histrionics stephenie: Britney Spears 'X Factor' Deal: By The Numbers

We look at Britney's $15 million deal and what that kind of reality TV money can buy.
By Gil Kaufman

Britney Spears
Photo: Splash News Online

$15 million. Sure, on the surface that number seems pretty gaudy, especially when you consider it's for one season  of work on a reality TV show that will add up to maybe one month's work in total for Britney Spears.

But we're talking Britney here and when you aim to reel in the big fish you have to use a really big worm. That might explain why Simon Cowell has gone all-in to get Spears to join him and L.A. Reid on the panel of "Factor" this fall. Spears had been rumored for the gig for months, but considering the low profile she's kept since her string of personal problems several years ago — which included a nearly-total retreat from interviews and unscripted public appearances — the idea of Britney agreeing to appear on live TV twice a week seemed remote.

Cowell typically gets what he wants, though, and now the world is going to see more of Britney than we have since her late 1990s heyday. What does that $15 mil buy you? We break it down ... by the numbers:

$12 million: That's the figure that Jennifer Lopez reportedly earns for her gig on "American Idol." We're not exactly sure what fellow former "Mickey Mouse Club" veteran Christina Aguilera makes for each season of "The Voice," but she reportedly banks $225,000 per episode, which could add up to nearly $10 million a season.

10,721: The approximate number of copies of Spears' Circus album that you could buy with $15 large.

15: The number of Paula Abdul's you could pay for one season of "X Factor" for the price of one Britney Spears.

$131.8 million: Total grosses for Britney's 2009 "The Circus" tour.

$1.5 billion: Total global grosses for Spears' various fragrances, which have sold more than one million bottles in five years.

15: Number of high-end music videos you could make based on the $1 million price tag of Britney's 2004 clip for "Toxic."

750: That's how many $20,000 bras you could buy based on the reported cost of the super high-end 18K gold brassiere Spears wore in her Twister Dance promo.

3: The number of "X Factor" winners who could get paid with Britney's salary for one year.

$485 million: What would be left over after you subtracted Britney's paycheck from what Beyoncé was allegedly offered to join "X Factor."

1: Reality performance shows Spears has appeared on if you count her time on "Star Search" when she was 10.

0: Minutes Spears has spent being a judge on previous reality shows.

18: Years it's been since Britney was a regular on a TV program ("The New Mickey Mouse Club").

13.3: The then-record-setting number of viewers who tuned in to watch a Britney cameo on "Glee" in 2010. (That figure was shattered last year by the post-Super Bowl  figure of 26.8 million for a Michael Jackson-themed show.)

Are you excited about Britney joining "X Factor"? Let us know in comments below.

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