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List of The X Factor finalists (British series 6)

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The sixth UK series of The X Factor is currently being broadcast on ITV. It began airing on 22 August 2009.[1] The 12 finalists are split into four categories each comprising three members: solo males aged 16 to 24 ("Boys"), solo females aged 16 to 24 ("Girls"), solo singers aged 25 and over ("Over 25s"), and vocal groups ("Groups"). In the groups category, each member must be at least 16 years of age, and the Over 25s has no upper age limit. Each category is mentored by one of the show's four judges: Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole. Cowell is mentoring the Over 25s,[2] Minogue is looking after the Girls,[3] Walsh had the Groups[4] and Cole mentors the Boys.[5]

Boys

Lloyd Daniels

Lloyd Daniels (born 14 December 1992)[citation needed] is, at 16 during the show, the youngest act in the competition this year. He is from Treharris, near Cardiff, Wales, and in his first audition, Cheryl Cole described him as "the first person to actually have the X Factor this year." In week 3 of the live shows, Walsh suggested that Daniels would be better suited to a boy band.[6] He was placed in the bottom two after rock week, but public vote saved him at the expense of Rachel Adedeji. He was in the bottom two again in week 6 but was saved when the vote went to deadlock and Jamie Archer was sent home. On November 29, he was eliminated from the competition, finishing in fifth place.

Rikki Loney

Rikki Loney (born 30 September 1987)[citation needed] is from Glasgow, Scotland. He auditioned in 2008 but was rejected on day two of bootcamp, narrowly missing out on a spot at the Judges' Homes round. He re-auditioned this year without telling his mother.[5] Loney was in the bottom two in the second week (17/18 October 2009) after he sang "Respect" and the judges voted to eliminate him after his rendition of Westlife's song "Flying Without Wings", with only his mentor voting to save him.

Joe McElderry

Joseph McElderry (born 16 June 1991) is from South Shields, near Newcastle upon Tyne, England and is a student at the Newcastle College of Performing Arts. He started singing when he was 14.[7] He took the role of Danny in Grease performed at Harton Technology College.[8] He auditioned for The X Factor in 2007, but felt too young compared to the other contestants and opted to walk away.[9] He was the Pride of South Tyneside's Young Performer of the Year in 2008.[9]

In 2009 he auditioned in Manchester singing Luther Vandross's "Dance With My Father".[10] After he sang Whitney Houston's song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" in the second week of live shows, Simon Cowell said his performance was "note-perfect". After week 3 "big band" week, Cowell said: "I have to give it to you. Whatever is thrown up at you, you just rise up to the challenge". Louis Walsh tipped him for the final, after his rendition of "Don't Stop Believin'" on the fourth live show.

After is rendition of "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", on the seventh live show, he received a standing ovation from all four judges (the first one this season), with Simon calling it "the performance of his live".[10]

He received another standing ovation after he sang "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word", on the eighth live show, with Dannii and Louis admitting they have to see him in the final. [10]. As of November 29, he is the only remaining competitor in Cheryl's category.

Girls

Rachel Adedeji

Rachel Adedeji (born August 1991)[citation needed] previously auditioned for the show's fifth series in 2008, reaching the bootcamp stage. She is friends with the winner from that year, Alexandra Burke.[11] She is studying musical theatre and has performed at many musical productions and had a role in the musical Mamma Mia!.[12] After the first live show, Adedeji was in the bottom two alongside girl group Kandy Rain and was saved by the public vote after the judges' votes were deadlocked. She was yet again in the bottom two after the second live show, facing Rikki Loney, and was saved by the judges. After safely making it through the third live show, she was eventually eliminated by public vote during week four, after the judges failed to reach a majority verdict.

