How to bet on X Factor - Part One

If you enjoy the X Factor show and are considering placing bets on it, this article is for you. We will in this article series look at how to bet on X Factor, part one will give a very basic overview of the show and we will soon follow up with part two which will cover factors that are useful to consider when betting. So keep on reading and place your bets to make the show even more entertaining!

X Factor betting - introduction

The X Factor is a hugely popular talent show, originating from UK where it in 2004 replaced the show Pop Idol. The eight season in UK was completed in late 2011, and the show now has more than 30 regional/country specific versions. The show is mainly a singing competition, but other elements such as appearance, personality, dance routines and general stage presence, are also important (hence the title, someone with that undefinable x factor).

The format of the competition may change from year to year, but what we are covering in this article is the UK eight season format. Minimum age requirement is 16 years, and lots of hopeful persons show up for  the initial auditions, all of them hoping to get their time in the spotlight and eventually becoming the next X Factor Winner. There are four different categories that the acts will be separated into:

• “Boys” (16-25 males)
• “Girls” (16-25 females)
• Over 25s
• Groups

X Factor betting - stages of competition

The acts go through five stages of the competition:

Stage 1: Initial auditions. These are not broadcast and will decide who gets to perform in front of the judges. When you watch the show it seems like they are all performing in front of the judges, but this is an illusion created via clever editing. It is members of the production team that are selecting who gets to proceed to stage 2, and the selected ones are the best performers plus anyone bad or bizarre enough to deliver entertaining television.

Stage 2: Judges’ auditions. These auditions are what you see televised during the first few weeks of the show. If the majority of the judges say ‘yes’ then the performer proceeds to next stage, otherwise they are sent home.

Stage 3: Bootcamp. In this stage the judges are working together, and via new performances by the acts, the judges select who gets to proceed to next stage. It is a total of 32 acts that will proceed, eight from each of the four categories.

Stage 4: Judges’ houses. This is the final stage of the selection process and starts with the judges finding out which category they are going to mentor, and then the acts are sent to different houses depending on which judge they get. Once they are in the judges’ houses they go through new performances, and with the aid from the judges their performances are being refined and groomed for success. The number of acts proceeding to the next stage is four per judge, so each judge has to select only four acts from the eight they have available.

Stage 5: Finals (live shows). The finals consists of a series of live televised shows, where the contestants perform in front of the judges and a studio audience. Once all the contestants have performed, the phone lines open and the viewers can vote on who they want to keep in the competition. The acts that receive the least amount of votes are in danger of being eliminated. In 2011 week 1 of the live shows there were four acts eliminated, week 2 one act was eliminated, and so it continues until week 10 when there are only three acts remaining (in week 5 two instead of one were eliminated).

X Factor betting - Final notes

The bookmakers are offering plenty of betting opportunities for the X Factor show, no wonder considering that in UK alone the 2011 season eight averaged 12 million viewers per show. You can bet on anything from the outright winner, which judge(mentor) the winning act belong to, to who gets eliminated in next show. In the next part of this article series we will cover the basic factors you need to keep in mind when placing your bets. And once the next season kicks off we will give you our X Factor bet tips, and also cover other entertainment betting opportunities, so make sure you check back soon!