The X Factor (Australian season 8)
The X Factor was an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original British version, to find new singing talent; the winner of which received a Sony Music Australia recording contract. The eighth and final season, branded as X Factor: Next Generation, premiered on Seven Network on 3 October 2016. Jason Dundas replaced Luke Jacobz as host; with the judging panel consisting of Guy Sebastian, Iggy Azalea, Adam Lambert and Mel B. The winner was Isaiah Firebrace and his winner's single "It's Gotta Be You" was released after the final. He was mentored by Lambert, who won as mentor for the first time.
Judges and host
In February 2016, reports claimed that Seven Network was mulling over whether or not to delay the series' planned eighth season until 2017. It was later confirmed that The X Factor will return in 2016.Dannii Minogue reported that she would not be returning to the programme after three series on the judging panel. On 12 June 2016, Iggy Azalea was announced as Chris Isaak's replacement, with Guy Sebastian. The following day, Adam Lambert was confirmed to be the third judge for the eighth season replacing James Blunt. On 11 October 2016, shortly before the three-seat challenge, former judge Mel B was announced as the "underdog judge" also to replace Minogue, after months of rumours, whereby three acts who failed to secure a seat in this challenge can be recruited by her for inclusion in the "underdogs" category.
On 24 November 2015, Luke Jacobz announced on his Twitter account that he would not be returning as the host for the eighth season in 2016. On 25 June 2016, Jason Dundas was announced as Jacobz's replacement.
Selection process
Open auditions in front of the show's producers took place in 17 cities and ran from 18 April to 21 May 2016.Auditions
Open auditions
Open auditions began on 18 April in Geelong and concluded on 21 May 2016 in Melbourne.| City | Dates | Venue |
| Geelong | 18 April 2016 | Novotel Geelong |
| Ballarat | 19 April 2016 | Mercure Ballarat |
| Bendigo | 20 April 2016 | All Seasons Bendigo |
| Wagga Wagga | 21 April 2016 | Commercial Club |
| Orange | 22 April 2016 | Orange Ex-Services Club |
| Gosford | 26 April 2016 | The Youth Arts Warehouse, Regional Youth Support Services Inc |
| Port Macquarie | 27 April 2016 | Rydges Port Macquarie |
| Gold Coast | 30 April 2016 | Brisbane Sofitel |
| Toowoomba | 2 May 2016 | Burke & Wills Hotel |
| Bundaberg | 3 May 2016 | Brothers Sports Club |
| Sydney | 7 May 2016 | Sydney Olympic Park |
| Cairns | 11 May 2016 | Shangri-La Hotel |
| Darwin | 13 May 2016 | Oaks Elan Darwin |
| Perth | 15 May 2016 | Parmelia Hilton Perth |
| Bunbury | 17 May 2016 | Mercure Sanctuary Resort |
| Adelaide | 19 May 2016 | AAMI Stadium |
| Melbourne | 21 May 2016 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Center |
Judges' auditions
Judges' auditions took at Sydney Olympic Park from 29 June to 1 July and again from 5 to 6 July 2016.| City | Dates | Venue |
| Sydney | 29 June to 1 July 2016 | Sydney Olympic Park |
| Sydney | 5 to 6 July 2016 | Sydney Olympic Park |
Bootcamp
Bootcamp was briefly shown during the last audition episode, where the judges found out which category they would mentor. Once the judges found out their categories, they had each of their acts sing acapella for their judge and once everyone sang, the category judge narrowed their category down to 12 acts who would move on to the Three Chair Challenge.Three seat challenge
The three seat challenge round of the competition was held at the Sydney Olympic Park between 28 and 29 July 2016. This will be a replacement as the super home visits used in previous seasons. Three acts who were not successful were recruited by underdog judge Mel B.Key:
| Episode | Category | Act | Order | Song | Mentor's decision | Swapped with |
| Episode 6 | 14-21s | Isaiah Firebrace | 1 | "If I Ain't Got You" | Put in seat 1 | — |
| Episode 7 | 14-21s | Bailey Spalding | 2 | "Heroes" | Put in seat 2 | — |
| Episode 7 | 14-21s | Maddison Milewski | 3 | "Who Wants to Live Forever" | Put in seat 3 | — |
| Episode 7 | 14-21s | Benny Nelson | 4 | "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 7 | 14-21s | James Kernick | 5 | "If I Ain't Got You" | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 7 | 14-21s | Veronica Bravo | 6 | "Should've Been Us" | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 7 | 14-21s | Vlado Saric | 7 | "Wildest Dreams" | Put in seat 3 | Maddison Milewski |
