The G Factor

The G Factor is a reality television singing competition created and produced by Just Ginger, which premiered in 2011.

The program's format has numerous differences from its rivals, such as URAPS Idol. The competition is open to both solo artists and groups and has no age limit. Each judge is assigned one of four categories – either girls, boys, groups, or individuals under 20. Through the live shows, the judges act as mentors to their category, helping to decide song choices, styling and staging, while judging contestants from other categories; they also compete to ensure that their act wins the competition, thus, making them the winning judge.

The first season launched in 2011. Ginger took her role as head judge, accompanied by the legendary "Artist of the Decade" Alesha, Moodring's breakout solo star L'mondrea, and Brazilian R&B icon Paulo Araujo.

Despite the similar title, The G Factor bares no relation to U Factor and is much more iconic.

History
In February 2011, reports surfaced that Alesha had signed a £3 million 'golden handcuffs' deal with ITV. It was rumored that Alesha would be producing a new reality series. It was also reported that Ginger was in talks to helm her own television show. In June 2011, reports were confirmed that Ginger was creating a reality competition to air on ITV.

Judges and presenter
On 13 July 2011, teasers regarding the host and judges of The G Factor were released, including chart statistics and Urapopstar Awards wins. Five days later, "That's Hot" singer Candi became the first star to be associated with the show when she was announced as the host. Days later, following much speculation, Ginger was confirmed as the "head judge." Ginger had previously appeared as a judge on URAPS Idol: Second Chance, won by Sienna Martinez. Over the next couple of weeks, Alesha, L'mondrea, and Paulo Araujo were confirmed to have joined the panel. Alesha had been a judge on the tenth and eleventh season, which launched the careers of Genevere and Cassie Diamond. Paulo also appeared on the panel of URAPS Idol 10 and 11 alongside Alesha and Second Chance alongside Ginger. The judges were reportedly chosen for their loud personalities and experience of different areas of the music industry, with host Candi being praised by ITV bosses as "warm, sweet and likable."

Auditions
Auditions for The G Factor took part in front of show producers and ITV executives, with none of the four judges present. The application and audition process had a quick turnaround, with the show being announced in July and auditions running throughout the months of July and August. Auditions were held across the country, with major turnouts in large cities including London, Dublin and Manchester.

Bootcamp
The bootcamp round of the competition was the first to be broadcasted, after a number of delays allegedly due to judge L'mondrea's unavailability, the show began on Tuesday 23 August with the six under 20s chosen to appear at bootcamp. The next day the boys at bootcamp were broadcast, followed by the groups and the girls. A public vote was used to choose the 4 who would progress to the next round.

Judges' Houses
The judges discovered which category they were mentoring during the Judges' Houses round, where they had to eliminate one act from the four that had made it through bootcamp in their category. They were also joined by a guest judge to aid in making the decision of who to put through and who to send home. L'mondrea mentored the groups and was assisted by Moodring bandmate Cassie Garcia from L'mondrea's home in Buffalo, New York. Alesha mentored the girls and was assisted by retired porn-groove singer Butterscotch in her London home. Paulo Araujo judged the boys with chart-topping pop singer Emily Henning in a beach house in Recife, located in Northeastern Brazil. Rising star Flaming Steffy assisted Ginger with the last remaining category, the under 20s, on a luxury yacht off the shore of Spain. The judges' houses stage was broadcast in two episodes on 17 and 18 September 2011. The four acts eliminated were Hayden McQueen from the under 20s, Kate Bush from the girls, Spike Williams from the boys and Power Power from the groups.

Finalists and Categories
The final 12 acts were confirmed as follows:

Boys
Brent Law is a 24 year old Seventh-Day Adventist from Toronto, Canada. He family turned their backs on him after he left the Mormon church. He wants to show there is more to Canada than Celine Dion and Mountains.

Clark Matthews is a 22 year old singer and multi-instrumentalist. He is surrounded by an air of mystery but has been praised for his tongue in cheek personality.

8-Bit is a 21 year old rapper who feels like a social outcast due to being gay, introverted and white in a field mostly consisting of black musicians. He wants to prove people wrong and show he has what it takes to be a success in hip-hop.

Girls
Iza (full name Isabel Gloom) is a 21 year old half Swedish, half English former model who has a fascination with the paranormal and describes herself as having a "different way of thinking" which manifests in her musical style.

Milan (full name Aria Milan Gigante) is a 23 year old Italian-American from Manhattan. She comes from a notorious Mafia family, with her grandfather serving as a mob boss. Her birth name is an Italian operatic term which leads Milan to believe she has music in her blood, but she has a pop-rock edge.

Sophia Déllat is a 24 year old from Paris who fled to the UK after her father was embroiled in a drug scandal. She is interested in fashion and suffered with anorexia during her teenage years. She is a fan of pop and electro-pop but prides herself on her powerful voice.

Under 20s
Daisy is a 19 year old from Wales who moved to London in hopes of making it big. She had previously auditioned for Britain's Got Talent singing ballads, but didn't make it through to see the judges. She has since re-invented herself, learning how to dance and taking an interest in pop music.

Saturn is an 18 year old London based rapper. He has a criminal past but has now turned his life around and is focusing on his music career. He believes the industry lacks good black male artists and wants to change that.

Sierra Stone is a 19 year old from Los Angeles. Despite having rich parents she believes that money can't buy you happiness. She has a mature, deep voice and is into pop and rock music and songwriting.

Groups
Casserole Dish consist of Northern sisters Beryl and Natasha Casserolé. Both previously released singles during the 2011Tango Challenge, with Beryl as a solo artist and Natasha as a member of the Penny Slots. Neither fared well and they were dropped by their record labels. They hope to overcome the loss of their mother by diabetes, their homelessness and their numerous rapes through music.

Kimomo are a three-piece J-Pop band from Tokyo consisting of Kaori Takahashi, Sakura Kimura and Hikari Onuki. They hope to make people smile with their own brand of fun pop music.

Strawberry Cough are a ten member troupe from Omaha, Nebraska. They believe that they have something different to offer than other contestants on The G Factor due to their unique outlook and folk stylings.

Week 1 (24/25 September)

 * Theme: Musical Heroes
 * Celebrity Performer: Cassie Diamond

Judges' votes to save Paulo: Saturn Alesha: Daisy L'mondrea: Daisy Ginger: Saturn Due to both acts receiving two votes to save, the result was sent to deadlock and Saturn was sent home due to receiving the fewest public votes.

Week 2 (1/2 October)

 * Theme: Best of British
 * Celebrity Performer: TBA