List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 13)

Boys

The 'Boys' category is mentored by Nicole Scherzinger. Contestants in this category are male soloists aged between 17 and 25. The seven candidates at judges' houses were: Christian Burrows, James Hughes, Ryan Lawrie, Freddy Parker, Niall Sexton, Nate Simpson, and Matt Terry. Scherzinger chose:

Ryan Lawrie

Ryan Lawrie (born 28 May 1996), aged 20, is a singer-songwriter from Coatbridge in Scotland. Lawrie started his musical career posting covers on YouTube before being signed to Tutrax Records, releasing his first single 'You're Free' in 2013, and reaching #39 in the UK iTunes Top Charts. Lawrie briefly joined UK boy band Exposure, completing two UK tours with the band before leaving to pursue a solo career in 2015. In 2016, prior to auditioning for The X Factor, Lawrie won the Vodafone Future Breaker competition and earned the right to perform as the opening act at Capital's Summertime Ball, where he performed his cover of "Stitches" by Shawn Mendes.

Lawrie auditioned in front of judges Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh (fourth judge Sharon Osbourne was absent), where he performed "Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart)" by The Vamps featuring Shawn Mendes, and received three yes' to progress to the boot camp stage. The audition was aired on ITV on Saturday 27 August 2016, during episode 1. During boot camp, Lawrie was put into a group to sing "Little Things" alongside Melissa Pedro and Freddy Parker, and whilst they all progressed through the first round, Lawrie would not progress through to the third round.

Lawrie was later put together as part of a boy band alongside Ed Goacher, Jamie Miller, Josh Marshfield and Talis Eros, and the unnamed boy band took part in the six chair challenge stage of The X Factor. They performed "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" by Elton John, and they did not progress as Cowell felt that he and the other judges had made a mistake by not sending Lawrie through as a solo artist. He was announced as the wildcard act for the boys category chosen by Simon Cowell, and he progressed to the judges' houses. Lawrie performed "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates for Scherzinger and guest judge Calvin Harris during judges' houses, and he made it to the final along with two other boys taking part in the live shows. On Week 2, 3 and 4, he would end up in bottom two but saved by a lifeline vote. On week 6, he had to face the sing-off against Sam Lavery. After his performance, his mentor Nicole Scherzinger and Sharon Osbourne opted to save him, while Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh chose to send him home causing a deadlock. The decision was reverted to the public vote and Lawrie stayed in the competition. The following week, he would end up in the bottom two again, this time against Honey G. After the sing-off, only his mentor Nicole Scherzinger opted to save him and he was eliminated finishing in sixth place. However it was revealed that Lawrie received more votes than Honey G. So had it gone to deadlock, Lawrie would've been sent through to the quarter-final and Honey G would've been eliminated.

Since March 2016, he is dating fellow finalist Emily Middlemas.

Freddy Parker

Freddy Parker (born 3 March 1998), aged 18, is a kennel worker from Ashford, Kent.

In his first audition, Parker performed a cover of Amy Winehouse's "Love Is a Losing Game" which earned him four yes' from the judges. On week 1 of the Live Shows, he ended up in the bottom three of the public votes after performing The Fugees' "Killing Me Softly with His Song", but he was saved via the life line vote on The X Factor App. In week 2, Parker ended up in the bottom three once again after performing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and he was sent to the sing-off against Saara Aalto. The judges brought the decision to deadlock, and Parker was sent home based on the public vote.

Matt Terry

Matt Terry (born 20 May 1993), aged 23, is a waiter from Bromley. At his first audition, he sang a cover of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me", which earned him four yes'. Following the eliminations of Freddie Parker in week two and Ryan Lawrie in week seven, Terry became Scherzinger's last remaining act in the competition. He ended up in the bottom two on week 9 for the first time. He faced the sing-off against Emily Middlemas and remained in the competition after only Simon Cowell chose to send him home. Terry was crowned the winner of The X Factor 2016 on 11th December 2016, beating Saara Aalto to the title.

