List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 13)

The thirteenth UK series of The X Factor began on ITV on 27 August 2016. The live shows started on 8 October.

Boys

The 'Boys' category is mentored by Nicole Scherzinger. Contestants in this category are male soloists aged between 16 and 25. The seven candidates at judges' houses were: Christian Burrows, James Hughes, Ryan Lawrie, Freddy Parker, Niall Sexton, Nate Simpson, and Matt Terry. Scherzinger chose:

Ryan Lawrie

Ryan Lawrie (born 28 May 1996), is a singer-songwriter from Coatbridge in Scotland. Ryan's first single 'You're Free' was released in 2013, and rose into the UK iTunes charts at number 39. Lawrie later joined UK boy band 'Exposure', who completed two UK tours. Lawrie left Exposure to continue as a solo artist. In 2016, prior to auditioning for The X Factor, Lawrie won the Vodafone Future Breaker competition and earned the right to perform as the opening act at Capital's Summertime Ball, where he performed "Stitches" by Shawn Mendes.^[1]

Lawrie auditioned for the thirteenth series of The X Factor in front of judges Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh (fourth judge Sharon Osbourne was absent). He performed "Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart)" by The Vamps featuring Shawn Mendes,^[2] and received three yes' to progress to the boot camp stage. The audition was aired on ITV on Saturday 27 August 2016, during episode 1. During boot camp, Lawrie was put into a group to sing "Little Things" alongside Melissa Pedro and Freddy Parker, and whilst they all progressed through the first stage,^[3] Lawrie was sent home at the second stage.

Lawrie was later put together as part of a boy band alongside Ed Goacher, Jamie Miller, Josh Marshfield and Talis Eros,^[4] and the unnamed boy band took part in the six chair challenge stage of The X Factor. They performed "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word", and they did not progress as Cowell felt that he and the other judges had made a mistake by not sending Lawrie through as a solo artist. He was announced as the wildcard act for the boys category chosen by Simon Cowell, and he progressed to the judges houses. Lawrie performed "You Make My Dreams" for Scherzinger and guest judge Calvin Harris during judges' houses,^[5] and he made it to the final along with two other boys taking part in the live shows.^[6] On week 6 he had to face the sing-off against Sam Lavery. fter his performance, his mentor Nicole Scherzinger and Sharon Osbourne opted to save him, while Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh chose to send him home causing a deadlock. The decision was reverted to the public vote and Lawrie stayed in the competition. The following week he ended up in the bottom two again, this time against Honey G. After the sing-off, only his mentor Nicole Scherzinger opted to save him and he was eliminated coming in sixth place.

Since March 2016, he is dating fellow finalist Emily Middlemas.^[7]

Freddy Parker

Freddy Parker (born 29 January 1998), aged 18, is a kennel worker from Ashford, Kent.^[8]

In his first audition, Parker performed a cover of Amy Winehouse's "Love Is a Losing Game" which earned him 4 yes' from the judges.^[9] On week 1 of the Live Shows, he ended up in the bottom three of the public votes after performing The Fugees' "Killing Me Softly with His Song", but he was saved via the life line vote on The X Factor App.^[10] In week 2, Parker ended up in the bottom three once again after performing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and he was sent to the sing-off against Saara Aalto. The judges brought the decision to deadlock, and Parker was sent home based on the public vote.

Matt Terry

Matt Terry (born 20 May 1993), age 23, is a waiter from Bromley.^[11] At his first audition, he sang a cover of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me", which earned him 4 yes'.^[12] Prior to the show, Terry was reportedly in a long-term relationship with his girlfriend Jasmine Avis, which Avis ended two days before his birthday, leaving him "heartbroken". Following the eliminations of Freddie Parker in week two and Ryan Lawrie in week seven, Matt Terry became Scherzinger's last remaining act in the competition.^[13] He ended up in the bottom 2 on week 9 for the first time. He faced the sing-off against Emily Middlemas and remained in the competition after only Simon Cowell chose to send him home.

