The Rise & Fall of X-Factor (an insane deep dive)

FINALLY I am so excited to post this video! In today's video I took a deep dive into the X-Factor's history, and how this show turned into one of the biggest reality shows. The bad auditions, the global artists like One Direction & Little Mix, and how the show fell out of love with their audience.
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timestamps:
00:00:00 - intro
00:03:24 - the history of x-factor
00:06:50 - the start of x-factor
00:16:45 - the manipulation of x-factor
00:27:24 - the rise of x-factor
00:47:48 - the peak of x-factor
00:59:09 - the fall of x-factor
01:17:09 - the death of x-factor
01:25:39 - where does that leave x-factor

[@EnchantedTooWell]

I can't believe you never mentioned Liam Payne first auditioning in 2008 when he was 14, also Jade Thirlwall auditioned (and made it to BootCamp) TWICE before being put in Little Mix. Alexandra Burke auditioned and made it to judge's houses in 2005!! Olly Murs had previously auditioned for the show twice for producers but never got in front of the judges🥺

[@tasha1955]

@@amazingunreleasedalbums mM god that shit was weird, if Liam was a woman, Cheryl would've been cancelled a hundred times over.

[@EnchantedTooWell]

@@amazingunreleasedalbums omg yeah ew

[@dott8348]

Jade auditioned twice? Was this the same season or previous seasons

[@EnchantedTooWell]

she auditioned in 2008 and 2010@@dott8348

[@taylormoran151]

@@dott8348she auditioned once in 2008 and again in 2011 when she got put in little mix

[@kitkat88816]

I knew someone dad who was invited to go on the Britain got talent (I know it’s a video about xfactor but it had 2 the same judges at the time) he was known in our area to be a fun street singer with a dog and puppets playing instruments which he controlled it by his legs and arms while performing he was awesome and very talented. They contacted him after one the managers saw him he had to provide a video of him after wards they were practically begging him to come on the show he was so hopeful he would finally get noticed and being able to produce his music. He waited in line for nearly 16 hours he was tired and dehydrated and sun burnt soon he performed the judges mocked & pointed at him and almost instantly pressed the buzzers not even giving him a chance laughing while he walked off humiliated. He said all he could hear was the crowd laughing and see all the background staff staring at him while re walked out. He even said when he was setting up his set on stage the judges kept looking at there watches making a point that he was taking to long . It was so cruel and evil and broke him for so many years he didn’t perform for a good 2 years in case anyone recognised him in fear of being mocked again. It was really sad because he had so much talent from his voice and performance. Why contact and get someone hopes up just to shame them. He even spent money he couldn’t afford getting a hotel and travelling to the venue. I’m glad this show ended I can’t believe it went on for so long.

[@EnchantedTooWell]

Is his audition on KZbin anywhere? Also Britain's Got Talent is still going...

[@kitkat88816]

@@EnchantedTooWell not sure it was a around 2010/11 so long time ago now I don’t even think it made a television cut and I know I meant xfactor glad it finished

[@celestialnaydoll]

I'm so sorry this happened to him, he didn't deserve that.

[@EnchantedTooWell]

does he have a channel?@@kitkat88816

[@Lo-re5pf]

Poor man. It might mean a lot to him if you told him how you feel about what the show did to him.

[@witchywoman2008]

I think the Zoe Alexander incident is one of the worst things I’ve seen on a reality show. They truly set that girl up to not only be a laughing stock, but to be viewed as evil. Someone who is aggressive and argumentative. When in reality she was just tired, hungry, and had been lied to and embarrassed by the producers and the judges.

[@djgeneralbounce]

Her reaction was unhinged though. If you're going to go on any TV show the last thing you should do is kick off like she did, you're just going to look insane regardless of how badly you were treated.

[@plsfucoff5223]

id argue public embarrassment, not just like. PUBLIC but near world wide embarrassment would have a lot of people losing it

[@djgeneralbounce]

@@plsfucoff5223 X Factor was the biggest show on TV by the time Zoe went on. Reality TV had been in full swing for almost a decade. At that point anyone going on a show like X Factor should have understood that they were putting themselves out for the nation's consumption. As soon as you put yourself out on a huge platform like that you become public property. I get its an intense situation but don't put on a show if you can't handle an audience.

