# The X Factor (British TV series) series 6

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The sixth series started on ITV on 22 August 2009 and was won by Joe McElderry on 13 December 2009. Cheryl Cole emerged as the winning mentor for the second consecutive year, the first time in the show's history that a mentor has won back-to-back series. The show was presented by Dermot O'Leary, with spin-off show The Xtra Factor presented by Holly Willoughby on ITV2. McElderry's winner's single was a cover version of Miley Cyrus's "The Climb". Public auditions by aspiring singers began in June 2009 and were held in five cities across the UK. Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Dannii Minogue and Cole returned as judges. This season was the first to be sponsored by TalkTalk after they took over the sponsorship from The Carphone Warehouse. For the first time, auditions were held in front of a live audience. Following initial auditions, the "bootcamp" stage took place in August 2009, where the number of contestants was narrowed down to 24. The 24 contestants were split into their categories, Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups, and given a judge to mentor them at the "judges' houses" stage and throughout the live shows.
During "judges' houses", the 24 contestants were reduced to twelve, with one contestants being eliminated each week by a combination of public vote and judges' decision until a winner was found. The live shows started on 10 October 2009. The contestants performed every Saturday night with the results announced on Sundays. This was change of format from previous series in which the results were announced later on the Saturday evening. This series was sponsored by TalkTalk.

## Judges, Presenters and Other Personnel

During series 5, it was rumoured that Dannii Minogue would not return as a judge for series 6. Spice Girls singer Victoria Beckham was reported as a replacement for Minogue. In June 2009, however, it was confirmed that Minogue, Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh would all return as judges for series 6. Walsh missed the first results show due to Boyzone member Stephen Gateley's sudden death and missed the second week due to attending Gateley's funeral.
Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main show on ITV, while Holly Willoughby returned as presenter on The Xtra Factor on ITV2. Brian Friedman returned to the show as creative director and Yvie Burnett returned as vocal coach.

## Selection process
### Auditions

Auditions were held during June and July 2009 across five cities: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Glasgow. In a change to previous series, auditions were held in front of a live audience due to the success of a similar system on Britain's Got Talent. However, Glaswegian auditionees had already been judged using the old format, meaning that they had to apply again, as their initial audition was void.
Summary of judges' auditions :
| City | Date(s) | Venue |
| London | 22–25 June 2009 | ExCeL Centre |
| Birmingham | 29–30 June 2009 | ICC |
| Manchester | 3–5 July 2009 | Manchester Central |
| Cardiff | 9 July 2009 | International Arena |
| Glasgow | 12 July 2009 | Braehead Arena |

### Bootcamp

As with the auditions, the "Bootcamp" selection stage was filmed in front of a live audience. Filming took place on 1 August at the Hammersmith Apollo. Approximately 200 contestants attended bootcamp. They were initially split into groups of three, and judges gave instant decisions on who would leave based on the group performances, bringing the number of contestants down to 100. The judges then cut the number of contestants down to 50. Following a further set of auditions, the number of contestants was narrowed to top 24 contestants. Originally, the group Trucolorz were chosen by the judges for the top 24 but were disqualified due to one of the group's members being too young for the show, and they were replaced by Harmony Hood.
The contestants were then split into the usual four categories before the judges discovered which category they would mentor for the rest of the competition. The Boys (16–24) were mentored by Cole, Minogue had the Girls (16–24), Cowell mentored the Over 25s, and Walsh took charge of the Groups.

### Judges' houses

Each judge had help from a guest judge during the "Judges' houses" stage. Will Young assisted Cole in Marrakech, Morocco, Minogue had help from her sister Kylie Minogue in Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai, Boyzone singer Ronan Keating helped Walsh near Lake Como in Italy, and Cowell had help from Sinitta in Los Angeles. At Judges' Houses, each act sang for their respective judge, and each judge and their guest sent home three contestants, leaving the top 12 contestants to perform in the live shows.

#### Judges Houses Performances

* Contestant in bold advanced
Boys:
* Joe: "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"
* Lloyd: "I'm Yours"
* Daniel F: "Without You"
* Ethan: "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
* Duane: "Closer"
* Rikki: "You've Got a Friend"
Groups:
* Project A: "What's Up?"
* Kandy Rain: "Paparazzi"
* De-Tour: "Tiny Dancer"
* Harmony Hood: "Never Can Say Goodbye"
* Miss Frank: "Respect"
* John & Edward: "I Want It That Way"
Over 25s:
* Olly: "A Song for You"
* Treyc: "All the Man That I Need"
* Daniel P: "Praying for Time"
* Nicole L: "Up to the Mountain"
* Danyl: "Fallin'"
* Jamie: "Stop Crying Your Heart Out"
Girls:
* Stacey S:"Over the Rainbow"
* Stacey M:"Sometimes"
* Rachel:"Nobody Knows"
* Despina:"The Voice Within"
* Lucie:"Anything for You"
* Nicole J: "Lately"
Summary of judges' houses :
| Judge | Category | Location | Assistant | Contestants Eliminated |
| Cole | Boys | Marrakech | Will Young | Ethan Boroian, Daniel Fox, Duane Lamonte |
| Cowell | Over 25s | Los Angeles | Sinitta | Treyc Cohen, Nicole Lawrence, Daniel Pearce |
| Minogue | Girls | Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai | Kylie Minogue | Nicole Jackson, Stacey McClean, Despina Pilavakis |
| Walsh | Groups | Lake Como, Italy | Ronan Keating | De-Tour, Harmony Hood, Project A |

