Who won Little Mix: The Search 2020?

Since winning The X Factor way back in 2011, Little Mix girls Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jesy Nelson and Perrie Edwards have pretty much conquered the world, with hit singles, Number 1 albums, sold-out tours, and important documentaries like Odd One Out, and now they've helped other people achieve their dreams!

After the news that Jesy Nelson is taking some time out of Little Mix for private health reasons, fans are wondering what the future looks like for the rest of the band - with news breaking in December 2020 that she had officially left the group.

The group's amazing TV talent show, Little Mix: The Search, hit our TV screens in October, and despite a number of hiccups due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the final took place on Saturday 7th November.

Find out everything you need to know about Little Mix: The Search now that the first series is over.

Who won Little Mix: The Search?

After a tense final, which saw all acts perform two songs each, it was Vocal and Instruments Group Since September, made up of Harry, Patrick, Matthew and Jacob, that were crowned the winners!

Writing on social media after winning the show, the band told fans, 'WE DID IT! 💪🏼 Thank you so much to everyone who voted last night. You made 4 normal boys’ dreams come true 💫 We can not WAIT to start rehearsing for @littlemix’s tour but until then, we’ve got so much exciting stuff planned for you all.

'Thank you again 🙏🏼 We love you 💕#tembers'. (sic)

Which bands made it to the live shows on Little Mix: The Search?

After the Little Mix girls auditioned hundreds of hopefuls, six bands were made for the live shows.

When was the final of Little Mix: The Search?

After the semi-final was postponed on Saturday 31st October due to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's speech about England's second lockdown, the BBC confirmed both the semi-final and the big final of Little Mix: The Search will take place on the 6th and 7th of November.

The semi-final aired at 7pm on Friday 6th November.

The final aired at 6pm on Saturday 7th November.

What is Little Mix's new TV show The Search?

The new programme sees the girls looking for 'incredible singers to form a brand new band', whether it's all-female, all-male, or mixed! As well as gaining instant fame from the show, the winning band will also be the support act for Little Mix on 'The Summer 2020 Tour' around the UK.

Speaking about The Search, Little Mix said, "We want to create lots of incredible groups who really gel. As we have been there and done it ourselves, we know what it takes to make a group successful, and will be there to mentor them every step of the way."

In February, the girls teased fans by posting a snap of themselves backstage whilst filming for the show, writing, 'We’ve been a bit busy...👀 @littlemixthesearch'. (sic)

Who is hosting Little Mix: The Search?

On Wednesday 11th March, Little Mix announced that comedian Chris Ramsey will be hosting The Search! The girls shared a photo alongside Chris, writing, 'Beyond excited to announce @iamchrisramsey as the host of @littlemixthesearch... South Shields takeover on @bbcone 😂'. (sic)

Speaking about his involvement in the show, Chris said, "Since the moment I heard their first single, I knew I wanted to be the fifth member of Little Mix... sadly it looks like I’m going to have to settle for just hosting their new show with them!”

Perrie, Jade, Jesy and Leigh-Anne then added, “We’re so happy Chris has come on board to present The Search. He’s genuinely one of the funniest people we know and he’ll bring loads of his South Shields charm to the show. We can’t wait.”

When was Little Mix: The Search on TV?

Although the girls announced in 2019 the show would begin in early April, the BBC confirmed earlier this year that the show had been postponed due to the current Coronavirus pandemic.

The BBC confirmed the news to the Daily Mirror, with a representative saying, "In light of the spread of Covid-19, after much consideration, it has been decided that Little Mix The Search will be postponed until further notice."

At the end of March, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock then joined This Morning via a video chat, where Jade revealed the editing process has now started.

She said, “We’ve found some amazing bands, some amazing artists and we can’t wait for the world to see it. We’ve already started the editing process with the team… we’re quite chilled out about it, we’re not getting stressed at all.”

Then, on the 20th July, Little Mix confirmed the show would be going ahead in 2020, sharing a clip of themselves in the studio whilst telling fans, 'That's right, you heard it here first... @littlemixthesearch will be all yours this autumn on BBC One @bbciplayer #LittleMixTheSearch' (sic)

The audition stages then hit our screens on Saturday 26th September, with two episodes every weekend for three weeks.

