El Factor X
El Factor X is the Colombian television music competition to find new singing talent. It is the based on the original British competition The X Factor, created by Simon Cowell. It is the first version produced in Latin America.
The show started screening in September 2005. The judges were Marbelle, singer Juan Carlos Coronel, and José Gaviria, a producer who has worked with stars like Carlos Santana. The winner was Julio César Meza. A second season followed in 2006 won by Francisco Villarreal and a third one, after a 2-year hiatus, in 2009 won by the duo Siam.
All seasons and versions of the show have been hosted by the Colombian TV host and top model Andrea Serna, produced by Teleset and broadcast on RCN TV.
The show had two spin-offs. One was the one-year series El Factor X: Batalla de las Estrellas. It was broadcast in 2006 and was won by Luz Amparo Álvarez.
The other-spin off was the series El Factor Xs for children up to 15 years. To date there have been three seasons with the same judges and presented by same host Andrea Serna. The first season was broadcast in 2006 and was won by Andres Hurtado, a second season in 2007 won by Camilo Echeverry and a third in 2011 won by Shaira Selena Peláez.
Season summary
"16-24s" category"Over 25s" category
"Groups" category
| Season | Air date | Winner | Third place | Judges | Winning mentor | ||
| 2005 | Julio César Meza | Enygma | Farina Pao Poucar Franco | Andrea Serna | Marbelle Juan Carlos Coronel José Gaviria | Juan Carlos Caronel | |
| 2006 | Francisco Villarreal | Mario Marcelino Macuacé | Juan Carlos Ángel | Andrea Serna | Marbelle Juan Carlos Coronel José Gaviria | Marbelle | |
| 2009 | Siam | Raza Pana | Jorge Luis Medina Mosquera | Andrea Serna | Marbelle Juan Carlos Coronel José Gaviria | José Gaviria |
Season 1 (2005)
Participants and their respective mentors were:| Jose Gaviria | Marbelle | Juan Carlos Coronel |
| 16–24 years | Groups | 25 and Over |
| Felipe Espinoza - | Sofia Pérez - | Paula Mantilla - |
| Mirabay Montoya | Andrea Piñeros | Juanita Delgado |
| Farina Pao Poucar Franco | Enigma | Julio César Meza |
| Yina Gallego | Sin Limite | Jackson Mosquera |
| Andres Monsalve | Las Hijas de Doña Diana | Estella Diaz |
| María Elisa Camargo | Las Gemelas Botero | Anabella Arbeláez |
The winner of season one was Julio César Meza from solo-singers-aged-25+ category; the runners-up were Enygma from vocal groups category and in third place was the controversial reggaeton-singer Farina from the solo-singers-aged-25-and-over category, famous for her quote Yo soy Farina!
Season 2 (2006)
| Marbelle | Juan Carlos Coronel | Jose Gaviria |
| 16-24 Years | Groups | 25 and Over |
| Francisco Villarreal | Ébano | Mario Marcelino Macuacé |
| Brayan Visbal | Natalia Y Marisol | Ángelo |
| Juan Manuel | 5 Latinos | Martha Trujillo |
| Juanita Pérez | Violeta | Walter Daniel Martínez |
| Lina María Uribe | Síntesis | Mary |
The second season was won by Francisco Villarreal. He was unsuccessful contestant in the first season but had learned how to read in the intervening period. The runner up was Mario Marcelino Macuacé and third-place went to Angelo. Angelo was considered by many to be the favorite.
Season 3 (2009)
After a hiatus of 2 years in which no more seasons were held, the program returned in 2009 with its third season. Big publicity campaign was held and Canal RCN and Teleset S.A., producers of the third series visited various cities to collect talents from all over the country. Judge mentors and the participants were:| Juan Carlos Coronel | Jose Gaviria | Marbelle |
| 16-24 Years | Groups | 25 and Over |
| Jorge Luis Medina Mosquera | Siam | Edgardo José Escobar de Castro |
| Adriana Redondo Montero | Raza Pana | Juan Camilo Cordoba |
| Luz Ángela Perez Espitaleta | Son3 | María Alejandra Diaz Huertas |
| Juan David Becerra | Sexto Sentido | Natalia María Sierra Sanchez |
The competition was won by the group Siam, with Raza Pana another group as runner-up and Jorge as third.
El Factor X: Batalla de las Estrellas (2006)
A "Battle of the Stars" celebrity version of the show was held only once in 2006. The winner of the celebrity series was Luz Amparo Alvarez.;Series Summary
"Men" category
"Women" category
"Groups" category
| Season | Air date | Winner | Third place | Judges | Winning mentor | ||
| 2006 | Luz Amparo Álvarez | Valerie Domínguez | ‘Paché’ Andrade | Andrea Serna | Marbelle Juan Carlos Coronel José Gaviria | José Gaviria |
| Jose Gaviria | Marbelle | Juan Carlos Coronel |
| Females | Males | Groups |
| Luz Amparo Álvarez | Jota Mario Valencia | Juan Y Andrés |
| Yaneth Waldman | Marcelo Cezán | Los Intocables |
| Lady Noriega | Lucas Velásquez | Fusión |
| Amalin de Hazbun | Carlos Calero | Olé |
| Valerie Domínguez | ‘Paché’ Andrade | El Cocuyo |
El Factor Xs
El Factor Xs is a popular children's version of the show that was made in early 2006. "Xs" stand for "extra small". A second season of "Xs" followed in 2007 and after a lapse of 4 years, a third season in 2011. The inaugural season was won by Andrés Camilo Hurtado, season 2 by Camilo Echeverry Correa, and the final season by Shaira Selena Pelaez.Season summary
"8-11 Years" category"12-15 Years" category
"Groups" category
| Season | Air date | Winner | Third place | Judges | Winning mentor | ||
| 2006 | Andres Hurtado | Huellas | Aldemar | Andrea Serna | Juan Carlos Coronel Marbelle José Gaviria | Juan Carlos Coronel | |
| 2007 | Camilo Echeverry | David | AN3 | Andrea Serna | Marbelle José Gaviria Wilfrido Vargas | Jose Gaviria | |
| 2011 | Shaira Selena Peláez | Salome Camargo | Dylan Fuentes - Weider Figueroa | Andrea Serna | Juan Carlos Coronel Marbelle José Gaviria | José Gaviria | |
| - | - | - | - | - | Andrea Serna | - | - |