Colonel William A. Phillips

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X Factor Malta is the Maltese version of the British television music competition The X Factor, created by Simon Cowell.[1] The first season premiered on 7 October 2018 and has since been broadcast on Television Malta. The show was used to determine the artist that would represent Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019 and 2020.[2] In July 2020, it was announced that the show would be replaced by Malta's Got Talent,[3] but after a one-year hiatus, a third season began in October 2021.[4] Season four started on 08 October 2023.

Season summary

To date, four seasons have been broadcast, as summarised below.

  Contestant in "Ray Mercieca"
  Contestant in "Alexandra Alden"
  Contestant in "Howard Keith Debono"
  Contestant in "Ira Losco"
  Contestant in "Ivan Grech"
  Contestant in "Philippa Naudi"
  Contestant in "Gianluca Bezzina"
  Contestant in "Amber Bondin"

Season Start Finish Winner Runner-up Third place Fourth place Winning mentor Main host Main judges
1 7 October 2018 26 January 2019 Michela Pace Owen Leuellen Nicole Frendo Petra Zammit Howard Keith Debono Ben Camille Howard Keith Debono
Ira Losco
Alexandra Alden
Ray Mercieca
2 6 October 2019 8 February 2020 Destiny Chukunyere Justine Shorfid F.A.I.T.H Kyle Cutajar Ira Losco
3 3 October 2021 12 February 2022 Ryan Hili Drakard Lisa Gauci Cheryl Balzan Howard Keith Debono Howard Keith Debono
Ira Losco
Ivan Grech
Philippa Naudi
4 8 October 2023 11 February 2024 Richard Aquilina Shanice Micallef Lapes & Nadine Amelia Kalabic Howard Keith Debono Gianni Zammit Howard Keith Debono
Ira Losco
Gianluca Bezzina
Amber Bondin

Judges' categories and their contestants

In each season, each judge is allocated a category to mentor and chooses three acts to progress to the live finals. This table shows, for each series, which category each judge was allocated and which acts he or she put through to the live finals.

Key:

  – Winning judge/category. Winners are in bold, eliminated contestants in small font.
Season Howard Keith Debono Ira Losco Alexandra Alden Ray Mercieca
1 Girls
Michela Pace
Nicole Frendo
Kelsey Bellante
Boys
Owen Leuellen
Luke Chappell
Norbert Bondin
Groups
4th Line
Xtreme
Kayati
Overs
Petra Zammit
Ben Purplle
Franklin Calleja
2 Groups
F.A.I.T.H
Bloodline
Yazmin & James
Girls
Destiny Chukunyere
Justine Shorfid
Jasmine Abela
Overs
Celine Agius
Paul Anthony
Ed Abdilla
Boys
Kyle Cutajar
Karl Schembri
Dav. Jr
Season Howard Keith Debono Ira Losco Philippa Naudi Ivan Grech
3 Boys
Ryan Hili
Aidan Drakard
Kevin Paul
Overs
Cheryl Balzan
Audrienne Fenech
Jimmy Tyrrell
Groups
Ceci & Kriss
Soul Tide

Beyond
Girls
Lisa Gauci
Timea Farr
Shauna Vassallo
Season Howard Keith Debono Ira Losco Amber Bondin Gianluca Bezzina
4 Overs
Richard Aquilina
Rose Marielle Mamaclay
Sean Kamati
Groups
Lapes & Nadine
XO
Kelsie & Martina
Boys
Isaac Tom
Kodin Camilleri
Mattia Adduocchio
Girls
Shanice Micallef
Amelia Kalabic
Kristy Spiteri

Presenter and judges

On 2 July 2018, it was announced that Ben Camille was selected to host the show.[5]

The full judges' panel was revealed on 31 July 2018, and was composed of music producer Howard Keith Debono, The Rifffs' frontman Ray Mercieca, Maltese singer and songwriter Alexandra Alden, and singer/star Ira Losco. Confirmed X factor judge lovinmalta.com Retrieved 9 October 2019

Season 1

Pre-auditions

The first appeal for applicants was made on 26 June 2018, with the launch of the online submission form. Auditioning artists were also able to send a video audition via the WhatsApp messaging platform.[6] In addition, a number of pop-up booths were set up around Malta in early July to encourage people to enter.[7]

Producers auditions were held from 13 to 15 July at Fort St Elmo. There the show's producers assessed the auditioning acts and determined who would progress to the judges auditions.[8]

Judges' auditions

The auditionees chosen by the producers were invited back to the last set of auditions that took place in front of the judges. These auditions were filmed at Fort St Angelo from 1 to 8 August and broadcast from 7 October, as well as short daily extra auditions on the X Factor Malta YouTube channel and on the Facebook page of Vodafone Malta.

The 120 successful contestants then progressed to the bootcamp round.

Bootcamp

The bootcamp round was filmed at the Hilton Malta Conference Centre from 9 to 12 September and broadcast on 11 and 18 November.[9]

Contestants were given three performance challenges. On the first day, the 120 contestants were split into the four category groups - Boys, Girls, Overs and Groups. Acts in each category were given one song to sing a cappella: "A Million Reasons" (Girls), "See You Again" (Boys), "Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me" (Overs) "My Girl" (Groups). After the performances, the judges sent home 30 acts.

For the second challenge, the remaining acts each selected a song from the Wall of Songs, which they had to perform with three others who had selected the same song. Contestants were either put through to the next stage, or went to the Waiting Room, where they later had the possibility of being called on to be part of a newly formed group.

