Opening Night at the X Factor Arena
Produced by Fremantle and broadcast on Sky and streaming on NOW, the Sky Original production opened its doors under the guidance of host Giorgia. The twelve official contestants took to the stage across two rounds of cover performances, mentored by judges Paola Iezzi, Jake La Furia, Irama, and Francesco Gabbani, according to tg24.sky.it.
Two Rounds of Cover Songs and First Elimination
The twelve competing acts faced rigorous scrutiny during the opening performances.
At the end of the respective rounds, Veronica and Alice Fregoso landed in the bottom two positions.
The lineup featured Camilla performing Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me”, Mad-Dog tackling the Kasabian track “Club Foot”, and Manu singing Achille Lauro’s “Incoscienti giovani” for Paola Iezzi’s squad. Jake La Furia’s team presented Alex Fontana on the Blur song “Song 2”, ALÌA performing “MAYBE” by Sienna Spiro, and Veronica delivering Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You”. Irama’s roster included Le Distanze singing Renato Zero’s “Il cielo”, Lenanie covering Blanco’s “Blu celeste”, and Patrizia performing James Brown’s “It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s, World”. Francesco Gabbani’s team rounded out the groups with Alice Fregoso performing Lucio Dalla’s “Piazza Grande”, Giacomo Calò taking on Alex Warren’s “Ordinary”, and Scraffs performing “What a Wonderful World” in Joey Ramone’s version. The judges eliminated Alice Fregoso from the competition.
Marco Mengoni Sets the Stage as Super Guest
Opening the evening as the super ospite, Marco Mengoni delivered a performance featuring his tracks as reported by tg24.sky.it. Mengoni later returned to perform his new single, “Giornate perse,” which serves as a preview for his upcoming album Felice sì, ma tutto sbagliato, slated for release on December 11, 2026.
Alongside his music release, the singer discussed his upcoming creative direction role at the off-line club Allo Sbagliato starting in November, which involves a twenty-six-date residency featuring live music, comedy, and DJ sets, according to tg24.sky.it.
Teo Bok Wins the Škoda X Pass Return
In a twist unique to this season, host Giorgia utilized her Škoda X Pass privileges to introduce two previously eliminated Last Call artists back into the spotlight: Timothée Bonnardel and Teo Bok.
Following a flash televote by the home audience, Teo Bok won the ballot and re-entered the competition, securing a spot in Francesco Gabbani’s team, which had lost Alice Fregoso earlier in the evening, tg24.sky.it confirmed.
Judges Clash Over Technical Precision and Emotion
Francesco Gabbani drew attention for his strict technical critiques, notably questioning Giacomo Calò’s emotional management during his rendition of Alex Warren’s “Ordinary.” Meanwhile, Irama praised the raw imperfections of the contestants, arguing that fear and vulnerability remain essential tools for artistic growth rather than relentless early praise, according to vanityfair.it.
Jake La Furia intervened during the evaluations when Gabbani questioned the performance of Veronica, telling his colleague that probabilmente stavi guardando da un’altra parte
. Irama elaborated on his evaluation philosophy by stating, A me piacciono i difetti, sono la parte più emozionante degli artisti
.
Common Questions About the Competition
How do the weekly eliminations work in the live shows?
At the end of each performance manche, the least-voted acts face a head-to-head ballot where the four judges vote. If at least three judges select the same contestant, that individual is eliminated; if the panel splits evenly, a tie-breaking “Tilt” vote occurs, as explained by ilfattoquotidiano.it.
When and where will the final episode take place?
The seventh and final live show of X Factor 2026 is scheduled for December 3, 2026, taking place live at the Unipol Forum in Assago, according to ilfattoquotidiano.it.