The X Factor (British TV series) series 3

Judges and Presenters

The third series of The X Factor saw Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne, and Louis Walsh return as judges. Kate Thornton and Ben Shephard also came back to host the main show on ITV and its spin-off, The Xtra Factor on ITV2, respectively. This marked the final series for both presenters.

Thornton announced her exit on 8 March 2007, with Dermot O’Leary taking over for series four. Shephard left after being overlooked for the main presenting role, and Fearne Cotton replaced him. This season was also the last to feature only three judges; the panel expanded to four from series four onward.

Selection process

The third series of The X Factor kicked off with auditions on 7 June 2006. Simon Cowell told ITV’s This Morning that he was hoping to discover “the next international boyband or girlband.” A record 100,000 people applied, with nearly 20,000 turning up for an open audition at Old Trafford in Manchester on 18 June 2006. The judging panel remained the same: Cowell, Sharon Osbourne, and Louis Walsh.

Despite hints from Cowell and the media that a fourth full-time judge might be added to mentor a fourth category, that didn’t happen. Paula Abdul, a judge on American Idol, did appear as a guest judge during the London auditions, and other celebrities joined the live shows later. Auditions took place in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Dublin, Leeds, Bristol, Newcastle, and Glasgow. Cowell had suggested a 14–24s category, but it ended up being called 16–24s, just like the previous two series.

Cowell mentored the 16–24s, Osbourne took the Over 25s, and Walsh handled the Groups. (The rumored changes—a lower age limit and a fourth category—were actually introduced in series 4.)

Bootcamp

At bootcamp, the plan was for 21 acts to go through, seven per judge. But Cowell felt he’d made a mistake by leaving out Ray Quinn, so he asked producers to let one more act through. The other judges were then allowed to pick eight acts each, making 24 in total. During the judges’ houses round, that number was cut to 12 for the live shows.

Judges' houses

Avenue initially made it through but were later disqualified because they misled the judges about an existing record contract with a manager no longer involved with the show. Eton Road replaced them. The judges’ houses performances included Ben singing “With a Little Help from My Friends,” Katie with “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” Jonathan performing “This Love,” Robert singing “Crazy,” Tiwa with “Hero,” Lyn doing “Downtown,” Kerry singing “You’ve Got a Friend,” and Dionne performing “What’s Love Got to Do with It.”

Among the groups, Brother’s One sang “Nobody Knows,” The McDonald Brothers performed “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” Pure Liberty sang “Crazy in Love,” Dolly Rockers did “Round Round,” The Unconventionals sang “Dedicated to the One I Love,” 4Sure performed “I Swear,” and Avenue sang “Back for Good” before their disqualification.

Live shows

The live shows featured three categories: 16-24s, Over 25s, and Groups. Themes included Motown, songs by Rod Stewart, big band, songs by ABBA, and love songs. Musical guests included Lionel Richie, Rod Stewart, Tony Bennett, Björn Ulvaeus & The Cast of Mamma Mia!, and Julio Iglesias. In week 3, a double elimination occurred: the three acts with the fewest public votes were announced as the bottom three, the act with the fewest votes was automatically eliminated, and the remaining two performed in the final showdown.

Judges' votes to eliminate were cast in several weeks. In week 1, Walsh voted to eliminate Dionne Mitchell, Osbourne voted for The Unconventionals, and Cowell voted for The Unconventionals. In week 2, Walsh voted for Robert Allen, Osbourne for 4Sure, and Cowell for 4Sure. In week 3, Osbourne voted for Ashley McKenzie, Cowell for Kerry McGregor, and Walsh for Kerry McGregor.

In week 4, Osbourne voted for Ashley McKenzie, Cowell for Robert Allen, and Walsh for Ashley McKenzie. In week 5, Osbourne voted for Nikitta Angus, giving no reason; though in scenes aired on The Xtra Factor: The Aftermath, she stated that Angus did not seem comfortable in her performance until the final showdown, which ultimately came too late.