Lucie Jones

Lucie Jones (born 1991) is a student from Pentyrch, a village on the outskirts of Cardiff, Wales. She has had vocal training from Louise Ryan who trained Charlotte Church.[3] She auditioned for The X Factor in 2007 but the judges rejected her. Her ex-boyfriend convinced her to apply again after nearly quitting singing.[13] In week 5, Jones was in the bottom two with John & Edward. She was eliminated as the judges' votes were deadlocked and the decision went to the public vote. Cowell's decision to support the boys is what deadlocked the vote, and caused great controversy with the public as it contradicted the criticisms he has made about the duo's lack of singing ability over the whole series, and also contradicted his notable praise of Jones' song choice and performance on the previous Saturday night.[citation needed]

Stacey Solomon

Stacey Solomon (born 4 October 1989)[citation needed] is a single mother to a one-year-old son, Zach. She studies Theatre Arts and is from Dagenham, east London.[3] Solomon attended King Solomon High School in Barkingside in the London Borough of Redbridge.[14] After the elimination of Lucie Jones in Week 5, Solomon became the only remaining female contestant in Week 6. On November 29, she was announced as the first person through to the semi finals.

Over 25s

Jamie Archer

Jamie Archer (also known as Jamie Afro due to his hairstyle) (born 1975) is a pub singer from Putney, London, England. He is the oldest of the 12 finalists in this series. He has had considerable experience on the London gig circuit, and plays a number of instruments, mainly the guitar.[citation needed] He sang "Sex on Fire" by the Kings of Leon in his first audition. In week 3 of the live shows, he had chosen to sing Elvis Presley's "If I Can Dream", but his mentor Cowell strongly disagreed and suggested U2's "Angel of Harlem". Eventually Archer gave in although he only had 24 hours to rehearse the new song.[15] Walsh accused Cowell of bending the rules, as the theme that week was big band. Walsh said: "I'm a bit confused because the theme is big band and you came out and sang a U2 song. I feel it's cheating. I wouldn't get away with it and neither would the girls — I don't know why Simon does."[16] During the judges' comments after his performance on the fourth live show, Walsh called him "a Lenny Kravitz impersonator".[citation needed] He was voted out in week 6, having been in the bottom two with Lloyd Daniels.

Danyl Johnson

Danyl Aaron Johnson (born 1981) is from Arborfield, near Reading, Berkshire, England. He works as a dance and drama teacher, having taught at three stage schools, including the Southcote-based renowned stage school Starmaker and School of the Arts (SOTA) in Windsor.[17]

Johnson was previously a member of two boy bands, Upfrunt, a duo with band mate Steven Blackie, and StreetLevel, with band members Adam Harris, Dean Brindley and Steven Blackie.[18][19] StreetLevel disbanded when Johnson left in 2006 to audition for The X Factor's third series, but he failed to make it past the early stages and did not get to audition for the judges.[20] Johnson is also member of the band Empty Spaces, but he was forced to put the project on hold because his bandmate Nick Burrage did not want to be involved in The X Factor.[19]

At the auditions in 2009, Simon Cowell described his performance of "With a Little Help From My Friends" by The Beatles as "the best first audition I have ever seen."[2] Johnson came out as bisexual in August 2009 in the national press, fearing kiss-and-tell stories.[21][22] Following his performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" in the first live show, Minogue said, "If we're to believe what we read in the papers, there was no need to change the gender reference" causing outrage amongst viewers.[21] Minogue later apologised for any offence caused.

In week 2, Johnson sang a yet unreleased and largely unknown composition, "I Didn't Know My Own Strength", from Whitney Houston's I Look to You album, for which Cowell stated on air during an interview that he got special permission from Houston. In week 3, Johnson sang "Feeling Good", receiving glowing comments from the show's judges, including one from Walsh that he was "unstoppable". However, after the public vote, he found himself in the bottom two with Miss Frank. After the judging vote went to deadlock, he was saved by the public vote. In week 4, Johnson sang Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". In week 5, Johnson came on stage with a new look while singing Prince's "Purple Rain". He received great praise from the judges who approved of his new demeanor.

As of November 29th, Johnson has made it into the Semi Finals with his performances of Take That's "Relight my Fire" and Elton John's "Your Song".

