How to watch X Factor UK from outside the UK?
You can watch X Factor live, online. ITV streams the show through the ITV Player. However, ITV blocks viewers from outside of the UK. To get around that, you need to use VPN connection. If Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is your preferred browser, install Hola extension and set them to UK server. Then open the ITV Player, make a free account and pick the right channel. The player will ask you for a ZIP code. Find an active UK ZIP code HERE. Make sure you have the cookies enabled. You can also try to find a working ITV stream on MyiPlayer.com, TVPC.com or FilmON.com.
The X Factor airs tonight at 8:00pm BST (9:00pm CEST, 3:00pm EDT, 12:00pm PDT) on ITV 1 (85min).
It’s movie night and the intro is completely in style of the theme. Dermot is going all 007 on us. He introduces Mr Strange, Wonder Woman, Mrs Robinson and Bilbo Bisagin, also known as the X Factor judges.
Dermot says the competition is wide open as he opens the voting. Ryan is opening the show, Emily is closing it.
Ryan Lawrie: Jailhouse Rock – Elvis Presley (Jailhouse Rock)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZc0CPwaBNM
Last week he was sure he would be going home. Nicole sends him and Matt to a fitness studio.
Start of the performance: Ryan in front of the wall, taking a mugshot. Then, Ryan in prison He is changing his inner Elvis. Sadly his stage presence is nowhere near Elvis. His vocals aren’t spectacular, but he is not exactly bombing either, plus the song is not allowing any vocal acrobatics anyway.
Louis calls the performance entertaining, but says Matt will be always better than Ryan. Sharon praises his commitment and calls the performance great. Simon calls the performance a little bit corny, but says this was Ryan’s best performance to date. Nicole says he became alive tonight, she says he is this season’s most relevant contestant to be on the radio.
5 After Midnight: Try a Little Tenderness – Otis Redding (The Commitments)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN66MuMKbQ8
They head to Jordan’s house to meet his parents for the first time as a band.
They start singing on a platform, but soon they jump down. After some singing they start dancing and rapping. They are better in the rap department than Honey G! The start wasn’t so hot, but the rapping and dancing in the second part turned it all around.
Nicole says they are something something to her. She loved the stripped down production. Sharon sees the group in the final. She says she wasn’t keen on the backing track, but says the boys are convincing performers. Simon says it didn’t work until the dance break. He says they need to spend more time on vocal arrangement. Louis praises their work ethic, etc.
Saara Aalto: My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion (Titanic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfu5FM0plII
Saara gets some videos from her family in Finland. She plays the piano as she practices the song in Matt’s presence.
She is dressed in white and initially sits on the floor. She sings beautifully, but her rendition is nowhere as impressive as Celine Dion. The production went all out for her to make this a moment.
Louis says Saara never lets us down. Nicole says she proved she is a great vocalist. Simon liked the performance, but not the dress. He prefers Saara’s more wacky performances. Sharon says she got goosebumps.
Matt Terry: Writing’s on The Wall – Sam Smith (Spectre)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9977MYAS0Ms
Matt says disco was a hard week for him because “it wasn’t him”. He wants to make Sam Smith’s song his own. He calls Nicole for advice and she is in the US … He tells The Sun’s reporter he doesn’t think he has the competition in the bag and says 5 After Midnight are his biggest rivals because they can sing and dance. It’s great to see him so humble and realistic.
Matt sings on a dark, candle-lit stage and delivers his vocal acrobatics.
Louis says the performance was “vocal masterclass”, says he deserves to be in the final. Sharon says the competition is anyone’s and Matt just took 1st place. Simon says this was just what we were waiting for. He uses Nicole’s favorite expression “that took balls”. Like Louis, he says Matt had two not so great weeks. I wouldn’t say he had bad weeks, because he always performed well, he just wasn’t in his comfort zone. Nicole gets tearful during her barely coherent critique.
Honey G: It’s Like That / Getting Jiggy With It – Jason Nevins/ Will Smith I (Keith Lemon The Movie / Last Days of Disco)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGeAm3SPKyA
She wants to show that she is a real rapper. Well, good luck with that. Sharon says Honey G is the hardest working contestant.
At the start of the performance we see Honey G and two dancers on the tube – I guess that was pre-filmed in London. The performance features Honey G raping and a dance break. I am ready for this joke to end.
Louis says she look forward to her performance every week, he praises her work ethic. Nicole says she loved the energy, says towards the end she started to wonder whether she is seeing the same thing week after week. Simon says people ask him whether he is judging her on talent or something else. He says he Loves Honey G. Sharon says Honey G is here because people vote for her. Honey G is channeling Ed Balls to a dance off. Ed is a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, reportedly he is rather dreadful.
Emily Middlemas: It Must Have Been Love – Roxette (Pretty Woman)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzNaVB2DluY
Emily says last Saturday her performance didn’t click. She goes to Simon’s office to talk with him. She is excited about her song choice. She is not doing an uptempo number like she and the other judges wanted last week. It’s hard to step out of your comfort zone, haha.
She starts the performance sitting on a platform. She is dressed in red, her hair is wet and she is surrounded by fog. She is trying to project haunting vocals and partly she is succeeding, but it’s hard to hide that is a very poor vocalist. She is just not hitting certain notes right.
Louis calls the performance haunting and beautiful, but wants an uptempo performance next week. Sharon says Simon created this image for her. Nicole also praises her haunting voice. She thinks Emily has more fire for her to show. Simon praises Emily’s artistry. It appears Emily is not well, she can’t top herself from coughing during the comments.
Craig David and Alicia Keys are performing on the show tomorrow.
