X Factor is a Romanian television music competition that aims to find a new music talent to become a star. The first season began airing on September 17, 2011, on Antena 1 and ended on January 1, 2012. The winner received a price of €200,000. Based on the UK format, the competition consists of auditions in front of specialized judges that afterwards become mentors. Auditions for the show began in May, 2011 and concluded in June, 2011. The show is hosted by TV presenters Răzvan Simion and Dani Oțil, while the judging panel consists of recording artist and producer Adrian Sînă of the group Akcent, singer-songwriter Paula Seling and Radio DJ Mihai Morar.
| X Factor | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
| Hosted by | Răzvan Simion Dani Oțil |
| Judges | Adrian Sînă Paula Seling Mihai Morar |
| Winner | Andrei Leonte |
| Winning mentor | Mihai Morar |
| Runner-up | Alin Văduva |
| Release | |
| Original network | Antena 1 |
| Original release | September 17, 2011 – January 1, 2012 |
| Season chronology | |
Selection process
editAuditions
editAuditions for producers began in Cluj-Napoca, România, on May 14, 2011. They then took place in Constanța, on May 21 in Timișoara on May 24, 2011, on June 4 in Iași and concluded on June 11, 2011 in Bucharest.
Bootcamp
editAfter the bootcamp period, there were twenty-four acts left. 16-24s: Sanziana Nicolae, Andrei Leonte, Cristina Dobrescu, Bogdan Medvedi, Bianca Purcarea, Tania Kramar, Irina Florea, Nae Ovidiu Nicolae
Judges houses
editDuring Judges houses period, they were sectioned into three different categories. Paula Seling, helped by Alexander Rybak, Adrian Sînă, helped by Alexandra Ungureanu and Mihai Morar, helped by Laurențiu Duță
Contestants
editThe 12 contestants were confirmed as follows;
Key:
- – Winner
- – Runner up
- – Third Place
| Category (mentor) | Acts | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-24s (Morar) | Antonia Filip | Irina Florea | Andrei Leonte | Ovidiu Nae | ||||||||||||||||
| Over-25s (Sînă) | Diana Hetea | Cristian Parmac | Alin Văduva | Iulian Vasile | ||||||||||||||||
| Groups (Seling) | Duo Voice | Refresh | T&L | X-Treme | ||||||||||||||||
Live shows
editResults summary
edit- Color key
| – | Winner |
| – | Contestant was in the bottom two/three and had to sing again in the final showdown |
| – | Contestant was in the bottom three but received the fewest votes and was immediately eliminated |
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Round 2 | ||||||||||
| Andrei Leonte | 4th 7.35% |
3rd 9.21% |
6th 8.83% |
2nd 17.00% |
2nd 18.35% |
2nd 19.56% |
3rd 16.07% |
2nd 24.34% |
1st 35.03% |
1st | Winner 51.0% |
| Alin Văduva | 2nd 19.48% |
1st 26.77% |
3rd 12.21% |
1st 19.81% |
1st 27.39% |
1st 31.30% |
1st 31.79% |
1st 24.53% |
2nd 31.04% |
2nd | Runner-up 32.5% |
| Iulian Vasile | 8th 4.77% |
7th 7.15% |
5th 10.25% |
7th 7.38% |
6th 10.15% |
5th 9.91% |
4th 14.97% |
3rd 19.58% |
4th 12.79% |
3rd 16.5% |
Eliminated (Week 10) |
| T&L | 6th 7.20% |
10th 2.95% |
1st 20.73% |
3rd 15.24% |
5th 10.39% |
6th 7.53% |
2nd 18.94% |
5th 15.23% |
3rd 21.14% |
Eliminated (Week 9) | |
| Diana Hetea | 1st 21.19% |
2nd 16.24% |
2nd 15.13% |
5th 10.25% |
4th 13.26% |
3rd 13.91% |
5th 11.75% |
4th 16.32% |
Eliminated (Week 8) | ||
| Irina Florea | 5th 7.21% |
8th 5.01% |
7th 7.53% |
6th 8.82% |
7th 9.90% |
4th 13.31% |
6th 6.48% |
Eliminated (Week 7) | |||
| Duo Voice | 7th 5.03% |
9th 4.17% |
4th 10.81% |
4th 10.83% |
3rd 13.77% |
7th 4.48% |
