backed her own contestant, Angel Tupai.
* Keating: Angel Tupai – based on the final showdown performance, he felt Jade did better during the sing-off.
* Mel B: Samantha Jade – based on the performances throughout the competition, she felt Tupai did better during the sing-off.
With the contestants in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Angel Tupai was eliminated as the contestant with the fewest public votes.

##### Notes

* On Monday night, viewers were able to vote for the judge they would have liked to see perform the "Gangnam Style" dance routine on Tuesday night. Mel B won the vote, therefore she joined Psy to perform the "Gangnam Style" routine.
* The Collective's performance of "Like a Prayer" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 65 on 21 October 2012.

#### Week 6 (22/23 October)

* Theme: Latest and Greatest
* Celebrity performers: Cher Lloyd ("Want U Back") and Matchbox Twenty ("She's So Mean")
* Group performance: "Part of Me"
Contestants' performances on the sixth live show :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
| Fourtunate | Groups (Keating) | 1 | "You Make Me Feel..." | Bottom Two |
| Jason Owen | Boys (Mel B) | 2 | "You Belong with Me" | Safe |
| Shiane Hawke | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 3 | "Hometown Glory" | Safe |
| Nathaniel Willemse | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 4 | "Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)" | Safe |
| The Collective | Groups (Keating) | 5 | "Lego House" | Safe |
| Bella Ferraro | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 6 | "Shake It Out" | Bottom Two |
| Samantha Jade | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 7 | "Scream" | Safe |
| Final showdown details |||||
| Fourtunate | Groups (Keating) | 1 | "Man in the Mirror" | Eliminated |
| Bella Ferraro | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 2 | "Tonight" | Safe |

##### Judges' vote to eliminate

* Sebastian: Fourtunate – said that Ferraro had more potential and wanted to see her improve.
* Bassingthwaighte: Fourtunate – backed her own contestant, Bella Ferraro.
* Keating: Bella Ferraro – backed his own contestant, Fourtunate.
* Mel B: Fourtunate – said Ferraro had more potential and wanted to see her journey throughout the competition.

##### Notes

* The Collective's performance of "Lego House" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 70 on 28 October 2012.

#### Week 7 (29/30 October)

* Theme: Made in Australia
* Celebrity performers: Little Mix ("Wings") and Ellie Goulding ("Anything Could Happen")
* Group performance: "Touch" with Silver Sneakerz
Contestants' performances on the seventh live show :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Australian artist | Result |
| Samantha Jade | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 1 | "UFO" | Sneaky Sound System | Bottom Two |
| Shiane Hawke | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 2 | "Shine" | Vanessa Amorosi | Safe |
| The Collective | Groups (Keating) | 3 | "Incredible" | Timomatic | Safe |
| Nathaniel Willemse | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 4 | "Red" | Daniel Merriweather | Bottom Two |
| Bella Ferraro | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 5 | "Sweet Disposition" | The Temper Trap | Safe |
| Jason Owen | Boys (Mel B) | 6 | "What's My Scene?" | Hoodoo Gurus | Safe |
| Final showdown details ||||||
| Samantha Jade | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 1 | "At Last" | "At Last" | Safe |
| Nathaniel Willemse | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 2 | "Sexual Healing" | "Sexual Healing" | Eliminated |

##### Judges' vote to eliminate

* Bassingthwaighte: Samantha Jade – stated that Willemse can improve more.
* Keating: Nathaniel Willemse – based on the final showdown performance, he felt Jade did better in the sing-off.
* Mel B: Samantha Jade – based on the final showdown performance; though stated that she was not impressed with either performance, however she felt Willemse did better in the sing-off.
* Sebastian: Nathaniel Willemse – could not save either of his own contestants and sent the result to deadlock.
With the contestants in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Nathaniel Willemse was eliminated as the contestant with the fewest public votes.

##### Notes

* On 4 November 2012, the performances of two finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Bella Ferraro's performance of "Sweet Disposition" debuted at number 59, and Nathaniel Willemse's performance of "Red" debuted at number 91.

#### Week 8: Quarter-Final (5/6 November)

* Theme: Judges' Challenge
* Celebrity performers: Johnny Ruffo ("Take It Home") and Kesha ("Die Young")
* Group performance: "Turn Up the Love"
Contestants' performances in the quarter-final :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Chosen by | Result |
| The Collective | Groups (Keating) | 1 | Bottom Two | "Beauty and a Beat" | Mel B |
| Shiane Hawke | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 2 | Bottom Two | "A Thousand Years" | Guy Sebastian |
| Samantha Jade | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 3 | "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" | Natalie Bassingthwaighte | Safe |
| Jason Owen | Boys (Mel B) | 4 | "If Tomorrow Never Comes" | Ronan Keating | Safe |
| Bella Ferraro | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 5 | "Dreams" | Mel B | Safe |
| Final showdown details ||||||
| The Collective | Groups (Keating) | 1 | "As Long as You Love Me" | "As Long as You Love Me" | Safe |
| Shiane Hawke | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 2 | "Wherever You Will Go" | "Wherever You Will Go" | Eliminated |

##### Judges' vote to eliminate

* Bassingthwaighte: The Collective – backed her own contestant, Shiane Hawke.
* Keating: Shiane Hawke – backed his own contestant, The Collective.
* Mel B: Shiane Hawke – stated that she wanted The Collective to improve.
* Sebastian: Shiane Hawke – stated that although Hawke had potential as an artist, The Collective could go further in the competition.