In the final challenge, the remaining acts - including newly formed groups - performed a song of their own choice. The jury then selected 12 participants from each category to go through to the Six Chair Challenge.

Six Chair Challenge

The Six Chair Challenge was filmed at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Attard on 11 and 12 October 2018.[10]

The 24 successful acts were:

  • Boys: Mark Anthony Bartolo, Norbert Bondin, Aidan Cassar, Luke Chappell, Owen Leuellen, Claudio Zammit
  • Girls: Kelsey Bellante, Karin Duff, Nicole Frendo, Danica Muscat, Michela Pace, Jade Vella
  • Overs: Anna Azzopardi, Franklin Calleja, Anna Faniello, Ben Purplle, Vanessa Lee Sultana, Petra Zammit
  • Groups: 4th Line, Horizon, Kayati, Prism, Systm12, Xtreme

Judges' Houses

The Judges' Houses episodes were broadcast on 23 and 30 December 2018.

Summary of Judges' Houses
Judge Category Assistant Contestants eliminated
Losco Boys Joseph Calleja Mark Anthony Bartolo, Aidan Cassar, Claudio Zammit
Debono Girls Mike Hedges Karin Duff, Danica Muscat, Jade Vella
Mercieca Overs Matthew James Borg Anna Azzopardi, Anna Faniello, Vanessa Lee Sultana
Alden Groups Carlo Borg Bonaci Horizon, Prism, Systm12

Contestants

Key:

  – Winner
  – Runner-up
  – Third Place
Category (mentor) Acts
Boys (Losco) Norbert Bondin Luke Chappell Owen Leuellen
Girls (Debono) Kelsey Bellante Nicole Frendo Michela Pace
Overs (Mercieca) Franklin Calleja Ben Purplle Petra Zammit
Groups (Alden) 4th Line Kayati Xtreme

Live shows

The live shows began on Sunday, 6 January 2019. They were filmed at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Attard, Malta.[11] Dance groups contracted for all live shows were The Unit Collective (Deedee Clark, Kimberly Lowell, Nicole Schembri), Southville Dancers (Christian Scerri), Kinetic Dance Academy (Clayton Mifsud, Daphne Gatt) and Annalise Dance Studio (Annalise Ellul).

Results summary

Colour key
  – Contestant in the bottom three and had to perform in the Sing-Off
  – Contestant was in the bottom three but received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated
  – Contestant received the fewest public votes and was immediately eliminated (no final showdown)
Contestant Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Round One Round Two Round One Round Two Round Three
Michela Pace Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Winner
Owen Leuellen Safe Safe Safe 4th Safe Safe Runner-Up
Nicole Frendo Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe 3rd Eliminated
(week 4)
Petra Zammit Safe Safe Safe Safe 4th Eliminated
(week 4)
Luke Chappell Safe Safe Safe 5th Eliminated
(week 3)
Norbert Bondin Safe Safe Safe 6th Eliminated
(week 3)
Ben Purplle Safe 8th 7th Eliminated
(week 3)
Kelsey Bellante Safe Safe 8th Eliminated
(week 3)
4th Line Safe 9th Eliminated
(week 2)
Xtreme Bottom three 10th Eliminated
(week 2)
Franklin Calleja Bottom three Eliminated
(week 1)
Kayati 12th Eliminated
(week 1)
Sing-Off Franklin Calleja,
Xtreme
4th Line,
Ben Purplle
No Sing Off or Judges Vote. The two acts with the fewest votes will leave the competition. Owen Leuellen,
Luke Chappell
No Sing Off or Judges Vote, the public votes decide who wins.
Alden's vote to eliminate Franklin Calleja Ben Purplle Owen Leuellen
Debono's vote to eliminate Franklin Calleja Ben Purplle Owen Leuellen
Losco's vote to eliminate Franklin Calleja 4th Line Luke Chappell
Mercieca's vote to eliminate Xtreme 4th Line Luke Chappell
Eliminated Kayati
Public vote
Franklin Calleja
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Xtreme
Public vote
4th Line
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock
Kelsey Bellante
Public vote
Ben Purplle
Public vote
Norbert Bondin
Public vote
Luke Chappell
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock
Michela Pace
Owen Leuellen
Nicole Frendo
Petra Zammit

Live show details

Week 1 (6 Jan)

  • Theme: This is Me
Contestants' performances on the first live show
Act Order Song Result
4th Line 1 "Survivor" Safe
Luke Chappell 2 "Overthinking" (original song) Safe
Nicole Frendo 3 "Too Good at Goodbyes" Safe
Franklin Calleja 4 "Jealous" Bottom three
Xtreme 5 "Side to Side"/"Woman Like Me" Bottom three
Michela Pace 6 "Lost on You" Safe
Norbert Bondin 7 "Say Something" Safe
Kayati 8 "Nobody's Perfect" Eliminated
Ben Purplle 9 "Dancing On My Own" Safe
Owen Leuellen 10 "Can't Hold Us" Safe
Petra Zammit 11 "What's Up?" Safe
Kelsey Bellante 12 "Chained to the Rhythm" Safe
Final showdown details
Act Order Song Result
Franklin Calleja 1 "Clown" Eliminated
Xtreme 2 "Take Me Home" Safe
Judges' vote to eliminate
  • Mercieca: Xtreme
  • Alden: Franklin Calleja
  • Losco: Franklin Calleja
  • Debono: Franklin Calleja

Week 2 (13 Jan)

