Inside the screen tests for the next 'View' Co-host
The quest to find the new co-hosts of The View is officially in full swing—and Entertainment Tonight has all the exclusive details!
Nine potential hosts were selected to participate in chemistry tests for the new panel of The View, and we've got the list of ladies who are in the running to join Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O'Donnell on the hit ABC series. And it's already clear that CNN's Sunny Hostin is one of the obvious front-runners for the new mix.
The chemistry test, which was shot in front of 50 audience members on the set of The Chew in New York on Thursday morning, challenged the ladies to debate alongside Rosie and Whoppi in a wide array of hot-button topics. Although the discussions were rigorous, this helped weed out the opinionated from the meek, and showed who shined best on camera.
The resumes from this select group of women feature a wide range of hosting experiences, from, CNN and ESPN to Bloomberg and even a communications chief for a former President of the United States. Keep reading for the full list of The View's top contenders.
RELATED: Rosie O'Donnell Officially Returns to 'The View'
Sunny Hostin, CNN: Contributing legal analyst for CNN and Headline News. Prior to CNN, she appeared on The O’Reilly Factor for a weekly segment called "Is It Legal?". She is currently the front-runner and has already negotiated with CNN to be able to do both their programming and The View.
October Gonzalez: Married to Tony Gonzalez, who played in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Falcons. She married the football superstar in 2007 and the couple have two children, Malia and River.
Lauren Sanchez, Good Day LA: Entertainment journalist and co-host of Good Day LA who was also linked to Tony Gonzalez—the two have a daughter named Nikko. She was previously in the finals to join The View in 1999 but that position was given to Lisa Ling. Sanchez went on to host the first season of So You Think You Can Dance.
WATCH: Elisabeth Hasselbeck Trashes Rosie O'Donnell's Return to 'The View'
Ana Navarro, CNN: Politicial contributor at CNN and CNN en Espanol. Born in Nicaragua, she has worked on several Republican candidates' campaigns, including John McCain.
S.E. Cupp, CNN: Conservative political commentator and panelist on CNN's Crossfire. During the screen test, she and Whoopi got in a heated battle over abortion, and both strongly held their ground.
Stephanie Ruhle, Bloomberg: Anchor and managing editor for Bloomberg Television, she also co-hosts Market Makers where she has profiled everyone from hedge fun managers to Al Gore to Kanye West.
WATCH: Nene Leakes on Rosie's Rumored Reality Star Ban on 'The View'
Jemele Hill, ESPN: Columnist for ESPN.com for 8 years and makes frequent appearances on SportsCenter as well as other ESPN shows. She's never been one to shy away from controversy and has frequently come under fire for her extreme stances.
Sage Steele, ESPN: Steele is an ESPN anchor who hosts the NBA Countdown on ESPN and ABC. She was also a co-host for SportsCenter.
Nicolle Wallace, MSNBC: Wallace is the best-selling author of Eighteen Acres, a fictional series following the first female president. She also served as the communications chief during George W. Bush's presidency, and was a senior adviser for the McCain-Palin campaign.Wallace seemed to snag most of the camera time during Thursday's chemistry test.
UPDATE:
Kayleigh McEnany, a conservative commentator who has appeared as a co-host on CNN's The Point, also took part in The View's chemistry test. McEnany, guest-hosted The View on Monday where she got into a heated debate on the issue of gun control.
What do you think of the new View contenders? Join the conversation on Twitter using our hashtag #ETnow to tell us your thoughts!