The first ever live show was then due to air on Saturday 17th October, that was until the Coronavirus caused more disruption! Just days ahead of the first live show, it was revealed the show had been postponed a week due to a small outbreak of Covid-19 on set.

Bosses said, "We can confirm that a small number of people on the Little Mix The Search production have tested positive for coronavirus and they are now self-isolating following the latest government guidelines.

"Due to the format of the show we have made the decision to postpone Saturday’s programme. There are rigorous protocols in place to manage Covid-19 as the safety of all those involved in the production is paramount. We hope to be back on air on Saturday 24 October."

The next episode of Little Mix: The Search was scheduled to air on Saturday 1st November - however, this was also postponed due to Boris Johnson's Coronavirus update! The girls revealed on Instagram that this would now become part of a 'big final weekend'.

The final weekend took place on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th November 2020.

Why was Jade Thirlwall not on Little Mix: The Search?

Just days ahead of the first live show, bosses confirmed that Jade Thirlwall would not physically be involved in the first episode as she's being forced to self-isolate at home.

Little Mix released a statement reading, 'Jade has to self-isolate this week and will therefore be carrying out her role as Mentor on 'Little Mix The Search' from home.

'For this Saturday's show, Jade will participate via a video link, continuing alongside Jesy, Leigh-Anne and Perrie.'

Jade appeared via a video link.

Why was Jesy Nelson not on Little Mix: The Search?

Jesy didn't feature in the final of Little Mix: The Search due to illness. Host Chris Ramsey announced the news at the beginning of the show and a spokesperson for the band said, "Jesy is unwell and will not be appearing on tonight's final of Little Mix The Search.

"She will also not be hosting or performing at tomorrow's MTV EMAs Europe Music Awards."

Did Little Mix perform on The Search?

They did! Little Mix kicked off the first live show of The Search on Saturday 24th October, performing their brand new single 'Sweet Melody'. As she was forced to self-isolate at home, Jade didn't perform, with Perrie, Jesy and Leigh-Anne taking to the stage for the amazing performance.

Watch Little Mix's performance of 'Sweet Melody' below:

Little Mix also performed during the semi-final on Friday 5th November, performing a mash-up of their hits including 'Holiday' and 'Touch'

Watch Little Mix's semi-final performance below:

Perrie, Jade and Leigh-Anne also took to the stage to open the final show on Saturday 6th November! Despite Jesy being absent due to illness, the girls showed off their amazing vocals with whilst singing 'Secret Love Song'.

Watch Little Mix's final performance below:

Can you still apply to be in The Search auditions?

Unfortunately, applications closed for The Search on Friday 10th January 2020.

What have Little Mix said about The Search?

In an interview with MailOnline, Jesy declared that a group has "never done a show like this," adding that they're going to be "ruthless," saying, "We're on the hunt for the next best band. I want the full package - dance, voice, everything.

"We’re not going to be nasty. But we will be honest. And there will be no joke acts. No fakes. Just raw talent. You can enter as a group but we can take people out of that group. It'll be hard. And if someone doesn’t make the cut then they’re not going to get through."

Perrie added, "Well, we got passed around the place on X Factor and it was awful," with Jesy explaining, "It was never shown on camera. We were put in so many different groups. Our emotions were up and down all the time because of this. We all told our mums we wanted to come home."

But Perrie continued, "But it gave us a thicker skin, made us want it more, and made us stronger. And then when we got together it clicked, it was right."

Jesy explained how their show would differ from anything else that's gone before, "We are going to be there for the groups, not just do it for the cameras. When they need us we’re going to be there. We’ve wanted to do it for such a long time. It's going to be a breath of fresh air for us. A new routine. And we will be back on the people's screens."

Speaking on This Morning in July, Jesy also revealed which one of the girls is the 'toughest judge' on the show.

She said, "I think we all play that role, but I would probably say me and Pez," she admitted. "I think I’m just quite honest on it. I feel like it’s very current and nothing has been done like this before. There’s all different categories. We’re basically looking for the next big band to join us on tour next year."

Will there be a second series of Little Mix: The Search?

Unfortunately not, no. In August 2021 it was revealed that series two of Little Mix: The Search would not be happening. It's not all bad news, though, as the girls have a pretty good excuse, with Perrie and Leigh-Anne both giving birth to the very first Little Mix babies earlier that month!

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