  • Theme: Throwbacks
Contestants' performances on the second live show
Act Order Song Result
Xtreme 1 "They Don't Care About Us" Eliminated
Kelsey Bellante 2 "Could You Be Loved" Safe
Owen Leuellen 3 "Boom! Shake the Room" Safe
Ben Purplle 4 "Yesterday" Bottom three
4th Line 5 "It's Raining Men" Bottom three
Petra Zammit 6 "I Just Want to Make Love to You" Safe
Luke Chappell 7 "Hey There Delilah" Safe
Nicole Frendo 8 "Purple Rain" Safe
Norbert Bondin 9 "The Wild Boys" Safe
Michela Pace 10 "The Power of Love" Safe
Final showdown details
Act Order Song Result
Ben Purplle 1 "Iris" Safe
4th Line 2 "Queen of the Night" Eliminated
Judges' vote to eliminate
  • Mercieca: 4th Line
  • Alden: Ben Purplle
  • Losco: 4th Line
  • Debono: Ben Purplle

With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. 4th Line was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 3: Semi-Final (20 Jan)

  • Theme: Movie Spectacular, Jukebox
Contestants' performances on the third live show
Act Order First Song Result Order Second Song Result
Owen Leuellen 1 "Gangsta's Paradise" Safe 13 "What Did You Expect" (original song) Bottom three
Ben Purplle 2 "Oh, Pretty Woman" Eliminated N/A (Already eliminated)
Nicole Frendo 3 "Skyfall" Safe 14 "Scared to Be Lonely" Safe
Norbert Bondin 4 "Never Enough" Safe 11 "Empty Space" Eliminated
Michela Pace 5 "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" Safe 12 "Shallow" Safe
Luke Chappell 6 "Heathens" Safe 9 "What Do You Mean?" Bottom three
Kelsey Bellante 7 "Pray for Me" Eliminated N/A (Already eliminated)
Petra Zammit 8 "We Don't Need Another Hero" Safe 10 "Set Fire to the Rain" Safe
Final showdown details
Act Order Song Result
Owen Leuellen N/A Safe
Luke Chappell N/A Eliminated
Judges' vote to eliminate
  • Mercieca: Luke Chappell
  • Alden: Owen Leuellen
  • Debono: Owen Leuellen
  • Losco: Luke Chappell

With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Luke Chappell was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

In this semi-final, the eight qualified finalists performed at least once. The two acts with the fewest public votes after the first round left the competition, with Kelsey Bellante, gaining the fewest votes overall, and Ben Purplle gaining the second fewest votes. The top six performed again, with the top three acts automatically progressing to the final. The remaining three faced elimination. Of these three, Norbert Bondin received the fewest votes and was thus immediately eliminated. The remaining two, Owen Leuellen and Luke Chappell, faced the tiebreaker, which was to be decided by the judges. However, as the tie was not resolved by the end of the judges' vote, the deadlock - once again decided by the public vote - had to be used. As Owen Leuellen received more votes then Luke Chappell, the former progressed to the final.

Week 4: Final (26 Jan)

Contestants' performances on the fourth live show
Act Order First Song Order Second Song Order Third Song Order Fourth Song Result
Petra Zammit 1 "You Don't Own Me" 5 "Be My Guest" (with Ray Mercieca) N/A (Already eliminated) 4th Place
Nicole Frendo 2 "Russian Roulette" 7 "Just Give Me a Reason" (with Matthew James) 10 "Kemm hu Sabiħ" (New Cuorey) N/A (Already eliminated) 3rd Place
Owen Leuellen 3 "One Day" (Original Song) 6 "Hey Now" (with Ira Losco) 9 "Aħseb fit-tifel" (Shazam) 12 "Believe" (Original Song) Runner-up
Michela Pace 4 "Total Eclipse of the Heart" 8 "Perfect" (with Joseph Calleja) 11 "Inti Djamant" (The Tramps) 13 "Shallow" Winner

Aired Shows

Episode Air date
Auditions 1 7 October 2018
Auditions 2 14 October 2018
Auditions 3 21 October 2018
Auditions 4 28 October 2018
Auditions 5 4 November 2018
Bootcamp 1 11 November 2018
Bootcamp 2 18 November 2018
Six Chair Challenge 1 (Girls) 25 November 2018
Six Chair Challenge 2 (Boys) 2 December 2018
Six Chair Challenge 3 (Overs) 9 December 2018
Six Chair Challenge 4 (Groups) 16 December 2018
Judges Houses 1 (Girls and Overs) 23 December 2018
Judges Houses 2 (Boys and Groups) 30 December 2018
Live Show 1 6 January 2019
Live Show 2 13 January 2019
Live Show 3 20 January 2019
Live Show 4 26 January 2019

Season 2

The second season premiered on 6 October 2019.[12] As with the inaugural season, the format continued to serve as the Maltese national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. The winner of the second season of X Factor Malta would have represented the island nation at the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands, but the contest was cancelled due to COVID-19.[13]

Six Chair Challenge

The 24 successful acts were:

  • Boys: Matt Blxck, Kyle Cutajar, Dav. Jr, Giovanni, Karl Schembri, Jurgen Volkov
  • Girls: Jasmine Abela, Gail Attard, Marija Bellia, Destiny Chukunyere, Karin Duff, Justine Shorfid
  • Overs: Ed Abdilla, Celine Agius, Paul Anthony, Chantal Catania, Kersten Graham, Jozi
  • Groups: Bloodline, Chord, F.A.I.T.H, Reign, Sweet Chaos, Yazmin and James

Judges' Houses

The Judges' Houses episodes were broadcast on 22 and 29 December 2019.

