Bar Refaeli Flirts With Simon Cowell In Israeli ‘X-Factor’ Spot

Bar Refaeli is turning up the heat with Simon Cowell.

The Israeli model was featured in a clip for Israel’s version of X-Factor, showing her driving up to Cowell in a sports car to flirt with him and introduce him to the judges of the show. Bar Refaeli will be serving as emcee for the show, which features musicians Ivri Lider, Shiri Maimon, Rami Fortis, and Moshe Peretz.

“Bar, I think you’ve got yourself a panel,” Cowell says to the supermodel, who thanks Cowell and then takes his car keys and his approval for the show.

The spot ends with a slogan that reads: “The real thing is coming to Israel.”

X-Factor is getting a lot of buzz in Israel. The show, which premieres on channel 2 network Reshet Broadcasting, caused rival Keshet Broadcasting to get rid of its own singing competition, Kochav Nolad. The rival announced a new hybrid singing show called Rising Star to compete with X-Factor.

The Israeli version of the show will continue in what’s proven to be a very successful franchise. In the UK X-Factor has been on the air for 10 seasons, and in the US the popular iteration of the show will continue this fall. Cowell is set to join the show’s three judges — Demi Lovato, Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio — when the American show premieres on September 11.

Bar Refaeli has also made headlines for a few other racy encounters this year. During the Super Bowl she had the most talked about television spot, an ad for Go Daddy that saw her locking lips with “nerd” Jesse Heiman.

Later in the year, she posted a picture on Instagram showing her kissing girl friend Oma Elovitch.

“B & O standing on the grass and k.i.s.s.i.n.g.” she wrote.

Bar Refaeli will receive a reported $220,000 per season as emcee of X-Factor Israel.