List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 5)

The fifth UK series of The X Factor was broadcast on ITV. The series began on 16 August 2008 and finished on 13 December 2008 with a grand finale. After the audition process, 12 finalists were selected and split into four categories. Each category was mentored by one of the show's judges. Simon Cowell mentored the Boys, Cheryl Cole mentored the Girls, Dannii Minogue mentored the Over 25s and Louis Walsh mentored the Groups. In the final, Alexandra Burke was declared the winner, JLS were the runners-up and Eoghan Quigg finished in third place.

After winning the show, Alexandra Burke released her debut single "Hallelujah", and in October 2009, she released her debut album Overcome. Despite finishing second, JLS signed a record deal with Epic Records and released their debut album JLS in November 2009 and their second album Outta This World a year later. They are currently writing their third album. Eoghan Quigg was signed to RCA Records, however, after poor sales he was dropped from the label. Ruth Lorenzo has been signed to EMI Records and is set to release her debut album in 2011. Diana Vickers was signed to RCA Records and released her debut album Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree in May 2010, which reached number 1, as did her debut single, Once. Her follow-up singles achieved similar success and she is currently writing songs for her second album, due for a summer 2011 release.

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