Summary of Judges' Houses
Judge Category Assistant Contestants eliminated
Mercieca Boys Amelia Lily Matt Blxck, Giovanni, Jurgen Volkov
Losco Girls Louisa Johnson Gail Attard, Marija Bellia, Karin Duff
Alden Overs The New Victorians Chantal Catania, Kersten Graham, Jozi
Debono Groups Lil' Eddie Chord, Reign, Sweet Chaos

Contestants

Key:

  – Winner
  – Runner-up
  – Third Place
Category (mentor) Acts
Boys (Mercieca) Kyle Cutajar Dav. Jr Karl Schembri
Girls (Losco) Jasmine Abela Destiny Chukunyere Justine Shorfid
Overs (Alden) Ed Abdilla Celine Agius Paul Anthony
Groups (Debono) Bloodline F.A.I.T.H Yazmin & James

Live shows

The live shows began on Sunday, 12 January 2020. They were filmed at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Attard, Malta. Dance groups contracted for all live shows were The Unit Collective (Deedee Clark, Kimberly Lowell, Nicole Schembri), Southville Dancers (Christian Scerri), Kinetic Dance Academy (Clayton Mifsud, Daphne Gatt) and Annalise Dance Studio (Annalise Ellul).

Results summary

Colour key
  – Contestant in the bottom three and had to perform in the Sing-Off
  – Contestant was in the bottom three but received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated
  – Contestant received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated
Contestant Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
Round One Round Two Round One Round Two Round Three
Destiny Chukunyere Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Winner
Justine Shorfid Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Runner-up
F.A.I.T.H Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe 3rd Eliminated
(week 5)
Kyle Cutajar Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe 4th Eliminated
(week 5)
Bloodline Safe Safe Bottom three Safe 5th Eliminated
(week 4)
Yazmin & James Safe 8th Safe 6th Eliminated
(week 4)
Celine Agius Bottom three Safe Bottom three Eliminated
(week 3)
Karl Schembri Safe Safe 8th Eliminated
(week 3)
Dav. Jr Safe 9th Eliminated
(week 2)
Jasmine Abela Safe 10th Eliminated
(week 2)
Paul Anthony Bottom three Eliminated
(week 1)
Ed Abdilla 12th Eliminated
(week 1)
Sing-Off Celine Agius,
Paul Anthony
Dav. Jr,
Yazmin & James
Bloodline,
Celine Agius
No Sing Off or Judges Vote. The two acts with the fewest votes will leave the competition. No Sing Off or Judges Vote, the public votes decide who wins.
Alden's vote to eliminate Paul Anthony Yazmin & James Bloodline
Debono's vote to eliminate Paul Anthony Dav. Jr Celine Agius
Losco's vote to eliminate Paul Anthony Dav. Jr Celine Agius
Mercieca's vote to eliminate Paul Anthony Yazmin & James Celine Agius
Eliminated Ed Abdilla
Public vote
Paul Anthony
4 of 4 votes
Majority
Jasmine Abela
Public vote
Dav. Jr
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock
Karl Schembri
Public vote
Celine Agius
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Yazmin & James
Public vote
Bloodline
Public vote
Destiny Chukunyere
Justine Shorfid
F.A.I.T.H
Kyle Cutajar

Live show details

Week 1 (12 Jan)

  • Theme: Born This Way
Contestants' performances on the first live show
Act Order Song Result
Jasmine Abela 1 "Crazy in Love" Safe
Kyle Cutajar 2 "Writing's on the Wall" Safe
Yazmin & James 3 "Señorita" Safe
Celine Agius 4 "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" Bottom three
Justine Shorfid 5 "Always Remember Us This Way" Safe
Ed Abdilla 6 "Devil's Robe" (Original song) Eliminated
F.A.I.T.H 7 "That's My Girl" Safe
Karl Schembri 8 "Smalltown Boy" Safe
Dav. Jr 9 "Life is Good" (Original song) Safe
Paul Anthony 10 "Feel" Bottom three
Bloodline 11 "My Favorite Things"/"Lovely" Safe
Destiny Chukunyere 12 "Higher Love" Safe
Final showdown details
Act Order Song Result
Celine Agius 1 "Valerie" Safe
Paul Anthony 2 "Forget You" Eliminated
Judges' vote to eliminate
  • Alden: Paul Anthony
  • Debono: Paul Anthony
  • Mercieca: Paul Anthony
  • Losco: Paul Anthony

Week 2 (19 Jan)

  • Theme: Guilty Pleasures
Contestants' performances on the second live show
Act Order Song Result
F.A.I.T.H 1 "Wannabe" Safe
Celine Agius 2 "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" Safe
Jasmine Abela 3 "Material Girl" Eliminated
Dav. Jr 4 "Umbrella" Bottom three
Justine Shorfid 5 "Dance Monkey" Safe
Bloodline 6 "Forever Young" Safe
Yazmin & James 7 "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" Bottom three
Kyle Cutajar 8 "Never Gonna Give You Up" Safe
Destiny Chukunyere 9 "I Will Survive" Safe
Karl Schembri 10 "I'll Fly with You" Safe
Final showdown details
Act Order Song Result
Yazmin & James 1 "Homesick" Safe
Dav. Jr 2 "Your Song" Eliminated
Judges' vote to eliminate
  • Mercieca: Yazmin & James
  • Debono: Dav. Jr
  • Alden: Yazmin & James
  • Losco: Dav. Jr

