We all know the familiar story of the has-been—too many canceled shows, a sex scandal gone awry, a drug addiction they couldn’t kick, or the rut of being typecast. See how this humble bunch triumphed over career adversity and got a second chance at stardom.

The long-standing British hit The X Factor finally made its way to American shores in the fall of 2011, onto Fox, and since then hasn’t looked back! A talented group of judges has helped narrow the contestant pool down to the final competitors over the years. Now, find out what these award-winning judges were doing before they were plucking stars from obscurity, and check out the pre-fame photos of The X Factor hosts who now command the stage each week.