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 8:20pm BST (9:20pm CEST, 3:20pm EDT, 12:20pm PDT) on ITV 1 (120min).
It’s the first weekend of the live shows this season. The X Factor got a new home in new studios this year, so it’s a big change for the team.
On Friday morning Simon Cowell fell down a flight of stairs BACKWARDS. He was put in a neck brace, wheeled into an ambulance on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. He got a concussion and might not appear on the show tonight. TPTB held an emergency meeting and decided that boys and girls will be performing tonight. That means, we are getting 8 performances from the contestants. Also, Liam Payne is set to perform tonight, probably during the voting period.
Dermot arrives on a motorbike to the studio. Deadlock and judges’ vote are gone. WOW, we have a new studio and a new set! Dermot enters from somewhere above. Judges still come from backstage through the main doors. Simon is not there! Dermot introduces Nicole, Louis and Sharon. I guess Louis will be the head judge tonight.
The wildcards are Alisah Bonaobra, Talia Dean, Jack & Joel and Leon Mallett, as reported. The TOP 12 finalists join them on stage. So, we have 16 acts this season. This weekend, 1 act from each category leaves the show. We will be voting for the winner of the weekend, who will get a prize. This weekend’s prize is … a Pink concert and meet&greet with the artist. Interesting.
Tonight, it’s mad uncle vs. mad aunt, manager vs. manager … Louis vs. Sharon.
Rai-Elle Williams: Doo Wop (That Thing) / Lost Ones / No – Lauryn Hill / Meghan Trainor
In her VT, we see Rai-Elle dining with her family. She picked her own song.
She starts her performance with Meghan Trainor’s song and transitions into Lauryn Hill. She raps … and goes back to Meghan Trainor. I think this performance is a bit too ambitious for the first live show. The choruses fell a bit flat for me, otherwise it wasn’t bad.
Louis can’t believe Rai-Elle is only 16, he says she is like an established recording star. Nicole thinks Rai-Elle is only 4 … She says this is her favorite mash-up ever. Sharon says Rai-Elle should be very happy. She predicts a brilliant future for her.
Spencer Sutherland: Jessie J – Who You Are
American Spencer plays a tourist in London. He has two brothers. His mother has never left the States before. His parents surprise Spencer in the studio during rehearsals.
Spencer slowed down Jessie J’s signature ballad a bit. He sounds nice. He is definitely making it his own.
Sharon praises his strong vocal performance. She asks him to work on his look and moves, because he is a bit boyband. Nicole calls his performance ‘honest’. Louis praises his song choice and says this means a lot to him. He also points out there is nothing wrong with boybands. Boyband manager would know.
Cheryl is sitting in the studio, right behind the judges’ table. She is probably here supporting Liam.
Holly Tandy: Tori Kelly – Hollow
We meet Holly’s sweet grandfather, who was a musician himself back in the day.
This is one of the weirder song choices tonight. Was ‘Hollow’ a hit anywhere in the world? Let alone in the UK?! Nope, it only charted in the US and Canada, and not high. Holly has poles and dancers on stage, but she is mostly just standing there. She seems a bit wooden, but she sounds good.
Louis says everyone in Northern England is rooting for her. He thinks ‘Hollow’ will be a great first single for her. Is that the plan? Nicole talks about big balls. She needs to get her comments together! Sharon says Holly looks and sings like a popstar.
Leon Mallett – Stay (Zedd feat. Alessia Cara)
He found out he was wildcarded by phone. He works in a hotel with his mother and brother. We see him working as a bingo caller.
Leon’s voice certainly isn’t on pair with other solo finalists. He is giving it his all and even raps. All I can say is, there is a reason her entered the X Factor in a duo and not as a soloist. His voice just isn’t good enough for him to be able to compete as a soloist.
Sharon likens his journey to a soap opera. She says he belongs on stage. Nicole is also happy to see him back and hopes he is back next week. Louis liked the song and asks the public to vote for Leon.