With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Dav. Jr was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes

Week 3 (26 Jan)

  • Theme: Movie Spectacular
Contestants' performances on the third live show
Act Order Song Movie Result
Destiny Chukunyere 1 "He Lives in You" The Lion King II: Simba's Pride Safe
Celine Agius 2 "What a Wonderful World" Good Morning, Vietnam Bottom three
Yazmin & James 3 "You're the One That I Want" Grease Safe
Karl Schembri 4 "Nessun Dorma" Turandot Eliminated
Bloodline 5 "Swan Song" Alita: Battle Angel Bottom three
Justine Shorfid 6 "I Will Always Love You" The Bodyguard Safe
Kyle Cutajar 7 "Kiss from a Rose" Batman Forever Safe
F.A.I.T.H 8 "Man in the Mirror" Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story Safe
Final showdown details
Act Order Song Result
Bloodline 1 "Lost on You" Safe
Celine Agius 2 "I Put a Spell on You" Eliminated
Judges' vote to eliminate
  • Debono: Celine Agius
  • Alden: Bloodline
  • Losco: Celine Agius
  • Mercieca: Celine Agius

Week 4 Semi-final (2 Feb)

  • Theme: Big Band, Jukebox
Contestants' performances on the fourth live show
Act Order First Song Result Order Second Song Result
Bloodline 1 "Diamonds Are Forever" Safe 10 "Euphoria" Eliminated
Kyle Cutajar 2 "Feelin' Good" Safe 7 "River" Safe
Destiny Chukunyere 3 "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" Safe 9 "This Is Me" Safe
Yazmin & James 4 "Fever" Eliminated N/A (Already eliminated)
F.A.I.T.H 5 "Candyman" Safe 11 "Runnin' (Lose It All)" Safe
Justine Shorfid 6 "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" Safe 8 "Spirit" Safe

Week 5: Final (8 Feb)

Contestants' performances on the fifth live show
Act Order First Song (original song) Order Second Song (guest duet) Order Third Song (Maltese classic song) Order Fourth Song (best moment song) Result
Destiny Chukunyere 1 "Save the Hero" 5 "River Deep – Mountain High" (with Amelia Lily) 11 "Fejn Staħbejtli" 13 "He Lives in You" Winner
F.A.I.T.H 2 "We Are F.A.I.T.H" 6 "Don't Start Now" (with Owen Leuellen) 9 "Viva Malta" N/A (Already eliminated) 3rd Place
Justine Shorfid 3 "Bittersweet" 7 "Alone" (with Louisa Johnson) 10 "L-Aħħar Bidwi" 12 "All I Want" Runner-Up
Kyle Cutajar 4 "Rise" 8 "Shallow" (with Michela Pace) N/A (Already eliminated) 4th Place

Season 3

The third season premiered on 3 October 2021. This time around, the winner would not receive the rights to represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Italy.

Six Chair Challenge

The 24 successful acts were:

  • Boys: Drakard, Ryan Hili, Kevin Paul, Nathan Psaila, Rheez, Isaac Tom
  • Girls: Timea Farr, Lisa Gauci, Mariah Gerada, Kristy Spiteri, Hannah Theuma, Shauna Vassallo
  • Overs: Janice Azzopardi, Cheryl Balzan, Dean Barton, Audrienne Fenech, Jastene Pacis, Jimmy Tyrrell
  • Groups: Beyond, Ceci & Kriss, Daryl & Dale, Jasmine, Anna & Jana, Soul Tide, Wish Me Lack

Judges' Houses

The Judges' Houses episodes were broadcast on 19 December 2021 and 2 January 2022.

Summary of Judges' Houses
Judge Category Contestants eliminated
Debono Boys Nathan Psaila, Rheez, Isaac Tom
Grech Girls Mariah Gerada, Kristy Spiteri, Hannah Theuma
Losco Overs Janice Azzopardi, Dean Barton, Jastene Pacis
Naudi Groups Daryl & Dale, Jasmine, Anna & Jana, Wish Me Lack

Finalists

Key:

  – Winner
  – Runner-up
  – Third Place
Category (mentor) Acts
Boys (Debono) Drakard Ryan Hili Kevin Paul
Girls (Grech) Timea Farr Lisa Gauci Shauna Vassallo
Overs (Losco) Cheryl Balzan Audrienne Fenech Jimmy Tyrrell
Groups (Naudi) Beyond Ceci & Kriss Soul Tide

Live shows

The live shows began on Sunday, 16 January 2022. They were filmed at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Attard, Malta. Dance groups contracted for all live shows were The Unit Collective (Deedee Clark, Kimberly Lowell, Nicole Schembri), Southville Dancers (Christian Scerri), Kinetic Dance Academy (Clayton Mifsud, Daphne Gatt) and Annalise Dance Studio (Annalise Ellul).

