The July 2022 X Factor clip shows judges Nicole Scherzinger, Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh considering contestants’ headshots as they put together a boy band. In the selection sequence described by a contemporaneous report, Niall Horan is chosen first, followed by Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, then Liam Payne and Zayn Malik. It offers a glimpse of the judges’ discussion—not a complete account of every decision behind One Direction’s formation.
What the 2022 clip reportedly shows
Entertainment Weekly’s July 23, 2022, coverage identified the footage as a moment when the judges reviewed headshots while considering which solo contestants to group together. A contemporaneous Just Jared report describes the selection sequence and the judges’ discussion. The members had auditioned separately on season 7 of The X Factor UK before being assembled as a band during the competition.
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The reported selection order
- Niall Horan: The report says his headshot is selected first.
- Harry Styles, then Louis Tomlinson: Their images follow in the account of the clip.
- Liam Payne: The judges discuss his solo audition and whether he could lead the group. Cowell is quoted describing him as “the standout audition.”
- Zayn Malik: The report says he is added after the discussion of Payne.
This is the sequence reported from the clip, not proof that it captures every conversation or consideration involved in choosing the band’s members.
Who proposed putting the contestants together?
In the Just Jared account, Scherzinger articulates the case for grouping the contestants rather than eliminating them: “They’re just too talented to get rid of. They’ve got just the right look and the right charisma on stage. They’re, like, little stars. You can’t get rid of little stars, so you put them all together.” The report also describes Cowell and Walsh participating in the discussion. These quotations are transcribed in secondary reporting; the original clip is the authority for their exact wording.
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- Weaved with stunning live concert footage, ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US tells the remarkable story of Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry and Louis' meteoric rise to fame.
The footage therefore adds a recorded selection discussion to the story of how the group came together. It supports attributing the group proposal in this moment to Scherzinger, as reported, but does not establish that she alone originated or drove every part of the decision.
What it does—and does not—establish
The five singers first appeared as individual contestants on season 7 of The X Factor UK, were grouped during the competition, and finished third, according to Entertainment Weekly’s July 23, 2022, story listing and excerpt. The clip provides a view of judges selecting from headshots and discussing contestants’ potential roles. The available reporting does not provide a complete audition-by-audition timeline or a full production account, so the footage should be treated as evidence of a selection moment rather than the definitive explanation of the band’s formation.
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How the clip differs from the 2023 footage
The 2022 headshot discussion is distinct from a separate release reported in August 2023. That release reportedly included nearly 30 minutes of previously unaired Judges’ Houses footage, showing the already formed group rehearsing and performing together, including a cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You.” Yahoo Entertainment’s report describes that later material. It documents the group after its formation, not the headshot selection sequence.
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