The Uraps Factor (Series 3)

The Uraps Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The third series began airing on ITV on 10 March 2014. Promotion for the third season began in February 2014. Candi, James Moss and Kleo returned as judges for their respective third, third and second series. Paulo Araujo joined the judging panel, replacing Brett Clarkson, who had been a judge since series 1 in 2012. Chase Elite and Crystal Barker returned to present their second series together. Ashley! covered for Kleo on the final night, who was unable to attend as she was ill.

Judges and presenters
On 28 February 2014, in an interview with Radio 1, Candi revealed that she would be returning as a judge for the third series of The Uraps Factor, as would James Moss and Kleo. However she revealed that Brett Clarkson wouldn't be returning, as everyone had been unable to get hold of him, which had led to why the series was screening nearly two months later than usual. She revealed that he would be replaced by a male judge, however stated that there would be no prior announcement as to who it was, and simply that it would be revealed on the first episode of the new series. On 10 March, for the Judges Houses stage, it was discovered that Paulo Araujo was the new judge.

Crystal Barker and Chase Elite also returned as the hosts.

Auditions
Auditions for The Uraps Factor were the same as last year, where they took part in front of show producers and ITV executives, with none of the four judges present. The application and audition process was carried out before the show was officially announced, with auditions taking place in late October and early November. Auditions were held across the country, in Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff and London. It beat last year's record for the number of people auditioning, creating a new record.

Bootcamp
The bootcamp round was not broadcast either, however the judges were present during this. Where as last year 28 contestants progressed beyond this stage, only 24 contestants progressed past this stage this year, just like the first series, where hopefuls were split by six contestants in each of the four categories.

Judges' Houses
The judges house stage was first broadcast on 10 March 2014. The judges discovered which category they were mentoring during the Judges' Houses round, where they had to eliminate three of their six acts. They were also joined by a guest judge to aid in making the decision of who to put through and who to send home. James Moss mentored the Groups and was helped by Eoin O'Neill and Beastette from Hungry. Kleo mentored the Overs and was assisted by Ashley! in New York. Candi judged the Boys with her younger brother Jamie Elite in Tokyo. Paulo Araujo was with the last remaining category, the Girls, in Brazil, along with his guest judge, Raphael Monaghan.

Finalists
Main article: List of The Uraps Factor finalists (Series 3)

The final 12 finalists were confirmed as follows;

Live shows
The live shows began on 17 March. Each week, the contestants' performances took place on Monday and the results were announced on Sunday. Each live show also had a different theme. The results show often featured a group performance by the remaining contestants and guest live performances, usually from one past Uraps Factor contestant or a judge, along with an already established act.

Week 1 (17/18 March)

 * Theme: Red, White and Blue
 * Celebrity performers: Iris ("Paper Woman"/"Poison Ivy")
 * Judges' votes to eliminate
 * Moss: June Rayne – Saved his own act
 * Araujo: Carpe Noctem – Saved his own act
 * Pledger: Carpe Noctem – More excited to see what June had to offer
 * Elite: June Rayne - Felt they had more of a place in the market

Week 2 (24/25 March)

 * Theme: Debut singles
 * Celebrity performers: Amy-jayne - Politically Correct, Loretta Lambert - Breath of Fire, Eoin O'Neill & Beastette - Dark of the Moon
 * Judges' votes to eliminate
 * Moss: Javier Marquez – Saved his own act
 * Elite: Carpe Noctem - Saved her own act
 * Pledger: Carpe Noctem – Gave no reason
 * Araujo: Javier Marquez – Felt he improved the most

Due to illness, Sindy Marx did not perform and was automatically put through to the next week.

Week 3 (7/8 April)

 * Theme: Legends
 * Celebrity performers: Dahlia - Cerulean Tears, Paulo Araujo - Breath of Fire,
 * Judges' votes to eliminate
 * Pledger: Memphis – Saved her own act
 * Elite: Gwen Strickland - Saved her own act
 * Moss: Memphis – Felt Gwen had more promise
 * Araujo: Memphis – Gave no reason

Sindy Marx did not perform once again, and was therefore eliminated before the show began.

Week 4 (7/8 June)

 * Theme: 90's Music
 * Celebrity performers: Veronica Nightshade - Eyes On Me, Ashley! - Rise From The Ashes
 * Judges' votes to eliminate
 * Pledger: Carpe Noctem – Saved her own act
 * Moss: Gwen Strickland – Saved his own act
 * Araujo: Gwen Strickland – Gave no reason (stated the only act in the bottom three he liked was Dean)

Candi refused to vote this week and stormed off the stage after losing her final act

Week 5 (14/15 June)

 * Theme: UK Vs. USA
 * Celebrity performers: Eoin O'Neill & Ashley! - Atmosphere, Ace Rejects - Is This A Dream?
 * Judges' votes to eliminate
 * Pledger: The Viktor Sisters – Saved her own act
 * Moss: Angel Vice – Saved his own act
 * Araujo: The Viktor Sisters – Prefers Angel
 * Elite: The Viktor Sisters - followed her heart

Controversy
As with the previous series, the show has managed to attract mass media attention. The show was put on air two months later than planned, due to the producers being unable to get in touch with former judge Brett Clarkson, eventually leading to him being replaced.

The first big controversy of the series took place in-between the Judges Houses stage and the first live show. Judge Paulo Araujo chose contestant Deveraux as one of his final three girls, however it was discovered only a few days later that she actually had many hidden criminal charges in the past, such as prostitution and theft. This was a breach of The Uraps Factor finalists terms and conditions and she was instantly removed from the show. Paulo's 4th choice out of the girls, June Rayne, was brought in as a replacement, although she ended up being the first contestant eliminated.

On the show's live final, judge Kleo was noticeably absent due to an illness, and was covered by Ashley. This marked the second time in two years somebody had to cover for Kleo (Ruby and the Gems did this in Week 7 during series 2). No other judge has needed somebody to cover for them throughout the entire show, prompting criticism from viewers, especially as Kleo had two acts still left in the competition. Further outrage was expressed when Kleo performed a song during the show, prompting fans to question how she was too ill to judge on the panel but not too ill to perform.

Success after the show
The third season has been criticised for not having as much star potential as prior seasons. In season one, six acts went on to chart (including very successful acts like Jetfire and Audiodrama) and season two has seen five acts chart (including huge stars Malaya Gold, Justyce and Eoin O'Neill) where as only one act from the entire third season has charted, season three winner Kenzi Hale (although she has gone on to great success).