The X Factor (Australian season 5)
The X Factor was an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent; the winner of which received a Sony Music Australia recording contract and a management deal. The fifth season premiered on the Seven Network on 29 July 2013 and ended on 28 October 2013. The winner was Dami Im and her winner's single "Alive" was released after the final. Im was mentored throughout by Dannii Minogue, who won as mentor for the first time on the Australian series, and third overall. The show was presented by Luke Jacobz, and Ronan Keating and Natalie Bassingthwaighte returned as judges. Minogue and Redfoo joined the judging panel as replacements for former judges, Mel B and Guy Sebastian.
Open auditions in front of the show's producers took place in 14 cities throughout December 2012 and January 2013. The last set of auditions, in front of the judges and a live studio audience, were filmed in April. Following auditions was super bootcamp, where Keating, Minogue and Redfoo worked together and collectively chose 24 acts. Bassingthwaighte did not attend the Sydney auditions and bootcamp because she was pregnant at the time and was advised not to fly from her home in Melbourne. During bootcamp, the Over 25s category was changed to Over 24s, the Boys age and the Girls aged were changed from 14 to 24 to 14 to 23. Bassingthwaighte returned for the home visits stage, and each judge reduced their six acts to three. They were also assisted by guest mentors Jon Bon Jovi, will.i.am, Kylie Minogue, Kelly Osbourne and Sebastian.
The live shows, which began on 25 August 2013, returned to Sunday and Monday nights as seen in season two. This was a change of format from seasons three and four, in which the live shows were broadcast on Monday and Tuesday nights.
Judges
In February 2013, it was reported that Guy Sebastian would not be returning for the fifth season, due to tour commitments and to focus on a music career in the United States. It was also reported that Mel B was not returning, due to visa troubles in Australia and her commitments with America's Got Talent. The following month, Ronan Keating confirmed in an interview with News Limited that both judges had left. Dannii Minogue was announced as Mel B's replacement on 12 April. The Sunday Telegraph confirmed on 21 April that Redfoo would be Sebastian's replacement.Redfoo was offered the opportunity to join the judging panel during his visit to Australia for the 2013 Australian Open, where he was supporting girlfriend and then-World number-one Victoria Azarenka. The producers later visited his recording studio in Hollywood and explained to him what The X Factor is about. In an interview with The West Australian, Redfoo said "they basically explained the show because I didn't know if I wanted to just be a judge. And they said 'Wait a second, wait a second, no it's not just judging, that's just to pick your team. Then you're really a mentor, you're going to be mentoring a category.' Then they said 'You can be a winner too.'" Minogue revealed to The Daily Telegraph that she was offered many other TV roles but chose to join The X Factor because she had always been a fan of the Australian version.
Selection process
Auditions
Open auditions in front of the show's producers began in December 2012 and ended in January 2013. These auditions took place in 14 cities. Online and DVD auditions were also introduced into the season for those who could not attend the open auditions. The auditionees chosen by the producers were then invited back to the last set of auditions that took place in front of the judges and a live studio audience. These auditions were filmed at Allphones Arena in Sydney on 21, 22 and 23 April, and at Hisense Arena in Melbourne on 28, 29 and 30 April. Natalie Bassingthwaighte did not attend the Sydney auditions because she was pregnant at the time and was advised not to fly from her home in Melbourne.| City | Dates | Venue |
| Launceston | 1 December 2012 | Hotel Grand Chancellor |
| Hobart | 2 December 2012 | Hotel Grand Chancellor |
| Albury | 5 December 2012 | Albury Entertainment Centre |
| Dubbo | 7 December 2012 | Western Plains Cultural Centre |
| Darwin | 10 December 2012 | Crowne Plaza Hotel |
| Alice Springs | 11 December 2012 | Alice Springs Convention Centre |
| Townsville | 13 December 2012 | Reid Park Precinct |
| Brisbane | 15–16 December 2012 | Sofitel Brisbane |
| Melbourne | 12–14 January 2013 | Caulfield Racecourse |
| Adelaide | 17 January 2013 | Adelaide Convention Centre |
| Perth | 19–20 January 2013 | Parmelia Hilton |
| Kalgoorlie | 22 January 2013 | Goldfields Arts Centre |
| Sydney | 25–27 January 2013 | Sydney Cricket Ground |