[@morbidsearch]

​@@djgeneralbounce Did you watch the video? She was having a panic attack and they edited it to look like she was swearing.

[@djgeneralbounce]

@@morbidsearch that's just what she's saying years after the original broadcast. Unless she has the original footage to prove it I don't believe her.

[@tasheve3015]

i can’t believe you didn’t discuss little mix, they’ve been huge for years. deserved their own segment imo

[@kjh4496]

Probably because they weren’t victims of the machine. They were just talent and you had 2 judges that year from very successful groups to mentor them.

[@tasheve3015]

@@kjh4496they could’ve been mentioned tho? in terms of the UK they had 1D level success. he also could’ve mentioned how they were put together & the behind the scenes process, and also maybe how jesy nelson suffered online hate because she was bigger than the other girls

[@Purrfectlypinkkitty]

@@tasheve3015mate what are you on he literally did mention that Jesu Nelson received hate in the form of fat shaming? Literally what you just complained saying he could’ve mentioned HE DID

[@morbidsearch]

​@tasheve3015 Yeah like there's that scene after they sent the groups home at the end of bootcamp where Kelly is like "we'll take two out of here and one out of here". That was completely staged. They had already put together Little Mix at that point. The real footage was released a year ago.

[@MCLamb1984]

He talked about Pop Idol and didn’t even mention Will Young 😂

[@sp0ngeb00b7]

Little Mix’s presence on the show is kind of integral to a video like this, since they were the last big act to make it from the UK version of the show, and it would’ve been an opportunity to talk about how acts are treated after being signed to Sycco. Their “unofficial” competition with Fifth Harmony winning the US version the year after completely stunted their career and did a lot to change younger viewer’s perception on the show imo, since they were so big for a lot of us growing up. It has always been a big thing in the fanbase that they’re “underrated in America”. Bit of a miss, but fantastic video otherwise you broke everything down really well!

[@user-xu8cg2ll2o]

Fifth Harmony did not win the US X Factor they came third place.

[@EnchantedTooWell]

they were unfairly blacklisted from some US radios cause they wouldn't flirt with certain people higher-up

[@FandomGirl42]

also not to mention the stuff all of them were put through as part of the group. the bullying of jesy for her size, leigh anne being overlooked a lot because she was black, perrie fighting for the other girls to be equal in the group while the judges wanted her to be the lead, and jade being told to get surgery to lighten her skin and make her nose smaller.

[@mubzytv]

A lot of times, the runner up ends up being more famous than the winner. Few exceptions were Leona Lewis, Little Mix and James Arthur

[@car_vroom]

0😊⁰

[@conansmith-dk6cr]

I grew up a massive fan of X Factor and I really enjoyed watching this deep dive. I do however feel like Little Mix aren’t credited enough when you are speaking about 2011. While that year did have its controversies I still think it would have been good to mention that this year produced one of the worlds most success girl groups of all time. Little Mix did well, like insanely well and alongside Leona Lewis was 2 of the shows best and most successful winners.

[@EnchantedTooWell]

Also, Little Mix was literally the only group to ever win X Factor, I might be wrong but I think they're the only group to win any version of the X Factor

[@HassaanZone]

@@EnchantedTooWell Rak Su won it in 2017.

[@EnchantedTooWell]

I completely forgot about them🤣🤣@@HassaanZone

[@sp0ngeb00b7]

@@EnchantedTooWellThey were still the first group to win, and being the only winning group for 6 years after is not shabby at all.

[@EnchantedTooWell]

@@sp0ngeb00b7 I looked into it and there have been groups that have won other versions of X Factor but only a handful

[@eviehnt]

i know 2010 x-factor was such a british experience but imagine experiencing that season whilst living in harry styles’ hometown, it was literally all we could talk about in school, i just remember it being a massive part of my childhood and i distinctly remember standing outside my school with an I ❤ HARRY sign to be on tv when one direction made it through 😭

[@EnchantedTooWell]

were you actually on TV??

[@kitkat88816]

Iconic

[@Matt_fordd]

My step-brother was funnily enough in the same classes as Harry and I’ve definitely heard stories about how he used to be like 😂

[@pippi2647]

@@Matt_forddcare to elaborate and share with the class?

