| The X Factor: Celebrity | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hosted by | Dermot O'Leary (ITV) |
| Judges | Simon Cowell Louis Walsh Nicole Scherzinger |
| Winner | Megan McKenna |
| Winning mentor | Louis Walsh |
| Runner-up | Max and Harvey |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Release | |
| Original network | |
| Original release | 12 October (2019-10-12) – 30 November 2019 (2019-11-30) |
The X Factor: Celebrity is a British celebrity special edition ofThe X Factor which premiered on 12 October 2019 onITV.[1] It is a revamped version of the 2006 celebrity formatThe X Factor: Battle of the Stars.Simon Cowell,Nicole Scherzinger andLouis Walsh judged this series, withDermot O'Leary presenting the series andVick Hope hostingXtra Bites onYouTube.[2]
The format for the series was announced in 2019, afterThe X Factor was contracted until 2020.[3] The celebrity lineup was announced on 30 September 2019. On 30 November,Megan McKenna won the series with 46.3% of the vote, withMax and Harvey finishing in second place andJenny Ryan in third place.[4][5]
The series' predecessor,The X Factor: Battle of the Stars aired in 2006 as a celebrity incarnation ofThe X Factor. It was reported on 26 August 2006 that Cowell had axedBattle of the Stars, describing it as "pointless" and adding "we are never going to do it again." However, Cowell later stated in an interview withThe Sun on 30 November 2018 that he would consider reviving the show for a second series as a charity special.[6]
The series was first reported in early 2019, as the main series was being put on hiatus due to declining ratings.[7][8] On 7 July 2019, Walsh spoke about the return of the series, stating, "I go toLos Angeles on Tuesday, I go to Simon's house inMalibu, it's me, Simon and Nicole, we're doing the celebrity one."[9] On 22 October 2019, it was revealed thatVick Hope would hostXtra Bites onYouTube, each episode premiered after each live show.[10]
The format of the series differs heavily thanBattle of the Stars to bring it more in line with the main series. Notable differences between this series andBattle of the Stars are instead of competing for charity, the acts are competing to win a record contract withSyco Music, and the live shows, instead of being aired daily, are aired every Saturday night, allowing more time inbetween shows for the acts to develop their artistry.
A teaser, released in September 2019, teased the potential contestants of the series, of which include: a film star, model, online influencers, professional dancer, social media stars and a soap star.[11] The full line-up was revealed on 30 September 2019.[12] Cowell mentored the Groups, Walsh mentored the 16-30s and Scherzinger mentored the Over 31s. During auditions, Cowell'sAmerica's Got Talent co-judge Howie Mandel andAmerican Idol co-judge Randy Jackson appeared as guest judges.
Key:
| Act | Age(s) | Hometown | Category (Mentor) | Known For | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Megan McKenna | 27 | Barking, England | 16-30s (Walsh) | Television personality | Winner |
| Max and Harvey | 16 | Sandhurst, England | Groups (Cowell) | YouTube personalities | Runner-up |
| Jenny Ryan[a] | 37 | Bolton, England | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | Quizzer &The Chase star | 3rd place |
| V5[b] | 18–21 | Colombia / Puerto Rico / Brazil / Cuba / Mexico | Groups (Cowell) | Social media influencers | 4th place |
| Try Star[c] | 21–34 | Birmingham /Harare, Zimbabwe /Chester | Rugby union players | 5th place | |
| Vinnie Jones[d] | 54 | Watford, England | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | Actor & formerPremier League footballer | 6th place |
| Kevin McHale | 31 | Plano, Texas, U.S. | 16-30s (Walsh) | Glee actor | 7th place |
| No Love Lost[e] | 21–24 | Essex /London /Staffordshire | Groups (Cowell) | Love Island stars | 8th place |
| Martin Bashir | 56 | Wandsworth, England | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | Journalist & news anchor | 9th place |
| Jonny Labey | 26 | Grouville,Jersey | 16-30s (Walsh) | FormerEastEnders actor | 10th place |
| Victoria Ekanoye | 36 | Bury, England | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | FormerCoronation Street actress | 11th place |
| Olivia Olson | 27 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | 16-30s (Walsh) | Actress & singer | 12th place |
| Ricki Lake | 51 | Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, U.S. | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | Hairspray actress & former talk show host | 13th place |
| Hayley Hasselhoff | 27 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | 16-30s (Walsh) | Actress & model | Eliminated |
| Cole andEdwards[f] | 43 & 48 | Christchurch, New Zealand(Cole) London, England(Edwards) | Groups (Cowell) | FormerStrictly Come Dancing professional(Cole) FormerHollyoaks actor(Edwards) | Eliminated |
The audition process took place inLos Angeles,California. The celebrity acts were all asked to meet with O'Leary in a location where they then spent two days with the production team working on vocal training and song choices. They then auditioned for Cowell, Walsh and Scherzinger at a house party inMalibu consisting of various singers, songwriters, record producers and talent judges for the acts to perform in front of.