Results summary

Colour key
  – Contestant in the bottom three and had to perform in the Sing-Off
  – Contestant was in the bottom three but received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated
  – Contestant received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated
Contestant Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
Round One Round Two
Ryan Hili Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Winner
Drakard Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Runner-up
Lisa Gauci Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Third Place
Cheryl Balzan Safe Safe Safe Safe 4th Eliminated
(week 5)
Ceci & Kriss Safe Safe Safe 5th Eliminated
(week 4)
Timea Farr Safe Bottom three Bottom three 6th Eliminated
(week 4)
Kevin Paul Safe Safe Bottom three Eliminated
(week 3)
Audrienne Fenech Safe Safe 8th Eliminated
(week 3)
Soul Tide Safe Bottom three Eliminated
(week 2)
Beyond 10th 10th Eliminated
(week 2)
Jimmy Tyrrell 11th Eliminated
(week 1)
Shauna Vassallo 12th Eliminated
(week 1)
Sing-Off Beyond,
Jimmy Tyrrell
Soul Tide,
Timea Farr
Kevin Paul,
Timea Farr
No Sing Off or Judges Vote. The two acts with the fewest votes will leave the competition. No Sing Off or Judges Vote, the public votes decide who wins.
Debono's vote to eliminate Beyond Soul Tide Timea Farr
Grech's vote to eliminate Jimmy Tyrrell Soul Tide Kevin Paul
Losco's vote to eliminate Beyond Soul Tide Kevin Paul
Naudi's vote to eliminate Jimmy Tyrrell Timea Farr Kevin Paul
Eliminated Shauna Vassallo
Public vote
Jimmy Tyrrell
2 of 4 votes
Deadlock
Beyond
Public vote
Soul Tide
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Audrienne Fenech
Public vote
Kevin Paul
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Timea Farr
Public vote
Ceci & Kriss
Public vote
Cheryl Balzan
Public vote
Ryan Hili
Winner
Drakard
Runner-up
Lisa Gauci
Third place

Live show details

Week 1 (16 Jan)

Contestants' performances on the first live show
Act Order Song Result
Ryan Hili 1 "Impossible" Safe
Shauna Vassallo 2 "Blinding Lights" Eliminated
Jimmy Tyrrell 3 "Dancing On My Own" Bottom three
Beyond 4 "Love Runs Out" Bottom three
Kevin Paul 5 "Hurt" (Original song) Safe
Audrienne Fenech 6 "Ex's & Oh's" Safe
Timea Farr 7 "Control" Safe
Ceci & Kriss 8 "Higher Power" Safe
Drakard 9 "Mercy" Safe
Soul Tide 10 "Don't Go Yet" Safe
Cheryl Balzan 11 "Just Like a Pill" Safe
Lisa Gauci 12 "Run" Safe
Final showdown details
Act Order Song Result
Beyond 1 "I Just Called to Say I Love You" Safe
Jimmy Tyrrell 2 "Purple Rain" Eliminated
Judges' vote to eliminate
  • Losco: Beyond
  • Naudi: Jimmy Tyrrell
  • Debono: Beyond
  • Grech: Jimmy Tyrrell

With the acts in the sing-off receiving two votes each, the result went to deadlock and reverted to the earlier public vote. Jimmy Tyrrell was eliminated as the act with the fewest public votes.

Week 2 (23 Jan)

  • Theme: Retro
Contestants' performances on the second live show
Act Order Song Result
Cheryl Balzan 1 "The Best" Safe
Timea Farr 2 "Iris" Bottom three
Kevin Paul 3 "Right Here Waiting" Safe
Beyond 4 "I'm Still Standing" Eliminated
Soul Tide 5 "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" Bottom three
Lisa Gauci 6 "Believe" Safe
Ceci & Kriss 7 "L-Aħħar Bidwi f’Wied il-Għasel" Safe
Ryan Hili 8 "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" Safe
Audrienne Fenech 9 "Tainted Love" Safe
Drakard 10 "Freedom! '90" Safe
Final showdown details
Act Order Song Result
Timea Farr 1 "The Night We Met" Safe
Soul Tide 2 "I Will Survive" Eliminated
Judges' vote to eliminate
  • Naudi: Timea Farr
  • Grech: Soul Tide
  • Losco: Soul Tide
  • Debono: Soul Tide

Week 3 (30 Jan)

  • Theme: Soundtracks
Contestants' performances on the third live show
Act Order Song Result
Kevin Paul 1 "My Life Is Going On" Bottom three
Ceci & Kriss 2 "Let it Be" Safe
Lisa Gauci 3 "Holding Out for a Hero" Safe
Drakard 4 "Mad World" Safe
Audrienne Fenech 5 "Friend Like Me" Eliminated
Timea Farr 6 "Yellow" Bottom three
Ryan Hili 7 "Somewhere Only We Know" Safe
Cheryl Balzan 8 "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" Safe
Final showdown details
Act Order Song Result
Timea Farr 1 "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" Safe
Kevin Paul 2 "If You're Not the One" Eliminated
Judges' vote to eliminate
  • Debono: Timea Farr
  • Grech: Kevin Paul
  • Naudi: Kevin Paul
  • Losco: Kevin Paul

Week 4 (6 Feb)

  • Theme: Greatest hits
Contestants' performances on the fourth live show
Act Order Song
Ryan Hili 1 "Someone You Loved"
Ceci & Kriss 2 "Royals"
Lisa Gauci 3 "The Winner Takes It All"
Drakard 4 "Let Me Entertain You"
Timea Farr 5 "Easy on Me"
Cheryl Balzan 6 "We Are the Champions"
Sing-off showdown details
Act Order Song Result
Lisa Gauci 1 "If I Were a Boy" Safe
Cheryl Balzan 2 "Always" Safe
Ceci & Kriss 3 "Drivers License" Eliminated
Drakard 4 "Anyone" Safe
Timea Farr 5 "Say Something" Eliminated
Ryan Hili 6 "Human" Safe

Week 5: Final (12 Feb)

Contestants' performances on the fifth live show
Act Order First Song Order Second Song (guest duet) Order Third Song (best moment song) Result
Drakard 1 "Leave a Light On" 7 "Wicked Game" (with Michela Pace) 9 "Freedom! '90" 3rd Place
Cheryl Balzan 2 "Here Comes the Rain Again" 8 "Beat It" (with Owen Leuellen) N/A (Already eliminated) 4th Place
Lisa Gauci 3 "Purple Rain" 5 "Rumour Has It" (with Justine Shorfid) 10 "Run" Runner-up
Ryan Hili 4 "Falling" 6 "Stay With Me" (with Nicole Frendo) 11 "Somewhere Only We Know" Winner

Season 4

The fourth season premiered on 8 October 2023.

