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Nicole Scherzinger’s incredibly awkward interview on The Project

Nicole Scherzinger did not seem amused as The Project panel hit her with cringeworthy jokes about her dance moves and “boobies”.

Bella Fowler
3 min read
March 5, 2020 - 8:03AM
Nicole Scherzinger's awkward Project interview (Ten)

Nicole Scherzinger made a rather uncomfortable appearance on The Project on Wednesday night, hitting the panellists with not one, but two, one word answers.

The star joined the panel to discuss The Pussycat Dolls’ recent reunion and new single React, which comes complete with steamy film clip, but the chat quickly derailed with the star giving off a frosty vibe.

RELATED: Lizzo sends The Project panel into a spin

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Nicole Scherzinger did not look impressed by some of the questions thrown her way. Picture: Channel 10.
Nicole Scherzinger did not look impressed by some of the questions thrown her way. Picture: Channel 10.

While the interview started off well, it was a question by Tommy Little that seemed to drive the segment downhill.

Asking the singer about one of her particularly raunchy dance moves, which she dubbed “the human teepee”, comedian Tommy didn’t waste time in proving he, too, had tried it and “nailed it”.

The program then aired footage of Little having a crack at the move, which Scherzinger watched uncomfortably.

“We have seen enough now,” Tommy eventually said, adding: “Is that a move you do once for the video and never again? Will you have to do that in live performances?”

Tommy Little showed his dance moves in a pre-recorded bit.
Tommy Little showed his dance moves in a pre-recorded bit.
Nicole did not seem amused.
Nicole did not seem amused.

“No,” Scherzinger responded with a giggle.

Tommy, referring back to the previous clip of him dancing, then added: “I didn’t know anyone was filming me, that was my alternative to having no toilet paper!,” prompting a confused reaction from the star.

Moving the conversation along, Waleed Aly then asked the singer about her tour.

“So you are touring next month and there are a bunch of other artists, (including) Steps. When you are backstage, do you fight over who wore the best crop tops and low rise jeans?,” he posed.

“No,” Scherzinger answered bluntly to the bizarre question.

“I will move on,” Waleed responded awkwardly.

But the worst was yet to come, with Carrie Bickmore, attempting to lift the mood, pressing Waleed to ask about the misheard lyric in popular track When I Grow Up.

“Now, until ten minutes ago, I thought the last line of that chorus was, “I want to have boobies,” Waleed asked reluctantly.

“It is groupies, but we’re doing this (miming dance move framing her chest) while we sing it (so) a lot of the fans think we are saying boobies,” Nicole answered.

At one point, Carrie Bickmore pushed Waleed Aly to asked about Nicole’s lyrics in an awkward back-and-forth. Picture: Channel 10.
At one point, Carrie Bickmore pushed Waleed Aly to asked about Nicole’s lyrics in an awkward back-and-forth. Picture: Channel 10.

Tommy then joked that Waleed had planned to ask Nicole “if she’s grown up and got her boobies.”

“Have I?,” Nicole asked.

After managing to steer the interview back on track, Nicole briefly discussed The Pussycat Dolls’ infamous X Factor UK performance, which prompted an internet meltdown as it was dubbed much too sexy for prime time TV.

But, rounding out the clumsy segment, she was cut off by the closing credit music.

“Did you know the fire that you are about to ignite with this performance?,” she was asked.

“No. We didn’t. We heard that we got a lot of complaints. Those costumes, we put that together in three days and those outfits were a bit provocative, but we are women now and like literally as we say, (our bums) were hanging out and it takes courage to be that, you know it is vulnerable wearing as much as that, it takes a lot of courage to do it and we always do everything with confidence with the intent of empowering others and all of our women out there and anyone who feels they relate to us,” she said, her longest response of the interview.

Nicole Scherzinger didn't seem too happy on The Project.
Nicole Scherzinger didn't seem too happy on The Project.

She continued: “If you watch us, we dance with heart, we dance like warriors, we come from a real place of power,” but the programs credit music cut her off.

“Does that mean we are going to something else?,” the singer asked.

Over on Twitter, viewers were not impressed by the messy segment:

“Tbh I like The Project but their music interviews are rarely good … Lizzo’s was great. Maggie Rogers’ jumps to mind as an example of a v poor one,” one follower said, pointing back to Tommy’s infamous question for the US singer about “what Pharrell Williams smelt like” last year.

Another listed the “reductive” questions asked throughout tonight’s interview: “‘Do you fight over boob tubes?’ ‘Aha I thought it said boobies!’, ‘Did you know your performance would have so many people complaining’,” they said.

Over on The Project’s Facebook page, the comments were similar: “Embarrassingly woeful interview. Nicole did well to get through this without punching somebody!” wrote one viewer.

“What a cringe interview, she definitely did not want to be there,” said another.

“This Interview is so bad! She seems so uncomfortable! And their qs and jokes are so distasteful,” wrote another.

The Pussycat Dolls are reuniting and Nicole Scherzinger stopped by the desk to reveal what we can expect from the So Pop...

Posted by The Project on Wednesday, 4 March 2020

The Project airs Sunday – Friday from 7.30pm on Channel 10.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/nicole-scherzingers-incredibly-awkward-interview-on-the-project/news-story/5059ff13d1c5dd1296765f7abc9a1ceb