X Factor's Paula Abdul: I Didn't Encourage Nicole Scherzinger to Eliminate Rachel Crow
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Is there a scandal brewing on The X Factor set?
Thirteen-year-old Rachel Crow was given the boot on Thursday's shocking results show, and as the teen standout reels from her early exit, judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul are feeling the heat from outraged fans.
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"[Rachel's elimination] was worse than a travesty," Crow's X Factor mentor, Simon Cowell, told Jimmy Kimmel in a Monday appearance alongside Scherzinger, Abdul and L.A. Reid.
Though it was Scherzinger who created a voting deadlock when she booted Crow over Marcus Canty, her colleague Abdul has faced criticism for elimination-related comments of her own that she says were taken out of context.
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On Monday, TMZ released a video clip in which Abdul can be clearly heard whispering to Scherzinger "Just let it go to a deadlock," but the judge now says she didn't implicitly instruct her colleague to vote off the teen.
"That's how they interpreted it," Abdul told Kimmel of TMZ's spin on the video footage. "I adore [Nicole] and know what she was feeling like [having to send someone home.]"
"In the moment and under pressure, it's not as easy to say 'you're going home.' I own the decision I made right then," Scherzinger countered.
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While fans may feel otherwise, Crow herself harbors no ill will toward either judge. "It's nobody's fault," she said Thursday. "It's just what God had in store for me and it'll be okay."
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I truly belive Nicole ha(d) her own agenda that bit her in the back. Obviously she was unable for whatever reason to vote against ANYTHING THAT WAS "TEAM L.A.REID". But even in going to deadlock, I don't think anyone, not even Marcus, thought by going to deadlock, Rachel would have the lowest votes & be sent home. There's more to it than we'll ever know. The fact that viewers can vote more than once stinks meaning the vote counts aren't real. So Nicole learned that by going to deadlock (avoiding) the backlash of the illusion that L.A Reid has any real power in this business has proven you can't risk an Artist's life assuming they'll have the highest public votes when going to deadlock. Someone please, tell me HOW DID RACHEL WIND UP IN THE BOTTOM 3? Well she's better off not being deadlocked in that five million dollar deal. They would have owned her! So yes, in many ways, this was God's will - hurtul & painful & as cruel as last thursday night was, in the long run will be the best thing that could happen for Rachel. Remember Greg Brent, these shows are REALITY TV & THE CONTESTENTS ARE SUBJECTED TO TREMENDOUS ABUSE. Thanks for supporting Rachel but try not to spend your energy hating cause aside from Simon trying to find a platform for talent on tv & cable, it's all BS. x
I like Nicole but she doesn't do her job as a judge well at all, you are the judge, you get paid to make hard decisions, you have to learn to make up your mind Nicole
Send Nicole Scherzinger home. No save. No deadlock. Adios to an incompetent judge and an incompetent mentor. I realize this is all television theater to try to spur controversy and increase viewership and ratings and it played out like a very lousy movie (with horrible acting performances). People upset should boycott the show and everything Nicole Scherzinger does ( CDs and concerts and TV shows). She should be X'ed.