Olly Murs

Olly Murs (born 1984) is from Witham, Essex, England. He attended Notley High School[23] where he was a star centre forward in the school's football (soccer) team. He also played semi-professionally for Witham Town.[24] He works as an energy advisor in a call centre. He has previously appeared on the TV show Deal or No Deal.[2]

He performed "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder in his first audition and Cowell said it was "the easiest yes I have ever given". On the first live show he sang Robbie Williams' "She's the One" and on the second, Tina Turner's "Fool in Love," a performance which Cowell described as being "in a different league." For week three he took on "Bewitched" by Steve Lawrence. Walsh commented that he was the "dark horse of the competition," and Cole said he was "coming into his own each week." He has frequently employed dance moves in his performance including his trademark "Olly wiggle." [25] In Week 4 he sang "Come Together" by The Beatles and again received positive comments, with Walsh predicting, "I think you're in the final three," and Cowell saying he was "progressing better than just about everybody." [26]

He was in the bottom two in week 7 with John & Edward but was saved when Minogue, Cole and Cowell decided to send John & Edward home.

Groups

John & Edward

Main article: John & Edward

John and Edward Grimes (born 16 October 1991) are identical twins from Lucan, County Dublin, Ireland. They are often refered to by the portmanteau Jedward by fans and in the press. They live with their mother Susan, father Brian and older brother Kevin and attend the Institute of Education[27]. They started singing at the age of five.[28] There was controversy surrounding the two of them when they tried to sing over the other people in their group during the bootcamp auditions. Cowell said that they had put the people in their group at a disadvantage and as a result the other contestants were axed after Walsh championed the twins.[citation needed]. In week 3, the studio audience heckled the twins. Walsh, their mentor, confronted them by saying: "Boo all you bloody want. I don't like bullying."[29]. In week 5, the twins were in the bottom two and were saved by the public vote.

In Week 6 they sang 'Under Pressure' / 'Ice, Ice Baby' and the performance was hailed as their best yet. The group were praised by their mentor Louis Walsh for staying professional throughout the incident, while their performance also won over their harshest critic, Simon Cowell who said: "I can’t judge you in the real world anymore. I have to judge you in Jedward land and if I'm there, that has to be your best performance. I have to say this; There's no point in getting angry or serious about it, if people like you, they like you. I have to tell this as well. You conducted yourself very well in this competition. You just got on with it".[30] During the song, Calvin Harris stage invaded with a pineapple on his head but was thrown out of the studio. Calvin later apologised for his behaviour, posting on his Twitter page: "At the end of the day, I had a pineapple on my head. Sorry if I caused anyone embarrassment. P.s I love Jedward. (sic)".[citation needed]

They were eliminated from the competition in Week 7 by the judges after being in the bottom two with Olly Murs.

Kandy Rain

Kandy Rain are a four piece girlband comprising Azi Jegbefume, Coco Lloyd, Khatereh Dovani and Chemmane Applewhite.[31] They were criticised by Cole and Minogue due to the fact they were wearing provocative performance suits. They were the first contestants to be voted off, having performed in the bottom two with Rachel Adedeji. The decision was cast using the public votes as the judges' votes were deadlocked. The band told BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat that they had vowed to stay together despite their early X Factor exit.[32]

Miss Frank

Miss Frank are an all-female trio consisting of Graziella Affinita, 25, Shar Alexandra, 25, and Shaniece Davis, 21.[33] They formed at the Bootcamp stage when the judges offered them the chance to enter the competition as a group after being rejected as solo artists.[4] The first song Miss Frank performed together was "That's Life" by Frank Sinatra, which they later sang again in week 3. The group were put in the bottom two alongside Danyl Johnson. The judging vote deadlocked and it was revealed Miss Frank had the lower public vote and they were eliminated. After hearing the decision, Miss Frank promised to stay together, with their mentor Louis Walsh encouraging them to do so, saying: "I hope they stay together as a group. They've got a lot more to give and they're great girls. I love them."[34]

Discography

It has been announced that the twelve finalists will release a joint single in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital, a cover the Michael Jackson song "You Are Not Alone". It was performed on the 15 November 2009 Sunday night results show.[35]