Some of the guest judges that the celebrities got to perform in front of were as follows:[13]
Vinnie Jones, who was due to take part in the show, was unable to fly to Los Angeles for his audition due to the death of his wife Tanya Terry on 6 July 2019. Cowell personally called Jones two months later and offered him an unconditional place in the live shows.
| Order | Celebrity | Category | Song choice[14] | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 (12 October 2019) | ||||
| 1 | No Love Lost[a] | Groups | "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" | Advanced |
| 2 | Kevin McHale | 16-30s | "Never Be the Same" | |
| 3 | Max and Harvey | Groups | "I Don't Care" | |
| "Sucker" | ||||
| 4 | Cole & Edwards | Groups | "Love at First Sight" | Eliminated |
| 5 | Martin Bashir | Over 31s | "L-O-V-E" | Advanced |
| 6 | Hayley Hasselhoff | 16-30s | "Someone You Loved" | Eliminated |
| 7 | Jenny Ryan | Over 31s | "Somebody to Love" | Advanced[b] |
| 8 | Try Star | Groups | "No Diggity" | |
| Week 2 (19 October 2019) | ||||
| 1 | Olivia Olson | 16-30s | "Location" | Advanced |
| "Come Together" | ||||
| 2 | Jonny Labey | 16-30s | "Feel It Still" | |
| "Feeling Good" withDavid Foster | ||||
| 3 | Megan McKenna | 16-30s | "Everything but You" | |
| 4 | Ricki Lake | Over 31s | "Us" | |
| 5 | V5 | Groups | "Juice" | |
| 6 | Victoria Ekanoye | Over 31s | "The House of the Rising Sun" | |
| – | Act was eliminated by their mentor |
| – | Act was in the bottom three but received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated |
| – | Act received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no sing-off) |
| – | Act received the most public votes |
| – | Act was given a Safe Seat from the judges |
| Act | Auditions | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Quarter-Final | Semi-Final | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Vote | Second Vote | |||||||||
| Megan McKenna | Advanced | 1st 26.7% | 1st 30.1% | 1st 25.7% | 1st 21.6% | 1st 28.6% | 1st 40.6% | Winner 46.3%4 | ||
| Max and Harvey | 5th 10.6% | 3rd 12.2% | Safe Seat | 4th 14.0% | 3rd 16.9% | 2nd 27.5% | Runner-Up 27.1%4 | |||
| Jenny Ryan | Eliminated1 | Safe Seat | 5th 10.4% | 2nd 25.5% | 3rd 14.5% | 2nd 17.2% | 3rd 21.2% | 3rd 22.4%4 | ||
| V5 | Advanced | 6th 8.7% | 4th 12.0% | 5th 11.0% | 5th 10.5% | 5th 11.1% | 4th 10.7% | Eliminated (final) | ||
| Try Star | Safe Seat | Safe Seat | 3rd 17.5% | 2nd 20.8% | 4th 15.7% | Eliminated (semi-final) | ||||
| Vinnie Jones | 2nd 16.5% | 2nd 14.0% | Safe Seat | 6th 10.1% | 6th 10.5% | |||||
| Kevin McHale | 7th 7.9% | Safe Seat | Safe Seat | 7th 8.5% | Eliminated (quarter-final) | |||||
| No Love Lost | 3rd 11.2% | Safe Seat | 4th 13.7% | Eliminated (week 3) | ||||||
| Martin Bashir | 8th 3.7% | 6th 9.3% | 6th 6.6% | |||||||
| Jonny Labey | Safe Seat | 7th 6.6% | Eliminated (week 2) | |||||||
| Victoria Ekanoye | 4th 10.7% | 8th 5.4% | ||||||||
| Olivia Olson | 9th 2.9% | Eliminated (week 1) | ||||||||
| Ricki Lake | 10th 1.1% | |||||||||
| Hayley Hasselhoff | Eliminated | Eliminated (Auditions) | ||||||||
| Cole & Edwards | ||||||||||
| Sing-off | N/A | Bashir, Olson | Bashir, Labey | No Love Lost, V5 | Jones, McHale | Try Star, V5 | No sing-off or judges' votes: results were based on public votes alone | |||
| Walsh's vote to eliminate (16-30s) | Hasselhoff | Bashir | Bashir | No Love Lost | Jones | N/a3 | ||||
| Scherzinger's vote to eliminate (Over 31s) | Ryan | Olson | Labey | No Love Lost | McHale | Try Star | ||||
| Cowell's vote to eliminate (Groups) | Cole & Edwards | Olson | None (abstained) | N/a2 | McHale | Try Star | ||||
| Eliminated | Cole & Edwards by Cowell | Ricki Lake 1.1% to save | Victoria Ekanoye 5.4% to save | Martin Bashir 6.6% to save | Kevin McHale 2 of 3 votes Majority | Vinnie Jones 10.5% to save | V5 10.7% to save | Jenny Ryan 22.4% to win | ||
| Hayley Hasselhoff by Walsh | Olivia Olson 2 of 3 votes Majority | Jonny Labey 1 of 2 votes Deadlock | No Love Lost 2 of 2 votes Majority | Try Star 2 of 2 votes Majority | Max and Harvey 27.1% to win | |||||