| Episode 7 | 14-21s | Janae Rosa | 8 | "I'd Rather Go Blind" | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 7 | 14-21s | Mi-kaisha Masella | 9 | "Sledgehammer" | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 7 | 14-21s | Ivy Adara | 10 | "Remind Me" | Put in seat 3 | Vlado Saric |
| Episode 7 | 14-21s | Amalia Foy | 11 | "Piece by Piece" | Put in seat 2 | Bailey Spalding |
| Episode 7 | 14-21s | Natalie Ong | 12 | "I'd Rather Go Blind" | Put in seat 3 | Ivy Adara |
| Episode 8 | Groups | Beatz | 13 | "Me Too" | Put in seat 1 | — |
| Episode 8 | Groups | Fifth Element | 14 | "FourFiveSeconds" | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 8 | Groups | Brentwood | 15 | "Lush Life" | Put in seat 2 | — |
| Episode 8 | Groups | IndiElla | 16 | "Don't Worry About Me" | Put in seat 3 | — |
| Episode 8 | Groups | Aroza | 17 | "See You Again" | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 8 | Groups | The Dennis Sisters | 18 | "Fire and the Flood" | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 8 | Groups | FD3 | 19 | "Waiting for a Star to Fall" | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 8 | Groups | Time & Place | 20 | "You Don't Know Love" | Put in seat 3 | IndiElla |
| Episode 8 | Groups | Montage | 21 | "Break Free" | Put in seat 1 | Beatz |
| Episode 9 | Over 22s | Ruby Mills | 22 | "When We Were Young" | Put in seat 1 | — |
| Episode 9 | Over 22s | Calvin Orosa | 23 | "Can't Stop the Feeling!" | Put in seat 2 | — |
| Episode 9 | Over 22s | Davey Woder | 24 | "Stand by Me" | Put in seat 3 | — |
| Episode 9 | Over 22s | Trojahn Tuna | 25 | "Send My Love " | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 9 | Over 22s | Stevie-Leigh | 26 | "California Dreamin'" | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 9 | Over 22s | Josh | 27 | "Human" | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 9 | Over 22s | Omar Terzic | 28 | "To Love Somebody" | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 9 | Over 22s | Naisa Lasalosi | 29 | "Love Me Harder" | Put in seat 2 | Calvin Orosa |
| Episode 9 | Over 22s | Zebulen Howell | 30 | "Stole the Show" | Put in seat 1 | Ruby Mills |
| Episode 9 | Over 22s | Miss Powers | 31 | "Fame" | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 9 | Over 22s | Dave Stergo | 32 | "Running Up That Hill" | Eliminated | — |
| Episode 9 | Over 22s | Chynna Taylor | 33 | "My Hero" | Put in seat 2 | Naisa Lasalosi |
| Episode 9 | Over 22s | Timmy Knowles | 34 | "Love on the Brain" | Put in seat 1 | Zebulen Howell |
Finalists
Key:| Act | Age | Hometown | Category | Result |
| Isaiah Firebrace | 16 | Portland, Victoria | 14-21s | Winner |
| Davey Woder | 31 | Logan, Queensland | Over 22s | Runner-up |
| Vlado | 17 | Sydney | Underdogs | 3rd place |
| Amalia Foy | 14 | Melbourne | 14-21s | 4th place |
| Beatz | 19–22 | Sydney, New South Wales | Underdogs | 5th place |
| Chynna Taylor | 33 | Corpus Christi, United States/South Coast, New South Wales | Over 22s | 6th place |
| Brentwood | 25 & 29 | New Zealand/Melbourne | Groups | 7th place |
| AYA | 16–18 | Sydney, New South Wales | Groups | 8th place |
| Maddison Milewski | 16 | Gold Coast, Queensland | Underdogs | 9th place |
| Timmy Knowles | 30 | Melbourne, Victoria | Over 22s | 10th place |
| Time and Place | 17–21 | Various | Groups | 11th place |
| Natalie Ong | 14 | Singapore/Melbourne, Victoria | 14-21s | 12th place |
Live shows
The live shows began airing on 23 October 2016. Initially, ten live shows were planned, but they were cut down to five, due to scheduling conflicts. Guy Sebastian mentored the Over 22s, Iggy Azalea mentored the Groups and Adam Lambert mentored the 14-21s. Mel B was announced as the mentor of the Underdogs category, where she chose three acts who were eliminated in the three-seat challenge, join her category; the finalists of this category were not revealed until the first live show. The live shows concluded on 21 November 2016, where this would be the final episode of The X Factor to be aired, after the programme was cancelled in January 2017 due to declining ratings.Results summary
;Colour keyNotes
- 1 In week 1, one act from each category was eliminated, hence each category was ranked individually.
- 2 Mel B was not required to vote as there was already a Majority.
