Adrienne Bailon & Jesse Giddings to Host THE X FACTOR's Pepsi Preshow Live

FOX, Syco and FremantleMedia announced today that actress/singer Adrienne Bailon, who is best known for her work in 3LW and the Cheetah Girls; and Jesse Giddings, a former MuchMusic Canada V.J. and musician, will join THE X FACTOR's "Pepsi PreShow Live" as hosts. Jim Cantiello, formerly of MTV News, will return for his second season as digital correspondent.

The hour-long web-exclusive program streams live every Wednesday, one hour prior to THE X FACTOR's weekly performance shows, at 7:00-8:00 PM ET live/4:00-5:00 PM PT live on thexfactorusa.com, pepsi.com and on The Xtra Factor app. "Pepsi PreShow Live" features interviews with the contestants, the judges, THE X FACTOR production team, reporters and pundits, celebrity guests and, of course, the fans. The first "Pepsi PreShow Live" program for Season Two will stream on a special night, Thursday, Nov. 1 (7:00-8:00 PM ET live/4:00-5:00 PM PT live), and will feature Season One alum Rachel Crow, as well as THE X FACTOR Supervising Producer and Choreographer Brian Friedman and pop culture pundits Jared Eng of JustJared.com and SuChin Pak of MTV fame, among other special guests.

"I feel so honored to be a part of THE X FACTOR family. I am a huge fan of the show and a huge fan of music. I started my career in music as a teen, so I'm excited to be a part of show that discovers great talent…real talent!" said Bailon, of joining "Pepsi PreShow Live."

Added Giddings, "I'm thrilled at the opportunity to host the 'Pepsi PreShow Live' on this season of THE X FACTOR. I've been a fan of the show and Simon Cowell for years. This season promises to be amazing! I can't help but get excited about the possibilities. The contestants are so talented; it'll only make my job easier. I can't wait to bring all the excitement and exclusive access from backstage at THE X FACTOR to the fans online."

"I couldn't be happier to be back on THE X FACTOR team," said Cantiello. "I'm chomping at the bit to ask the judges the burning questions that viewers ask themselves each week. If by the end of Season Two, I haven't made Simon cry during an interview, I will have failed."

This week on THE X FACTOR, the Top 16 will perform live for the first time on a special two-hour-and-seven-minute show Wednesday, Oct. 31 (8:00-10:07 PM live/ PT tape-delayed) on FOX. Hosts Khloé Kardashian Odom and Mario Lopez will take THE X FACTOR stage alongside judges Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato, Britney Spears and L.A. Reid. Then, on Thursday, Nov. 1 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), the Top Finalists will be revealed, and return the following week to face America's vote.

About the "Pepsi Preshow Live" Hosts

Adrienne Bailon first rose to prominence as a member of the '90s all-female group 3LW, which released three studio albums before splitting up in 2006. During the final years of 3LW, Bailon began working on the Disney Channel's telefilm franchise, The Cheetah Girls, about four teenagers who form a girl group. The telefilms' soundtracks have been certified platinum and double-platinum by the RIAA. The group has four CDs that hit No. 1 on the Top Kid Audio chart and one that reached the top spot on the Top Soundtracks chart. Bailon also has appeared in several films, including playing opposite Samuel L. Jackson in 2005's COACH CARTER. Recently, she starred in her own reality series for the Style Network, EMPIRE GIRLS: JULISSA AND ADRIENNE and she is currently working on new music.

Jesse Giddings, who hails from Langley, British Columbia, is revered as one of MuchMusic's respected VJs (2010-2012), having hosted its flagship program, "New.Music.Live." He also is a musician signed to Universal Music Canada. His new EP, "Brighter," is slated for a spring
2013 release. In addition, Giddings is an international model represented by Elite Models and has worked as a model in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Toronto.

Jim Cantiello is a pop culture addict who has worked for years as a producer, writer and correspondent for MTV News. His quick-witted 60-second recaps of popular reality TV shows earned him raves from fans and celebs alike, including Bravo's Andy Cohen and Martha Stewart. In 2011, while covering THE X FACTOR's press junket, Cantiello's fun and fiery questions caught the eye of Simon Cowell, who instantly tapped him to be a digital correspondent for the show's "Pepsi PreShow Live." Prior to that, he developed and piloted a Yahoo web series, "Primetime In No Time," that went on to break Internet records in 2008. Other notable works include 2009's MTV DETOX and DATE NIGHT WITH Martha Stewart, on which he and his producer pal, Brendan Kennedy, wined and dined the domestic goddess on her daytime Hallmark Channel talk show.

About THE X FACTOR

THE X FACTOR was the most social television show of 2011, achieving more than three billion digital impressions and approximately a quarter of a billion YouTube views. THE X FACTOR won a 2012 Cannes Digital Lion for Branded Content and swept the Social TV awards, winning Best TV Show Specific Social TV Award, Best Social TV Integration of Twitter and Best of Show Social TV Award for overall excellence in Social TV.

In 2012, THE X FACTOR continues to break social TV records with the most fan engagement of any series on television and three times the social activity of its genre competitors. Each episode consistently achieves more Twitter trending topics than the competition. The second season premiere of THE X FACTOR shattered the record for a series premiere, garnering 1.4 million social comments, according to Bluefin Labs.

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