16 acts perform. The show starts at 7:30pm BST and ends at 10pm BST.
Tonight’s episode starts at 7:30pm BST, 8:30pm CEST, 2:30pm EDT, 11:30am PDT.
HOW TO WATCH: LIVE, ONLINE, FROM ABROAD
You can watch X Factor live, online. ITV streams the show through ITV Player. However, ITV blocks viewers from outside of the UK. To get around that, you need to use VPN connection. If Google Chrome is your preferred browser, install ZenMate or Hola extensions and set them to UK server. There are also many free UK VPN services that allow you to make a connection on your own (Pick one and follow the instructions: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. For more Google “free UK VPN”.). ITV might ask you to enter your UK zip code. Find valid UK zip code HERE. Don’t let the browser send any information.
You can also try to find a working ITV stream on MyiPlayer.com, TVPC.com, VIPLeague.me, Stream2Watch.me or FilmON.com.
If you know any other working links, please post them in the comments below.
Season 11’s first live performance show is here and 16 acts will perform for the votes of GBP. Last week we saw each of the 4 judges pick 3 out of their 6 acts that survived the 6 chair challenge. As you know, the producers decided to do the wildcard twist once again. There are 4 wildcards, 1 for each category. Each judge picked a wildcard for another category. Reportedly Louis chose Cheryl’s wildcard and Cheryl picked Simon’s wildcard. All acts that got a chair during the 6 chair challenge round were eligible – those that had a chair at the end of the challenge and those that lost it and therefore didn’t make it to the Judges’ Houses. It looks like all 4 wildcards will be performing tonight, just like the TOP 12 finalists. We don’t know how many acts will be eliminated tomorrow night.
GIRLS
Mentor: Cheryl Fernandez-Versini
TOP 3 Girls: Chloe Jasmine, Lauren Platt, Stephanie Nala
Wildcard: Lola Saunders
BOYS
Mentor: Mel B
TOP 3 Boys: Andrea Faustini, Paul Akister, Jake Quickenden
Wildcard: Jack Walton
OVERS
Mentor: Simon Cowell
TOP 3 Overs: Ben Haenow, Jay James, Fleur East
Wildcard: Stevi Ritchie
GROUPS
Mentor: Louis Walsh
TOP 3 Groups: Blonde Electra, NEW BOYBAND, Only The Young
Wildcard: Overload
It’ time to face the music! The stage is the same as last year. Dermot introduces the 4 judges. Sounds like Peter Dickinson managed to learn Cheryl’s new surname. Dermot did, too. The judges are ready! I see creative director Brian Friedman in the first row!
This season we have the wildcards!
Louis Walsh picks Lola Saunders!
Cheryl picks Stevi Ritchie!
Simon picks Jack Walton!
Mel B picks Overload!
Louis and Cheryl visit Lola and Stevie in person, Simon and Mel B talk to the two acts via Skype.
So we have our Final 16 contestants! We are moving on to the performances super fast.
The phone lines are now open and this year you can vote for free via the X Factor app (5 votes)! This week, it’s a double elimination!
Paul Akister – Ghost (Ella Henderson)
Fine vocals, but I don’t think this was a great song choice for him. My thoughts automatically go to the original version and it just doesn’t feel right to hear Paul sing it. The backing track was huge.
Cheryl: Massive congratulations!
Simon: Louis last year destroyed your life. Louis was A) mad, B) deaf, C) stupid for you to not be here last year.
Louis: I’m so glad that I said no last year because you’ve come back a different guy. You’re going to go far in the competition.
Mel B: That was a solid performance.
Lola Saunders – Stay With Me (Sam Smith)
Her reaction when Louis told her she is a wildcard was priceless. Through the nerves we can hear a beautiful voice. I think she is the best singer of the 4 girls by a mile, to be quite honest.
Simon: I have no why idea why you weren’t selected by Cheryl. I don’t like what you are wearing.
Louis: I was so happy to your house to tell you you are on the shows …
Mel B: You really delivered that song. I’m not sure about that red thing!
Cheryl: I can’t believe fashion criticism is destroying your moment …
Overload Generation – I Kissed a Girl (Katy Perry)
They can’t dance, just like the other current boybands.
I think the arrangement is a little bit rockier than the original. Vocally it could be better, but I guess we shouldn’t expect perfection from anyone tonight.
Mel B: You guys always come out fighting. Your harmonies on the chorus were locked in, but apart from that it kinda fell apart …
Cheryl: There is no doubt you were the obvious choice to bring back, but it’s all too predictable for me right now …
Simon: Let me try to be fairer. There is a boyband out there that is the Ferrari and you are Volkswagen Beetle in comparison… You’ve got to be different from everybody else. [Wow, Simon kinda forgot how One Direction sounded on the first live show of season 7? I guess he doesn’t want a copycat.]
