When Simon Cowell recruited Britney Spears to judge him on the next season of “The X Factor” many people speculated that Brit Brit would take on a kind of “Paula Abdul” role…being sweet, positive, and encouraging.

However, our sources tell us that Britney is actually more like Simon than Paula. Being “a pretty harsh judge at times” and even “ruthless.” She also found her confidence squaring off against fellow judge L.A. Reid when she thought one particular contestant deserved to get through. I think we’re all looking forward to seeing Brit show a little more grit.