## Contestants

Key:
    – Winner
    – Runner-Up
| Contestant | Age(s) | Hometown | Category (mentor) | Result |
| Joe McElderry | 18 | South Shields | Boys (Cole) | Winner |
| Olly Murs | 25 | Witham | Over 25s (Cowell) | Runner-Up |
| Stacey Solomon | 20 | Dagenham | Girls (Minogue) | 3rd Place |
| Danyl Johnson | 27 | Arborfield | Over 25s (Cowell) | 4th Place |
| Lloyd Daniels | 16 | Treharris | Boys (Cole) | 5th Place |
| John & Edward | 18 | Dublin, Ireland | Groups (Walsh) | 6th Place |
| Jamie Archer | 34 | Putney | Over 25s (Cowell) | 7th Place |
| Lucie Jones | 18 | Pentyrch | Girls (Minogue) | 8th Place |
| Rachel Adedeji | 18 | East London | Girls (Minogue) | 9th Place |
| Miss Frank | 21–25 | Various | Groups (Walsh) | 10th Place |
| Rikki Loney | 22 | Glasgow | Boys (Cole) | 11th Place |
| Kandy Rain | 22–25 | Various | Groups (Walsh) | 12th Place |

## Live shows

The live shows began on 10 October 2009, and continued through to the finale on 12 December 2009. Starting with this series, the results shows were on Sunday nights instead of Saturdays as they were for the first five series. In another change to the format of previous years, the remaining contestants performed a song as a group at the start of each results show. As previously, each week had a different song theme. Beginning with week 8 of the live shows, with five contestants remaining, each contestant would sing two songs. Up to week 8, the two acts with the fewest public votes were in the bottom two and would sing again in the "final showdown". The songs they performed in the bottom two were of their own choice and did not necessarily follow that week's theme. The four judges then each chose one act from the bottom two that they wanted to be eliminated from the show. If each contestant received an equal number of judges' votes, the vote went to deadlock and the contestant with the fewest public votes was eliminated. From week 8 onwards, there was no bottom two and the contestant with the fewest votes was eliminated.

### Musical guests

During each results show, either one or two guest artists would perform. Series 5 winner Alexandra Burke and Robbie Williams performed on the first live results show, with Whitney Houston and judge Cole on the second. Michael Bublé and Westlife appeared on the third week, and Bon Jovi and JLS performed in week 4. Leona Lewis and The Black Eyed Peas performed for week 5, while week 6 featured a performance from Shakira. Susan Boyle appeared on the show for week 7 along with Mariah Carey. Rihanna and Alicia Keys performed in week 8 with Janet Jackson and Lady Gaga appearing in week 9. Guests in the final were Robbie Williams, Michael Bublé and George Michael (Saturday show) and Burke, JLS, Lewis, George Michael and Paul McCartney (Sunday show). In some weeks, the guest performers also mentored the acts in the run-up to that week's live show.
The choice of musical guests on The X Factor live shows had a significant impact on the UK Singles Chart. Of the seven singles that made number one from 18 October to 19 December, six of them had done so after having been performed on an X Factor live show the previous weekend. They were, in order: "Bad Boys" by Alexandra Burke, "Fight for This Love" by Cole, "Everybody in Love" by JLS, "Meet Me Halfway" by the Black Eyed Peas, "You Are Not Alone" by the finalists and "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga. This impact was noted by several commentators. After "Bad Romance" became the sixth song to reach Number One off the back of a performance on The X Factor, James Masterton of Yahoo! Music called the show "a guarantor of Number One hits". Gennaro Castaldo of HMV remarked: "In an age when there are very few truly mass-audience platforms left, the X Factor has become pivotal for those labels and artists seeking to reach a family-based audience." Paul Williams, editor of Music Week, explained: "The impact of the programme's incredible numbers on music sales is all too evident, with the top end of the singles and albums charts week after week since the current season began heavily dominated by whoever has been on the show."