Louis: There are nerves, but the girl absolutely love them.
Jay James – Changing (Sigma feat. Paloma Faith)
Jay compares the rehearsals to military training. The song is about an artist selling out. How appropriate to sing on the X Factor? I’m not sure it’s the best song choice to get votes, but he should be safe tomorrow night. Nice vocal.
Louis: Your went out of your comfort zone and it paid off! You remind me of a young Kevin Costner
Mel B: You smashed it!
Cheryl: That was a great song choice!
Simon: This is a difference between somebody singing a song and a future artist. You remind me … like British Adam Levine. That’s where you should be going. [YIKES. Poor Jay James. British Adam Levine.]
Stephanie Nala – Everything I Own (Originally by Bread (#32 in 1972), covered by Ken Boothe (#1 in 1974), Crystal Gayle (#93 in 1983) and Boy George (#1 in 1987))
She is struggling being a solo artist. This VT is really setting her up for an early departure. Nobody likes to vote for contestants with confidence issues. I don’t think is a great song choice. She has a really nice voice – it’s not big, but her tone is really nice. Sadly, after the first part she drowned out by the backing track.
Simon: When you want an ice cream sundae and you get sorbet, it is kind of disappointing. And that’s what it felt like. I think you’d be more comfortable in a girl band.
Louis: The song was flat, it just didn’t happen.
Mel B: I think your vocals were great, not fantastic, but it was a solid performance.
Cheryl: Sometimes it takes people a lifetime to gain confidence.
Jack Walton – Only Girl In The World (Rihanna)
WGWG putting a spin on a pop song! He plays a guitar and has a (probably fake) band in the back. He sounds good.
Cheryl: I have to say I’m so glad you are back in the competition, great song choice.
Simon: I got a text message from Louis Tomlinson last week about you not making it to the live shows. Luckily you are back … The girls are gonna love you!
Louis: Simon, you made Mel B a great favour!
Mel B: Boo Yaah, Jack is back!
Chloe Jasmine – Toxic (Britney Spears)
Stores in the press are bringing her down. She is doing a jazzy version of “Toxic”. The start is great and then it starts dragging. But overall, solid performance. At least she wasn’t completely drowned out by the track.
Simon: Chloe, you fascinate me. I love your voice, you are slightly polarizing, but remember, there is one thing worse than bad press: no press.
Louis: You’re sultry, you’re sexy and you’re spectacular.
Mel B: I felt like I was in a lounge watching a great singer.
Cheryl: I think we should embrace uniqueness.
Stereo Kicks – Roar (Katy Perry)
8 piece boyband has a name. Stereo Kicks. The two solos in the beginning are really bad, the chorus is good, but it’s hard to say anything since the backing track is so heavy. I think they still seem like solo singers during the solos.
Mel B: Boys, I literally think you could sing anything and everyone would love it.
Cheryl: It’s a little bit overwhelming to have so many of you. You could do more with this track …
Simon: The first group of guys was okay, but you just blew them off the stage. You’ve been together two weeks [and] you’ve worked out who the strong singers are and you’ve bonded. This is really exciting for me. [Well, if Simon says so …]
Louis: I see something special, I think you are the next big boyband.
Stevi Ritchie – Livin La Vida Loca (Ricky Martin)
Aww, he gets a lovely VT with his daughter featured. OMG the dancing! The song choice! He is definitely this year’s Wagner. Stevi is shouting and the backing singers are doing most of the job. Simon must be dying inside.
Louis: What’s going on! I loved it when I saw your chest in the end. I think Simon may have given you some of those moves. I saw you dancing like that drunk at a wedding once, Simon.
Mel B: Come on, is this a joke? I like the girls!
Cheryl: I love you and what the bloody hell is this [shows 100$ bill with Simon’s face on it]?
Simon: You are going to be here longer than most of Cheryl’s girls!
Lauren Platt – Happy (Pharrell Williams)
She celebrated her 17th birthday this week. She is turning “Happy” into a ballad. The first part was really pretty. It picks up in the second part a bit. The idea was definitely good and the first part was lovely, but I missed some sort of a peak in the performance. The ending was a bit flat for me.
Simon: That was really smart.
Louis: You have a great recording voice.
Mel B: You did what everyone expected of you. You made it your own. Well done for that, I’m proud of you.
Cheryl: I’m really, really proud of you.
Blonde Electra – Kids In America (Kim Wilde, #2 in 1981)
They love Brian Friedman. Prepare for something CRAZY! Expect unicorns!