Year Song Peak chart positions Album
UK[36] IRL[37]
2009 "You Are Not Alone" 1 1 Single only

See also

References

  1. ^ Daly, Susan (8 August 2009). "The boo hoo factor". Irish Independent. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Fletcher, Alex (1 October 2009). "Feature: 'X Factor' Final 24 - Over-25s". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  3. ^ a b c Fletcher, Alex (3 October 2009). "Feature: 'X Factor' Final 24 - The Girls". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  4. ^ a b Fletcher, Alex (30 September 2009). "Feature: 'X Factor' Final 24 - The Groups". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  5. ^ a b Fletcher, Alex (2 October 2009). "Feature: 'X Factor' Final 24 - The Boys". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  6. ^ Evans, Catherine Mary (25 October 2009). "Flipping Lloyd Still Has Star Quality". WalesOnline. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  7. ^ "The X Factor: Joseph McElderry". Samtsai.com. 23 August 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  8. ^ Strug, Leah (8 October 2009). "Support for X Factor Joe is top class". The Shields Gazette. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  9. ^ a b Ann Gripper (8 October 2009). "All you need to know about Joe McElderry". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  10. ^ a b c Katy Simpson (22 August 2009). "Tyneside teen Joe McElderry set to wow X-Factor". JournalLive. Retrieved 24 October 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) Cite error: The named reference "tynsineteen" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Alexandra Burke backs Rachel to win The X Factor". STV. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
  12. ^ Stewart, Mike (7 October 2009). "Rachel Adedeji - X Factor 2009". Telly Zone. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
  13. ^ "Axed Lucie Nearly Quit". Daily Star. 26 October 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  14. ^ http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/21463/x-factors-stacey-solomon-golders-green
  15. ^ Harrison, David (24 October 2009). "Simon Cowell in backstage row with X Factor singer Jamie Archer". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  16. ^ "Walsh accuses Cowell of cheating". IrelandOnline. 25 October 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  17. ^ "X Factor profile: Who is the real Danyl Johnson?". Metro. Associated Newspapers. 26 August 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  18. ^ "Danyl Johnson's X Factor Audition a YouTube video hit". Ready2Beat. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  19. ^ a b Robertson, Colin (21 August 2009). "Boob camp". The Sun. News International. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  20. ^ Hind, Katie (23 August 2009). "X Factor's Danyl Johnson failed auditions three years ago". The People. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 12 October 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ a b Smith, Lizzie (10 October 2009). "X Factor: Dannii Minogue's bisexual jibe nearly costs her job, while Simon Cowell's stripper insult angers Cheryl Cole". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  22. ^ Wiley, Jennifer (23 August 2009). "X Factor hunk Danyl Johnson's sex-secret confession". News of the World. News International. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  23. ^ McGrath, Kate (17 October 2009). "X Factor's Olly: 'I won't win, but I'm enjoying every second'". Evening Star. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  24. ^ "Olly always had the X Factor at school..." Daily Gazette. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  25. ^ http://xfactor.itv.com/2009/finalists/detail/fnl_80008.htm
  26. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/xfactor/news/a184626/x-factor-week-four-what-the-judges-said.html
  27. ^ http://www.ioe.ie/
  28. ^ Gripper, Ann (8 October 2009). "X Factor Top 10: All you need to know about the Grimes twins John and Edward". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  29. ^ "The Sun Showbiz,TV,X Factor". The Sun. 26 October 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  30. ^ Judges comments on John @ Edward's performance in Queen night
  31. ^ Thompson, Jody (8 October 2009). "X Factor Top 10: All you need to know about Kandy Rain". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  32. ^ "Kandy Rain first out of X Factor". BBC News Online. 12 October 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
  33. ^ "Miss Frank (F.R.A.N.K) form at bootcamp". Unreality TV. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  34. ^ Wightman, Catriona (25 October 2009). "Miss Frank voted off 'The X Factor'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  35. ^ Hit's for kids Daily Mirror, 25 October 2009
  36. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/singles/
  37. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a187864/x-factor-stars-top-irish-singles-chart.html
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