| Jenny Ryan by Scherzinger | ||||||||||
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song (original artist)[16] | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin McHale | 16-30s (Walsh) | 1 | "Good as Hell" (Lizzo) | Safe |
| Ricki Lake | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 2 | "Landslide" (Fleetwood Mac) | Eliminated (Fewest Public Votes) |
| No Love Lost | Groups (Cowell) | 3 | "All or Nothing" (original song) | Safe |
| Jenny Ryan | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 4 | "Rise Like a Phoenix" (Conchita Wurst) | Saved by Scherzinger |
| Jonny Labey | 16-30s (Walsh) | 5 | "Show Me Love" (Robin S.) | Saved by Walsh |
| V5 | Groups (Cowell) | 6 | "Bad Guy"/"Taki Taki" (Billie Eilish) / (DJ Snake) | Safe |
| Martin Bashir | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 7 | "Danke Schoen" (Wayne Newton) | Bottom Three |
| Max and Harvey | Groups (Cowell) | 8 | "When Will I Be Famous?" (Bros) | Safe |
| Olivia Olson | 16-30s (Walsh) | 9 | "Anyone Who Had a Heart" (Dionne Warwick) | Eliminated (Judges' Vote) |
| Vinnie Jones | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 10 | "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" (Solomon Burke) | Safe |
| Megan McKenna | 16-30s (Walsh) | 11 | "This" (original song) | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Victoria Ekanoye | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 12 | "Never Tear Us Apart" (INXS) | Safe |
| Try Star | Groups (Cowell) | 13 | "Pony"/"Old Town Road" (Ginuwine) / (Lil Nas X) | Saved by Cowell |
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonny Labey | 16-30s (Walsh) | 1 | "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" | Eliminated (Deadlock) |
| Jenny Ryan | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 2 | "This Is My Life" | Safe |
| No Love Lost | Groups (Cowell) | 3 | "Would I Lie to You?" (semi-original song) | Saved by Cowell |
| Victoria Ekanoye | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 4 | "Why Don't You Love Me" | Eliminated (Fewest Public Votes) |
| Max and Harvey | Groups (Cowell) | 5 | "Cool" | Safe |
| Kevin McHale | 16-30s (Walsh) | 6 | "Dance Monkey" | Saved by Walsh |
| Try Star | Groups (Cowell) | 7 | "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" | Saved by Scherzinger |
| Martin Bashir | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 8 | "Easy" | Bottom Three |
| V5 | Groups (Cowell) | 9 | "Despacito"/"Mi Gente" | Safe |
| Vinnie Jones | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 10 | "Lip Up Fatty" | |
| Megan McKenna | 16-30s (Walsh) | 11 | "Stronger" (original song) | Safe (Highest Votes) |
With the acts in the bottom two receiving one vote each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Jonny Labey was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin McHale | 16-30s (Walsh) | 1 | "Don't Start Now" | Saved by Walsh |
| Max and Harvey | Groups (Cowell) | 2 | "Can't Hold Us" | Saved by Cowell |
| Vinnie Jones | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 3 | "It Must Be Love"/"House of Fun"/"One Step Beyond" | Saved by Scherzinger |
| Try Star | Groups (Cowell) | 4 | "No Diggity" | Safe |
| V5 | Groups (Cowell) | 5 | "Motivation"/"I Like It" | Bottom Three |
| Martin Bashir | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 6 | "That's Life" | Eliminated |
| Megan McKenna | 16-30s (Walsh) | 7 | "Half of My Heart" (original song) | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| No Love Lost | Groups (Cowell) | 8 | "Money Where Your Mouth Is" (original song) | Bottom Three |
| Jenny Ryan | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 9 | "The Edge of Glory" | Safe |
| Sing-off details | ||||
| V5 | Groups (Cowell) | 1 | "Juice" | Saved |
| No Love Lost | Groups (Cowell) | 2 | "Sorry" | Eliminated |
However, voting statistics revealed that No Love Lost received more votes than V5 which meant that if the result went to deadlock, No Love Lost would have advanced to the quarter-final and V5 would have been eliminated.