Girls

The 'Girls' category is mentored by Simon Cowell. Contestants in this category are female soloists aged between 16 and 25. The seven candidates at judges' houses were: Soheila Clifford, Olivia Garcia, Samantha Lavery, Gifty Louise, Emily Middlemas, Kayleigh Marie Morgan, and Caitlyn Vanbeck. Cowell chose:

Sam Lavery

Samantha Lavery (born 3 September 1999), aged 17, is a college student from Durham. In her first audition, she sang a cover of Ellie Goulding's 'Explosions' which earned her four yes'. At the Six-Chair Challenge, she covered "Mamma Knows Best" by Jessie J and was given chair number 5, though Simon Cowell criticized her for being "over-styled" and "not knowing who she was"; she was later swapped with Gifty Louise and therefore was eliminated. Lavery was brought back by Louis Walsh as Cowell's wildcard heading to Judges' Houses. At Judges' Houses, Cowell told her to "peel the mask" which prompted her to leave and later comeback without makeup; she then sang "Make It Rain" by Ed Sheeran, which won her a place on the Live Shows. In week 5, Lavery was in the bottom three with Saara Aalto and Four of Diamonds, but was saved by the lifeline vote. However voting statistics confirmed that Aalto and Four of Diamonds meaning if there wasn't a lifeline vote and if the vote went to deadlock in that case, Aalto and Four of Diamonds would've both been saved and Lavery would've been eliminated. In week 6 she was in the bottom two against Ryan Lawrie. Her mentor Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh wanted to save her, but Nicole Scherzinger and Sharon Osbourne voted to eliminate her meaning that the vote went to deadlock and Lavery was eliminated finishing in seventh place.

Gifty Louise

Gifty Louise Agyeman (born 11 February 1996), aged 20, is an events manager originally from Ghana but lives in London.

She initially auditioned for The X Factor in 2015, where she reached Bootcamp but failed to make it to the Six-Chair Challenge after losing her voice. Louise performed Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" at Bootcamp 2015. She came back this year and sang "No More Drama" by Mary J. Blige in her first audition, which earned her four yeses. On Week 4, after performing I'm in Love with a Monster by Fifth Harmony, she ended up in the bottom two against Four of Diamonds and was voted off of the show by judges Louis, Sharon, and Nicole who chose to save Four of Diamonds. However it was revealed that Louise received more votes than Four of Diamonds. So had it gone to deadlock, Louise would've been saved.

Emily Middlemas

Emily Middlemas (born 26 September 1998), aged 18, is a student from Glasgow. Middlemas originally auditioned for The X Factor in 2014, at the age of 15, where she reached Judges' Houses. However, she was eliminated by mentor Cheryl after her performance of One Direction's "Story of My Life.

She came back this year, and performed "Master Blaster (Jammin')" by Stevie Wonder which earned her 3 yeses from the attending judges. She is in a relationship with former finalist Ryan Lawrie, who was eliminated in week seven. Following the eliminations of Gifty Louise in week four and Sam Lavery in week six, Middlemas became Cowell's last remaining act in the competition. She landed for the first time in the bottom 2 on week 9, against Matt Terry, and she got eliminated coming in fourth place.

Over 25s

The "Over 25s" category is mentored by Sharon Osbourne. Contestants in the category are male and female soloists over the age of 25. The seven candidates at judges' houses were: Saara Aalto, Samantha Atkinson, Relley C, Honey G, Janet Grogan, Christopher Peyton, James Wilson. Osbourne chose:

Saara Aalto

Saara Aalto (born 2 May 1987), aged 29, is a singer-songwriter and voice actress from Finland. She was the runner-up of The Voice of Finland's first season, and the runner-up of Finland's National Selection for Eurovision in 2011 and 2016. Aalto also voiced Princess Anna in the Finnish version of the movie Frozen.

In her first audition, Aalto performed a cover of Sia's "Chandelier" which earned her three yeses from the attending judges. At the six-chair challenge, she performed "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran and was sent home by mentor Sharon Osbourne stating a lack of connection; however, after the crowd chanted to bring her back, Aalto was given another chance, she subsequently performed Serge Lama's Je Suis Malade, which caused the crowd to turn on her, while Nicole Scherzinger criticized her song choice stating "we ain't in France", she was therefore asked to leave by Osbourne.

Aalto was brought back as Scherzinger's wildcard pick for the Overs category and therefore went to judges' houses in Osbourne's house in Los Angeles. She was picked as part of Osbourne's final 3 in the Over 25's category after performing ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All". In the first week of live shows, she ended up in the bottom three after performing "Let It Go" from Frozen. She had to compete in the sing-off against Bratavio, performing "Alive" by Sia; she was saved with only Louis Walsh voting to eliminate her, though praising her performance. The following week, she once again ended up in the bottom three, with Freddy Parker and Ryan Lawrie. She had to face the sing-off against Parker, performing Run by Snow Patrol. The judges brought the decision to deadlock after Osbourne and Walsh chose to save her and Scherzinger and Cowell chose to save Parker, and Aalto was saved by the public vote. Three weeks later, she found herself on the bottom three for the third time, when she had to sing against Four of Diamonds; her mentor Sharon Osbourne, as well as Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell chose to save her. Following the eliminations of Relley C on week 3 and Honey G on week 8, Saara Aalto became Osbourne's last remaining act in the competition. On 11 December Saara became runner-up of The X Factor 2016.

