The Mad-Dog make it through the fourth Live of X Factor 2026 without facing the showdown. The public vote saves the band from Sassari during Hell Factor, the Thursday, November 12 episode featuring three eliminations. Paola Iezzi’s group thus advances to the fifth Live on Thursday, November 19, dedicated to original songs.
From Club Foot to their Italian-language debut
In the Giostra, Mad-Dog performed Club Foot by Kasabian again—the song with which they had begun their Live journey. The band played with precision during their allotted minute, and the audience could vote for them using code 10. When reading out the partial results, Giorgia included the Sassaresi among the acts who were safe.
In the free-choice round, using code 03, the group combined Elenore by The Turtles with Scende la pioggia by Gianni Morandi, the Italian version of the same song. The transition came at the second chorus, when Renato Marchisio sang in Italian on X Factor for the first time.
The judges praise the band’s tight sound
Jake La Furia praised the performance and liked the new look, too. Irama noted how tight the group’s sound is, while saying this performance had impressed him less than some of their others. Francesco Gabbani recognized the band’s progress and revisited the doubt he had voiced after Rebel Rebel in the third Live, wondering what artistic direction the four members would take.
Paola Iezzi said she was proud of how much they had grown. She explained that she had wanted Renato’s voice to be heard in Italian specifically ahead of the original songs, and found the band’s sound convincing in this language, too.
The public vote saves them for the fourth time
The Hell Factor ranking combined the votes from both rounds. The two acts with the fewest votes were eliminated directly (Scraffs and Manu), while the other two contestants at risk (Le Distanze and Alìa) faced the showdown and, after a tie, went to Tilt.
After 200 seconds, the audience chose the contestant who will perform original songs next week: Le Distanze.
Mad-Dog avoided both verdicts and made it through four consecutive Lives without facing the showdown. On November 19, they will present their original song.