The X Factor is an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent; the winner of which received a recording contract with record label Sony Music Australia. The second season premiered on the Seven Network on 30 August 2010 and ended on 22 November 2010. The winner was Altiyan Childs and his debut single "Somewhere in the World" was released after the final. Childs was mentored throughout by Ronan Keating, who won as mentor for the first time. The season was presented by Luke Jacobz, while spin-off show The Xtra Factor was hosted by Natalie Garonzi on 7Two. The show was originally to be hosted by actor Matthew Newton, however, he was forced to withdraw as host during production after an altercation with his former girlfriend Rachael Taylor and re-admitting himself to rehab. Guy Sebastian, Natalie Imbruglia, Keating and Kyle Sandilands who is the additional fourth judge joined the judging panel as replacements for former judges, Mark Holden, Kate Ceberano and John Reid.
The competition was split into several stages: auditions, bootcamp, judges' houses and live shows. Auditions took place throughout May and June 2010. After the auditions was bootcamp, where successful acts were split into four categories: Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups. Each judge was given a category to mentor and had to decide on their twelve acts after day two, and their six acts after day two. Special guest judges, including Havana Brown, Rebecca Batties, Mark Plunkett and Rai Thistlethwayte were brought in to help the judges decide their acts. Following bootcamp, was the judges' houses stage, where each of the judges reduced their six acts to three, with help from more guest judges, including Kelly Rowland, Sir Richard Branson, Boyzone, Snoop Dogg and Usher. The live shows began on 19 September 2010.
The second season had sparked controversy, including Childs' disappearance from the show and claims of a clash between the Girls. The grand final decider was watched by 1.63 million people, making it the highest rated television episode of the series.
Background and development
On 16 May 2010, it was announced that the Seven Network would relaunch The X Factor with Guy Sebastian, Natalie Imbruglia, Ronan Keating and Kyle Sandilands (who is the additional fourth judge) confirmed as the four judges. The X Factor first screened on Network Ten in 2005, but was canceled after the first season due to poor ratings. Seven Network's head of programming, Tim Worner, said the "time was right" to relaunch the show, given Network Ten's decision to cancel Australian Idol. He explained: "We felt that there's no big light event shows around and that this is the best of them ... We've seen what Australia's Got Talent has done in heavy traffic and feel it's the right opportunity for the show."
On 30 May 2010, it was confirmed that actor Matthew Newton would be the host. However, on 22 August, it was revealed that Newton had withdrawn as the host of the show after an altercation in Rome with his now ex-girlfriend Rachael Taylor. Newton flew from Rome to Dublin, where he was to film segments for The X Factor with Keating. However, he was escorted back to Australia by a producer of the show after they decided he was in no state to film. He was then checked into Wentworthville's Northside West Clinic. On 23 August, actor Luke Jacobz announced that he would take over as host and all original audition footage with Newton was removed with footage of Jacobz being shot instead. On 28 August 2010, it was announced that radio presenter Natalie Garonzi would host the spin-off show The Xtra Factor on 7Two.
Selection process
Auditions Audition city Dates Venue Perth 30–31 May 2010 Perth Convention Exhibition Centre Adelaide 2 June 2010 Adelaide Entertainment Centre Melbourne 5–7 June 2010 Caulfield Racecourse Sydney 12–14 June 2010 Australia Technology Park Brisbane 19–20 June 2010 Suncorp Piazza
Bootcamp The bootcamp stage of the competition began on 25 June 2010 in the Big Top at Luna Park, Sydney. This stage of the competition was first broadcast on 5 and 6 September 2010. In this stage, each judge was first given a category to mentor and had to decide on their top twelve acts after day one and their top six acts after day two. Sandilands was given the Boys, Imbruglia was given the Girls, Keating had the Over 25s and Sebastian was given the Groups category.
During bootcamp, the judges were assisted by musical artists who helped them choose their twelve acts. Havana Brown assisted with the Boys, MTV Australia CEO Rebecca Batties assisted with the Girls, Keating's manager Mark Plunkett with the Over 25s and Rai Thistlethwayte for the Groups category.