[@Matt_fordd]

@@pippi2647 only things I remember (I don’t see that side of the family) is that he was a bit of an an a-hole (back then anyway) and he once wet himself during a sex ed class 🤣

[@TylerDevineScott]

why is cher lloyd having a sore throat so engrained in my psyche

[@itsjemmabond]

And Diana Vickers.

[@kjh4496]

I think Little Mix winning is one of the only times that the talent completely dwarfed the reality show shenanigans.

[@AR-oy8rt]

absolutely obsessed with these deep dives-so interesting to reflect on and can see how much work you put into them :)

[@4cory]

The duet with Alexandra Burke and Beyoncé is the peak of UK television

[@purpleeyebrows19]

6 year old me was GAGGED

[@Chloe4656.]

I totally forgot about that moment.

[@morbidsearch]

I remember her saying that crying on Beyonce's shoulder was the most embarrassing moment of her life

[@Dee-pv8cy]

The creation of One Direction was Simon’s primary goal heading into the 2010 season. I’m pretty sure he created Belle Ami just to make it less transparent. This was the time when social media was in its infancy and Justin Bieber owned it. There’s some daft statistic like 3% of all traffic on Twitter in late 2009/early 2010 was Bieber related. Simon paired that with the gap in the market for a boy band and knew he could hit gold. If you listen, you can hear how often they were compared to Bieber during the show. If you look at the boys they picked, out of their line-up of possibles, it was the very young/baby faced boys. There were other young boys who didn’t look as young. I’m 100% sure they were picked before any of the boys category were.

[@EnchantedTooWell]

Nicole Scherzinger (who was a guest judge) was also heavily involved in the creation of 1D if you watch the unseen footage

[@EnchantedTooWell]

but there wasn't a gap in the market for a boyband? we had JLS and the Wanted

[@candacecarryer656]

Yes Nicole should get most credit... yet Simon had these 5 boys pegged for a boy band. To make it less obvious (and to get all of them fighting spirit giving their best performance and be sooooo HUNGRY) he cut them all, yet back stage told to stick around awhile. Then as boy band made them come in 3rd lol. Then immediately gave them a million dollar record deal. Show business is a ruse back stage. Good its gone. (I think Styles may start a new talent/ promotion music company with ethical practices and equality.)

[@morbidsearch]

​@@EnchantedTooWell No in the footage it was Simon who originally suggested it - he just said it quietly.

[@cuca_]

@@EnchantedTooWellfor a more Justin Bieber-esque boyband

[@hannahintears]

you truly cannot fathom the success jedward had amongst irish kids after they were on x-factor. they had a tv show. i got a signed copy of their debut album.

[@emzdawg671]

Yesss i was so obsessed i really liked them growing up in ireland, we all loved them back in my house

[@adrienneclarke3953]

55+ from australia. Loved them, they made me laugh so much and kept following then after x factor.

[@Mchannnel]

And they even made it to Eurovision…that’s success right there

[@maryseptihet]

The fact that post x-factor careers are even more insane than the show itself is what gets me i.e. Katy Wiesel on Celebrity Big Brother, the Rebecca Ferguson fraud case, Amelia Lily joining the cast of Geordie Shore, the song “ITS CHICO TIME” (he even did a show at my local leisure centre and I live the middle of nowhere in the Lake District) or that the first ever winner Steve Brookstein is a HUGE conspiracy theorist who has tweeted some of the most problematic things I’ve ever seen! And also the fact that Wagner will sing you happy birthday for £8.50 on Facebook and had DEATH THREATS FROM PUTIN after being mistaken for a Russian missionary! INSANE STUFF! INSANE! The show hasn’t been on for five years and yet it just keeps giving and giving and giving!

[@EnchantedTooWell]

The X Factor to CBB pipeline in particular is wild - Frankie Cocozza was on Celebrity Big Brother within 2 months of being kicked off X Factor and came 2nd. Christopher Maloney was on it in January 2016 the same season as Gemma Collins, Tiffany Pollard aka the 'David's Dead' season.😭Even Rylan appeared on CBB literally a MONTH after being on X Factor, and he WON.😳

[@maryseptihet]

@@EnchantedTooWell the fact Rylan became a presenter on Big Brother is wild as well (I also wish ITV had brought him back for the new series to be the main presenter but we move!)

