X Factor | |
---|---|
Season 5 | |
Hosted by | Alessandro Cattelan (Sky Uno) |
Judges | Simona Ventura Morgan Elio Arisa |
Winner | Francesca Michielin |
Winning mentor | Simona Ventura |
Runner-up | I Moderni |
Release | |
Original network | Sky Italia |
Original release | 20 October 2011 5 January 2012 | –
Season chronology |
X Factor is an Italian television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner receives a €300,000 recording contract with Sony Music.[1] The fifth season started on Sky Uno on 20 October 2011[1] and ended on 5 January 2012. It was the first season to be broadcast on a digital satellite television platform, after four seasons televised on state owned channel Rai 2. For the first time, the final was also broadcast in 3D.[2]
The show was presented by Alessandro Cattelan,[3] with spin-off Xtra Factor hosted by Max Novaresi and Brenda Lodigiani.[4] Elio was the only judge from the previous season to return. Mara Maionchi, Anna Tatangelo and Enrico Ruggeri was replaced by new judge Arisa and original judges Simona Ventura and Morgan. The winner was Francesca Michielin, mentored by Ventura,[5] and her debut single "Distratto" was released as a digital EP the day after the final, together with the ones by the remaining Top 6 contestants.[6]
The competition was split into several stages: auditions, bootcamp, judges' houses and live shows. The first auditions took place in Milan on 5 July 2011.[7] On 12 September 2011, contestants performed for the first time in front of an audience, at the Teatro della Luna in Milan.[8] After the auditions, 113 acts were admitted to the bootcamp, and only 24 of them make it to the judge's house.[9] Following bootcamp, successful contestants were split into four categories: Boys (male soloists aged 16 to 24), Girls (female soloists aged 16 to 24), Over 24s (soloists aged 25 and over) and Vocal Groups. Each judge mentored six acts through judges' houses, and eliminated three of them before the first live show. The live shows started on 17 November 2011. The final took place on 5 January 2012 and it was watched by 1,048,358 people, making it the highest rated show to be broadcast by Sky Uno.[10]