### Results summary
#### Colour key

Contestant in Boys
Contestant in Girls
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 act :
| 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 | Saturday Vote | Sunday Vote |
| | Joe McElderry | 3rd 12.7% | 4th 13.3% | 2nd 12.9% | 3rd 10.2% | 2nd 17.2% | 2nd 16.0% | 1st 34.2% | 1st 37.1% | 1st 42.2% | 1st 52.2% | Winner 61.3% |
| | Olly Murs | 7th 6.2% | 5th 10.6% | 7th 8.6% | 2nd 13.4% | 3rd 12.9% | 5th 10.3% | 6th 9.8% | 3rd 18.7% | 2nd 19.6% | 2nd 27.7% | Runner-Up 38.7% |
| | Stacey Solomon | 2nd 12.9% | 1st 15.4% | 5th 10.7% | 5th 8.1% | 5th 10.8% | 1st 25.5% | 2nd 17.7% | 2nd 20.1% | 3rd 19.4% | 3rd 20.1% | Eliminated (final) |
| | Danyl Johnson | 1st 27.1% | 7th 6.5% | 9th 7.6% | 1st 36.2% | 1st 19.6% | 3rd 15.5% | 3rd 15.5% | 4th 12.5% | 4th 18.8% | Eliminated (semi-final) | Eliminated (semi-final) |
| | Lloyd Daniels | 6th 6.4% | 2nd 15.0% | 8th 8.0% | 8th 5.5% | 4th 12.0% | 6th 9.7% | 4th 12.1% | 5th 11.6% | Eliminated (quarter-final) | Eliminated (quarter-final) | Eliminated (quarter-final) |
| | Jedward | 8th 4.5% | 8th 5.6% | 6th 9.2% | 6th 6.6% | 7th 9.2% | 4th 14.6% | 5th 10.7% | Eliminated (week 7) | Eliminated (week 7) | Eliminated (week 7) | Eliminated (week 7) |
| | Jamie Archer | 5th 8.9% | 3rd 14.4% | 4th 11.2% | 4th 8.7% | 6th 9.5% | 7th 8.4% | Eliminated (week 6) | Eliminated (week 6) | Eliminated (week 6) | Eliminated (week 6) | Eliminated (week 6) |
| | Lucie Jones | 4th 10.5% | 6th 8.1% | 3rd 11.3% | 7th 6.4% | 8th 8.8% | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) | Eliminated (week 5) |
| | Rachel Adedeji | 11th 2.3% | 10th 3.7% | 1st 15.4% | 9th 4.9% | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) | Eliminated (week 4) |
| | Miss Frank | 9th 4.0% | 9th 3.9% | 10th 5.1% | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) | Eliminated (week 3) |
| | Rikki Loney | 10th 3.0% | 11th 3.5% | 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) |
| | Kandy Rain | 12th 1.5% | 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 | Adedeji, Kandy Rain | Adedeji, Loney | Johnson, Miss Frank | Adedeji, Daniels | John & Edward, Jones | Archer, Daniels | John & Edward, Murs | 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 (Groups) | Walsh's vote to eliminate (Groups) | Adedeji | — | Johnson | Daniels | Jones | Archer | Murs | 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 |
| Minogue's vote to eliminate (Girls) | Minogue's vote to eliminate (Girls) | Kandy Rain | Loney | Miss Frank | Daniels | John & Edward | Daniels | John & Edward | 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 |
| Cole's vote to eliminate (Boys) | Cole's vote to eliminate (Boys) | Kandy Rain | Adedeji | Johnson | Adedeji | John & Edward | Archer | John & Edward | 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 (Over 25s) | Cowell's vote to eliminate (Over 25s) | Adedeji | Loney | Miss Frank | Adedeji | Jones | Daniels | John & Edward | 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 | Kandy Rain 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | Rikki Loney 2 of 3 votes Majority | Miss Frank 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | Rachel Adedeji 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | Lucie Jones 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | Jamie Archer 2 of 4 votes Deadlock | John & Edward 3 of 4 votes Majority | Lloyd Daniels 11.6% to save | Danyl Johnson 18.8% to save | Stacey Solomon 20.1% to save | Olly Murs 38.7% to win |
| Reference(s) | Reference(s) | | | | | | | | | | | |
* ^1 On behalf of Walsh's absence, an automatic vote was cast in favour of Kandy Rain, based on the usual assumption that he would vote to save his contestant who he mentored, Kandy Rain if he were present which typically occurs when a judge has their own act who they mentor in the final showdown.
* ^2 Walsh did not vote due to his absence, but confirmed on the following The Xtra Factor via phone call that he would have voted to save Rachel Adedeji.