Live show details
Week 1 (23/24 October)
- Theme: Judges' Choice
- Group performance: "Battle Scars"/"Fancy"/"Whataya Want from Me"/"Wannabe"
- Celebrity performers: Jessica Mauboy and Zara Larsson
| Act | Category | Order | Song | Result |
| Beatz | Underdogs | 1 | "Sax" | Safe |
| Timmy Knowles | Over 22s | 2 | "Hands to Myself" | Eliminated |
| Amalia Foy | 14-21s | 3 | "Angel" | Safe |
| Time and Place | Groups | 4 | "Ride" | Eliminated |
| Chynna Taylor | Over 22s | 5 | "Open Arms" | Safe |
| Maddison Milewski | Underdogs | 6 | "Addicted to You" | Eliminated |
| Isaiah Firebrace | 14-21s | 7 | "Lay It All on Me" | Safe |
| AYA | Groups | 8 | "Secret Love Song" | Safe |
| Vlado | Underdogs | 9 | "Closer" | Safe |
| Brentwood | Groups | 10 | "Say It" | Safe |
| Davey Woder | Over 22s | 11 | "With a Little Help from My Friends" | Safe |
| Natalie Ong | 14-21s | 12 | "When Love Takes Over" | Eliminated |
Week 2 (30/31 October)
- Theme: Judges' Makeovers
- Group performance: "Money Maker" with Throttle, LunchMoney Lewis and Aston Merrygold
- Celebrity performers: Adam Lambert and Shawn Mendes
- Mel B: AYA – backed her own act, Beatz.
- Azalea: Beatz – backed her own act, AYA.
- Lambert: Beatz – said AYA had stronger vocals.
- Sebastian: AYA – could not decide so chose to take it to deadlock.
Week 3 (6/7 November)
- Theme: Viewers' Choice
- Guest mentors: Dami Im, Jess & Matt, Samantha Jade, Jai Waetford, Cyrus and Taylor Henderson
- Group performance: "Sound of Silence"
- Celebrity performers: Dami Im, Guy Sebastian, Disturbed
Dundas confirmed during Sunday's live show that this week would be a double elimination.
| Act | Song choices | Result |
| Amalia Foy | "You've Got the Love" | Not chosen |
| Amalia Foy | "Mamma Mia" | Chosen |
| Beatz | "Single Ladies " | Chosen |
| Beatz | "I Gotta Feeling" | Not chosen |
| Brentwood | "September" | Not chosen |
| Brentwood | "Go Your Own Way" | Chosen |
| Chynna Taylor | "Mercy" | Chosen |
| Chynna Taylor | "The Horses" | Not chosen |
| Davey Woder | "Working Class Man" | Chosen |
| Davey Woder | "Better Man" | Not chosen |
| Isaiah Firebrace | "No Woman, No Cry" | Not chosen |
| Isaiah Firebrace | "Happy" | Chosen |
| Vlado | "Love Yourself" | Not chosen |
| Vlado | "Thriller" | Chosen |
;Judges' vote to eliminate
- Sebastian: Beatz – backed his own act, Chynna Taylor.
- Mel B: Chynna Taylor – backed her own act, Beatz.
- Azalea: Chynna Taylor – wanted a group to stay in the competition.
- Lambert: Beatz – could not decide so chose to take it to deadlock.
Week 4: Semi-Final (13/14 November)
- Theme: Killer Tracks & Curveballs
- Group performance: "Wings"
- Celebrity performers: Little Mix, Samantha Jade & Cyrus Villanueva and The Veronicas
;Judges' vote to send through
- Lambert: Vlado – went with his gut.
- Azalea: Vlado – has said multiple times Vlado was her favourite in the competition.
- Sebastian: Vlado – also trusted his gut feeling.
- Mel B 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.
Week 5: Grand Final (20/21 November)
- Theme: Showstoppers & Duets
- Celebrity performer: James Arthur
| Act | Category | Order | Showstopper song | Order | Duet song | Result |
| Amalia Foy | 14-21s | 1 | "Set Fire to the Rain" | 5 | "Boom Clap" | 1st Eliminated |
| Vlado | Underdogs | 6 | "Closer" | 2 | "Say You Won't Let Go" | 2nd Eliminated |
| Davey Woder | Over 22s | 3 | "7 Years" | 7 | "Angels" | Safe |
| Isaiah Firebrace | 14-21s | 8 | "Halo" | 4 | "Wake Me Up" | Safe |
;21 November
- Theme: Winner's Songs
- Group performances:
- * "Final Song"
- * "Heroes "
- Celebrity performers: Charli XCX, Tove Lo, Tori Kelly and Robbie Williams
| Act | Category | Order | Winner's song | Result |
| Isaiah Firebrace | 14-21s | 1 | "It's Gotta Be You" | Winner |
| Davey Woder | Over 22s | 2 | "Coming Home" | Runner-up |