Simon Cowell has been on the reality TV circuit for quite some time now. In all of that time, the man has become known for his biting criticism's along with his witticisms, but he's never actually been known for getting super angry or violent around contestants. Until this week, when he punched an X Factor contestant in the face. The good news? The whole thing was totally an accident and not the result of a brief moment of insanity . You can check out the bizarre TV moment, below.
The X Factor was recently narrowing the crews down to the final numbers. Simon Cowell had six members in that group, and went in to huge them all. It can be hard to get six people into one giant hug and Simon Cowell messed this one up royally. In fact, he actually punched 18-year-old contestant Caitlyn VanBeck in the face when she tried to get into the action. I don't know exactly why Simon Cowell put his hand in a fist as he was going in for a big bear hug, but it totally rammed right into VanBeck's face and it was painful looking.
Backstage, everyone was hanging out and Caitlyn VanBeck was even teased when she couldn't seem to force any words out of her mouth related to what happened. She later joked that she might press charges, but clearly the whole thing was a total accident. In fact, in the footage from the show, it looks more like Caitlyn Vanbeck wasn't paying attention and walked straight into Simon Cowell's fist. Still not a good look for Simon Cowell, but intention is almost everything in this particular example. In slow motion, it's such a gnarly punch to the face, though.
Kudos to The X Factor contestant for taking that shot to the jaw like a champ. She didn't let the blow get to her, at all, as she still went in for the hug as it was being offered. Hey, when you get the chance to hug Simon Cowell, you take it.
The X Factor is currently airing its 13th season in the U.K and features Simon Cowell as a judge and mentor, alongside Nicole Scherzinger, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh. New episodes air there on Saturdays at 8 p.m. Since it will be a while before American audiences get to catch Simon Cowell back in action on America's Got Talent, you can see what else TV has to offer with our fall TV premiere schedule.