Six Chair Challenge

The 24 successful acts were:

  • Boys: Mattia Adduocchio, Francesco Bonello, Kodin Camilleri, Aiden Cohen, Christian Grasso, Isaac Tom
  • Girls: Marija Bellia, Mariah Fenech, Amelia Kalabic, Shanice Micallef, Kristy Spiteri, Eliza Stellini
  • Overs: Richard Aquilina, Shenise Ghirxi, Sean Kamati, Cora Elizabeth Lewis, Rose Marielle Mamaclay, Joe Romano
  • Groups: Freezap, Kelsie & Martina, Lapes & Nadine, Tonation, XO, Zoe & Kuba

Judges' Houses

The Judges' Houses episodes were broadcast on 24 and 31 December 2023.

Summary of Judges' Houses
Judge Category Contestants eliminated
Bondin Boys Francesco Bonello, Aiden Cohen, Christian Grasso
Bezzina Girls Marija Bellia, Mariah Fenech, Eliza Stellini
Debono Overs Shenise Ghirxi, Cora Elizabeth Lewis, Joe Romano
Losco Groups Freezap, Tonation, Zoe & Kuba

Finalists

Key:

  – Winner
  – Runner-Up
  – Third Place
Category (mentor) Acts
Boys (Bondin) Mattia Adduocchio Kodin Camilleri Isaac Tom
Girls (Bezzina) Amelia Kalabic Shanice Micallef Kristy Spiteri
Overs (Debono) Richard Aquilina Sean Kamati Rose Marielle Mamaclay
Groups (Losco) Kelsie & Martina Lapes & Nadine XO

Live shows

The live shows began on Sunday, 14 January 2024. They were filmed at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Attard, Malta.

Results summary

Colour key
  – Contestant in the bottom three and had to perform in the Sing-Off
  – Contestant was in the bottom three but received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated
  – Contestant received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated
Contestant Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
Round One Round Two
Richard Aquilina Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Winner
Shanice Micallef Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Runner-up
Lapes & Nadine Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Third Place
Amelia Kalabic Safe Bottom three Bottom three Safe 4th Eliminated
(week 5)
Rose Marielle Mamaclay Safe Safe Safe 5th Eliminated
(week 4)
Sean Kamati Bottom three Safe Safe 6th
XO Safe Safe Bottom three Eliminated
(week 3)
Isaac Tom Safe Safe 8th Eliminated
(week 3)
Kodin Camilleri Safe Bottom three Eliminated
(week 2)
Kelsie & Martina Safe 10th Eliminated
(week 2)
Kristy Spiteri Bottom three Eliminated
(week 1)
Mattia Adduocchio 12th Eliminated
(week 1)
Sing-Off Sean Kamati,
Kristy Spiteri
Kodin Camilleri,
Amelia Kalabic
XO,
Amelia Kalabic
No Sing Off or Judges Vote. The two acts with the fewest votes will leave the competition. No Sing Off or Judges Vote, the public votes decide who wins.
Debono's vote to eliminate Kristy Spiteri Kodin Camilleri XO
Losco's vote to eliminate Kristy Spiteri Kodin Camilleri Amelia Kalabic
Bondin's vote to eliminate Kristy Spiteri Amelia Kalabic XO
Bezzina's vote to eliminate Sean Kamati Kodin Camilleri XO
Eliminated Mattia Adduocchio
Public vote
Kristy Spiteri
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Kelsie & Martina
Public vote
Kodin Camilleri
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Isaac Tom
Public vote
XO
3 of 4 votes
Majority
Sean Kamati
Public vote
Rose Marielle Mamaclay
Public vote
Amelia Kalabic
Public vote
Richard Aquilina
Winner
Shanice Micallef
Runner-up
Lapes & Nadine
Third place

Live show details

Week 1 (14 Jan)

Contestants' performances on the first live show
Act Order Song Result
Shanice Micallef 1 "Jealous" Safe
Sean Kamati 2 "Lay Me Down" Bottom three
XO 3 "New Rules" Safe
Isaac Tom 4 "Arcade" Safe
Amelia Kalabic 5 "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)" Safe
Kelsie & Martina 6 "Alive" Safe
Richard Aquilina 7 "In the Stars" Safe
Kodin Camilleri 8 "Roadhouse Blues" Safe
Kristy Spiteri 9 "Déjà Vu" Bottom three
Rose Marielle Mamaclay 10 "Who You Are" Safe
Mattia Adduocchio 11 "Feeling Good" Eliminated
Lapes & Nadine 12 Original song Safe
Final showdown details
Act Order Song Result
Sean Kamati 1 "Purple Rain" Safe
Kristy Spiteri 2 "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" Eliminated
Judges' vote to eliminate
  • Debono: Kristy Spiteri
  • Bezzina: Sean Kamati
  • Losco: Kristy Spiteri
  • Bondin: Kristy Spiteri