Alisah Bonaobra – This Is My Now (Jordin Sparks)
Alisah calls herself a comeback queen in her VT. She is very excited to be back. She is singing Jordin Sparks’ American Idol coronation song, one of the worst coronation songs ever. She says she had very little time to learn the song. Was she assigned to sing this by TPTB? It does fit her journey storyline. Her performance is certainly the most standard X Factor performance so far. Big vocals and all!
Louis says that song is absolutely perfect for her. He loves a big ballad with a key change. So, there you have it, someone is praising ‘ This Is My Now’ live on TV! Nicole says she performed with grace and poise. Sharon says Alisah can be here with her great voice until the end.
Dermot interviews Liam Payne. He calls Liam ‘borderline over’. Liam is now is 24, he was 16 while on the X Factor. Liam says he always started the One Direction performance during the X Factor. He is a fan of The Cutkelvins and Rai-Elle.
Sam Black: Stevie Wonder Ft. Ariana Grande – Faith
Sam is from the Isle of Man and lives with his girlfriend and their son Mason. He is very happy to be in the live shows, considering he was initially sent home in bootcamp. Louis is trying to boost his confidence.
This is another weird and obscure song choice and I don’t think this staging is a good fit for him. He is also styled like a character from Grease the musical. He is a bit lost with all the choreography on stage.
Sharon calls him likeable and wants him to do well. But she warns him of his competition. Nicole calls him a tall glass of refresher. She liked the song and has faith in him. Louis calls him ‘down to earth’.
Grace Davies: Original song – Too Young
She recalls her troubled judges’ houses performance. We meet her parents in her VT.
Tonight she is singing an original song, titled ‘Too Young’. The song’s title is displayed on stage in big purple letters and Grace is sitting on the first o in ‘too’. She then moves to the mic stage with roses. The confetti falls. The performance reminds me of Adele, mostly in the way Grace looks and moves behind the mic stand. Her song is just okay, obviously nowhere near Adele’s level.
Louis says this is the start of Grace’s career. Nicole praises her, but says the stage production went a bit too far. I have to agree with Nicole. Roses on the mic stand were nice, but purple letters on stage and the confetti looked tacky. Sharon praises her songwriting.
Dermot is in the audience. He talks to Lloyd Macey’s grandmother. She hopes Simon is feeling better soon.
Lloyd Macey: La La Land – City Of Stars
Lloyd calls himself a typical Welsh boy. He is close with his grandmother.
Lloyd gets a big white star and smoke on stage. Moon is displayed on a screen behind him. He delivers big vocals of classic pop. He can sing, but I don’t know where he would fit in the marketplace.
Sharon praises his beautiful classic welsh voice and song choice. Nicole also praises his voice and says he makes it look so easy. Louis calls his performance beautiful and THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT.
The vote is now open and will be open for approximately 12,5 minutes. Dermot recites the phone numbers. We also get a recap of all the performances.
Our first guest of the series is Liam Payne. He used to be in 1D and now he is free. He is performing his new single ‘Bedroom Floor’. Remember the boy that auditioned for the first time when he was only 14 and then when he was 16? The judges didn’t think he was good enough to compete as a soloist, so he and 4 other boys were put in a boyband. One Direction finished 3rd on the seventh season of the X Factor UK and became the most successful act this show has ever produced. And now Liam and his bandmates finally get to be solo artists. Liam is now 24, so it’s been 10 years since his first X Factor audition. What else happened for Liam? He has a son with Cheryl, who was a judge on the show when he auditioned.
https://youtu.be/0XSAcV2c8EM
Results are coming up after the commercial break.
Sharon, Louis and their acts come on stage.
Safe:
Sam Black
Rai-Elle Williams
Holly Tandy
Grace Davies
Lloyd Macey
Alisah Bonaobra
Leon Mallett
Going home: Spencer Sutherland
Ups, I guess not having a home base or a sob story hurt him. It’s tragic that Sam and Leon outlasted him. I also expected one act from each category going home, but it didn’t happen.
Nicole and Sharon think Alisah had the performance of the night. Louis gives it to Lloyd. But Grace Davies was the top vote-getter.
The performances are available on Apple Music and iTunes.
We will be back tomorrow night with the overs and groups.