Girls

The 'Girls' category is mentored by Simon Cowell. Contestants in this category are female soloists aged between 16 and 25. The seven candidates at judges' houses were: Soheila Clifford, Olivia Garcia, Samantha Lavery, Gifty Louise, Emily Middlemas, Kayleigh Marie Morgan, and Caitlyn Vanbeck. Cowell chose:

Sam Lavery

Samantha Lavery (born 3 September 1999), aged 17, is a college student from Durham. In her first audition, she sang a cover of Ellie Goulding's 'Explosions' which earned her 4 yes'.^[14] At the Six-Chair Challenge, she covered "Mamma Knows Best" by Jessie J and was given chair number 5, though Simon Cowell criticized her for being "over-styled" and "not knowing who she was";^[15] she was later swapped with Gifty Louise and therefore was eliminated. Lavery was brought back by Louis Walsh as Cowell's wildcard heading to Judges' Houses.^[16] At Judges' Houses, Cowell told her to "peel the mask" which prompted her to leave and later comeback without makeup; she then sang "Make It Rain" by Ed Sheeran, which won her a place on the Live Shows.^[17] On week 6 she was in the bottom two against Ryan Lawrie. Her mentor Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh wanted to save her, but Nicole Scherzinger and Sharon Osbourne opted to save Lawrie, causing a deadlock. Lavery was eliminated coming in seventh place.

Gifty Louise

Gifty Louise Agyeman (born 13 May 1996), aged 20, is an events manager originally from Ghana but lives in London.

At the age of 10, Louise's mother died in a car crash. At 13, she reportedly assaulted a male police officer after he touched her "inappropriately", which led her to a criminal record. However it was taken off when she turned 15.^[18] She initially auditioned for The X Factor in 2015, where she reached Bootcamp but failed to make it to the Six-Chair Challenge after her performance of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me". She came back this year and sang "No More Drama" by Mary J. Blige in her first audition, which earned her 4 yeses. On Week 4, after performing I'm in Love with a Monster by Fifth Harmony, she ended up in the bottom two against Four of Diamonds and was voted off of the show by judges Louis, Sharon, and Nicole who choose to save Four of Diamonds.

Emily Middlemas

Emily Middlemas (born 26 September 1998), aged 18, is a student from Glasgow. Middlemas originally auditioned for The X Factor in 2014, at the age of 15, where she reached Judges' Houses. However, she was eliminated by mentor Cheryl after her performance of One Direction's Story of My Life.

She came back this year, and performed "Master Blaster (Jammin')" by Stevie Wonder which earned her 3 yeses from the attending judges. She is in a relationship with former finalist Ryan Lawrie, who was eliminated in week seven.^[7] Following the eliminations of Gifty Louise in week four and Sam Lavery in week six, Middlemas became Cowell's last remaining act in the competition. She landed for the first time in the bottom 2 on week 9, against Matt Terry, and she got eliminated coming in fourth place.

Over 25s

The "Over 25s" category is mentored by Sharon Osbourne. Contestants in the category are male and female soloists over the age of 25. The seven candidates at judges' houses were: Saara Aalto, Samantha Atkinson, Relley C, Honey G, Janet Grogan, Christopher Peyton, James Wilson. Osbourne chose:

Saara Aalto

Saara Aalto (born 2 May 1987), aged 29, is a singer-songwriter and voice actress from Finland. She was the runner-up of The Voice of Finland's first season, and the runner-up of Finland's National Selection for Eurovision in 2011 and 2016. Aalto also voiced Princess Anna in the Finnish version of the movie Frozen.

In her first audition, Aalto performed a cover of Sia's "Chandelier" which earned her 3 yeses from the attending judges. At the six-chair challenge, she performed "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran and was sent home by mentor Sharon Osbourne stating a lack of connection; however, after the crowd chanted to bring her back, Aalto was given another chance, she subsequently performed Serge Lama's Je Suis Malade, which caused the crowd to turn on her, while Nicole Scherzinger criticized her song choice stating "we ain't in France", she was therefore asked to leave by Osbourne.

Aalto was brought back as Scherzinger's wildcard pick for the Overs category and therefore went to judges' houses in Osbourne's house in Los Angeles.^[16] She was picked as part of Osbourne's final 3 in the Over 25's category. In the first week of live shows, she ended up in the bottom three after performing "Let It Go" from Frozen. She had to perform in the sing-off against Bratavio, she then performed "Alive" by Sia; she was saved with only Louis Walsh voting to eliminate her, though praising her performance. The following week, Saara once again ended up in the bottom three with against Freddy Parker and Ryan Lawrie. She had to face the sing-off against Parker, performing Run by Leona Lewis. The judges brought the decision to deadlock after Osbourne and Walsh chose to save her and Scherzinger and Cowell chose to save Parker, and Aalto was saved by the public vote. 3 weeks later, she found herself on the bottom three for third time, when she had to sing against Four of Diamonds; her mentor Sharon Osbourne, as well as Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell chose to save her. Following the eliminations of Relley C on week 3 and Honey G on week 8, Saara Aalto became Osbourne's last remaining act in the competition.