Eliminated (Week 6) | ||||
| Antonia Filip | 10th 3.47% |
6th 8.23% |
8th 6.22% |
8th 6.86% |
8th 6.94% |
Eliminated (Week 5) | |||||
| Refresh | 3rd 18.99% |
4th 8.99% |
10th 3.67% |
9th 3.81% |
Eliminated (Week 4) | ||||||
| Ovidiu Nae | 12th 1.51% |
5th 8.98% |
9th 5.94% |
Eliminated (Week 3) | |||||||
| X-Treme | 9th 3.63% |
11th 2.30% |
Eliminated (Week 2) | ||||||||
| Cristian Parmac | 11th 2.17% |
Eliminated (Week 1) | |||||||||
| Final showdown | Ovidiu Nae Cristian Parmac |
X-Treme T&L |
Ovidiu Nae Refresh |
Antonia Filip Refresh |
Antonia Filip Irina Florea |
Duo Voice T&L |
Irina Florea Diana Hetea |
T&L Diana Hetea |
T&L Iulian Vasile |
No judges' vote or final showdown: public votes alone decide who is eliminated and who ultimately wins | |
| Morar's vote to eliminate | Cristian Parmac | T&L | Refresh | Refresh | Antonia Filip | Duo Voice | Diana Hetea | Diana Hetea | T&L | ||
| Seling's vote to eliminate | Cristian Parmac | X-Treme | Ovidiu Nae | Antonia Filip | Irina Florea | has not voted | Irina Florea | Diana Hetea | Iulian Vasile | ||
| Sînă's vote to eliminate | Ovidiu Nae | X-Treme | Ovidiu Nae | Refresh | Antonia Filip | Duo Voice | Irina Florea | T&L | T&L | ||
| Eliminated | Cristian Parmac 2 of 3 Votes To Eliminate |
X-Treme 2 of 3 Votes To Eliminate |
Ovidiu Nae 2 of 3 Votes To Eliminate |
Refresh 2 of 3 Votes To Eliminate |
Antonia Filip 2 of 3 Votes To Eliminate |
Duo Voice 2 of 3 Votes To Eliminate |
Irina Florea 2 of 3 Votes To Eliminate |
Diana Hetea 2 of 3 Votes To Eliminate |
T&L 2 of 3 Votes To Eliminate |
Iulian Vasile 16.5% to win |
Alin Văduva 32.5% to win |
| Andrei Leonte 51.0% to win | |||||||||||
Live show details
editWeek 1 (October 29/30)
edit- Theme(s): Number-one singles
- Group Performance: Oficial îmi merge bine
- Musical guest: Oceana — "Cry, Cry"
| Act | Song | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ovidiu Nae | "Down on Me" | Bottom two | |
| Irina Florea | "A Night like This" | Safe | |
| Antonia Filip | "Man Down" | Safe | |
| Andrei Leonte | "Dream Girl" | Safe | |
| Alin Văduva | "Eternity/The Road to Mandalay" | Safe | |
| Iulian Vasile | "How Deep Is Your Love" | Safe | |
| Diana Hetea | "Lângă Mine" | Safe | |
| X-Treme | "Free Your Mind" | Safe | |
| Cristian Parmac | "Don't Stop Me Now" | Bottom two | |
| Refresh | "Atât de singur" | Safe | |
| Duo Voice | "No me ames" | Safe | |
| T&L | "911" | Safe | |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Ovidiu Nae | "Grenade" | Safe | |
| Cristian Parmac | "Your Song" | Eliminated | |
Week 2 (November 5/6)
edit- Theme(s): Romanian songs
- Group Performance: Billionaire
- Musical guest: Voltaj — "20" & "Dă vina pe Voltaj"
| Act | Song | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ovidiu Nae | "Dacă dragostea dispare" | Safe | |
| Irina Florea | "Mai frumoasă" | Safe | |
| Antonia Filip | "Tot mai sus" | Safe | |
| Andrei Leonte | "Vara trecută" | Safe | |
| Alin Văduva | "Dincolo de nori" | Safe | |
| Iulian Vasile | "Say Something" | Safe | |
| Diana Hetea | "Mi-ai frânt inima" | Safe | |
| X-Treme | "Banii vorbesc" | Bottom two | |
| Refresh | "Azi vii, mâine pleci" | Safe | |
| Duo Voice | "Dragostea rămâne" | Safe | |
| T&L | "Marionette" | Bottom two | |
| Final showdown details | |||
| T&L | "Empire State of Mind" | Safe | |
| X-Treme | "Hush Hush" | Eliminated | |
Week 3 (November 12/13)
edit- Theme(s): Songs from movies
- Group Performance: You're the One That I Want
- Musical guest: Touch & Go — "Would You...?"
