SECRETS OF THE X FACTOR HOUSE
It’s definitely not as glamorous as you might think
Every year, we’re jealous of the amazing house all the X Factor contestants get to live in for the duration of their time on the show, and this year, producers have excelled themselves with a £7million mansion in west London. But when heat met up with the contestants, we discovered there were quite a few drawbacks to having over 30 adults living together. The main one being the enormous queue for the loo.
“We’re all in one room together,” band United Vibe tell us. “The only problem is there’s one toilet and one shower, so we’ve had to get into a routine.” Olatunji Yearwood confirms this, saying, “The bathroom’s a problem – 14 of us sharing one shower.” You would think that a house with an indoor swimming pool and panic room would have space for an extra toilet…
The group also revealed that there’s a 6.30am wake-up call and the contestants are banned from drinking and having sex. “No romance, but you just go up to everyone and say, ‘I love you.’ You get up in the morning at half six and hug someone. It’s just one big romance,” we’re told by United Vibe. “Support is the biggest thing you can give each other in this experience. There’s so much pressure put on you from the public. It’s a ‘dry house’ this year, and no sexual activity, either. There’s certain boundaries you can’t cross. We can’t break the rules… at the start.”
They also have a catering team preparing all their food, so there’s no excuse to eat badly, and one constant (possibly hungry) visitor to the house is the boys’ mentor Louis Tomlinson.
Brendan Murray reveals, “He’s been great. He’s been in the house every day this week. He really does care and wants us to do well. He was
in the position eight years ago, so he knows how we’re feeling and what stress we’ve been under. He’s there giving us advice.”
Simon Cowell is yet to come round, but we’re sure it won’t be long. And it appears everyone is making the most of their new-found fame – by grabbing all the freebies they can.
“There’s a load of Beats headphones lying around the house, so I ‘borrowed’ a pair,” Brendan confesses. “Dalton saw me with a pair and was like, ‘Where did you get them?’ Then grabbed some. I was like, ‘They’re going to know.’ I tried to leave with them this morning, but they were like, ‘You can’t take them.’” ■