[@EnchantedTooWell]

omg I forgot Amelia Lily was on CBB in 2017 when Sarah Harding won

[@maryseptihet]

@@EnchantedTooWell oh my gosh yes! what a minefield X Factor was 😂😂😂

[@morbidsearch]

Amelia almost joining S Club when the only remaining members were Bradley and Tina 💀

[@lookingforlewys]

after 2 months of watching x factor she’s here! thank u guys for the support & hope you guys enjoy !! ❤

[@EnchantedTooWell]

you must be exhausted😅😅

[@TheMaddyallen]

I kinda miss the drama of the X factor days and how literally EVERYONE watched it! Loved this trip down memory lane haha 🥰

[@NotSassySas]

Such a great summary! What they did to Misha B left such a bad taste in my mouth, I never watched the show again. Those producers have a lot to answer for. Thank you for talking about that in detail ❤

[@tmmay.10]

Facts ❤

[@smmy13]

I was anxiety doom scrolling when I saw this video in recommended. I’m only half way through but Just want to say you’ve done an awesome job. Unlocked so many memories hahah

[@cerysjones1947]

Great video, do love a nostalgic deep dive!! Something that also really links into the mistreatment of the contestants is how Lucy Spraggin was treated - not sure if you didn't include bc of the horrible nature of the accusations (tw// rape), but she's also spoken out about the way the X Factor manipulated her image even after a really traumatic crime happened to her, and the really poor level of support she received.

[@MUSICBLASTROCKS]

also with lucy, the fact the show was distrubuting her original songs for free on their website and giving lucy literally no financial gain despite her writing the songs

[@Glittergirlz4eva1]

I think the X Factor house was a big part of the way the producers could sway people to prefer certain acts over others. We saw fun videos from acts like one direction, there were some acts that you were drawn to because they were the 'mum' of the house, you'd see acts who were seen to be working so much harder than everybody else. They also orchestrated these friendships to make some acts seem nicer, or to create tension between them. They also allowed acts to 'go home' when they were having a hard week, when votes for them were down. It would show this massive support for them, and you'd want to be a part of that. It also isolated the contestants in similar ways to big brother or love island. It magnified all of their feelings, so they were more likely to go 'off the rails' if things went wrong. Some acts were praised for these breakdowns and showing weakness was them being 'strong', whilst others like Janet Devlin were seen as trouble makers, or not strong enough to handle this sort of lifestyle. In later seasons, not having this same format (probably because it literally wasn't humane), definitely affected viewership in my opinion.

[@EnchantedTooWell]

I remember the video diaries 1D used to make

[@shaunie4635]

Honestly this was a fantastic analysis! Also, Leona Lewis’s ‘I see you’ from the Avatar movie soundtrack still gags me to this day! Baby girl was mega talented! ❤

[@rickysmom809]

This issue with Misha was convert racisim. It's so obvious! but back then hardly anyone picked up on this unless you are/were from an ethnic minority group.. shocking behaviour, can't believe life use to be like that!!

[@Ohlookitsdaisyy]

It's so blatantly obvious now, so is the stuff with Gamu, but back then they were fully banking on people not picking up on it. Shameful

[@neelay123]

Right! I have a friend who worked as a seamstress on the show and said Misha didn't bully anyone. Just disagreements between the finalists that got twisted.

[@morbidsearch]

And Tulisa had that terrible apology video where she said "I didn't wake up and say I'm going to pick on Misha for being black". Yeah no shit most people don't realise they're being racist.

[@CaroleEvans93436]

Amazing video. I just wanted to add that talent scouts from XFactor, contacted my son's college around 2018 - to see if anyone from the music department, studying for BTEC 3, would be interested in auditioning. Also, Leona Lewis, a 'receptionist' was in fact, a former student of the BRIT school where Adele and Amy Winehouse studied. Matt Cardle, a 'decorator' , was the lead singer in two bands , Darwyn and Seven Summers after studying music. He also had a recording contract before XFactor. Cher Lloyd also studied acting and performing from a young age and attended Stagecoach. The all girl group from the Philipines, say they were approached to audition but, XFactor executives denied this 🤣

[@Mazikeen2904]

For me, the show went down the swanny the year Rylan was on and it was the first time it became painfully obvious how controlled it was. The first week Rylan was in the bottom 2 with Caroline and during Caroline's performance, a producer was seen talking to Louis... And when the vote happened, Louis messed up by saying he wanted to save Caroline with Dermot frantically saying he didn't understand him and that Louis had to say who he wanted to send home... And when he took it to deadlock, to this day I am convinced you can hear Gary ask "Why deadlock?" to which Louis responds... "Apparently I have to Gary"... That to me stopped me cold watching the show and I didn't watch a single episode after that series ended.