##### Notes

* On 11 November 2012, the performances of two finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Bella Ferraro's performance of "Dreams" debuted at number 82, and The Collective's performance of "Beauty and a Beat" debuted at number 94. Samantha Jade's performance of "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" debuted at number 96 on 18 November 2012.

#### Week 9: Semi-Final (12/13 November)

* Theme: Power and Passion
* Celebrity performers: Sam and the Womp ("Bom Bom") and Elton John vs. Pnau ("Sad" and "Good Morning to the Night")
Contestants' performances in the semi-final :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Result |
| Jason Owen | Boys (Mel B) | 1 | "Life Is a Highway" | 5 | "How Do I Live" | Safe |
| Samantha Jade | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 2 | "Heartless" | 6 | "Where Have You Been" | Safe |
| Bella Ferraro | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 3 | "Bulletproof" | 7 | "The Last Day on Earth" | Bottom Two |
| The Collective | Groups (Keating) | 4 | "Apologize" | 8 | "Yeah 3x" | Bottom Two |
| Final showdown details |||||||
| Bella Ferraro | Girls (Bassingthwaighte) | 1 | "Angel" | "Angel" | "Angel" | Eliminated |
| The Collective | Groups (Keating) | 2 | "Use Somebody" | "Use Somebody" | "Use Somebody" | Safe |

##### Judges' votes to send through to the grand final

* Keating: The Collective – backed his own contestant, The Collective.
* Bassingthwaighte: Bella Ferraro – backed her own contestant, Bella Ferraro.
* Mel B: Bella Ferraro – stated that Ferraro had improved more.
* Sebastian: The Collective – could not decide who to save and sent the result to deadlock.
With the contestants in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. The Collective advanced to the final as the act with the most public votes.

##### Notes

* For the first time this season, each contestant performed two songs.
* Also for the first time, the judges chose which contestant in the bottom two they wanted to see progress to the grand final.
* On 18 November 2012, the performances of three finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Samantha Jade's performances of "Heartless" and "Where Have You Been" debuted at numbers 12 and 51, respectively. The Collective's performance of "Apologize" debuted at number 47 and their performance of "Yeah 3x" debuted at number 72. Bella Ferraro's performance of "The Last Day On Earth" debuted at number 90.

#### Week 10: Final (19/20 November)
##### 19 November

* Celebrity performer: Guy Sebastian ("Get Along")
* Group performance: "On the Floor" (performed by all contestants except Josh Brooks and Adil Memon)
Contestants' performances on the Monday Final :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Audition song | Order | Winner's single | Order | Last shot song | Result |
| The Collective | Groups (Keating) | 1 | "We Found Love" | 4 | "Surrender" | 7 | "Brokenhearted" | Eliminated |
| Jason Owen | Boys (Mel B) | 2 | "Annie's Song" | 5 | "Make It Last" | 8 | "Lonely Boy" | Safe |
| Samantha Jade | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 3 | "Breakeven" | 6 | "What You've Done to Me" | 9 | "Take a Bow" | Safe |
The Collective received the fewest public votes and were automatically eliminated.

##### 20 November

* Celebrity performers: One Direction ("Little Things")
* Group performances:
** "I Can Only Imagine" (performed by top 3 contestants)
** "Good Time" with Owl City (performed with the contestants except Josh Brooks and Adil Memon)
** "End of the Road" with Boyz II Men (performed with top three contestants)
Contestants' performances on the Tuesday Final :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song of the series | Result |
| Samantha Jade | Over 25s (Sebastian) | 1 | "Scream" | Winner |
| Jason Owen | Boys (Mel B) | 2 | "Dancing in the Dark" | Runner-Up |

##### Notes

* For the first time this season there was no theme.

## Charity single

The top 12 contestants recorded a cover of Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" as a charity single in aid of Sony Foundation's You Can program which aims "to build specialised and age-appropriate youth cancer centres across Australia." The single was made available for download via the iTunes Store on 18 September 2012, after all tip twelve contestants performed the song on the first live results show that same day. It is the first time on X Factor Australia that the top twelve contestants have released a charity single.

## Winner's single

On 16 November 2012, the Herald Sun reported that the winner's singles for the top three finalists, Samantha Jade, The Collective and Jason Owen, were written by Australian songwriting and production duo DNA Songs. Jade's single was "What You've Done to Me", The Collective's single was "Surrender", and Owen's single was "Make It Last". Each finalist performed their song during the grand final performance show on 19 November. After Jade was announced as the winner, "What You've Done to Me" was released. It entered the ARIA Singles Chart at number one on 26 November. Two days after The X Factor ended, it was announced that The Collective and Owen both signed recording contracts with Sony Music Australia and would release "Surrender" and "Make It Last" as their debut singles.