### Live show details
#### Week 1 (10/11 October)

* Theme: Musical heroes
* Guest mentor: Robbie Williams
* Group performance: "I Gotta Feeling"
* Musical guests: Alexandra Burke featuring Flo Rida ("Bad Boys") and Robbie Williams ("Bodies")
* Best bits song: "Emotion"
Contestants' performances on the first live show :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Musical Hero | Result |
| Rachel Adedeji | Girls (Minogue) | 1 | "Let Me Entertain You" | Robbie Williams | Bottom Two |
| Kandy Rain | Groups (Walsh) | 2 | "Addicted to Love" | Tina Turner | Bottom Two |
| Olly Murs | Over 25s (Cowell) | 3 | "She's the One" | Robbie Williams | Safe |
| Rikki Loney | Boys (Cole) | 4 | "Back to Black" | Amy Winehouse | Safe |
| Stacey Solomon | Girls (Minogue) | 5 | "The Scientist" | Coldplay | Safe |
| Miss Frank | Groups (Walsh) | 6 | "Who's Lovin' You" | The Jackson 5 | Safe |
| Jamie Archer | Over 25s (Cowell) | 7 | "Get It On" | T. Rex | Safe |
| Lloyd Daniels | Boys (Cole) | 8 | "Cry Me a River" | Justin Timberlake | Safe |
| Lucie Jones | Girls (Minogue) | 9 | "Footprints in the Sand" | Leona Lewis | Safe |
| John & Edward | Groups (Walsh) | 10 | "Rock DJ" | Robbie Williams | Safe |
| Joe McElderry | Boys (Cole) | 11 | "No Regrets" | Robbie Williams | Safe |
| Danyl Johnson | Over 25s (Cowell) | 12 | "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" | Jennifer Hudson | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Final showdown details ||||||
| Rachel Adedeji | Girls (Minogue) | 1 | "Nobody Knows" | "Nobody Knows" | Saved |
| Kandy Rain | Groups (Walsh) | 2 | "Fighter" | "Fighter" | Eliminated |
Walsh was absent from the Sunday night results show due to the sudden death of Boyzone singer and close friend Stephen Gately, whom he managed. Due to this, the show did not take its usual format; there were no lights and neither O'Leary nor the three other judges made an entrance. Instead, the show commenced with O'Leary already on stage and the judges already sitting at their desk. Both O'Leary and Cowell addressed the viewers and audience regarding Gately's death and Walsh's absence. Following this, the show went on as normal with Minogue, Cowell and Cole present as judges.

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Walsh: Rachel Adedeji – despite his absence, an automatic vote was cast to save Kandy Rain based on the usual assumption that he would have voted to save his own contestant.
* Minogue: Kandy Rain – backed her own contestant, Rachel Adedeji.
* Cole: Kandy Rain – gave no reason.
* Cowell: Rachel Adedeji – said that Kandy Rain had not been given a "fair crack" in the competition and was interested in seeing them for a second week.
With the contestants in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Kandy Rain were eliminated as the contestants with the fewest public votes.

#### Week 2 (17/18 October)

* Theme: Divas
* Guest mentors: Whitney Houston and Clive Davis
* Group performance: "Queen of the Night"
* Musical guests: Cheryl Cole ("Fight for This Love") and Whitney Houston ("Million Dollar Bill")
* Best bits song: "Chasing Cars"
Walsh was absent from both shows this weekend, again due to Stephen Gately's death. The funeral took place on 17 October and Walsh paid his respects. This statement was released: "Due to recent tragic events, Louis Walsh will not be appearing on either the Saturday or Sunday live The X Factor shows this weekend as he is attending Stephen Gately's funeral. Louis has been in close contact with his contestants throughout the week, although his opinions will not be represented in the show this weekend."
Contestants' performances on the second live show :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Diva | Result |
| Lucie Jones | Girls (Minogue) | 1 | "How Will I Know" | Whitney Houston | Safe |
| Olly Murs | Over 25s (Cowell) | 2 | "A Fool in Love" | Tina Turner | Safe |
| Miss Frank | Groups (Walsh) | 3 | "All the Man That I Need" | Whitney Houston | Safe |
| Rachel Adedeji | Girls (Minogue) | 4 | "If I Were a Boy" | Beyoncé | Bottom Two |
| Joe McElderry | Boys (Cole) | 5 | "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" | Whitney Houston | Safe |
| Danyl Johnson | Over 25s (Cowell) | 6 | "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" | Whitney Houston | Safe |
| Lloyd Daniels | Boys (Cole) | 7 | "Bleeding Love" | Leona Lewis | Safe |
| John & Edward | Groups (Walsh) | 8 | "Oops!... I Did It Again" | Britney Spears | Safe |
| Rikki Loney | Boys (Cole) | 9 | "Respect" | Aretha Franklin | Bottom Two |
| Jamie Archer | Over 25s (Cowell) | 10 | "Hurt" | Christina Aguilera | Safe |
| Stacey Solomon | Girls (Minogue) | 11 | "At Last" | Etta James | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Final showdown details ||||||
| Rachel Adedeji | Girls (Minogue) | 1 | "With or Without You" | "With or Without You" | Saved |
| Rikki Loney | Boys (Cole) | 2 | "Flying Without Wings" | "Flying Without Wings" | Eliminated |
For the first time in the show's history, a contestant sang a cover version of a new song that had not yet even been sung live by the original recording artist. Cowell's decision for Danyl Johnson to sing "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" garnered a disapproving reception from Houston, with Cowell saying that Johnson "didn't exactly get rave reviews [from Houston and Davis] in that room [for the masterclass]."