[@user-ij5sp4zv5h]

I can only thank them for One Direction Little Mix Alexander Burke James Arthur Leona Lewis Cheryl Cole, that period and run was insane

[@morbidsearch]

I saw Alexandra Burke in a production of Bodyguard in Edinburgh in 2019. Bodyguard is a mediocre show but she absolutely stole it.

[@tmmay.10]

The fact that it got brought up in House of Commons is killing meee 😂😂😂😂😂

[@firewind3509]

I LIVE for this kind of content and you’re so good at carrying out research 👏🏽

[@ileray7447]

This was so well made! I’m going to need a Susan Boyle/America’s Got Talent deep dive please!

[@ellamay7546]

You’re literally the only KZbinr I watch i just go back and watch all your vids when I’m eating 😭 in love with u never stop

[@nyaworld]

i watched this whole thing and really enjoyed it. there was so much to cover and you did a great job!!

[@adanrashid6181]

i literally love this era of content from you 😭❤

[@laurenfelsenstein5674]

I don't think theres a solid reason X factor died out, everything naturally comes to an end when the novelty of a show wears off and the producers are ready for something new. Same with celebrities becoming less popular it's just not exciting and new overtime

[@EnchantedTooWell]

Same I think people just got bored of it over time, Simon Cowell being absent from 2011-2013 and starting up the US version didn't help it's case either. It was on for 14 years which is a really long time for a reality competition show. Think the same will eventually happen with the likes of BGT, Love Island, Strictly and I’m a Celeb soon...

[@emmasmith3115]

strictly is still going and very popular

[@laurenfelsenstein5674]

it lost popularity for a few years before xfactor ended but built up again@@emmasmith3115

[@maryseptihet]

They tried to change the format and there were a few controversies (because of course there was) and it started to die off when it globalised and was ultimately replaced with Britain’s Got Talent and also The Voice. I used to LOVE my X Factor on a Saturday Night and chinese takeaway with my parents after finishing stage school but all good things must come to an end I guess!

[@ellabelzie]

@@emmasmith3115 i feel like strictly differs though in the sense that it is unproblematic and has a large returning viewers group if that makes sense, whereas xfactor lowkey thrived on the terrible acts and was quite inauthentic

[@MO-ek9xr]

I’ve literally been waiting for you to post this video, love this type of content please do more

[@djgeneralbounce]

X Factor died because the climax of the show revolved around getting the Christmas number 1, and that went out of the window as soon as streaming was integrated into the singles chart in 2014. Most record stores like HMV had stopped selling physical CD singles by 2010 and by the time streaming was being counted towards sales, the only pop artists selling physical singles in high street shops were the X Factor winners. I remember in 2013 our local Tesco had CDs of Sam Bailey's "Skyscraper" in perched on the checkouts because they had nowhere else to put them. They were charging £5 for it as well, which was the most I've ever seen a UK CD single on sale for in a store. As soon as streaming had a tangible impact on the charts it completely killed everything the show was leading up to. Louisa Johnson's "Forever Young" was #1 on the physical singles chart for 5 weeks at the end of 2015 but it only reached #9 on the singles chart as a whole, so it automatically looked like the first X Factor flop. The show was already in decline by that point but from then on it just fell through the floor and nothing was going to save it.

[@queencupcakke]

A Moment Like This was actually first released by Kelly Clarkson after being the first American Idol winner several years before Leona Lewis’s XFactor win.

[@lookingforlewys]

Yup! Actually every winning single is a cover of a pre existing song apart from Rak-Su in 2017 😁

[@morbidsearch]

​@@lookingforlewys That's not correct. Shayne Ward and Matt Terry's winning singles were also originals.