Relley C

Relley C (real name, Sherelle Clarke) (born 06 October 1989),^[19] aged 27, is a housekeeper from Birmingham. Relley originally auditioned for The X Factor in 2013 when aged 23, where she reached Judges' Houses. However, she was eliminated by her mentor Nicole Scherzinger after her performance of Many Rivers to Cross by Jimmy Cliff.^[20]

This year, Relley auditioned with a cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and which earned her a place at bootcamp; however, Relley's first audition was never aired on television, and her first on-screen appearance was at bootcamp were she performed "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus alongside duo Bradley & Ottavio, and Jack Booth and was sent through as part of the Over 25s category with Sharon Osbourne as her mentor.^[21] During the six-chair-challenge, she sang "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong and was chosen as part of Osbourne's top 6, allowing her to reach judges' houses for the second time. Osbourne picked her as one of her 3 finalists after her rendition of "Up to the Mountain" by Kelly Clarkson. On week 3 she had to face the sing-off against Four of Diamonds and only her mentor Sharon Osbourne opted to save her, causing her elimination. She ended in tenth place.

Honey G

Honey G (real name, Anna Georgette Gilford; born 5 June 1981) is a 35-year-old rapper from Harrow, North West London (called "North Weezy" by her character).^[22]

In her first audition, she sang "Work It" by Missy Elliott, which earned her 3 yes votes, with Simon Cowell saying no. At the six-chair challenge, she sang "WTF (Where They From)" by Missy Elliott and Pharrell Williams, and was eliminated by mentor Sharon Osbourne; however, Osbourne brought her back as a replacement for Ivy-Grace Parades, who was unable to travel to Los Angeles due to visa issues.^[23] Osbourne later picked her as one of her 3 finalists after her performance of Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise. She ended up in the bottom two for the first time against Ryan Lawrie on week 7. Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and her mentor Sharon Osbourne chose to save her and Lawrie got eliminated. She landed in the bottom two again the following week, this time against 5 After Midnight. After the sing-off, only her mentor Sharon Osbourne chose to save her, causing her elimination. She ended up in fifth place.

During her time in the competition, Honey G has faced criticism for being a novelty act, with even judge Nicole Scherzinger branding her as such.^[24] Each one of her progressions in the competition was met with constant negative response from social media; a petition that was created by a cousin of fellow contestant Samantha Atkinson to remove her from the show and replace her with Atkinson garnered thousands of signatures.^[25] Elsewhere, she has been praised by rapper Snoop Dogg for being a "real hip-hop artist", in an interview where he expressed his desire to work with her in the future.^[26] James Arthur has stated he is also a fan and is keen in collaborating with her.

After the first live show, an internet movement of mothers and grandmothers dressing up as Honey G emerged, with the pictures and videos shared via the hashtag #MummyG.^[27]

Groups

The "Groups" category is mentored by Louis Walsh. Contestants in this category are either duos or vocal harmony groups, all aged 16 and over. The seven candidates at judges' houses were: 4 of Diamonds, 5 After Midnight, Bratavio, Brooks Way, Skarl3t, Tom and Laura, and YESLAD. Walsh chose:

5 After Midnight

5 After Midnight (formerly 5AM), is a three-piece boy band consisting of Kieran Alleyne (born 2 August 1995, aged 21), Jordan Lee (born 6 June 1996, aged 20) and Nathan Lewis (born 12 December 1992, aged 23). The band formed 5 weeks prior their first audition, in which they covered Drake's "One Dance", earning them 4 yeses.^[28]

Band member Kieran Alleyne was criticised for being a professional singer, as he already released a single, starred in two West End plays, appeared in CBBC's Dani's Castle, and is signed by Artistry Entertainment, which is label headed by a member of Beyoncé's team.^[29] Following the withdrawal of Brooks Way in week one, the eliminations of Bratavio in week one and Four of Diamonds on week five, 5 After Midnight became Walsh's last remaining group in the competition. They landed in the bottom two on week 8 with Honey G. After the sing-off, their mentor Louis Walsh, as well as Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell opted to save them.