The sisters look like clowns with glittery green eyebrows and red/pink lipstick. Very energetic performance. This performance isn’t as much about singing as it is about spectacle. The colors are giving me a headache and there is a lot of going on on stage. Dancing elephants, dancers with hoops and unicorns as a background.
Mel B: Alright, I did think I was going to hate it, but you made it a proper performance.
Cheryl: You know you are a little bonkers, but you own it.
Simon: You are a bit bonkers, but I look forward to you. That song was not a #1. Not in the UK, not in America. Only in Finland.
Louis: You are different.
Ben Haenow – Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkel)
Wow, his soft rock voice is a great fit for this song. The arrangement is minimal with the piano and some strings. A MOMENT! This will bring him the votes, but this song and the performance probably aren’t a good representation of what he would do as a recording artist after the show.
Louis: Simon, he’s going to go far for you.
MEL B: I think you have a great voice, but that song choice was a bit boring. I wouldn’t take you in that direction.
Cheryl: That was one of my top 3 performances of the night.
Simon: Mel, you are like a thunder cloud on a sunny day. That was sensational.
Jake Quickenden – She’s The One (Robbie Williams)
Brian Friedman is trying to get him to connect with the viewers.
He is lying on a platform and soon after the start he sits up. The backing tracks is really heavy. The whole performance is kinda karaoke for me, but he at least does some different runs. I’m not sure he did too well in the connecting department.
Cheryl: You are very much a favorite with the ladies. I would rather see you were a better singer, but you did a good job.
Simon: Your voice is missing grit. It’s hard to follow someone like Ben. I think you are going to be here for a few weeks.
Louis: I think you are very likable, unlike Simon.
Mel B: I think you did a great job. I know the dedication you’ve put in day in and day out.
Fleur East – All About That Bass (Meghan Trainor)
She is a late bloomer in the competition and she knows she has to bring it.
This is pretty much a straight up cover, maybe a bit slowed down in parts? Vocally sounds solid, but this song is just not made for moments.
Louis: Fleur, that’s the way to do it! Born popstar!
Mel B: I’m glad you are on Simon’s team, because you made it cool!
Cheryl: You came from nowhere, your performance was all it should be.
Simon: You were like a pussycat until last week and then it all connected!
Only The Young – Jailhouse Rock/Twist n Shout (Elvis Presley/The Beatles)
Whoa. This was really on point! Good vocal from all 4 singers. I just wish the songs were more exciting.
Mel B: I really loved you from day 1, but tonight you didn’t hit that mark. Th harmonies were great, but you are way cooler than that!
Cheryl: I think you have the ability to do both!
Simon: It’s not the most original songs from the past, but you have brilliant chemistry. With the right person looking after you – me – you could do great in the show and outside of it.
Louis: I think there is a place in the market for a group like this!
Andrea Faustini – Earth Song (Michael Jackson)
He misses Italy and his parents. He is such a character. I think what makes him so endearing to people is that he has a character/personality of a joke act, but then he starts to sing and blows everyone away.
I think the performance was solid, but “Earth Song” isn’t the best song for a performance that lasts 2.5 minutes. The original song builds and builds. I think it will be interesting to see the direction Mel B will take with Andrea in the coming weeks.
Cheryl: You absolutely brought the house down.
Simon: Out little Italian bear took us to church. You sing with so much passion. It is Italy’s loss, Britain’s gain. And after that performance, you must be one of the red hot favourites.
Louis: Wherever I go, people talk about you.
Mel B: You are the winner, for sure!
Tomorrow: Taylor Swift and Pharrell Williams perform.
The judges absolutely slaughtered Overload Generation and Stephanie Nala. Meanwhile, Stevi Ritchie and Blonde Electra proved to be this season’s joke acts. We will see how the voting goes.
Overall, HEAVY BACKING TRACKS ruled the night, with the exception of Ben Heanow and perhaps Chloe Jasmine. I think tonight’s show was pretty good, considering it was the first live show of the season and with 16 acts. It was great to see Brian Friedman back.
Dermot O’Leary reveals DOUBLE elimination is in store for the X Factor… as judges’ wildcard acts are confirmed
The X Factor judges delighted their chosen wildcard contestants earlier this week by telling them that they’re back in the competition.
But before Lola Saunders, Overload Generation, Stevi Ritchie and Jack Walton had time to celebrate, Dermot O’Leary dropped another huge bombshell.
On Sunday night’s show, the presenter revealed that not one but two of the show’s contestants will be booted out of the competition for good on Sunday.
Read more: Daily Mail
They’re back! X Factor confirm the four wildcard acts who will get a second chance to impress on the show
They were left devastated when they were told their X Factor journey had come to an end at the judges’ houses, but four acts have been given another shot at fame.