Week 2 (21 Jan)

  • Theme: Number 1 Hits
Contestants' performances on the second live show
Act Order Song Result
Amelia Kalabic 1 "Nothing Compares 2 U" Bottom three
Rose Marielle Mamaclay 2 "What About Us" Safe
Isaac Tom 3 "Save Your Tears" Safe
Kelsie & Martina 4 "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Eliminated
Sean Kamati 5 "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" Safe
Kodin Camilleri 6 "Uptown Funk" Bottom three
Lapes & Nadine 7 "Love the Way You Lie" (Maltese) Safe
Shanice Micallef 8 "Bridge over Troubled Water" Safe
XO 9 "Jolene" Safe
Richard Aquilina 10 "Shivers" Safe
Final showdown details
Act Order Song Result
Kodin Camilleri 1 "California Dreamin'" Eliminated
Amelia Kalabic 2 "Killing Me Softly with His Song" Safe
Judges' vote to eliminate
  • Bondin: Amelia Kalabic
  • Bezzina: Kodin Camilleri
  • Losco: Kodin Camilleri
  • Debono: Kodin Camilleri

Week 3 (28 Jan)

  • Theme: Throwbacks
Contestants' performances on the third live show
Act Order Song Result
XO 1 "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" Bottom three
Amelia Kalabic 2 "Bohemian Rhapsody" Bottom three
Sean Kamati 3 "Don't Stop Believin'" Safe
Lapes & Nadine 4 "Read All About It" (Maltese) Safe
Rose Marielle Mamaclay 5 "I Have Nothing" Safe
Shanice Micallef 6 "Yesterday" Safe
Richard Aquillina 7 "Angels" Safe
Issac Tom 8 "It's a Sin" Eliminated
Final showdown details
Act Order Song Result
XO 1 "Drivers License" Eliminated
Amelia Kalabic 2 "I See Red" Safe
Judges' vote to eliminate
  • Losco: Amelia Kalabic
  • Bezzina: XO
  • Debono: XO
  • Bondin: XO

Week 4 (Semi-Finals) (4 Feb)

  • Theme: Movies
Contestants' performances on the fourth live show
Act Order Song Film Result
Rose Marielle Mamaclay 1 "Never Enough The Greatest Showman Safe
Amelia Kalabic 2 "No Time to Die" No Time to Die Safe
Richard Aquilina 3 "A Thousand Years" The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Safe
Sean Kamati 4 "Kiss from a Rose" Batman Forever Eliminated
Lapes & Nadine 5 "Now We Are Free" Gladiator Safe
Shanice Micallef 6 "What Was I Made For?" Barbie Safe
Final showdown details
Act Order Song Result
Lapes & Nadine 1 "Lose Yourself (Maltese)" Safe
Richard Aquilina 2 "Don't Give Up On Me" Safe
Shanice Micallef 3 "Vampire" Safe
Amelia Kalabic 4 "Cutting Ties (Original)" Safe
Rose Marielle Mamaclay 5 "Bang Bang" Eliminated

Week 5: Final (11 Feb)

Contestants' performances on the fifth live show
Act Order First Song Order Second Song (guest duet) Order Third Song (best moment song) Result
Amelia Kalabic 1 "Running in Circles (Original)" 5 "You Don't Own Me" (with Owen Leuellen) N/A (Already eliminated) 4th Place
Richard Aquilina 2 "Half a Man" 6 "Broken Strings" (with Lisa Gauci) 9 "In The Stars" Winner
Shanice Micallef 3 "As the World Caves In" 7 "Sabiħa" (with Gianluca Bezzina) 10 "Jealous" 3rd Place
Lapes & Nadine 4 "Ġo Gaġġa Kollha Lwien (Original Maltese)" 8 "Cannonball" (with Ira Losco) 11 "Now We Are Free" Runner Up


References

  1. ^ "X FACTOR PREMIERE: Here's Who Got Four Yeses And Who Was Sent Packing". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  2. ^ "X-Factor Malta to determine Eurovision entry; news welcomed, but questions raised". www.independent.com.mt. The Malta Independent. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  3. ^ "It's OFFICIAL: Malta's Got Talent to Replace X Factor and There's a 25k Prize to be Won". 6 July 2020.
  4. ^ "X Factor Malta Is Back! Season 3 Is Returning To Our Tv Screens". 16 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Ben Camille to host The X Factor Malta". TVM News. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  6. ^ "The X Factor Malta applications are now open – the winner to get a record contract with Sony". TVM. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  7. ^ "Malta: X Factor Auditions Begin as Nationwide Search Gets Underway". Euroviox. July 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Hundreds Of Singers Cross Their Fingers As X Factor Malta Auditions Kick Off". Lovin Malta. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  9. ^ "ESC 2019 – Malta: Stasera al via la 2ª fase di The X Factor Malta – Aggiornato". Leuropazzia. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  10. ^ "The X Factor Malta Chair Challenge". Guide Me Malta. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  11. ^ "X FACTOR MALTA LIVE SHOW". Shows Happening. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  12. ^ Farren, Neil (6 September 2019). "Malta: X Factor Malta Season 2 to Begin on October 6". Eurovoix. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  13. ^ Farren, Neil (11 October 2019). "Malta: X Factor Malta Winner to Go to Eurovision 2020". Eurovoix. Retrieved 11 October 2019.

External links