History YMMV / TheXFactor

** In the post-#MeToo era, Louis Walsh has attracted significant hostility for his consistent habit of groping Mel B on several ocassions during the 2014 series.

* HeartwarmingInHindsight: In 2011, the judges decided to form several groups at the bootcamp stage from rejected soloists. When doing this, they told the hopefuls that being in a band could be better for them. One of the groups formed at this stage was Little Mix, who went on to win the series, and are still together (and still enjoying significant chart success) in 2020.

** Anyone who's seen the footage of Louis groping Mel B multiple times should have lost all respect for the man.

* DorkAge: The 2012-2019 era is considered this due to declining ratings, revolving judging line-ups as well as fluctuating results from later winners with the last contestants to score major chart success being season nine winner James Arthur and sixth place finalist Ella Henderson.[[note]]Though they aren't the only contestants from said era who managed to stay relevant after that, as season nine fifth place finalist Rylan Clark and season ten runner up Fleur East have become successful TV presenters.[[/note]] Many people weren't surprised when ITV and Cowell decided to cancel the show in July 2021, just over a year after the end of ''The Band''.

* HarsherInHindsight: Ariel Burdett's audition in 2008 was seen as one of the most hilariously awful ones in the show's history. Burdett was found dead with a stab wound 11 years later, reportedly suicide. It has also been said that her audition has "haunted her for years".

* HilariousInHindsight: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNhZlP49d5g In the series 7 Judge's Houses, Simon and Sinitta are talking about the groups they want to send to the finals,]] and when Sinitta mentions the superstar potential of one of the groups, Simon says "Not in a million, billion years!" and comments that "no one is going to put them on their bedroom wall." Fast forward two years, and millions of teenage girls in America, let alone the U.K., do have [[Music/OneDirection one of the groups in question]] on their walls.
** Earlier that series: "All fingers are pointing in ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aatSF2gP-Qs one direction.]]''"
** Adding to the One Direction-related humor, Simon, after the attempt to use Leeds for an audition area (see EpicFail on the main page), declared Yorkshire a musical wasteland. Two members of One Direction (Louis and Zayn) are from Yorkshire (Doncaster and Bradford, respectively).

* SeasonalRot: Many see the near-total overhaul of the panel in 2011 as the point where things started to go wrong for the show, with ratings dropping sharply (albeit still being pretty good overall), the show consistently getting beaten in the ratings by ''Series/StrictlyComeDancing'', and the press becoming overwhelmingly hostile toward the show rather than treating it as just a bit of goofy fun. Not to mention, it came off the back of the 2010 series, which was the show's highest rated season and the one that eventually spawned a [[Music/OneDirection worldwide musical phenomenon]] of its own. On top of that, the huge flop of ''I Can't Sing!'', the 2014 musical based on the show, has been treated by many as a sign that the show's popularity is in terminal decline. The show spent years being thrashed in the ratings by ''Series/StrictlyComeDancing'', until finally being cancelled in 2021.

* VindicatedByHistory: The eighth series was largely ignored by fans following the major overhaul of the judges panel. However in later years, it's been largely considered to be an outright good series to the point that said fans consider it the last good series before the SeasonalRot-inflicted DorkAge that the show never recovered from. It helps the fact that the [[Music/LittleMix winners of said series]] ended up being among the most successful acts from the show, second only to Music/OneDirection.

* MemeticMutation: "That's why you use autotune and I don't!", bonus points to Simon's [[ActuallyPrettyFunny gobsmacked reaction to it]].

* RetroactiveRecognition: Series 6 third place finalist Stacey Solomon would go on to become a successful TV presenterm

* RetroactiveRecognition: Series 6 third place finalist Stacey Solomon would go on to become a successful TV presenter in recent years.
** Rylan Clark-Neal, who finished 5th in series 9 has become a prolific TV and radio presenter in the UK in recent years.

* VindicatedByHistory: The eighth series was largely ignored by fans following the major overhaul of the judges panel. However in recent years, it's been largely considered to be an outright good series to the point that said fans consider it the last good series before the SeasonalRot-inflicted DorkAge that the show never recovered from. It helps the fact that the [[Music/LittleMix winners of said series]] ended up being among the most successful acts from the show, second only to Music/OneDirection.

* SeasonalRot: Many see the near-total overhaul of the panel in 2011 as the point where things started to go wrong for the show, with ratings dropping sharply (albeit still being pretty good overall), the show consistently getting beaten in the ratings by ''Series/StrictlyComeDancing'', and the press becoming overwhelmingly hostile toward the show rather than treating it as just a bit of goofy fun. Not to mention, it came off the back of the 2010 series, which was the show's highest rated season and the one that eventually spawned a [[Music/OneDirection worldwide musical phenomenon]] of its own. On top of that, the huge flop of ''I Can't Sing!'', the 2014 musical based on the show, has been treated by many as a sign that the show's popularity is in terminal decline. The show spent years being thrashed in the ratings by ''Series/StrictlyComeDancing, until finally being cancelled in 2021.

