The race for the much-coveted co-hosting spots on FOX’s The X Factor is heating up. And while we’ve heard many names in contention for the job, a few of them have seemed to rise into actual contention.
Glee star Kevin McHale, rock daughter Kelly Osbourne and now Keeping Up With the Kardashians star Khloe Kardashian.
Kardashian, 28, has been reportedly in the running for a while now and she has expressed a desire to take on the job. But, sources tell Us Weekly that she’s a frontrunner.
What are Khloe’s chances for the co-hosting gig?
“Simon liked her spunky personality!” a show source tells the magazine.
Another source close to Kardashian adds, “It’s not 100 percent contractually done, but it’s looking good!”
A FOX spokesperson and Kardashian’s rep had no comment to Celebuzz on the reports that she’s in the running. Yet, Kardashian would fit the criteria The X Factor executive producer and judge Simon Cowell described in a press call earlier this week.
“My gut feeling is we’ll probably go with a boy and a girl who haven’t had any hosting experience, because I think that might make it more interesting,” he said, confirming that he’s looking for two people to fill the role formerly held by British personality Steve Jones on Season 1.
Cowell said that a decision will be made this week after screening many candidates. Though he didn’t give any actual names for those in contention, he said the show has looked at “quite a few people — people who are hosts, people who are actors.”
Why does he think the show needs two hosts going forward? “There is so much talking on these shows now,” Cowell said.
“We’ve worked out — it’s something like 11 or 12 minutes over a two-hour show. It’s just too boring, as Ryan [Seacrest] demonstrated, for one person just to say everything,” he continued with a jab to his former American Idol colleague. “I think you’ve got to mix it up a little bit… and then you’ve got to find people with good chemistry as well. I kind of know what we’re looking for, but that’s why we’ve screen-tested some people.”
Cowell fired host Jones and judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger last January after Season 1’s average of 12 million viewers fell short of expectations. Pop stars Britney Spears and Demi Lovato officially joined judges Cowell and record producer L.A. Reid in May.
The X Factor debuts its second season on Wednesday at 8 PM on FOX.
Do you want to see Khloe with one of the co-hosting spots? Tell us in the comments section below.
