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Before the first season of The X Factor USA aired, Steve Jones and Nicole Scherzinger were set to share the hosting duties for the show. Instead, the show opted to have Steve host the show and make Nicole a judge.

Now, we are hearing reports that the show is contemplating a two host platform. FreemantleMedia North America CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz said, “Simon’s vision was always to have a man and woman host this and to make it feel a little bit like an award ceremony. A glamorous girl and a good-looking guy doing a kind of double act.”

The CEO revealed that the show had a lot of trouble differentiating itself from American Idol. With regard to fellow judge Paula Abdul, Simon felt that his chemistry with her was too reminiscent of Idol. The CEO said, “There was no way around it. In terms of making the show feel different, everyone felt we needed to put it in a different situation.”

Since, we’ve learned that Simon has been thinking of taking on Mariah Carey for a judging position on the show. In addition, there have been talks surrounding adding Janet Jackson to the judge’s table. So who should host? What do you think?

Former host of The X Factor USA, Steve Jones, says that he has no hard feelings toward the show or its creator, Simon Cowell.

It was confirmed last month that Simon wanted to go in another direction and had axed Steve, Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger for the show’s upcoming second season.

When speaking about his termination, he said that he accepted the show’s tough nature and added that he wouldn’t have any reservations about working with Simon again in the future.

He said, “I have no hard feelings whatsoever towards Simon. It’s a tough business and anyone trying to get into it should always keep in mind that it can go tits up in a heartbeat. I’d work with Simon on the moon if given the chance.”

He went on to say that while he was disappointed that he got the axe, he is privilege to have worked on the show in the first place. He added, “I loved working in L.A. The best bit was working, the worst bit was not working. I have made some great American friends and I have learned that America/Los Angeles is wicked.”

Photo Credit: Greg Tidwell / PCN Photos

Things at The X Factor USA have all been shaken up! We’ve learned that Steve Jones, Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul are all out of the show! What is Simon Cowell thinking?!??

We’ve heard rumors at the end of the first season that Steve wasn’t working out for the show…but this is a bit drastic, isn’t it? I mean, Paula Abdul, too?!?

Steve released a statement, confirming his departure. He tweeted last night, “I won’t be hosting next season’s X Factor which is a shame, but I can’t complain as I’ve had a great time. Good luck to everyone on the show.”

Later, it was revealed that Nicole was also asked not to return and that Simon has “given her his blessing.”

Since, it’s been said that Paula had to go, too. Let’s hope that is just a rumor and she will be returning for season two. Fox has yet to comment on the reports of her termination.

What do you think of the news? Can you imagine the show without Steve, Paula or Nicole? The only people who are left are Simon and L.A. Reid. Who will Simon get to host the show now? Should he try for the gold and get Ryan Seacrest? That would be something, wouldn’t it?

Hit the comments with your thoughts on the news!

Update: Paula has released a statement saying that her termination was amicable. I wonder how much they had to pay for that?

There have been some rumblings in the past about whether or not Steve Jones’ contract with The X Factor USA would be renewed.

Back in December, a source said, “The executives at Fox have already decided not to renew his contract and so, short of a miracle happening, it is pretty much a done deal that he will not take part next season.”

Despite that, a spokesperson for The X Factor said, “No discussions have been had and no decisions will be made about any new contracts until the New Year.”

Now, it seems that things might be going south for the host! Simon Cowell said, “I don’t think he did a bad job but, like America’s Got Talent, there is a Brit limit on the show.”

Fox Entertainment chief, Kevin Reilly, previously said, “Whether Steve’s the guy or not, it comes under the heading of growth in general, so there will be some tweaks to the show. Hosting, as we know, it is a much harder job than meets the eye. I think everybody now has come to realize the value of Ryan Seacrest.”

Do you think they should replace Steve Jones? If so, who should replace him? Hit the comments and let us know what you think!

Photo Credit: Greg Tidwell / PCN Photos

Christine Bleakley is said to be replacing The X Factor USA host, Steve Jones. This is not good news, people. We like Steve. We’ve been on the Steve Jones bandwagon ever since his fine self graced the stage and basically told Paula Abdul to STFU.

It’s been already rumored that Steve was fired from the show after hosting only one season, but he has responded to the reports, saying that he would like to come back for season two.

Simon Cowell has reportedly already sought out Steve’s replacement and found it in former Daybreak host Christine Bleakley. She’s in the process of considering a move to the U.S. for the show.

A source revealed, “She gets on very well with Simon and he’s always maintained at some point they will work together. After Dancing On Ice is done and dusted by the spring, there’s nothing keeping her in the U.K. if she wanted to move abroad. The Americans love an Irish presenter and Christine has potential to work very well in the U.S.”

Listen up, Simon. Keep Steve. You want the female audience in the States, don’t you? Do we have to start a petition?

Little did we all know, but Nick Lachey’s wife Vanessa tried out for the hosting gig on season one of The X Factor USA!

The job went to Welsh presenter Steve Jones, but after learning that he might be fired, we’ve found that she actually wanted the job in the first place.

She said, “They went with a British guy. You can’t get more polar opposite, so I am okay with that. Now if the host was a brunette girl in her early thirties, I would be like ‘Wait a minute!’”

Rumors were floating around before the show started that they actually had Nicole Scherzinger hosting, with Cheryl Cole judging. But, the show opted to send Cheryl packing, keep Nicole and make her a judge and get Steve to host.

Do you think Vanessa Lachey would have made a better X Factor host than Steve Jones? Sound off in the comments below and let us know your thoughts! Who do you want to see hosting season two of the show? Would you like to see Steve make a return to the show? Or do you want to see someone new?

We are unsure as to whether or not Steve Jones will be hosting the second season of The X Factor USA, but he talked about what a ride it was for the first season of the talent competition.