Bratavio

Bratavio (formerly Bradley & Ottavio), is a duo consisting of Bradley Hunt (born 26 July 1993, aged 23) from Leamington Spa and Ottavio Columbro (born 28 November 1991, aged 25) from Southampton. Ottavio Columbro previously auditioned for The X Factor in 2012, where he reached Boot camp but failed to make it to Judges' Houses.^[30] Bradley and Ottavio originally planned to audition as a duo, but briefly split up after an argument caused by Bradley allegedly giving raw chicken to Ottavio.^[31] Therefore, they auditioned separately as soloists but were rejected by the judges who advised them to rekindle their relationship; they later came back as a duo and sang "Buttons" by The Pussycat Dolls, which earned them 3 yeses, with Simon Cowell saying no.

Their progression through the competition was met with a negative response from social media as they were branded as a 'novelty act', especially when they were qualified by mentor Louis Walsh as part of his top 3 finalists, as many thought they were less talented than the other competitors.^[32]

In week 1 of live shows, Bratavio ended up in the bottom three of the public votes, after their performance of a mash-up of "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!" by Vengaboys and "Barbie Girl" by Aqua, and had to perform in the sing-off against Saara Aalto. They performed "The Only Way Is Up" by Yazz, and were eliminated with only their mentor Louis Walsh voting to eliminate Aalto.^[33] After their exit, they complained about Walsh's apparent lack of faith in them, as Walsh reportedly told them they would be in the sing-off minutes before the reveal of the results. Despite expressing hope on The Xtra Factor that they would meet again with Walsh, they later said that they won't be keeping in touch with Walsh in the meantime and expressed their desire to enter the next series of Celebrity Big Brother.^[34]

Brooks Way

Brooks Way (formerly The Brooks), is a duo made by twin brothers Joshua Brooks and Kyle Brooks (born 17 April 1999, aged 17), both from Cardiff.^[35] The brothers originally entered the competition in 2014, at the age of 15. They reached Judges' Houses, but were eliminated by mentor Louis Walsh after their performance of "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri.

This year, they came back and performed a cover of Naughty Boy's "Runnin' (Lose It All)" in their first audition, which earned them 4 yeses. They progressed to Judges' Houses, and this time, Walsh picked them in his top 3 finalists after their performance of "Just a Dream" by Nelly.

On 10 October 2016, it was confirmed that Brooks Way would not be taking part in the show after being absent from the first live show. In a statement released by the official website to confirm their exit, Josh Brooks said, "Due to events in my personal life I've decided that it's best not to be on the show at this time. While not everything that has been claimed is true I would like to apologise to everyone involved."^[36] A spokesperson for the show added, "Following the allegations relating to Josh Brooks, we have decided by mutual consent that Brooks Way should leave the competition."^[36]

They have been replaced by girl group, Four of Diamonds.^[37]

Four of Diamonds

Four of Diamonds are a four piece girl group, made up of Caroline Alvares (born 7 December 1996, 19), Lauren Rammell (born 13 Febrauary 1995, 21), Yasmin Lauryn (born 13 May 1999, 17) and Sophia Saffarian (born 16 December 1996, 19), who auditioned for The X Factor in the 3rd set of room auditions, they then progressed to bootcamp and six-chair challenge, gaining a seat and making it through to Louis Walsh's judges houses in Ibiza, there they sang in front of Walsh, Alesha Dixon and former runner-up Fleur East, but were eventually sent home by Walsh. However, on 10 October 2016, it was announced that Brooks Way were withdrawing from the competition, due to personal complications behind the scenes, and it was announced later that day that Four of Diamonds will take their place for the remainder of the live shows, starting in week 2. The week after, Four of Diamonds ended up in bottom 2 against Relley C where they sang Who Are You by Fifth Harmony. Four of Diamonds were saved by their mentor Louis, Nicole and Simon who chose to send Relley home. On week 4, they were in the bottom 2 again against Gifty Louise when they sang The Voice Within by Christina Aguilera. Louis, Nicole, and Sharon voted to save the girls and sent Gifty home. They were eliminated on week 5, after a sing-off against Saara Aalto, when only their mentor Louis Walsh opted to save them.

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