At the beginning of the show, Cowell stated that Safe Seats would no longer be used due to negative viewer reception, therefore all acts would face the public vote.
This is also the only live show with one contestant going home.
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max and Harvey | Groups (Cowell) | 1 | "High Hopes" | Safe |
| Kevin McHale | 16-30s (Walsh) | 2 | "I Feel Love" | Bottom Two |
| V5 | Groups (Cowell) | 3 | "Bang Bang" | Safe |
| Vinnie Jones | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 4 | "I Fought the Law"/"Should I Stay or Should I Go" | Bottom Two |
| Megan McKenna | 16-30s (Walsh) | 5 | "When I'm Crying" (original song) | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| Jenny Ryan | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 6 | "Euphoria" | Safe |
| Try Star | Groups (Cowell) | 7 | "Boom" | |
| Sing-off details | ||||
| Vinnie Jones | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 1 | "The Galway Shawl" | Saved |
| Kevin McHale | 16-30s (Walsh) | 2 | "Something's Got to Give" | Eliminated |
Shortly before the judges voted, Jones announced that he did not wish to obstruct McHale's progress and requested to withdraw.
At the start of the show, O'Leary announced that Cowell's request for a wildcard vote had to be declined, and that four finalists would be found amongst the remaining six acts.
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Movie | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Try Star | Groups (Cowell) | 1 | "The Greatest Show" | The Greatest Showman | Bottom Three |
| Jenny Ryan | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 2 | "Skyfall" | Skyfall | Safe |
| Max and Harvey | Groups (Cowell) | 3 | "Kiss You" | One Direction: This Is Us | |
| Vinnie Jones | Overs (Scherzinger) | 4 | "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" | Dirty Dancing | Eliminated |
| Megan McKenna | 16-30s (Walsh) | 5 | "It Must Have Been Love" | Pretty Woman | Safe (Highest Votes) |
| V5 | Groups (Cowell) | 6 | "September" | Trolls | Bottom Three |
| Sing-off details | |||||
| Try Star | Groups (Cowell) | 1 | "Hold Me While You Wait" | Eliminated | |
| V5 | Groups (Cowell) | 2 | "Con Calma"/"End of Time" | Saved | |
However, voting statistics revealed that Try Star received more votes than V5 which meant that if the result went to deadlock, Try Star would have advanced to the final and V5 would have been eliminated.
| Act | Category (mentor) | Order | Song | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V5 | Groups (Cowell) | 1 | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" | N/A | N/A (Already Eliminated) | Eliminated in Round 1 |
| Jenny Ryan | Over 31s (Scherzinger) | 2 | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | 6 | "The Edge of Glory" | Eliminated in Round 2 |
| Max and Harvey | Groups (Cowell) | 3 | "Last Christmas" | 7 | "Kiss You" | Runner-Up |
| Megan McKenna | 16-30s (Walsh) | 4 | "One More Sleep" | 5 | "This" (original song) | Winner |
Following the announcement that McKenna had won, she performed her winner's single, "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)".
| Episode | Air date | Official rating (millions)[20],1 | Weekly rank[20],2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auditions 1 | 12 October 2019 | 6.29 | 12 |
| Auditions 2 | 19 October 2019 | 5.15 | 21 |
| Live show 1 | 26 October 2019 | 4.45 | 35 |
| Live show 2 | 2 November 2019 | 3.89 | 47 |
| Live show 3 | 9 November 2019 | 3.80 | 48 |
| Live show 4 | 16 November 2019 | <3.393 | N/a |
| Live show 5 | 23 November 2019 | <3.473 | |
| Live final | 30 November 2019 | <3.383 |