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Minogue: Rikki Loney – gave no reason but effectively backed her own contestant, Rachel Adedeji.
* Cole: Rachel Adedeji – backed her own contestant, Rikki Loney.
* Cowell: Rikki Loney – based his choice on their last performances.
* Walsh was not present for the results show, but according to a phone call on The Xtra Factor, he would have voted to save Adedeji.

#### Week 3 (24/25 October)

* Theme: Big band
* Guest mentor: Michael Bublé
* Group performance: "Fascination"
* Musical guests: Westlife ("What About Now") and Michael Bublé ("Cry Me a River")
* Best bits song: "Chasing Pavements"
Contestants' performances on the third live show :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Big Band Artist | Result |
| Olly Murs | Over 25s (Cowell) | 1 | "Bewitched" | Peggy Lee | Safe |
| Lloyd Daniels | Boys (Cole) | 2 | "Fly Me to the Moon" | Frank Sinatra | Safe |
| Miss Frank | Groups (Walsh) | 3 | "That's Life" | Marion Montgomery | Bottom Two |
| Rachel Adedeji | Girls (Minogue) | 4 | "Proud Mary" | Tina Turner | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Jamie Archer | Over 25s (Cowell) | 5 | "Angel of Harlem" | U2 | Safe |
| Stacey Solomon | Girls (Minogue) | 6 | "When You Wish upon a Star" | Cliff Edwards | Safe |
| Danyl Johnson | Over 25s (Cowell) | 7 | "Feeling Good" | Nina Simone | Bottom Two |
| Joe McElderry | Boys (Cole) | 8 | "Sway" | Dean Martin | Safe |
| Lucie Jones | Girls (Minogue) | 9 | "My Funny Valentine" | Mitzi Green | Safe |
| John & Edward | Groups (Walsh) | 10 | "She Bangs" | Ricky Martin | Safe |
| Final showdown details ||||||
| Miss Frank | Groups (Walsh) | 1 | "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" | "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" | Eliminated |
| Danyl Johnson | Over 25s (Cowell) | 2 | "With a Little Help from My Friends" | "With a Little Help from My Friends" | Saved |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Walsh: Danyl Johnson – backed his own contestant, Miss Frank.
* Cowell: Miss Frank – backed his own contestant, Danyl Johnson.
* Minogue: Miss Frank – based on the final showdown performance.
* Cole: Danyl Johnson – felt confused by the public vote 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. Miss Frank were eliminated as the contestant with the fewest public votes.

#### Week 4 (31 October/1 November)

* Theme: Rock
* Group performance: "Walk This Way"
* Musical guests: Bon Jovi ("We Weren't Born to Follow") and JLS ("Everybody in Love")
* Best bits song: "Take a Bow"
Contestants' performances on the fourth live show :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Rock Artist | Result |
| Joe McElderry | Boys (Cole) | 1 | "Don't Stop Believin'" | Journey | Safe |
| Lucie Jones | Girls (Minogue) | 2 | "Sweet Child o' Mine" | Guns N' Roses | Safe |
| Danyl Johnson | Over 25s (Cowell) | 3 | "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" | Aerosmith | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Lloyd Daniels | Boys (Cole) | 4 | "I Kissed a Girl" | Katy Perry | Bottom Two |
| Stacey Solomon | Girls (Minogue) | 5 | "Somewhere Only We Know" | Keane | Safe |
| Jamie Archer | Over 25s (Cowell) | 6 | "Rocks" | Primal Scream | Safe |
| Rachel Adedeji | Girls (Minogue) | 7 | "One" | U2 | Bottom Two |
| John & Edward | Groups (Walsh) | 8 | "We Will Rock You" | Queen | Safe |
| Olly Murs | Over 25s (Cowell) | 9 | "Come Together" | The Beatles | Safe |
| Final showdown details ||||||
| Rachel Adedeji | Girls (Minogue) | 1 | "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" | "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" | Eliminated |
| Lloyd Daniels | Boys (Cole) | 2 | "You Are So Beautiful" | "You Are So Beautiful" | Saved |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Minogue: Lloyd Daniels – backed her own contestant, Rachel Adedeji.
* Walsh: Lloyd Daniels – called Adedeji an "amazing singer".
* Cole: Rachel Adedeji – backed her own contestant, Lloyd Daniels.
* Cowell: Rachel Adedeji – could not decide so chose to take the vote to deadlock; said Adedeji sang better than Daniels, but took Daniels' sore throat into account and thought the public were not accepting Adedeji after her third time in the showdown in four weeks.
With the contestants in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Adedeji was eliminated as the contestant with the fewest public votes.