## The X Factor: One Direction to Superstardom

The X Factor: One Direction to Superstardom was a television special that aired on the Seven Network on 27 September 2012. The special followed the rise of One Direction, from their journey during the seventh series of The X Factor UK to becoming global superstars of today. It also featured One Direction's interview with X Factor Australia host Luke Jacobz. Aside from One Direction, the special included success stories of X Factor UK series 3 winner Leona Lewis, X Factor Australia season three winner Reece Mastin and finalist Johnny Ruffo, as well as the judges' opinions about the show and its "capacity to create global singing sensations." One Direction to Superstardom was watched by 691,000 viewers and was ranked fifteenth overall for the night.

## Reception
### Contestants

On 20 September 2012, the Seven Network issued a statement saying that contestant Josh Brookes was disqualified from The X Factor because he "behaved in an inappropriate manner" on social media. A Twitcam video that was later uploaded to YouTube displays Brookes and contestant Adil Memon asking teenage girls for "sneaky banana pics", a phrase used by teenagers that means naked images. The Seven Network stated, "After a careful review of the incident, FremantleMedia Australia, producers of the program, together with Channel Seven, made a joint decision to remove him from the competition". During the second live performance show on 25 September, Mel B announced that Carmelo Munzone, who was eliminated during the "home visits" stage, was Brookes' replacement in the show.

### Ratings

The premiere episode of The X Factor, which was broadcast on 20 August 2012, topped the night's overall ratings with 1,598,000 viewers. The next five episodes of auditions also ranked first on their respective nights. The first live performance show on 17 September 2012 gained 1,588,000 viewers and topped the night's overall ratings. The announcement of the winner during the grand final decider show on 20 November 2012 was watched by 1,921,000 viewers, making it the highest rated episode of the fourth season.

#### Colour key

    – Highest rating during the season
    – Lowest rating during the season
| Episode | Episode | Original airdate | Timeslot | Viewers (millions) | Nightly rank |
| 1 | Auditions | 20 August 2012 | Monday 7:30 pm–9:00 pm | 1.598 | #1 |
| 2 | Auditions | 21 August 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.526 | #1 |
| 3 | Auditions | 22 August 2012 | Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.478 | #1 |
| 4 | Auditions | 27 August 2012 | Monday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.385 | #1 |
| 5 | Auditions | 28 August 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.578 | #1 |
| 6 | Auditions | 29 August 2012 | Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.435 | #1 |
| 7 | Super Bootcamp | 3 September 2012 | Monday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.469 | #1 |
| 8 | Super Bootcamp | 4 September 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.573 | #1 |
| 9 | Super Bootcamp | 5 September 2012 | Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.542 | #1 |
| 10 | Home Visits | 10 September 2012 | Monday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.384 | #1 |
| 11 | Home Visits | 11 September 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.662 | #1 |
| 12 | Home Visits | 12 September 2012 | Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.502 | #1 |
| 13 | Live show 1 | 17 September 2012 | Monday 7:30 pm–9:30 pm | 1.588 | #1 |
| 14 | Live decider 1 | 18 September 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.562 | #1 |
| 15 | Live show 2 | 25 September 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–9:30 pm | 1.643 | #1 |
| 16 | Live decider 2 | 26 September 2012 | Wednesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.415 | #1 |
| 17 | One Direction to Superstardom | 27 September 2012 | Thursday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 0.691 | #15 |
| 18 | Live show 3 | 1 October 2012 | Monday 7:30 pm–9:30 pm | 1.432 | #1 |
| 19 | Live decider 3 | 2 October 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.471 | #1 |
| 20 | Live show 4 | 8 October 2012 | Monday 7:30 pm–9:30 pm | 1.422 | #1 |
| 21 | Live decider 4 | 9 October 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.488 | #1 |
| 22 | Live show 5 | 15 October 2012 | Monday 7:30 pm–9:00 pm | 1.485 | #1 |
| 23 | Live decider 5 | 16 October 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.665 | #1 |
| 24 | Live show 6 | 22 October 2012 | Monday 7:30 pm–9:00 pm | 1.462 | #1 |
| 25 | Live decider 6 | 23 October 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.441 | #1 |
| 26 | Live show 7 | 29 October 2012 | Monday 7:30 pm–9:00 pm | 1.417 | #1 |
| 27 | Live decider 7 | 30 October 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.430 | #1 |
| 28 | Live show 8 | 5 November 2012 | Monday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.301 | #1 |
| 29 | Live decider 8 | 6 November 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–8:30 pm | 1.537 | #4 |
| 30 | Live show 9 | 12 November 2012 | Monday 7:30 pm–9:00 pm | 1.536 | #1 |
| 31 | Live decider 9 | 13 November 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–8:45 pm | 1.498 | #1 |
| 32 | Live Grand Final show | 19 November 2012 | Monday 7:30 pm–9:30 pm | 1.667 | #1 |
| 33 | Live Grand Final decider | 20 November 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–9:30 pm | 1.881 | #2 |
| 33 | Winner Announced | 20 November 2012 | Tuesday 7:30 pm–9:30 pm | 1.921 | #1 |