* SeasonalRot: Many see the near-total overhaul of the panel in 2011 as the point where things started to go wrong for the show, with ratings dropping sharply (albeit still being pretty good overall), the show consistently getting beaten in the ratings by ''Series/StrictlyComeDancing'', and the press becoming overwhelmingly hostile toward the show rather than treating it as just a bit of goofy fun. Not to mention, it came off the back of the 2010 series, which was the show's highest rated season and the one that eventually spawned a [[Music/OneDirection worldwide musical phenomenon]] of its own. On top of that, the huge flop of ''I Can't Sing!'', the 2014 musical based on the show, has been treated by many as a sign that the show's popularity is in terminal decline.

** Nowadays, though, it's Katie Waissel and CherLloyd, with Gamu having disappeared from public consciousness, only with her becoming MemeticMutation on radio stations OopNorth and in UsefulNotes/TheMidlands.

* FandomRivalry: With ''Series/StrictlyComeDancing'' fans. In fact, both shows have a ratings battle.

* MorePopularSpinoff: OneDirection.

* VindicatedByHistory: The eighth series was largely ignored by fans following the major overhaul of the judges panel. However in recent years, it's been largely considered to be an outright good series to the point that said fans consider it the last good series before the SeasonalRot-inflicted DorkAge that the show never recovered from. It helps the fact that the [[Music/LittleMix winners of said series]] ended up among the most successful acts from the show.

** Another notable example from the 2016 series is Caitlyn Vanbeck, a KellyClarkson soundalike who was one of the favorites to make the live shows, but flubbed the lyrics during her Judges' Houses performance and ended up missing out.

* Tearjerker: Cheryl Cole's friend Nikk Mager (who she met on Popstars: The Rivals) auditioned for Season 5, and Cheryl found herself unable to give a verdict on his performance. The other three judges felt Nikk wasn't good enough to make it through, leaving both Nikk and Cheryl devastated.

** It happened yet again in 2016, this time for LittleMix's outfits (which weren't even all that racy) during their performance of "Shout Out to My Ex".

* DorkAge: The 2012-2019 era is considered this due to declining ratings, revolving judging line-ups as well as fluctuating results from later winners with the last contestants to score major chart success being season nine winner James Arthur and sixth place finalist Ella Henderson.[[note]]Though they aren't the only contestant from said era who managed to stay relevant after that, as season nine fifth place finalist Rylan Clark and season ten runner up Fleur East have become successful TV presenters.[[/note]] Many people weren't surprised when ITV and Cowell decided to cancel the show in July 2021, just over a year after the end of ''The Band''.

* DorkAge: The 2012-2019 era is considered this due to declining ratings, revolving judging line-ups as well as fluctuating results from later winners with the last contestant to score major success being season nine winner James Arthur. Many people weren't surprised when ITV and Cowell decided to cancel the show in July 2021, just over a year after the end of ''The Band''.

** Britney Spears talking down Shawn for saying "that's why you use autotune and I don't" to Demi Lovato can be amusing considering she also use autotune and especially since a raw version of "Alien" were leaked on the internet.
* MemeticMutation: "That's why you use autotube and I don't!", bonus points to Simon's [[ActuallyPrettyFunny gobsmacked reaction to it]].

* AndThereWasMuchRejoicing: When it was revealed Steve and Nicole would not be returning.

* RetroactiveReconition: Rylan Clark-Neal, who finished 5th in series 9 has become a prolific TV and radio presenter in the UK in recent years.

** The Risk's elimination left many surprised, as there's almost always a boyband who makes it far in the competition.

* TheScrappy: Every series has an unpopular contestant or two, usually because they get further in the competition than more talented counterparts. However, few contestants are as overwhelmingly disliked as Emily Nakanda and Frankie Cocozza, the only two contestants to date who actually got thrown off the show for behavioural reasons. Emily's bullying scandal made her a major case of BitchInSheepsClothing, whilst Frankie was a major EliminationHoudini even before he was ejected, due to his offstage debauchery and several increasingly poor performances.

* TheScrappy: Every series has an unpopular contestant or two, usually because they get further in the competition than more talented counterparts. However, few contestants are as overwhelmingly disliked as Emily Nakanda and Frankie Cocozza, the only two contestants to date who actually got thrown off the show for behavioural reasons.

** Series 13: The jukebox, in which a theme for each week would be selected via a wheel with some fans feeling it was too GameShow like. It didn't help that many viewers felt it was fixed on several ocassions(for instance, the wheel just happened to select a "Halloween" theme for the last week of October).

* Tearjerker: Cheryl Cole's friend Nikk Mager (who she met on Popstars: The Rivals) auditioned for Season 5, and Cheryl found herself unable to give a verdict. The other three judges felt his performance wasn't good enough to make it through, leaving both Nikk and Cheryl devastated.