[@Emily-sm6px]

LOVE these types of vids!!!❤

[@lilybear-mcguinness2263]

Obsessed with the amount of research this would have taken, top tier content x

[@beyonceknowles9381]

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this - tysm for all the time and effort you put into this 💖🥰

[@larabaidengan2123]

This was so good! Two banger videos - you’ve kept me entertained during work. Thank you 🎉

[@MUSICBLASTROCKS]

i went to college and studied music performance (at the same college joe mcelderry did performing arts) and one of the first lessons we got taught in industry, was that if you go on Xfactor or any other talent shows, DO NOT WIN! the prize isn't worth it at all (£1mil record deal, you dont get £1mil, thats just the budget for recording the songs) and you don't make anything off the sales until that £1mil has been remade for the label. so many contracts and record deals, and the one used by talent shows is such a red flag if you know what to look for.

[@rosielinsey7849]

Wow this makes me wanna make a presentation about things I’m passionate about hahha 👏🏻🥰 welcome back ❤️

[@rhsmx9655]

commenting because i imagine so much work went into this and you deserve the credit

[@elliehowe1232]

you are doing gods work!! please keep theses deep dives coming!!

[@NikkiKwps]

2010 X Factor was peek. I remember watching it with my grandad and being in love with one direction 😂

[@itsjemmabond]

No, that was 2009, when Jedward competed.

[@EnchantedTooWell]

@@itsjemmabond both 2009 & 2010 are probably the most memorable seasons

[@annabelle2538]

Only half way through but loving it !!! Thanks for this Lewys u doll

[@sarahcarstairs3512]

Well done Lewys. Great video and so detailed can tell you worked really hard to make this

[@goddessofanguish]

This video was a random YT recommendation and was such a fun ride! You basically recapped my preteen/teen years and was a fun trip down memory lane. I remember my mum was SO upset when Joe McElderry didn't get number 1 as he was just a kid and she felt others were punishing him for Simon's actions and greed. I will admit I gasped a bit when you said the judges houses weren't real...I totally thought they were their real homes 😅 This video was also really well researched and deserves more views.

[@EnchantedTooWell]

I found out about the judge's houses being fake through Bea Miller's video

[@teddytete.mp3]

It's such a shame about Fleur East. She had the world on a CHOKEHOLD at one point. James Newman said she worked on the songwriting camp where he got his song for eurovision and that she literally writes masterpieces. Speaking of eurovision, one big mistake the uk did was never push those kind of artists to the contest. Sweden does this a year after they discover new artists and at least their careers take off there. And they're successful in eurovision. I also think Singers like Fleur East & Louisa Johnson came on when the world was going more for alternative artists, we've gone back to pop a bit now with the recent albums of Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa & Rosalía but the general public has been consuming more artsy and alternative stuff for a while now.

[@EnchantedTooWell]

Jedward were on Eurovision in 2011 and 2012, also Fleur East and Louisa were on the show in 2014/2015 and pop music was still relevant then

[@teddytete.mp3]

but they're irish @@EnchantedTooWell

[@EnchantedTooWell]

so?? @@teddytete.mp3

[@EnchantedTooWell]

also Lucie Jones represented UK at Eurovision one year@@teddytete.mp3

[@morbidsearch]

​@@teddytete.mp3 Lucie Jones represented the UK in 2017

[@shinelle924]

greatttt way to spend my friday night don’t ever stop doing this 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@itsjemmabond]

You forgot to mention Ben Mills, the long-haired rock guy from series 3; he was my favourite that year. That season actually had the strongest batch of Overs vocalists, and Ben always delivered, even if Simon didn't always think so. Sharon was the Overs mentor that year, and after Ben found himself in the bottom 2 a second time she asked him to quit the show, fearing he would eventually be kicked off, and she was determined to win that year (At the time, she was the only original judge not to have won a series). She reportedly told Ben "I made Ozzy's career, and I can make yours", but Ben wasn't a quitter. After he refused to drop out, the pair never spoke to each other backstage again until Ben eventually got voted off. Also the X Factor final was always with the final three, but despite reaching that stage, only Leona and Ray performed in the final, no Ben. Yet the show returned to the original format with three acts in the final the following year.

[@chappellgroan]

I remember being a huge fan of Ben and even bought his debut album. However it flopped as expected and no clue what he’s doing now.

