The X Factor final is here.
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 7:05pm GMT (8:05pm CET, 2:05pm EST, 11:05am PST) on ITV 1 (125min).
Tonight’s show’s intro is the finalists, driving on their otherwise empty busses. We see clips from earlier in the season. The auditions, judges’ houses, performances, judges’ comments. They are all dreaming of winning the show.
This year’s final takes place in ExCel London. Dermot arrives in a fancy car. There is an orchestra on stage. The judges walk onto the stage through the big doors.
Becky Hill (from The Voice UK), Pete Tong and the Heritage Orchestra are performing for the TOP 3 finalists. At the end the finalists enter the stage. They sing ‘You’ve Got the Love’ with Becky Hill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUuMoDidqYc
And the vote is now open!
During the commercials, let’s look at the details of this year’s winner’s single. The X Factor teamed up the TOP 3 finalists with three artist. Yes, this year’s winner’s single will be a duet. Either: Kevin Davy White & BGT winner Tokio Myers, Grace Davies & BRIT Award winner Paloma Faith and Rak-Su & Grammy Award winner Wyclef Jean. The show is desperate for the winner’s single to move some copies. Last year Matt Terry released a Christmas song written by Ed Sheeran and it at least charted okay for two weeks. Now they are teaming the X Factor winner with another artist, but none of these duet partners seem exciting.
Kevin Davy White – Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin)
He is from Paris, but his homecoming was somewhere in London. He did the media rounds and drove around the city on a bus with his fans. His family is also in London and Nicole Scherzinger told him that he will be opening for James Arthur as his homecoming gig. The concert happened on Tuesday. James was very kind to him. We see Nicole introduce Kevin to the audience in the arena. He played ‘Come Together’.
Kevin has a band on stage and he is playing electric guitar again. He is rocking it out. He sounds okay, but he is no Adam Lambert. His guitar playing totally overshadows his singing.
Louis compliments the song choice and compares Kevin to Jimi Hendrix. Sharon says he is great to take on that song and that everyone loved it. Simon says Kevin turned out to win it. He calls him fearless and a great performer. Nicole says tonight is a celebration of love. She pleads with the viewers to vote for him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1VyJmg2NK4
Stacey Solomon and George Shelley talk to Kevin’s fans in the audience. Kevin’s mother in law come from New Zealand to support him.
Grace Davies – Live and Let Die (Wings)
Grace is from Blackburn. She was on morning TV show before she went back home. Her supporters meet her in front of her house. She spends some time with her family before leaving on a bus. Grace meets a crows of school children and then visits a local pub. She gets to perform at Cathedral Square in Blackburn. Sharon shows up for the gig.
Grace has 20 violin players on stage. They sit in weird cubicles. This staging is doing Grace no favors. She is trying to do her best with the song, but vocally she isn’t really up to this challenge.
Louis says she gets better and better every single week and predicts a massive career for her. Simon says she is a great person and compliments her vocals. He points of her and Rak-Su’s songwriting. Nicole loved the arrangement. Sharon says Grace belongs here and says she is an amazing songwriter and singer and a great performer. Grace says she’s been singing this song for years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=265sscdCbs4
Stacey Solomon and George Shelley talk to her supporters.
Rak-Su – Mamacita (Rak-Su)
They are from Watford. They were on Kiss Radio and at The Sun’s HQ before they headed home. People wait for them. They went to their old school and performed for the kids. In the evening they went to Watford FC to perform for a stadium of 20K people. Simon shows up for the gig.
Rak-Su are performing one of their original songs from earlier in the season. It looks like with Simon’s blessing. It’s a standard Rak-Su performance with rapping and singing.
Louis says people are talking about Rak-Su everywhere he goes. Sharon loves melody lines in their songs. She calls them relatable. Nicole says they are a phenomenon and says they inspired her dress. Simon says this is what it’s all about. The audience is still screaming for them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o73MuTY7Ss0
We are back from the break and Dermot talks to the judges. The judges think the public made the right decisions all season long. Louis thinks Rak-Su won round 1.
Tonight’s first musical guest is boyband Prettymuch from America. Simon says his label signed them 3 years ago. He is proud to point out being a record label executive is his day job. The boys musically aren’t that far from Rak-Su, but they are younger. They are performing their new single ‘No More’ (feat. French Montana).
https://youtu.be/rk_oK9nfHBE
Duets after the break!
This year’s duets are also the candidates for the winner’s singles. The proceeds from the winner’s singles will go Together for Short Lives and Shooting Star Chase. We get a heartbreaking story about a young guy, Josh, who died from testicular cancer. Joshua was only 16, damn. Simon wants to raise a million pounds for these two charities. Simon himself is donating 250K pounds.
Kevin Davy White & Tokio Myers – Fastlove, PT. 1. (George Micheal)
Kevin was teamed up with this year’s Britain’s Got Talent winner, Tokio Myers. Talented guy. Tokio Myers is playing the piano (and some other instruments) and Kevin is playing electric guitar. I’m not sure this song is the right choice for a winner’s single.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44b85Apj2Wk
TOP 16 finalists are watching the show on the balcony. Dermot interviews Matt Linnen, Lloyd Macey and Holly Tandy.
Grace Davies & Paloma Faith – Roots (Grace Davies)
Grace is singing her original, audition song ‘Roots’ with BRIT Award winner Paloma Faith. Paloma released her 4th album ‘The Architect’ just two weeks ago. It went to #1 in the UK.
Grace is playing the piano. Paloma comes out in the middle of the song. Vocally the performance isn’t perfect, but then again, this season really isn’t about the vocals. Grace starts crying after the performance. &
Grace’s friend came from Germany to watch the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p71R9C60MtQ
Rak-Su & Naughty Boy & Wyclef Jean – Dimelo (Rak-Su)
Simon announces Rak-Su will have a double duet – Grammy winning artist Wyclef Jean and producer Naughty Boy. And they are doing Rak-Su’s original song ‘Dimelo’, written in the X Factor house. In the middle of the performance Wyclef Jean appears on stage and does some weird dance moves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX7KKjfacbQ
Stacey Solomon and George Shelley talk to Rak-Su’s supporters.
The show ends in about 25 minutes. Dermot recites the voting instructions. Recap of all the performances.
We are back from the break and the vote is now frozen!
Our second musical guest in Louis Tomlinson. He is performing his new single ‘Miss You’. He is back to his pop/rock roots.
https://youtu.be/pYlpErJ_Qzg
Before the results, we get a video of X Factor finalists explaining what winning the show would mean for them.
Simon Nicole and Sharon bring their finalists on stage.
TOP 2: Grace Davies & Rak-Su
3rd PLACE: Kevin Davy White
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK46kErObro
Whew, Simon’s hopes and dreams came true, a girl and a group performing originals are the TOP 2 and the Over is leaving in 3rd place. Still, congratulations Kevin for getting this far. I hope he gets a job as a musician somewhere.
Grace Davies and Rak-Su return on stage. The vote is now re-open!
Tomorrow’s musical guests: P!nk, Sam Smith and CNCO & Little Mix.