The 24 successful acts were: Boys: Thomas TJ Alcaniz, Darcy Callus, Chris Doe, Andrew Lawson, Mitchell Smith, George Walter Girls: Ashlee Bellchambers, Sally Chatfield, Samantha Clarke, India-Rose Madderom, Alice McDermott, Hayley Teal Over 25s: Altiyan Childs, Amanda Grafanakis, Max Jahufer, James McNally, Tony Munnings, Olivia Robins Groups: Jahmakn It Funky, Kharizma, Lazy J & Big Guy, Luke & Joel, Mahogany, The Real Sisters
Judges' Houses The final round of the selection process, the judges' houses, saw the judges reduce their six acts to three. Each judge took their six acts to exclusive locations around the world to experience the life of a superstar, introduce them to international artists and set the stage to inspire them to give the performance of a lifetime. Sandilands' Boys travelled to New York City, where they were assisted by Kelly Rowland. Imbruglia's Girls travelled to Necker Island to meet Richard Branson, while Keating's Over 25s visited his home town of Dublin, where they met up with his Boyzone bandmates. Sebastian's Groups travelled to Los Angeles, where he was assisted by rapper Snoop Dogg. While there, Sebastian had chosen Mahogany as one of his three acts, but was still unsure on who the other two acts should be. Sebastian and the groups then travelled to New York, where he was assisted by Usher.
+Summary of judges' houses Judge Category Location Assistant Acts Eliminated Sandilands Boys New York City Kelly Rowland Thomas TJ Alcaniz, Darcy Callus, George Walter Imbruglia Girls Necker Island Richard Branson Ashlee Bellchambers, Samantha Clarke, Alice McDermott Keating Over 25s Dublin Boyzone Max Jahufer, Tony Munnings, Olivia Robins Sebastian Groups Los Angeles and New York City UsherSnoop Dogg Jahmakn It Funky, Lazy J & Big Guy, The Real Sisters
Acts
Key: – Winner – Runner-up
ActAge(s)HometownCategory (mentor)ResultAltiyan Childs35Mount Isa, QueenslandOver 25s (Keating)WinnerSally Chatfield20Lakes Entrance, VictoriaGirls (Imbruglia)Runner-UpAndrew Lawson17Northern Ireland/NoosaBoys (Sandilands)3rd PlaceMahogany22–27Sydney Groups (Sebastian)4th PlaceLuke & Joel21 & 23Newcastle, New South Wales5th PlaceHayley Teal19Adelaide, South Australia Girls (Imbruglia)6th PlaceIndia-Rose Madderom20Sydney, New South Wales7th PlaceMitchell Smith16Byron Bay, New South WalesBoys (Sandilands)8th PlaceAmanda Grafanakis27Hobart, TasmaniaOver 25s (Keating)9th PlaceKharizma18 & 24Ipswich, QueenslandGroups (Sebastian)10th PlaceJames McNally31MelbourneOver 25s (Keating)11th PlaceChris Doe17Mornington PeninsulaBoys (Sandilands)12th Place
Live shows
Results summary Act in Boys
Act in Girls
Act in Over 25s
Act in Groups
– Act in the bottom two and had to perform again in the final showdown – Act received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no final showdown)
Act Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Quarter-Final Semi-Final Final Sunday Vote Monday Vote Altiyan ChildsSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafe Winner Sally ChatfieldSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafe Runner-Up Andrew LawsonSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafe 3rd Eliminated(Final) MahoganySafeSafe 10thSafeSafe 7thSafe 4th 4th Eliminated(Semi-Final) Luke and Joel 11thSafeSafeSafeSafeSafe 6th 5th Eliminated(Quarter-Final) Hayley TealSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafe 5th Eliminated(Week 7) India-Rose