| Act | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Ovidiu Nae | "Shape of My Heart" | Bottom two |
| Irina Florea | "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" | Safe |
| Antonia Filip | "Get the Party Started" | Safe |
| Andrei Leonte | "Iris" | Safe |
| Alin Văduva | "You Can Leave Your Hat On" | Safe |
| Iulian Vasile | "I Have Nothing" | Safe |
| Diana Hetea | "Take My Breath Away" | Safe |
| Refresh | "All for Love" | Bottom two |
| Duo Voice | "Over the Rainbow" | Safe |
| T&L | "Bring Me to Life" | Safe |
| Final showdown details | ||
| Refresh | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Safe |
| Ovidiu Nae | "Give It to Me Right" | Eliminated |
Week 4 (November 19/20)
edit- Theme(s): Love songs
- Group Performance: Don't Stop Believin'
- Musical guest: Holograf — "Să nu-mi iei niciodată dragostea"
| Act | Song | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irina Florea | "Marcas de ayer" | Safe | |
| Antonia Filip | "Hot n Cold" | Bottom two | |
| Andrei Leonte | "Only Girl (In the World)" | Safe | |
| Alin Văduva | "Fairytale Gone Bad" | Safe | |
| Iulian Vasile | "Sex Bomb" | Safe | |
| Diana Hetea | "I Will Love Again" | Safe | |
| Refresh | "Always" | Bottom two | |
| Duo Voice | "You Raise Me Up" | Safe | |
| T&L | "Ploaie în Luna lui Marte" / "Umbrella" | Safe | |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Antonia Filip | "Rehab" | Safe | |
| Refresh | "Right Here Waiting" | Eliminated | |
Week 5 (November 26/27)
edit| Act | Song | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irina Florea | "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" | Bottom two | |
| Antonia Filip | "Bad Romance" | Bottom two | |
| Andrei Leonte | "It's My Life" | Safe | |
| Alin Văduva | "Ordinary People" | Safe | |
| Iulian Vasile | "De-ai fi tu salcie la mal" | Safe | |
| Diana Hetea | "Without You" | Safe | |
| Duo Voice | "I Will Always Love You" | Safe | |
| T&L | "Who Wants to Live Forever" | Safe | |
| Final showdown details | |||
| Irina Florea | "I Love Rock & Roll" | Safe | |
| Antonia Filip | "I Follow Rivers" | Eliminated | |
Week 6 (December 3/4)
edit- Theme: Live Band
- Group Performance: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
- Musical guest: Direcția 5 — "Îți mulțumesc" & "Ai un loc"
| Act | Song | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irina Florea | "Sweet Child o' Mine" | Safe | |
| Andrei Leonte | "Moves Like Jagger" | Safe | |
| Alin Văduva | "Sex on Fire" | Safe | |
| Iulian Vasile | "Always on the Run" | Safe | |
| Diana Hetea | "Mercy" | Safe | |
| Duo Voice | "Heal the World" | Bottom two | |
| T&L | "One"/"Where Is the Love?" | Bottom two | |
| Final showdown details | |||
| T&L | "Back to Black" | Safe | |
| Duo Voice | "Hallelujah" | Eliminated | |
Week 7 (December 10/11)
edit- Theme: Audience' choice and Mentors' choice
- Group performance: I Gotta Feeling
- Musical guest: Alexander Rybak — "Europe Skies" and "Fairytale"
| Act | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrei Leonte | 1 | "Supergirl" | 7 | "I'm Yours" | Safe | |
| Diana Hetea | 2 | "Alejandro" | 8 | "We Found Love" | Bottom two | |
| Irina Florea | 3 | "Privirea ta" | 9 | "Underneath Your Clothes" | Bottom two | |
| T&L | 4 | "Love the Way You Lie (Parts I & II)" | 12 | "When Love Takes Over / Give Me Everything" | Safe | |
| Alin Văduva | 5 | "Angels" | 10 | "Crazy" | Safe | |
| Iulian Vasile | 6 | "Simply the Best" | 11 | "When a Man Loves a Woman" | Safe | |
| Final showdown details | ||||||
| Irina Florea | 1 | "If I Ain't Got You" | Eliminated | |||
| Diana Hetea | 2 | Video Footage* | Safe | |||
- As a worldwide X Factor premiere, Diana Hetea wasn't able to perform a "Save Me Song" because she suffered of Laryngitis that night. So as a convention, the producers decided to put on a footage with all of her performances during the X Factor galas.
