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Steve Jones And Nicole Scherzinger Fired From X Factor

March 7, 2012 by · Comments Off on Steve Jones And Nicole Scherzinger Fired From X Factor 

Steve Jones And Nicole Scherzinger Fired From X Factor, The X Factor news came fast and furious on Monday night — first, that host Steve Jones would not be returning, then that judge Nicole Scherzinger was exiting (both confirmed by Fox) and finally, according to sources, that Paula Abdul also would be shown the door. Now The Hollywood Reporter has learned that all of these major show decisions are coming from one key confab held in the U.K.

According to a show insider, a series of X Factor season 2 offsite meetings are taking place wherein show creator Simon Cowell has assembled his team and creative brain-trust for a post-mortem. The purpose: detailing what went wrong and what was done right on season 1 of the Fox singing competition.

Among the brash verdicts, says THR’s source: that Abdul’s role was seen as “irrelevant to the mix,” in part through no fault of her own (as mentor to the groups, her contestants were picked off early in the competition).

Still, Abdul was not without her controversies on the show. Many blamed her for the dismissal of season 1 favorite Rachel Crow, precipitated by advice Abdul gave to Scherzinger to let the decision be made by the public vote. America then sent the 13-year-old packing.

As for Jones and Scherzinger, another show insider says the X Factor host was notified by a show producer around 7:30pm Eastern on Monday evening that his option was not being picked up. (Cowell did not call Jones personally to deliver the news.) Soon after, Scherzinger was informed that her contract also would not be renewed.

On the show, both had weathered their share of viewer criticism; Scherzinger even received death threats after she and Abdul voted to send finalist Drew Ryniewicz home. Jones’ handling of contestant eliminations, which some deemed insensitive, also came under fire as unscripted reactions became increasingly emotional.

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