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prepared to give it their all. After going through such ups and downs over the past few weeks in their X Factor journey, the boys knew that a second rejection would hurt twice as much as the first. Jaymi knew that there was a reason they’d been brought back – the kernel of something special had been spotted in them. Another rejection would be awful. Pacing around the hotel roof, with the dramatic mountain backdrop behind them, Josh tried to steady his breath. He worried about the impact on his nearest and dearest, aware that he’d been through so many near-misses before. George patted his chest as his heart raced, and then put a comforting arm around Josh’s shoulder as the emotion got to him. It was a sickening moment for every single lad.

      Louis opened proceedings with a compliment, praising their first audition, as the Union J boys stood in a line in front of him, George biting his fingers nervously. Louis went on to explain that, as Jaymi thought, there was potential for the group to be great. Louis had taken a chance by putting George into the mix and he was pleased with how things were going. But – and it was a big but – Louis wasn’t sure there was enough time to get Union J show-ready. After all, they hadn’t been together long. Red-eyed and on the edge, Union J prayed that this didn’t mean Louis thought they were a lost cause. They knew they would work harder than they’d ever worked before if only they got this chance. As they pulled together, arms around each other, they listened to Louis continuing his appraisal. Soon, Louis appeared to confirm their worst fears by highlighting the other boybands in the competition – with their increased experience they had an advantage over the newbies, Union J. Josh tensed his jaw and JJ’s mouth dropped open in shock – they thought it was all over. As Jaymi gazed at the floor, he wiped away tears. Now it was time for Louis to make his decision. He explained to the boys that he didn’t like taking chances. As JJ silently mouthed please under his breath, Louis delivered his smash. He was ready to take a chance right now. It was an unexpected twist – the boys all raised their heads in a sudden burst of hope. It was true – they were through!

      It was the culmination of months – and years – of dashed hopes. Union J cheered with joy like they’d never cheered before, and immediately ran towards Louis in utter elation. As JJ, Jaymi and George pushed Louis onto the sofa for a bear hug, Josh collapsed onto his knees, unable to take in the incredible news they’d just heard. The four boys then ran into a group hug, shouting ‘Yes!’ and hiccupping with the emotion of the moment. They could hardly gather themselves, as Louis, breathing out a sigh of relief, tried to regain order. He warned the boys that the difficult phase was just starting – they were surrounded by rivals who were all as hungry for the X Factor crown as they were. JJ sobbed, and declared his loyalty to the judge. The boys had never felt like this before. In the space of a couple of weeks, their fortunes had turned around by 180 degrees and now they would be taking part in the X Factor finals – the biggest platform for a pop group on British TV. Louis laughed as he made sure the boys knew that they had to demonstrate that they were worth this chance. The bandmates ran off in hysterical happiness. They yelled and shouted about their good fortune as they pulled each other into another tight hug. Flying back to Britain after such an incredible few days, they couldn’t wait to tell their families, who had no idea what had happened yet. They sat at Gatwick Airport, nervously waiting for the boys to return, all the while hoping they’d be coming back with good news. ‘We were all there sitting in Costa Coffee, waiting for the contestants to get off the plane,’ explained Toni, George’s mum. ‘We still, at that stage, didn’t know whether they had got through. But then I saw George and he shouted “Yes!” and then there was lots of hugging and kissing.’

      What a moment for Union J – their lives would never be the same again. After believing their X Factor dreams were over, they were now through to the finals, which would come to determine the course of their futures forever. Despite their jubilation, Union J knew there was more hard work to come. They now faced the toughest competition of their lives as the judges selected the other finalists. Turning down Times Red – who, like Union J, had been given a second chance at Judges’ Houses – Louis instead selected MK1, an urban hip-hop duo from East London, and GMD3, the vocal harmony three-piece boyband that had previously defeated Union J at Bootcamp. Nicole Scherzinger had selected her three boys: firstly, James Arthur, a talented guitarist and singer from Saltburn, Teeside, alongside Jahmene Douglas, a shy singer from Birmingham with an astonishing voice. Rounding out her trio was Rylan Clark – a controversial entry, as the out-there model and actor from Essex had bags of charisma but didn’t have the strongest voice. Meanwhile, Gary Barlow had chosen his Over-28s. They were Carolynne Poole, a talented singer from Yorkshire who’d been booted out at Judges’ Houses the year before by Louis; former chimney sweep Kye Sones from Pinner, Northwest London, and Melanie Masson, a children’s entertainer from Glasgow. Lastly, Tulisa had chosen an amazing group of girls for the live finals: Lucy Spraggan, a quirky guitarist and singer from Buxton who’d already hit the charts with her self-penned X Factor audition song, ‘Last Night’; Ella Henderson, a 16-year-old with an incredible voice, and Jade Ellis, a talented singer from Southeast London who oozed star attitude.

      A wildly different bunch, they would now be pitted directly against each other in the bear pit of the X Factor finals. Now not only the judges but also the voting public would have their say – and so, too, would the media. Union J were about to embark on the ride of their lives.

      They were through to the live shows. Finally, the weeks and months of nervous auditioning had resulted in a dream come true – the boys would be taking part in the biggest, most exciting part of The X Factor – the week-by-week phase where they performed live to the nation. Now they were part of the legendary ‘Final 12’. If they thought life had taken a twist in a crazy direction before, they were about to become fully fledged TV superstars, with millions of viewers watching them each week to decide their fate. Would they win over the British public and become the new hot boyband on everyone’s lips, set for storming chart success? Or would they fall at the first hurdle and be voted out straight away, disappearing without trace? At this stage, no one could predict what would happen, but the sheer thrill of being on the show was driving Union J on. Speaking backstage on The X Factor as they recorded the first of their behind-the-scenes interviews, their amazement and happiness shone through.

      Firstly, it was time to move into X Factor World full time. In previous years of the show, the finalists had all lived together in a big house rented by the show and located in a suburb of London. This had sometimes caused problems, with neighbours complaining about the hordes of screaming fans congregated outside on the road! So, this year, the show’s producers made a decision – the finalists would move into a hotel. But not just any old place; this was the five-star Corinthia Hotel – a favourite of Rihanna, which dazzled them all with its luxurious glamour. With the hotel located slap-bang in the centre of London, just a short walk away from both the Prime Minister’s home at 10 Downing Street and the Royal Family’s residence at Buckingham Palace, this year’s contestants were in the thick of the action in Britain’s buzzing capital. Each of them would be staying in rooms that cost £500 a night, complete with flat-screen TV in both the room and the bath, rain-dance shower, sumptuous beds and full access to the gym and spa. It was certainly a leap into the big time and a taster of what their life might be like should X Factor final success come their way. Pulling up outside their impressive new home for the next few weeks, the Union J boys couldn’t believe it. Josh even joked to the cameras that this place left his own home in the shade as they walked up the grand steps. Entering their plush new room, George leapt on a bed, claiming the best spot for himself. But the other boys weren’t going to let cheeky George have his way straight away – they laughed as they jumped on the bed too, amazed at their incredible good fortune. This was going to be fun.

      But it wasn’t all to be the life of a pampered A-list superstar from now on. There was a lot of work ahead needed to turn the boys into fully fledged pop stars – and there would be rules to follow, too. Almost straight away, the contestants had the mini-bars taken out of their rooms, after Staz Nair from Times Red ended up running

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