MadderomSafeSafeSafe 9th 7th 6th Eliminated(Week 6) Mitchell SmithSafeSafeSafeSafe 8th Eliminated(Week 5) Amanda GrafanakisSafe 10thSafe 8th Eliminated(Week 4) KharizmaSafeSafe 9th Eliminated(Week 3) James McNallySafe 11th Eliminated(Week 2) Chris Doe 12th Eliminated(Week 1) Final Showdown Luke and Joel, Doe Grafanakis, McNally Kharizma, Mahogany Madderom, Grafanakis Smith, Madderom Madderom, Mahogany Teal, Luke and Joel Luke and Joel, Mahogany No bottom two/judges' vote; public votes alone decide who is eliminated. Keating's vote to eliminate (Over 25s) Doe Grafanakis Kharizma Madderom Smith Madderom Teal Mahogany Imbruglia's vote to eliminate (Girls) Luke and Joel McNally Kharizma Grafanakis Smith Mahogany Luke and Joel Luke and Joel Sebastian's vote to eliminate (Groups) Doe McNally 1 Grafanakis Madderom Madderom Teal Mahogany Sandilands's vote to eliminate (Boys) Luke and Joel Grafanakis Kharizma Grafanakis Madderom2 Madderom Teal Luke and Joel Eliminated Chris Doe2 of 4 votesDeadlock James McNally2 of 4 votesDeadlock Kharizma3 of 3 votesMajority Amanda Grafanakis3 of 4 votesMajority Mitchell Smith2 of 4 votesDeadlock India-Rose Madderom3 of 4 votesMajorityHayley Teal3 of 4 votesMajority Luke and Joel2 of 4 votesDeadlock MahoganyPublic Vote To Save Andrew LawsonPublic Vote To Save Sally ChatfieldPublic Vote To Win
Notes 1 Sebastian originally was asked to vote, but he deferred his vote to Keating as he "could not send his own act home". 2 Sandilands was not present for this results. As one of his acts (Mitchell Smith) was in the bottom two, a vote for India-Rose Madderom was cast on Sandilands's behalf on the assumption that he would save his own act.
Live show details
Week 1 (19/20 September) Theme: Judges' Choice Celebrity performers: Thirsty Merc ("All My Life") and The Potbelleez ("Hello") Group performance: "In My Head"
+ Acts' performances on the first live show Act Category (mentor) Order Song Result Luke & Joel Groups (Sebastian) 1 "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" Bottom Two Hayley Teal Girls (Imbruglia) 2 "Bust Your Windows" Safe Chris Doe Boys (Sandilands) 3 "Already Gone" Bottom Two Amanda Grafanakis Over 25s (Keating) 4 "Closer" Safe Kharizma Groups (Sebastian) 5 "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" Mitchell Smith Boys (Sandilands) 6 "Umbrella" James McNally Over 25s (Keating) 7 "With a Little Help from My Friends" Sally Chatfield Girls (Imbruglia) 8 "Red" Mahogany Groups (Sebastian) 9 "Whataya Want from Me" Andrew Lawson Boys (Sandilands) 10 "Don't Stop the Music" India-Rose Madderom Girls (Imbruglia) 11 "Battlefield" Altiyan Childs Over 25s (Keating) 12 "Hey, Soul Sister" Final showdown details Act Category (mentor) Order Song Result Luke & Joel Groups (Sebastian) 1 "Fix You" Safe Chris Doe Boys (Sandilands) 2 "Stop and Stare" Eliminated
Judges' votes to eliminate Imbruglia: Luke & Joel – felt that Doe had performed better. Keating: Chris Doe – felt that it was too much for Doe that week. Sebastian: Chris Doe – backed his own act, Luke & Joel. Sandilands: Luke & Joel – backed his own act, Chris Doe.
With the acts in the bottom two receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Doe was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.
Week 2 (26/27 September) Theme: Musical Heroes Celebrity performers: Justice Crew ("And Then We Dance") and Scarlett Belle ("Freak Tonight") Group performance: "Dynamite"