Week 8: (December 17/18)
edit- Theme(s): Musical Heroes / Mentor's Choice
- Group Performance: Another Brick in the Wall
- Musical guest: In-Grid - "Tu es foutu" & "Vive Le Swing"
| Act | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrei Leonte | 1 | "18 ani" | 10 | "Home" | Safe | |
| Iulian Vasile | 2 | "Aïcha" | 9 | "Crazy" | Safe | |
| Diana Hetea | 3 | "Un actor grăbit" | 6 | "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" | Bottom two | |
| Alin Văduva | 4 | "Red" | 7 | "Cerul" | Safe | |
| T&L | 5 | "Vino înapoi" | 8 | "Numb" | Bottom two | |
| Final showdown details | ||||||
| Diana Hetea | 1 | "Russian Roulette" | Eliminated | |||
| T&L | 2 | "Nobody's Perfect" | Safe | |||
Week 9: (December 24/25)
edit- Theme(s): Christmas Songs, Mentors' choice
- Group Performance:
- 24 December : Contestants from auditions — "Deschide ușa, creștine"
- 25 December : X Factor Finalists — "La casa di peste drum"
- Musical guest: Paula Seling — "Colindăm (Iarna)", "Timpul" & "Noapte caldă"
| Act | Order | First song | Order | Second song | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iulian Vasile | 1 | "Feliz Navidad" | 6 | "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" | Bottom two | |
| Alin Văduva | 2 | "Human" | 5 | "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" | Safe | |
| Andrei Leonte | 3 | "Last Christmas" | 8 | "Use Somebody" | Safe | |
| T&L | 4 | "I'll Be Missing You" | 7 | "Iarna (Milioane)" | Bottom two | |
| Final showdown details | ||||||
| T&L | 1 | "Firework"/"Fly" | Eliminated | |||
| Iulian Vasile | 2 | "Kiss" | Safe | |||
Week 10: (January 1)
edit- Theme(s): Audition Songs, Celebrity Duets, Winner's Single
- Group Performance: We Will Rock You
- Musical guests: Vama ("Copilul care aleargă către mare"), Mandinga ("Danza Kuduro", "Zaleilah"), ROA ("Ne place", "Sonată în la minor"), Vunk ("Artificii pe tavan"), Laurențiu Duță feat. X Factor Finalists ("Amintirile")
| Act | Order | First song | Order | Second song (Duet) | Order | Third song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alin Văduva | 1 | "Feeling Good" | 6 | "Pleacă" (with Vunk) | 7 | "Ain't No Sunshine" | Runner-Up |
| Iulian Vasile | 2 | "I Got You (I Feel Good)" | 5 | "Soarele meu" (with Mandinga) | 9 | "Hit the Road Jack" | Third Place |
| Andrei Leonte | 3 | "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" | 4 | "Vama Veche" (with Vama) | 8 | "Someone Like You" | Winner |
Ratings
edit| # | Date | Viewers (thousands) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition 1 | 17 September 2011 | 652.000 | 5,6 | |
| Audition 2 | 18 September 2011 | 559.000 | 4,8 | |
| Audition 3 | 24 September 2011 | 801.000 | 6,9 | |
| Audition 4 | 1 October 2011 | 849.000 | 7,3 | |
| Audition 5 | 8 October 2011 | 888.000 | 7,6 | |
| Bootcamp | 15 October 2011 | 652.000 | 5,6 | |