| Newcastle | 30 January 2013 | Hunter Stadium |
| City | Dates | Venue | Absent judge |
| Sydney | 21–23 April 2013 | Allphones Arena | |
| Melbourne | 28–30 April 2013 | Hisense Arena | Natalie Bassingthwaighte |
Super bootcamp
The super bootcamp stage of the competition was filmed at The Star casino in Pyrmont, New South Wales. Bassingthwaighte did not attend because she was on maternity leave. The first day of bootcamp saw the judges split the 150 acts into four categories: Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups. Each act performed one song in front of their entire category and the judges. At the end of the day, the judges sent home 75 acts. On the second day, the remaining acts were put into ensembles of 10 and were each given a song which they had to learn and perform for the judges. Season four winner Samantha Jade helped each ensemble with stage presence and choreography. The judges sent home more acts, but called back some rejected soloists from the Boys and Girls categories to form three supergroups – a boy band, girl group and unisex group. On the third day, the remaining 50 acts each individually performed one song to the judges and a live audience of one thousand. After the performances, the judges narrowed down the acts to 24. Redfoo suggested that the Over 25s category be changed to Over 24s. The Boys and Girls categories then comprised singers aged 14 to 23, rather than 14 to 24. The judges removed Zac Hakos from the boy band because they felt his heart was not in the group.The 24 successful acts were:
- Boys: Georgie Bannard, Omar Dean, Taylor Henderson, Mitchell Thompson, Ofisa "Tee" Toleafoa, Jai Waetford
- Girls: Joelle Hadjia, Ellie Lovegrove, Georgina Mastin, Riv Ngwenya, Jiordan Tolli, Vendulka Wichta
- Over 24s: Tyler Hudson, Dami Im, Michael Ross, Barry Southgate, Gemma Thorpe, Cat Vas
- Groups: Adira–Belle, Boy Band, Girl Group, JTR, Straight Up, Third Degree
Home visits
The home visits round was filmed in June 2013 and saw the remaining 24 acts travel to exclusive locations around the world to find out which judge would become their mentor. The judges received news of their categories from The X Factor creator Simon Cowell by telephone. The Over 24s travelled to New York City and were assigned to Dannii Minogue, the Groups travelled to Sir Richard Branson's Makepeace Island in Sunshine Coast, Queensland and were assigned to Natalie Bassingthwaighte, the Boys travelled to Los Angeles and were assigned to Ronan Keating, and the Girls travelled to London and were assigned to Redfoo. The first day of home visits saw each act having a private mentoring session with their mentor, ahead of their solo performance in front of their mentor and guest mentor the next day. Redfoo was assisted by Jon Bon Jovi during the mentoring sessions for the Girls.On the second day, each judge was given a guest mentor to help them decide their final three acts. Bassingthwaighte was assisted by former X Factor judge Guy Sebastian, Redfoo was assisted by will.i.am, Keating was assisted by Kelly Osbourne and Minogue was assisted by her older sister Kylie. It was the first time in 26 years that Dannii and Kylie had worked together on Australian television since Young Talent Time.
| Judge | Category | Location | Assistant | Contestants eliminated |
| Keating | Boys | Los Angeles | Kelly Osbourne | Georgie Bannard, Mitchell Thompson, Ofisa "Tee" Toleafoa |
| Redfoo | Girls | London | Jon Bon Jovi will.i.am | Georgina Mastin, Riv Ngwenya, Vendulka Wichta |
| Minogue | Over 24s | New York City | Kylie Minogue | Tyler Hudson, Michael Ross, Gemma Thorpe |
| Bassingthwaighte | Groups | Makepeace Island | Guy Sebastian | Boy Band, Girl Group, Straight Up |
Finalists
Key:| Act | Age | Hometown | Category | Result |
| Dami Im | 24 | Daisy Hill, Queensland | Over 24s | Winner |
| Taylor Henderson | 19 | Ceres, Victoria | Boys | Runner-up |
| Jai Waetford | 14 | Campbelltown, New South Wales | Boys | 3rd place |
| Third Degree | 18–19 | Various | Groups | 4th place |
| Jiordan Tolli | 19 | Melbourne | Girls | 5th place |
| Omar Dean | 20 | Melbourne, Victoria | Boys | 6th place |
| JTR | 19–23 | Sweden/Cornubia, Queensland | Groups | 7th place |
| Joelle | 24 | Sydney | Girls | 8th place |
| Ellie Lovegrove | 19 | Adelaide, South Australia | Girls | 9th place |
| Barry Southgate | 30 | Kellyville, Queensland | Over 24s | 10th place |
| Cat Vas | 27 | Adelaide, South Australia | Over 24s | 11th place |
| Adira Belle | 17–19 | Sydney, New South Wales | Groups | 12th place |
Live shows
Results summary
;Colour keyNotes
- 1 Redfoo was not required to vote as there was already a majority.
