Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger Bounced From "X Factor"
If you were a fan of this season’s X Factor, don’t get too set on your favorite judges.
The Hollywood Reporter announced that judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul, along with host Steve Jones, have been eliminated. Show insiders have said that Simon Cowell, the show’s founder and figurehead, convened a staff meeting to determine what worked and what didn’t for Season 1. Guess we know now what didn’t.
As THR reports, “While The X Factor's inaugural bow had numbers comparable to that of NBC's The Voice, X Factor was seen as a disappointment while The Voice was deemed a success. In a way, Cowell could only blame himself—he was the one who set the bar extraordinarily high, telling THR…that he was anticipating a viewership of 20 million.” Average viewership for each episode was between 11 and 12 million people. L.A. Reid, the show’s third and now senior judge, has not been told to pack his bags…for now.
Abdul confirmed the dismissal and, in a statement, took the high road. "Simon is, and will remain, a dear friend of mine and I’ve treasured my experience working this past season with my extended family at Fox and [production company] Fremantle. I want nothing more than for The X Factor to exceed ALL of their wildest dreams. This truly has been a blessing and I am most grateful."
This might actually be a good thing for Abdul and Scherzinger. Both judges were frequent targets of viewer criticism, with the latter even receiving death threats surrounding the dismissal of 14-year-old Drew Ryniewicz. Maybe it’s time to go back to The Sing-Off, Nikki.
21m
22m
2m
21m
21m
21m
21m
21m
20m
21m
21m
1m
21m
4m
2m
2m
59m
22m
8m
1m
4m
1m
1m
1m
1m
1m
41s
54s
2m
2m
1m
1m
1m
2m
2m
2m
9m
16m
8m
22m
9m
30s
20m
48m
1m
49m
21m
10m
1m
5m