X Factor 2015: Everything you need to know about the auditions, boot camp, judges’ houses and more

The new series will bring plenty of twists and turns to the usual format
All new: Fresh judges, exciting twists, and new hosts for The X Factor this year
Thames/Syco production for ITV
Ben Travis25 August 2015

As summer draws to a close, it’s time to ditch all those outdoorsy evening plans too. You know the drill: grab your pyjamas, get that takeaway ordered, and perch on the sofa, because The X Factor is about to return.

For a show that never changes, Simon Cowell’s nation-wide pop star search has a lot of new things going on this year. For one, the judging panel has been switched up – Louis Walsh is out, and Nick Grimshaw and Rita Ora are in, alongside Cowell himself and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini.

There’s another big departure too: Dermot O’Leary is off presenting duties, with Caroline Flack and Olly Murs taking over instead.

That’s not it, though. The format remains similar year on year (auditions, Boot Camp, Judges’ Houses, live rounds, and the final), but now we’ve been given our best look yet at how this year’s competition will unfold – and there are plenty of interesting developments that have never been seen before.

Here’s our guide to The X Factor 2015, and what we can expect in each round of the competition.

The auditions

After the 2014 series returned to the classic audition style (one singer, four judges, numerous cameras), 2015 is bringing back the arena auditions. Early reports indicate that Nick Grimshaw is the funniest judge – apparently he stitches up Rita Ora a lot – while Cheryl is said to be much more happy and comfortable on the panel compared to her previous years on the show.

X Factor Judges 2015

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Boot Camp

This year’s Boot Camp is taking place in “a grand country house”. That may sound plush, but - make no mistake – this round will be as gruelling as the name suggests. Once the candidates who made it through the auditions are whittled down to a select few faces, any remaining hopefuls will then have to face the dreaded Six Chair Challenge in order to make it through to Judges’ Houses. Remember the Six Chair Challenge? That’s the bit where the judges’ favourite acts sit in six chairs, and then other singers come in and try to convince the judges of their worth – if they’re good enough, they get to go on one of the chairs, meaning whoever used to be sat in that chair gets booted off. Brutal.

The categories

Here’s a new one – there’s always a lot of speculation about which judge will oversee which category (Boys, Girls, ‘Overs’, and Groups) in the latter stages of the competition, and this time the choice will be put in viewers’ hands. During the first episode of the series – August 29 – viewers will be asked to tweet with special hashtags to determine who is put in charge of who. The vote will end on Tuesday September 1, and the judges will be informed of their categories when they film the Six Chair Challenge. Fun fact: the judges will be getting their own special emoji alongside their hashtags too.

Judges’ Houses

For the first time ever, Judges’ Houses will be broadcast live, meaning that we get to see every moment as Cowell and co struggle – or at least pretend to struggle – to decide who they’ll be taking through to the live shows. Grimmy has joked that the glamorous location he’ll be taking his hopefuls to will be, erm, Oldham.

The live shows

Once the trauma of Judges’ Houses is over, the lucky twelve final acts will be heading onto the live shows. As per last year, viewers will be able to vote for free through the X Factor app on iOS and Android, as well as through the usual phone-in method.

There we have it – let the battle for Saturday night TV supremacy begin.

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