#### Week 5 (7/8 November)

* Theme: Songs from films
* Group performance: "Hot n Cold"
* Musical guests: The Black Eyed Peas ("Meet Me Halfway") and Leona Lewis ("Happy")
* Best bits song: "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman"
Contestants' performances on the fifth live show :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Film | Result |
| Stacey Solomon | Girls (Minogue) | 1 | "Son of a Preacher Man" | Pulp Fiction | Safe |
| Olly Murs | Over 25s (Cowell) | 2 | "Twist and Shout" | Ferris Bueller's Day Off | Safe |
| Lloyd Daniels | Boys (Cole) | 3 | "Stand by Me"/"Beautiful Girls" | Stand by Me | Safe |
| Jamie Archer | Over 25s (Cowell) | 4 | "Crying" | Gummo | Safe |
| Lucie Jones | Girls (Minogue) | 5 | "This Is Me" | Camp Rock | Bottom Two |
| Danyl Johnson | Over 25s (Cowell) | 6 | "Purple Rain" | Purple Rain | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| John & Edward | Groups (Walsh) | 7 | "Ghostbusters" | Ghostbusters | Bottom Two |
| Joe McElderry | Boys (Cole) | 8 | "Circle of Life" | The Lion King | Safe |
| Final showdown details ||||||
| Lucie Jones | Girls (Minogue) | 1 | "One Moment in Time" | "One Moment in Time" | Eliminated |
| John & Edward | Groups (Walsh) | 2 | "Rock DJ" | "Rock DJ" | Saved |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Walsh: Lucie Jones – backed his own contestant, John & Edward.
* Minogue: John & Edward – gave no reason but effectively backed her own contestant, Lucie Jones.
* Cole: John & Edward – gave no reason.
* Cowell: Lucie Jones – stated that although neither contestant could win, he was more interested in seeing John and Edward again and that there was "a ceiling" for Jones.
With the contestants in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Jones was eliminated as the contestant with the fewest public votes.

#### Week 6 (14/15 November)

* Theme: Songs by Queen
* Guest mentors: Brian May and Roger Taylor
* Group performances: "Bohemian Rhapsody" (performed with Brian May and Roger Taylor) and "You Are Not Alone" (top 12 contestants)
* Musical guest: Shakira ("Did It Again")
* Best bits song: "One"
Contestants' performances on the sixth live show :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
| Jamie Archer | Over 25s (Cowell) | 1 | "Radio Ga Ga" | Bottom Two |
| Lloyd Daniels | Boys (Cole) | 2 | "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" | Bottom Two |
| Olly Murs | Over 25s (Cowell) | 3 | "Don't Stop Me Now" | Safe |
| Joe McElderry | Boys (Cole) | 4 | "Somebody to Love" | Safe |
| John & Edward | Groups (Walsh) | 5 | "Under Pressure"/"Ice Ice Baby" | Safe |
| Stacey Solomon | Girls (Minogue) | 6 | "Who Wants to Live Forever" | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Danyl Johnson | Over 25s (Cowell) | 7 | "We Are the Champions" | Safe |
| Final showdown details |||||
| Jamie Archer | Over 25s (Cowell) | 1 | "The Show Must Go On" | Eliminated |
| Lloyd Daniels | Boys (Cole) | 2 | "Last Request" | Saved |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Cowell: Lloyd Daniels – gave no reason but effectively backed his own contestant, Jamie Archer.
* Cole: Jamie Archer – backed her own contestant, Lloyd Daniels.
* Walsh: Jamie Archer – believed Daniels would go further in the competition.
* Minogue: Lloyd Daniels – thought Archer sang better in the final showdown.
With the contestants in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Archer was eliminated as the contestant with the fewest public votes.

#### Week 7 (21/22 November)

* Theme: Songs by Wham! or George Michael
* Group performance: "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"
* Musical guests: Susan Boyle ("Wild Horses") and Mariah Carey ("I Want to Know What Love Is")
* Best bits song: "Let's Get Ready to Rhumble"
Contestants' performances on the seventh live show :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Artist | Result |
| Lloyd Daniels | Boys (Cole) | 1 | "Faith" | George Michael | Safe |
| Stacey Solomon | Girls (Minogue) | 2 | "I Can't Make You Love Me" | cover by George Michael | Safe |
| John & Edward | Groups (Walsh) | 3 | "I'm Your Man"/"Wham Rap!" | Wham! | Bottom Two |
| Danyl Johnson | Over 25s (Cowell) | 4 | "Careless Whisper" | George Michael/Wham! | Safe |
| Olly Murs | Over 25s (Cowell) | 5 | "Fastlove" | George Michael | Bottom Two |
| Joe McElderry | Boys (Cole) | 6 | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | George Michael and Elton John | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Final showdown details ||||||
| John & Edward | Groups (Walsh) | 1 | "No Matter What" | "No Matter What" | Eliminated |
| Olly Murs | Over 25s (Cowell) | 2 | "Wonderful Tonight" | "Wonderful Tonight" | Saved |

##### Judges' votes to eliminate

* Cowell: John & Edward – backed his own contestant, Olly Murs.
* Cole: John & Edward – gave no reason, despite saying that she would be sad if John & Edward leave the competition.
* Walsh: Olly Murs – backed his own contestant, John & Edward; though expressed surprise that Murs was in the bottom two.
* Minogue: John & Edward – based on the premise that the show is a "singing competition".
However, voting statistics revealed that John & Edward received more votes than Murs which meant that if Minogue sent the result to deadlock, John & Edward would have advanced to the quarter-final.