Relley C

Relley C (real name, Sherelle Clarke) (born 6 October 1989), aged 27, is a housekeeper from Birmingham. Relley originally auditioned for The X Factor in 2013 when aged 23, where she reached Judges' Houses. However, she was eliminated by her mentor Nicole Scherzinger after her performance of Many Rivers to Cross by Jimmy Cliff.

This year, Relley auditioned with a cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and which earned her a place at bootcamp; however, Relley's first audition was never aired on television, and her first on-screen appearance was at bootcamp were she performed "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus alongside duo Bradley & Ottavio, and Jack Booth and was sent through as part of the Over 25s category with Sharon Osbourne as her mentor. During the six-chair-challenge, she sang "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong and was chosen as part of Osbourne's top 6, allowing her to reach judges' houses for the second time. Osbourne picked her as one of her 3 finalists after her rendition of "Up to the Mountain" by Kelly Clarkson. On week 3 she had to face the sing-off against Four of Diamonds and only her mentor Sharon Osbourne opted to save her, causing her elimination. She finished in tenth place. However Relley C received more votes than Four of Diamonds meaning if the vote had gone to deadlock, Relley C would've been saved.

Honey G

Honey G born 12 March 1981) is a rapper from Harrow, North West London (called "North Weezy" by her character).

In her first audition, she sang "Work It" by Missy Elliott, which earned her three yes votes, with Simon Cowell saying no. At the six-chair challenge, she sang "WTF (Where They From)" by Missy Elliott and Pharrell Williams, and was eliminated by mentor Sharon Osbourne; however, Osbourne brought her back as a replacement for Ivy-Grace Parades, who was unable to travel to Los Angeles due to visa issues. Osbourne later picked her as one of her three finalists after her performance of Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise". She ended up in the bottom two for the first time against Ryan Lawrie on week 7. Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and her mentor Sharon Osbourne chose to save her and Lawrie was eliminated. However it was revealed that Lawrie received more votes than Honey G. So had it gone to deadlock, Lawrie would've been sent through to the quarter-final and Honey G would've been eliminated. She was in the bottom two again in the quarter-final, this time against 5 After Midnight. After the sing-off, only her mentor Osbourne chose to save her, causing her elimination. She finished in fifth place.

During her time in the competition, Honey G faced criticism for being a novelty act, with even judge Nicole Scherzinger branding her as such. Each one of her progressions in the competition was met with constant negative response from social media; a petition that was created by a cousin of fellow contestant Samantha Atkinson to remove her from the show and replace her with Atkinson garnered thousands of signatures.

After the first live show, an internet movement of mothers and grandmothers dressing up as Honey G emerged, with the pictures and videos shared via the hashtag #MummyG.

She performed at the X Factor Final at Wembley Arena as a guest performer where she officially announced that she had signed a record deal with Cowell's record label, Syco Music and would be releasing her debut single, "The Honey G Show", on 23 December. This was met with controversy, as she had landed a record deal with Syco before a winner of the series had even been crowned. The single received little promotion and reached number 149 on its first week of release.

Groups

The "Groups" category is mentored by Louis Walsh. Contestants in this category are either duos or vocal harmony groups, all aged 16 and over. The seven candidates at judges' houses were: 4 of Diamonds, 5 After Midnight, Bratavio, Brooks Way, Skarl3t, Tom and Laura, and YESLAD. Walsh chose:

5 After Midnight

5 After Midnight (formerly 5AM) are a three-piece boy band consisting of Kieran Alleyne (born 11 April 1995, aged 21), Jordan Lee (born 8 October 1995, aged 21) and Nathan Lewis (born 4 September 1993, aged 23). The trio formed five weeks prior their first audition, in which they covered Drake's "One Dance", earning them four yeses.

