
Steve Jones and Nicole Scherzinger will be the hosts of Simon Cowell’s The X Factor, Fox’s U.S. version of Cowell’s Brit hit, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Who? Thirty-four-year-old Jones is largely unknown to Americans, but he’s apparently big overseas, where he hosts live TV shows like As Seen on TV, a BBC celebrity panel quiz show. Thirty-two-year-old Scherzinger is, of course, a former member of the esteemed girl group the Pussycat Dolls. Scherzinger was expected to join the show, but Jones comes as a bit of a surprise. High School Musical’s Corbin Bleu was originally expected to nab Jones’s seat, “but his chemistry with Scherzinger was not especially strong,” according to the Reporter. The hosts join previously announced judges Cowell, Cheryl Cole, and “L.A” Reid. And yet, the fate of Paula Abdul, who is currently negotiating to join the judges’ panel, is still unclear, in many ways. [Live Feed/HR]