[@EnchantedTooWell]

42:34 Rachel Adedeji isn’t the only contestant this has happened to, it also happened to the following contestants: James Arthur, Amelia Lily, Danyl Johnson, Ché Chesterman and Nicholas Dorsett btw xo However you are correct in saying Rachel was the only one to be in the bottom 2 weeks in a row then topping the vote the week after

[@SkittleWizard13]

Jedward making those tweets talking about the contestants being slaves and making no money makes me think of that leaked audio clip of Lauren Jauregui talking to fellow Fifth Harmony member Ally Brooke where she's upset saying "They're making decisions on a regular basis, to fuck us over, to make us literal slaves. Like literally slaves Ally. we're doing fucking labor everyday and seeing nothing" idk if it was while on the X-factor but for sure while they were signed the one of the record labels Simon owned. Also Ally Brooke was just on The Zach Sang Show and was talking about how the girls used to get like 5K payments every month per member for all the music they made and now they are no longer getting those payments. Which is honestly so wild because at one point in time Fifth Harmony was the biggest girl group in the world. Their songs are still pretty popular so the fact that they aren't getting paid for them anymore and when they were being money there were being severely underpaid is so disgusting. I hope one day these X-factor contestants do like a tell all documentary and expose the show for how it exploited and took advantage of them.

[@mollynathan1363]

I LOVE THESE!! please do another xx

[@user-vv9ff2jp6y]

this was super interesting and hugely nostalgic, thank you for a wonderful hour and a half :)

[@ilovetriangles704]

Brilliant video, brought back so many memories!!!

[@summerlouise1059]

stop omg im ready these are my fav videos

[@Sam-xx4cz]

This video was so well made 👏🏻

[@Blueredlady]

Ive been wanting to see a deep dive on x factor for a while now. I really enjoyed this, not only for the information but for your personality (and those ad libs😂) I think i know what vid your doing next 👀 cant wait! New subscriber here

[@Pmccaff2009]

First video of yours I have watched, sitting in on a Fri night here with a few glasses of wine and watched the lot. You took me on a trip down memory lane, LOVED that you gave Cher's Halloween performance the credit it deserves 👏🏼 The 2008-2010 golden age was unforgettable, good job!

[@charlottebowers8991]

I’ve been waiting for this one

[@KateH27]

The amount of effort and research put into this video is incredible. Keep doing what youre doing babe ❤

[@luvhappening4]

this was so good ily

[@laurenabdul]

ugh i love these kinds of videos

[@Lee-vz2nt]

Great video! One other example I would add to your examples of manipulation was in series 7 where, for the first time ever, there was a sing off in the semi final for a place in the final. This was between Mary and Cher, who the producers obviously wanted to be in the final. Mary had actually won the public vote but the 'judges' voted to put Cher through. Watching the clip back, you can tell from the look on Mary's face that she knew it was a complete rig.

[@finlayharrison8690]

Really enjoyed watching this!!

[@hoomhoom9835]

I loovvveeee this video!! Love your commentary

[@oliviajayward]

you forgot about little mix who won in 2011.

[@sheianas]

this was so good! excited for next :)

[@abigailxmary]

Ill personally never forget the judges essentially forcing jade richards to change her whole (fabulous) alternative style, take her piercings out, cover her tattoos with clothing, etc. I was so excited to see someone from the side of life i was part of make it through bootcamp and was so disappointed to see what they did to her image for the live shows. Ill also never forget getting leona lewis' album for christmas and paying actual money for the bleeding love ringtone on my flip phone. Kids today just wouldnt understand lmao

[@user-lk1hg5wd3s]

Great video! Thank you! I’ve never watched a single episode of the show, cause I’m not from England and I didn’t even know English that good back then, but I surely do know a lot of the participants and it was really interesting to get to know about how all of that worked. You did a great job 😊

[@mollynathan1363]

YESSSSSS!!! i have been waiting for this!!!!!

[@E-A.]

This is a really good well thought out video 👍🏽

[@crow22zero]

Yeesssssss thank you so much for that educational moment 👏

[@appleblossonkim]

This was amazing work

[@JamesCarter1998]

Sharon Osbourne masqueraded as a kindly motherly figure, but you could really see her nasty side come out at certain points of the show…can’t say i’m that surprised that she is best buddies with Piers Morgan(and has defended his racism on numerous occasions) 😒

[@skurinski]

Lol what racism... pipe down

[@the-berries-and-cream-dude]

@@skurinskibestie, out of all the celebrities to defend you decide to go with Piers Morgan?