Member Kieran Alleyne was criticised for being a professional singer, as he already released a single, starred in two West End plays, appeared for three years in CBBC's Dani's Castle as a main character, and is signed by Artistry Entertainment, which is label headed by a member of Beyoncé's team. Following the withdrawal of Brooks Way in week one, the eliminations of Bratavio in week one and Four of Diamonds on week five, 5 After Midnight became Walsh's last remaining group in the competition. They landed in the bottom two on week 8 with Honey G. After the sing-off, their mentor Louis Walsh, as well as Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell opted to save them. They made it all the way to the Grand Finale were they placed 3rd.

On 18 January 2017, it was announced that the band had been signed to Syco Music, Cowell's record label.

Bratavio

Bratavio (formerly Bradley & Ottavio) are a duo consisting of Bradley Hunt (born 26 July 1993, aged 23) from Leamington Spa and Ottavio Columbro (born 13 October 1991, aged 25) from Southampton. Ottavio Columbro previously auditioned for The X Factor in 2012, where he reached Boot camp but failed to make it to Judges' Houses. Bradley and Ottavio originally planned to audition as a duo, but briefly split up after an argument caused by Bradley allegedly giving raw chicken to Ottavio. Therefore, they auditioned separately as soloists but were rejected by the judges who advised them to rekindle their relationship; they later came back as a duo and sang "Buttons" by The Pussycat Dolls, which earned them three yeses, with Simon Cowell saying no.

Their progression through the competition was met with a negative response from social media as they were branded as a 'novelty act', especially when they were qualified by mentor Louis Walsh as part of his top three finalists, as many thought they were less talented than the other competitors.

In week 1 of live shows, Bratavio ended up in the bottom three of the public votes, after their performance of a mash-up of "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!" by Vengaboys and "Barbie Girl" by Aqua, and had to perform in the sing-off against Saara Aalto. They performed "The Only Way Is Up" by Yazz, and were eliminated with only their mentor Louis Walsh voting to eliminate Aalto. After their exit, they complained about Walsh's apparent lack of faith in them, as Walsh reportedly told them they would be in the sing-off minutes before the reveal of the results. Despite expressing hope on The Xtra Factor that they would meet again with Walsh, they later said that they won't be keeping in touch with Walsh in the meantime and expressed their desire to enter the next series of Celebrity Big Brother.

Brooks Way

Brooks Way (formerly The Brooks), is a duo composed of twin brothers Joshua Brooks and Kyle Brooks (born 28 May 1999, aged 17), both from Cardiff. The brothers originally entered the competition in 2014, at the age of 15. They reached Judges' Houses, but were eliminated by mentor Louis Walsh after their performance of "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri.

In 2016, they came back and performed a cover of Naughty Boy's "Runnin' (Lose It All)" in their first audition, which earned them 4 yeses. They progressed to Judges' Houses, and this time, Walsh picked them in his top three finalists after their performance of "Just a Dream" by Nelly.

On 10 October 2016, it was confirmed that Brooks Way would not be taking part in the show after being absent from the first live show. In a statement released by the official website to confirm their exit, Josh Brooks said, "Due to events in my personal life I've decided that it's best not to be on the show at this time. While not everything that has been claimed is true I would like to apologise to everyone involved." A spokesperson for the show added, "Following the allegations relating to Josh Brooks, we have decided by mutual consent that Brooks Way should leave the competition."

They were replaced by girl group, Four of Diamonds.

Four of Diamonds

Four of Diamonds are a four-piece girl group, made up of Caroline Alvares (born 7 December 1996, 20), Lauren Rammell (born 13 February 1995, 21), Yasmin Lauryn (born 13 May 1999, 17) and Sophia Saffarian (born 16 December 1996, 19), who auditioned for The X Factor in the third set of room auditions, they then progressed to bootcamp and six-chair challenge, gaining a seat and making it through to Louis Walsh's judges houses in Ibiza, there they sang in front of Walsh, Alesha Dixon and former runner-up Fleur East, but were eventually sent home by Walsh. However, on 10 October 2016, it was announced that Brooks Way were withdrawing from the competition, due to personal complications behind the scenes, and it was announced later that day that Four of Diamonds will take their place for the remainder of the live shows, starting in week 2. The week after, Four of Diamonds ended up in bottom two against Relley C where they sang Who Are You by Fifth Harmony. Four of Diamonds were saved by their mentor Louis, Nicole and Simon who chose to send Relley home. On week 4, they were in the bottom two again against Gifty Louise when they sang The Voice Within by Christina Aguilera. Louis, Nicole, and Sharon voted to save the girls and sent Gifty home. They were eliminated on week 5, after a sing-off against Saara Aalto, when only their mentor Louis Walsh opted to save them.