When speaking of his job as host of the show, he said, “I was overwhelmed with excitement about doing the job. But I’ll be honest, I’ve been taken aback. It’s been a lot more pressure than I expected, a lot more emotional. I’ve been critiqued to hell and back throughout the press and throughout the entire process of people watching it.”

He revealed, “Maybe I was a little naive; I wasn’t expecting it to be so black-and-white. Half the people hate what I’m doing and half the people love what I’m doing. I suppose that’s kind of what you want. But I wanna be liked by people, so it can be a little bit upsetting when people say hurtful things. If you can’t handle it, go home and hide under your bed.”

He said, “I can’t even expect to see myself on the show just yet. I haven’t had that conversation. Hopefully I’m involved in the second season! I’ve had a whale of a time doing the first season. But I’m sure we’ll look at the first season as a gigantic pilot that’ll become more refined. We’ll know exactly what we want to get across in the second season, we’ll go in there with a clear view of what we need to do.”

What do you think? Should Simon Cowell sign Steve Jones on for the second season of The X Factor USA?

Rumor has it that Steve Jones might just be hosting The X Factor USA for only one season! Oh noes! We’re fans of Steve at the Earsucker headquarters, so we don’t like the thought of them replacing him. Ugh.

The first season of the show ends on Thursday, when America crowns its first X Factor champion and winner of a five million dollar recording contract. According to a source close to the situation, Steve has been fired from the show.

An insider said that only a miracle would keep Steve on the show and he’s said to be devastated over the decision. A source said, “Steve keeps saying that living in L.A. is a dream come true. He loves the weather and the women, and he loves working on X Factor – it’s just a shame that the U.S. public has not warmed to him. He got terrible reviews from critics when he started and things haven’t go better. There have been mistakes and he just doesn’t seem to have the knack for dealing with contestants.”

The source said, “The executives at Fox have already decided not to renew his contract and so, short of a miracle happening, it is pretty much a done deal that he will not take part next season.”

But — there is still hope! An X Factor spokesperson said, “No discussions have been had and no decisions will be made about any new contracts until the New Year.”

Of the rumors and speculation, Steve said, “You can’t second guess the Dark Lord, you really can’t! But, you know, I’m happy with the way I performed over the course of the series, and hopefully Simon Cowell is as well. It’s difficult to gauge Simon because he only ever approaches you and talks to you when you’ve done anything wrong.”

What do you think of the reports? Do you want to see Steve Jones back for season two of The X Factor? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!

Photo Credit: Fallen Star, PacificCoastNews.com

The X Factor USA host Steve Jones blames his rude manners on screaming producers of the hit show.

He jokes that during his hosting duties, he gets yelled at by show bosses to shut up judge Paula Abdul.

In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, he said, “I’m wearing an earpiece and there’s about five people screaming, ‘Shut Paula up. Shut her up now. Move on.’ I’m going to have hearing damage in this ear by the end of the series.”

He went on to say, “I feel terrible because I feel on occasions I’m coming across as rude and abrupt and that’s really not me. I cherish every word that comes out of Paula.”

He also went on to joke that he wishes Paula had an “off button”. Ha. We all know how she can go on and on and on, but he has come off as a bit rude. He added, “She just talks and talks and talks. Doesn’t she? Where is the off button on this woman? Off, next please. You know?”

Too funny. Sometimes I wonder if she does have an off button….but we know she doesn’t. Even though she no longer has any groups to mentor, she does lavish praise on a lot of the remaining acts.

What do you think?

Photo Credit: Fame Pictures

In case you missed it, on last week’s double elimination episode of The X Factor USA, America sent home both LeRoy Bell and country group Lakoda Rayne. During the group’s elimination, host Steve Jones said, “The dream is over”. Apparently that didn’t sit well with the all girl group that was formed during Boot Camp.

After the show’s elimination, the girl group spoke with The Hollywood Reporter and told them that they were offended by Steve’s comment. Paige Elizabeth said, “I took what Steve said a little bit personally, I found it offensive.”

She went on to say, “The dream is over? That was inappropriate. You don’t say stuff like that. That’s why I like ninja-gripped the microphone.”

WATCH:

The group’s mentor, Paula Abdul, added, “I couldn’t believe he said that, but I’ve explained to these girls as I’ve worked with them that it’s a TV show and people say the right things at times. Maybe it was scripted and someone who wrote it didn’t realize. It’s a hard job what he does and I think Steve realized a dream isn’t over.”

What do you think? Were you a fan of Lakoda Rayne? Sound off in the comments and let us know what you think!

The dapper host of the U.S. version of The X Factor, Steve Jones, admitted that he has a crush on former contestant Caitlin Koch!

First off, we HAVE to ask…Why did Simon Cowell decide NOT to put Caitlin through to the top 17?!? Is he deaf? This girl has an amazing voice. We thought for sure that she would be going to the live shows. But, alas, instead he chose Rachel Crow. We liked Rachel, but we thought that Caitlin had more talent. Did you?

Either way, one person’s going to miss Caitlin — and that’s the show’s host, Steve Jones. Apparently he had a bit of a crush on her. In an interview earlier today, he admitted his crush.

He revealed that Caitlin was his favorite contestant on the show and he was just as surprised as the rest of us that she didn’t make it through. He said, “She’s very talented and a little bit pretty. I do kind of miss looking at her. And she’s got that rugby thing going on. She’s rough and tumble.”

The interviewer went on to ask Steve if he’s going to ask her out, to which, he replied, “She’s got a boyfriend. I’ll wait until the end of the season. Then I’ll make the call.”

He added that he’s “really, really single.”

Ladies, the line starts here!

[But seriously, what was Simon thinking?]

Photo Credit: Fame Pictures