In newly released promotional shots, Lola Saunders, Jack Walton, Stevi Ritchi and boy band Overload are all appearing on Saturday night’s live show.
Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, 31, shocked fans of the show when she sent talented Lola Saunders home.
Read more: Daily Mail
‘I’m gobsmacked’: Simon Cowell gets into Cheryl Fernandez-Versini’s bad books by blasting Lola Saunders on The X Factor
Simon Cowell and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini have always had a love-hate relationship.
But on Saturday night’s episode of The X Factor, the frenemies seemed to be on the brink of another public falling out.
The music mogul ticked off the singer with his critique of her wildcard Lola Saunders, who took to the stage and performed Sam Smith’s Stay With Me.
Read more: Daily Mail
‘Go out there and prove them wrong’: Cheryl Fernandez-Versini has strong words for Chloe Jasmine as she sobs on X Factor
Posh contestant, Chloe Jasmine was feeling down ahead of her live performance on the X Factor this Saturday, after feeling like she had been under fire from critics.
‘I just don’t understand why people have to be so unkind to me,’ she sobbed to judge Cheryl Fernandez-Versini.
‘Hearing bad things about yourself is just the worst feeling ever. It’s because I’m different to everyone else.’
Read more: Daily Mail
Watch out One Direction! Louis Walsh tells eight-piece boy band they’re the next big thing… as the X Factor group finally reveal their name
Simon Cowell revealed on Saturday night’s X Factor that One Direction have not only been watching the show, but tipping him on which contestants should go through.
One act the group might not be rooting for however is the eight-piece boyband – following Louis Walsh’s comments this week.
After the hopefuls performed Roar by Katy Perry, the veteran judge gushed on live TV: ‘I think we have the next big boy band here.
Read more: Daily Mail
What nude picture scandal? X Factor star Chloe-Jasmine Whichello dances around in silver flapper dress after saucy pictures of her are leaked online
She might be the latest victim of an online naked picture scandal.
But X Factor contestant Chloe-Jasmine Whichello looked over the moon as she left the first of the live shows in Wembley on Saturday night.
Spinning around merrily in her gorgeous frock, it seemed the 24-year-old was trying her hardest not to let the leaked topless photos of her affect her performance and pride at being on the popular ITV singing contest.
Read more: Daily Mail
‘My girls are magical’: Cheryl Fernandez-Versini sounds confident in her group as she arrives in style at the X Factor studios
Cheryl Fernandez-Versini was spotted making her way into the X Factor studios on Saturday afternoon ahead of the programme’s first nail-biting live show.
The 31-year-old had taken to her Twitter account ahead of her arrival and sounded particularly confident in the potential of her group – the girls.
‘They are magical,’ she beamed. ‘I’m so excited for you all to see them.
Read more: Daily Mail
Mel B looks elegant with her sleek bob and white designer gown on X Factor… as Cheryl Fernandez-Versini keeps it simple in black glittering dress
She revealed her new short hairstyle two days ago.
And X Factor judge Melanie B looked incredibly elegant as she appeared on Saturday night’s show with her new look – which she teamed with a gorgeous white bow-fronted dress.
And winning herself some style points, fellow judge Cheryl Fernandez-Versini seem to have opted for a similar sleeveless gown, although in black.
Read more: Daily Mail
Feeling knackered! Raccoon eyed Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and onesie-clad Mel B look ready for bed after a long night as they leave X Factor’s first live show
It was a long, emotionally-charged night for the judging panel as the first live shows of X Factor 2014 kicked off on Saturday night.
So it’s understandable that Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Mel B were showing the effects as they departed the studios in Wembley looking rather worn out to say the least.
Cheryl’s stylist had already disappeared home to catch some z’s, leaving the Girls Aloud star with black make-up smudged around her eyes, while Scary Spice clearly couldn’t wait to get to bed before throwing on her PJs.
Read more: Daily Mail
The twisted genius behind making the X Factor live show so long, you actually looked forward to a song, by JIM SHELLEY
The X Factor’s ‘live’ show was two and a half hours long, putting most of the best films ever made in the shade, some four minutes longer than Goodfellas for example, and just three minutes shorter than Apocalypse Now.
On the surface, Marlon Brando’s depiction of the descent into madness and the living hell of war might seem like an appropriate comparison to the torture of spending 150 minutes of your Saturday night sitting through The X Factor.
It was hard to imagine that anyone (even at ITV) could have thought that the 90-minute length of the previous episodes somehow wasn’t enough to showcase the X Factor’s myriad attributes, that it was more entertaining than a Premier League match or a Kate Bush concert.
Read more: Daily Mail