#### Week 8: Quarter-Final (28/29 November)

* Themes: Songs by Take That; songs by Elton John
* Group performance: "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'"
* Musical guests: Alicia Keys ("Empire State of Mind" / "Doesn't Mean Anything" / "No One") and Rihanna ("Russian Roulette")
* Best bits song: "You Give Me Something"
Contestants' performances in the quarter-final :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Take That song | Order | Elton John song | Result |
| Danyl Johnson | Over 25s (Cowell) | 1 | "Relight My Fire" | 7 | "Your Song" | Safe |
| Lloyd Daniels | Boys (Cole) | 2 | "A Million Love Songs" | 6 | "I'm Still Standing" | Eliminated |
| Olly Murs | Over 25s (Cowell) | 3 | "Love Ain't Here Anymore" | 8 | "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" | Safe |
| Joe McElderry | Boys (Cole) | 4 | "Could It Be Magic" | 9 | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Stacey Solomon | Girls (Minogue) | 5 | "Rule the World" | 10 | "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" | Safe |
The quarter-final did not feature a final showdown and instead the contestant with the fewest public votes, Lloyd Daniels, was automatically eliminated. After his elimination, Daniels reprised his quarter-final performance of "A Million Love Songs" as his exit song.

#### Week 9: Semi-Final (5/6 December)

* Themes: Songs by Michael Jackson; mentor's choice
* Group performance: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" / "Don't Stop the Music"
* Musical guests: Lady Gaga ("Bad Romance") and Janet Jackson ("All for You" / "Make Me")
* Best bits song: "What About Now"
Contestants' performances in the semi-final :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | Michael Jackson Song | Order | Mentor's Choice | Result |
| Olly Murs | Over 25s (Cowell) | 1 | "Can You Feel It" | 5 | "We Can Work It Out" | Safe |
| Joe McElderry | Boys (Cole) | 2 | "She's Out of My Life" | 6 | "Open Arms" | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Stacey Solomon | Girls (Minogue) | 3 | "The Way You Make Me Feel" | 7 | "Somewhere" | Safe |
| Danyl Johnson | Over 25s (Cowell) | 4 | "Man in the Mirror" | 8 | "I Have Nothing" | Eliminated |
The semi-final did not feature a final showdown and instead the contestant with the fewest public votes, Danyl Johnson, was automatically eliminated. After his elimination, Johnson reprised his semi-final performance of "Man in the Mirror" as his exit song.

#### Week 10: Final (12/13 December)

12 December
* Themes: Audition songs; celebrity duets; mentor's favourite performance ("song of the series")
* Musical guest: Robbie Williams ("You Know Me")
* Best bits song: "What a Wonderful World"
Contestants' performances on the Saturday Final :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Duet Partner | Order | Third song | Result |
| Stacey Solomon | Girls (Minogue) | 1 | "What a Wonderful World" | 4 | "Feeling Good" | Michael Bublé | 7 | "Who Wants to Live Forever" | Eliminated |
| Olly Murs | Over 25s (Cowell) | 2 | "Superstition" | 5 | "Angels" | Robbie Williams | 8 | "A Fool in Love" | Safe |
| Joe McElderry | Boys (Cole) | 3 | "Dance with My Father" | 6 | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | George Michael | 9 | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Safe (Highest Votes) |
The show also featured Jeff Brazier reporting from Solomon's home town of Dagenham, Michael Underwood in Colchester for Murs and Kimberley Walsh in McElderry's home town of South Shields.
13 December
* Themes: Favourite performance ("song of the series"); winner's single
* Group performance: "Never Forget" (top 12 contestants)
* Musical guests: Alexandra Burke and JLS ("Bad Boys" / "Everybody in Love"), Leona Lewis ("Stop Crying Your Heart Out"), George Michael ("December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas)"), Paul McCartney ("Drive My Car" and "Live and Let Die" )
* Best bits songs: "Red" (Olly Murs) & "The World's Greatest" (Joe McElderry)
Contestants' performances on the Sunday Final :
| Contestant | Category (mentor) | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Result |
| Olly Murs | Over 25s (Cowell) | 1 | "Twist and Shout" | 3 | "The Climb" | Runner-Up |
| Joe McElderry | Boys (Cole) | 2 | "Don't Stop Believin'" | 4 | "The Climb" | Winner |

## Sponsors

This series of The X Factor was sponsored by TalkTalk and featured break bumpers pioneered by CHI & Partners, showing light graffiti set against night-time backdrops across the United Kingdom. Part of the deal, which applied to ITV, ITV2 and the programme's website, saw TalkTalk customers having the chance to design the break bumpers and download exclusive content. In the Republic of Ireland, the series was sponsored by Domino's Pizza.