- 2 Bassingthwaighte was not required to vote as there was already a majority.
Live show details
Week 1 (25/26 August)
- Theme: Judges' Choice
- Group performance: "I Like It"
- Celebrity performers: Samantha Jade and Jessie J
- Bassingthwaighte: Barry Southgate – backed her own act, Adira–Belle.
- Minogue: Adira–Belle – backed her own act, Barry Southgate.
- Redfoo: Adira–Belle – based his decision on the final showdown performances and who really wanted it.
- Keating: Adira–Belle – was not sure if they would survive the next week.
- On 31 August 2013, the performances of three finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Dami Im's performance of "One" debuted at number 52, Jai Waetford's performance of "Fix You" debuted at number 55 and Taylor Henderson's performance of "I Won't Let You Go" debuted at number 84. The following week, "One" peaked at number 42.
Week 2 (1/2 September)
- Theme: Legends
- Group performance: "Thank You" and "Classic" with MKTO
- Celebrity performers: Ricki-Lee and John Newman
- Keating: Cat Vas – stated that he was rooting for Joelle.
- Minogue: Joelle – backed her own act, Cat Vas.
- Redfoo: Cat Vas – backed his own act, Joelle.
- Bassingthwaighte: Cat Vas – felt Joelle had more to give.
- On 7 September 2013, the performances of two finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Dami Im's performance of "Purple Rain" debuted at number 29 and Jiordan Tolli's performance of "Thriller" debuted at number 63.
Week 3 (8/9 September)
- Theme: Top 10 Hits
- Group performance: "Can You Feel It"
- Celebrity performers:
- *Sunday – Redfoo
- *Monday – The Collective and Miguel
- Bassingthwaighte: Barry Southgate – backed her own act, JTR.
- Redfoo: Barry Southgate – felt Southgate was missing strong vocal performances.
- Minogue: JTR – backed her own act, Barry Southgate.
- Keating: Barry Southgate – went with his gut.
- On 14 September 2013, the performances of three finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Taylor Henderson's performance of "I Will Wait" debuted at number 64, Dami Im's performance of "Don't Leave Me This Way" debuted at number 67 and Jai Waetford's performance of "The Way You Make Me Feel" debuted at number 97.
Week 4 (15/16 September)
- Theme: Latest and Greatest
- Group performance: "Pompeii"
- Celebrity performers: Rudimental and Kodaline
- Redfoo: JTR – backed his own act, Ellie Lovegrove.
- Minogue: Ellie Lovegrove – stated that JTR has improved more.
- Bassingthwaighte: Ellie Lovegrove – backed her own act, JTR.
- Keating: JTR – could not decide so chose to take it to deadlock.
; Notes
- On 21 September 2013, the performances of two finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Dami Im's performance of "Roar" debuted at number 44 and Taylor Henderson's performance of "Let Her Go" debuted at number 85.
Week 5 (22/24 September)
- Theme: Rock
- Group performance: "Love Will Save the Day" and "Picture of You" with Boyzone
- Celebrity performers: Capital Cities and Karmin
- Keating: Joelle – went with his gut.
- Bassingthwaighte: Joelle – felt that Tolli had a better run vocally throughout the live shows.
- Minogue: Joelle – stated that Tolli had developed more.
- Redfoo was not required to vote as there was already a majority, he did not say how he would have voted as both acts were in his category and he would have abstained.
- This week's results show aired on Tuesday night due to the Seven Network's coverage of the 2013 Brownlow Medal.
- On 28 September 2013, the performances of three finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Joelle's performance of "Joey" debuted at number 33, Taylor Henderson's performance of "Choirgirl" debuted at number 51 and Dami Im's performance of "Best of You" debuted at number 78.
Week 6 (29/30 September)
- Theme: Family Heroes
- Group performance: "Counting Stars"
- Celebrity performers: Jessica Mauboy and Jason Derulo
- Keating: JTR – felt JTR had struggled in recent weeks.
- Minogue: JTR – because it was JTR's third time in the bottom two.
- Redfoo: JTR – went with his gut.
- Bassingthwaighte was not required to vote as there was already a majority and did not say how she would have voted as both acts were in her category.
- On 5 October 2013, the performances of three finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Dami Im's performance of "Bridge over Troubled Water" debuted at number 15, Taylor Henderson's performance of "The Horses" debuted at number 27 and Jai Waetford's performance of "That Should Be Me" debuted at number 83.