[@eli10589]

​@@the-berries-and-cream-dudeno literally. Like Piers Morgan??? 💀

[@racheljames7]

Of all Piers' faults, and there are many, racism isn't one of them. That's ridiculous.

[@JamesCarter1998]

@@racheljames7 I disagree - his harassment of Meghan Markle was both incredibly racist and misogynistic in my opinion

[@eimsSqueams]

Looove this content lewys!!!!

[@abdostarac1]

I didn't know that i will enjoy your video that much. Thank you so much.

[@Scotty2303]

You mention the series where Cheryl had malaria and how the show itself covered that, but something else as well was a clip of Simon saying that at the time when Cheryl turned up and was clearly not 100%, he thought she had gotten drunk the night before and was suffering a horrendous hangover and even got the other judges to make jokes about her during sessions. It wasn't until the following day when Cheryl collapsed during the photoshoot when he realised it was actually a lot worse and a lot more serious.

[@Android18uk]

Props to Misha B and Janet, such strong talented women!!

[@morbidsearch]

BBC doing a documentary about Janet's alcoholism was such a great middle finger to ITV

[@beccaava6663]

love these videos lewys so interesting!

[@MsAdlerHolmes]

On the weight obsession issue: in Australia's version of Idol, we had the Pulini dress controversy. Ian "Dicko" (more like D*ckhead) Dickson - a judge and producer(?) - told absolute Goddess, Paulini, that she was "too fat" for the bodycon dress she was wearing. When you go back and look, it makes you crazy that people were debating about it over the water cooler (or whatever the fuck). Like, nowadays, you wouldn't get away with making such a comment. And number two, what the hell were they talking about??! Those shows were so toxic. And in Oz, there was a trend that the winner would get minimal success, and the the runner up would have a long-sustained career.

[@lucytizard8720]

begging for a geordie shore version

[@amydunley7606]

Omg yesss

[@lauren189]

This was super interesting to watch

[@emzdawg671]

I used to be so so obsessed with jedward!! im from Ireland and i loved them so much

[@emierehema5593]

Such a great video! I’ve watched The X Factor from the beginning and I kept watching until X Factor Celebrity. I remember how much it was a big deal for the Christmas number 1. I always think about what went wrong with the show. Great research 😊

[@EnchantedTooWell]

I think the first series I watched was the one Shayne Ward won, I definitely did not watch the first series. I watched right up to the very end but didn't bother with the Celebrity and the Band versions

[@avamorrice3112]

loved this

[@hannataylor8002]

This is soooo good!! Suddenly I’m 13 again and crying over One Direction getting booted at third place 😂

[@elitettelbach4247]

I only ever watched 2010 and 2011 (and then the US seasons) so to better understand that that was the exact inflection point of the shows peak and decline was interesting. I agree I don’t think there’s much demand for a show like this nowadays.

[@EnchantedTooWell]

did you watch all 3 US seasons?

[@emelleofficial]

Ahaha I was on project icon aha wasn’t expecting the shout out at the end ahaha x

[@mubzytv]

Was a good video. Highlighted how great the X Factor was at the time and how the quality of it fell as soon as Simon left to go to USA. I don’t think it will ever return. The younger audience that used to watch are now older and the new young generation are into TikTok, where you can sing in your bedroom and become viral then. There were some controversial things in some years too

[@DarrenSings]

This was brilliant

[@Queenofmykingdom123]

Loved your take on the Misha B debacle ❤

[@m3gstarrr436]

amazing video. subscribed and gonna watch the love island one now 😭

[@missnoble89]

Thank you for this video. Articulate and entertaining.

[@jelsoo]

Yess I love these deep dives

[@CanalCruisers]

My mum never phoned in to vote on a tv show, ever! …but she sure as hell picked up that phone for Leona Lewis 😂😂

[@charlii_tvMMVI]

When you think of The X Factor, the first things that come into people's heads are Leona Lewis, One Direction, Little Mix, Dermot O'Leary, the 4 judges, big name guest performers. What I think of The X Factor is my 2 all time favourite finalists Cassie Compton & Tabby Callaghan, Kate Thornton & the 3 judges.

[@infiniteedits1584]

I’m loving ur new long videos! ❤

[@stevenc6969]

Brilliant video, you've got a cracking sense of humour! Lots of nostalgia and cringe, love it!

[@miarussell6953]

Loved the video!