## Reception
### Ratings

The first episode, which was broadcast on 22 August and showed the first set of auditions, attracted 9.9 million viewers; 47.9% of the viewing audience and the largest number of viewers within its timeslot. One week later, 9.75 million people viewed the second episode; a 47.1% share of the TV audience. The third episode averaged 11.76 million viewers and a 51.9% audience share. Episode four attracted 10.26 million viewers. The fifth episode, which was scheduled directly against Strictly Come Dancing drew in about 9.27 million viewers, compared to 7.72 for Strictly. The X Factor reached a record high number of viewers for the second and third results shows on 18 and 25 October, scoring 14.8 million viewers each. This was beaten on 8 November when the fifth results show peaked at 16.6 million people.
The final episode peaked with 19.1 million viewers when Joe McElderry was announced as the winner.
| Episode | Air date | Official ITV rating | Weekly rank | Share |
| Auditions 1 | 22 August | 11.00 | 1 | 47.9% |
| Auditions 2 | 29 August | 10.81 | 1 | 47.1% |
| Auditions 3 | 5 September | 12.84 | 1 | 51.9% |
| Auditions 4 | 12 September | 11.31 | 1 | 51.7% |
| Auditions 5 | 19 September | 10.57 | 2 | 38.0% |
| Auditions 6 | 20 September | 11.37 | 1 | 41.4% |
| Bootcamp 1 | 26 September | 10.39 | 2 | 36.6% |
| Bootcamp 2 | 27 September | 11.86 | 1 | 42.5% |
| Judges' houses 1 | 3 October | 11.46 | 2 | 38.9% |
| Judges' houses 2 | 4 October | 13.35 | 1 | 44.9% |
| Live show 1 | 10 October | 12.64 | 2 | 43.8% |
| Results show 1 | 11 October | 13.82 | 1 | 46.4% |
| Live show 2 | 17 October | 12.07 | 2 | 42.1% |
| Results show 2 | 18 October | 13.89 | 1 | 46.7% |
| Live show 3 | 24 October | 12.80 | 2 | 44.1% |
| Results show 3 | 25 October | 14.02 | 1 | 47.9% |
| Live show 4 | 31 October | 11.74 | 2 | 42.3% |
| Results show 4 | 1 November | 14.52 | 1 | 47.8% |
| Live show 5 | 7 November | 13.05 | 2 | 46.9% |
| Results show 5 | 8 November | 15.00 | 1 | 49.4% |
| Live show 6 | 14 November | 13.45 | 2 | 45.1% |
| Results show 6 | 15 November | 15.02 | 1 | 47.9% |
| Live show 7 | 21 November | 14.03 | 2 | 48.6% |
| Results show 7 | 22 November | 14.51 | 1 | 46.5% |
| Live show 8 | 28 November | 13.46 | 2 | 47.8% |
| Results show 8 | 29 November | 14.34 | 1 | 45.9% |
| Live semi-final | 5 December | 13.40 | 2 | 49.5% |
| Live semi-final results | 6 December | 13.55 | 1 | 46.2% |
| Final | 12 December | 13.34 | 2 | 48.0% |
| Winner announces | 13 December | 16.28 | 1 | 53.2% |
| Series average | 2009 | 13.00 | — | 45.9% |

## Controversies
### Bootcamp

On 2 August 2009, The People reported that some bootcamp contestants felt they had been poorly treated by the show's producers; one compared the experience with that of a concentration camp and another claimed that those competing were only allowed to use the toilet twice a day. However, a spokesperson for the programme denied the claims, saying "Yes, it was long hours but they knew what they were signing up for. The hopefuls got breakfast at the hotel and decent food throughout the day".

### Audition format

This season's audition format, in which the auditions were held in front of a studio audience, was criticised by fans, by Cole and by certain former contestants. These included Alexandra Burke, who branded it "too intimidating", and the members of JLS who stated it detracted from the intimacy of the auditions.

### Recycled contestants

The show was criticised in September 2009 for "recycling" contestants, as three singers from the final 24 acts had already been in pop bands, two had auditioned for The X Factor in previous years and one had appeared on Britain's Got Talent.

### Danyl Johnson

Controversy began after the first live show on 10 October, after Minogue commented on press reports regarding Danyl Johnson's sexuality, sparking an online backlash. Minogue released a statement on her comments:
   "I want to clear up exactly what happened on last night's X Factor show and post my sincere apologies to anyone who took offense [sic]. I made a comment about Danyl changing the lyrics of his song. It was meant to be a humorous moment about the fact he has an opportunity to have fun with his song. An openly bi-sexual singing a song that is lyrically a 'girl's song'. Danyl and I were joking about the very same thing in rehearsals on Friday, so it carried on to the show. I'd like to apologise to anyone that was offended by my comments, it was never my intention. I spoke to Danyl straight after the show last night and he wasn't offended or upset by my comments, and knew exactly what I was saying."
Minogue also apologised on the live results show on 11 October, saying Danyl was not upset by her comments. It has since been reported that Ofcom received around 4000 complaints from viewers over the comment.