- This is the first week where Dami Im didn't receive a standing ovation from all 4 judges
- Based on the voting percentages, it was noted that Dami Im received more than 60% of the votes from the public
Week 7 (6/7 October)
- Theme: Judges' Challenge
- Group performance: "We Come Running"
- Celebrity performers: Nathaniel Willemse and James Blunt
- Keating: Jiordan Tolli – backed his own act, Omar Dean.
- Redfoo: Omar Dean – backed his own act, Jiordan Tolli.
- Bassingthwaighte: Omar Dean – stated that Tolli has more to deliver.
- Minogue: Jiordan Tolli – could not decide so chose to take it to deadlock.
; Notes
- Omar Dean's elimination ended a record streak of six consecutive weeks where all three acts from one category had been safe without ever landing in the bottom two.
- All six acts received standing ovations for their performances.
- On 12 October 2013, the performances of five finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Taylor Henderson's performance of "Wake Me Up" debuted at number 49, Dami Im's performance of "Clarity" debuted at number 77, Jiordan Tolli's performance of "Royals" debuted at number 81, Third Degree's performance of "Pump It" debuted at number 84 and Jai Waetford's performance of "Somewhere Only We Know" debuted at number 95.
Week 8: Quarter-Final (13/14 October)
- Theme: Aussie Week
- Group performance: "Impossible"
- Celebrity performers: Havana Brown and James Arthur
- Redfoo: Third Degree – backed his own act, Jiordan Tolli.
- Minogue: Jiordan Tolli – because it was Tolli's third time in the bottom two.
- Bassingthwaighte: Jiordan Tolli – backed her own act, Third Degree.
- Keating: Third Degree – could not decide so chose to take it to deadlock.
; Notes
- With Jiordan Tolli eliminated, Redfoo had no more remaining acts to mentor.
- On 19 October 2013, Taylor Henderson's performance of "One Crowded Hour" debuted at number 38 on the ARIA Singles Chart.
Week 9: Semi-final (20/21 October)
- Theme: Power and Passion
- Mentor: Tina Arena
- Celebrity performers: Imagine Dragons, Tina Arena, and Little Mix
- Keating: Taylor Henderson – backed his own act, Taylor Henderson.
- Bassingthwaighte: Third Degree – backed her own act, Third Degree.
- Minogue: Third Degree – stated that a BAND could sell more records.
- Redfoo: Taylor Henderson – went with his gut.
;Notes
- With Third Degree eliminated, Bassingthwaighte had no more remaining acts to mentor.
- On 26 October 2013, the performances of the four finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Taylor Henderson's performance of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" debuted at number two, Dami Im's performances of "Wrecking Ball" and "Saving All My Love for You" debuted at numbers 61 and 85 respectively, Jai Waetford's performance of "Dynamite" debuted at number 89, Henderson's performance of "Against All Odds" debuted at number 90 and Third Degree's performance of "Pound the Alarm" debuted at number 96.
- This is the first week where Dami Im lost her 1st place spot to Jai Waetford in the public voting but still made it to the Grand Final
Week 10: Grand Final (27/28 October)
- Group performance: "LaserLight"
- Celebrity performers: One Direction
| Act | Category | Order | Audition song | Order | Last shot song | Order | Winner's single | Result |
| Taylor Henderson | Boys | 1 | "Some Nights" | 8 | "The Blower's Daughter" | 4 | "Borrow My Heart" | Safe |
| Jai Waetford | Boys | 7 | "Don't Let Me Go" | 5 | "The Only Exception" | 2 | "Your Eyes" | Eliminated |
| Dami Im | Over 24s | 3 | "Hero" | 9 | "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" | 6 | "Alive" | Safe |
Jai Waetford received the fewest public votes and was automatically eliminated.
;28 October
- Group performances:
- *"Blow"
- *"Alone Together" with Fall Out Boy
- Celebrity performers: Guy Sebastian and Katy Perry
| Act | Category | Order | Best moment from the Live Shows | Result |
| Taylor Henderson | Boys | 1 | "Wake Me Up" | Runner-up |
| Dami Im | Over 24s | 2 | "Purple Rain" | Winner |
;Notes
- For the first time this season there was no theme.
- On 2 November 2013, performances from the top three finalists entered the ARIA Singles Chart. Jai Waetford's performance of "Don't Let Me Go" debuted at number 37, Taylor Henderson's performances of "The Blower's Daughter" and "Some Nights" debuted at numbers 43 and 45 respectively, and Dami Im's performances of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "Hero" debuted at numbers 29 and 62 respectively.
- Based on the voting percentages, Dami Im won with 56.2% of votes compared to 29.56% of Taylor Henderson.
Ratings