LOS ANGELES – Cheryl Cole's short stint on the US 'X Factor' has wowed critics.
The Geordie beauty was replaced on the show's judging panel by Nicole Scherzinger after just four auditions, but the Pussycat Dolls singer - who was originally co-host of the show alongside Steve Jones - has been slammed as a "downgrade".
Neil Glenzinger of the New York Times said: "The opening episode gives a surprising amount of screen time to Cheryl Cole, a British pop star whom Mr Cowell jettisoned from the panel last spring, in the middle of auditions.
"In the premiere she just kind of disappears midshow, without much explanation, and suddenly Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls is in her chair. It's a downgrade."
Cheryl - who subsequently turned down a place on the UK version of the show - was also praised as "much more interesting" than her replacement.
Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times said: "Cowell has said he replaced Cole because she seemed 'bewildered,' but on a first impression, she is much more interesting than Scherzinger, if only for her fabulous Geordie accent."
However, fellow Brit Steve Jones didn't fare too well with the critics, being described as "utterly irrelevant" and "so far in the background, he might as well be on another network".
Simon Cowell - who is joined on the 'X Factor' judging panel by Nicole, L.A. Reid and Paula Abdul - previously admitted he made the decision to axe Cheryl from the show because she seemed "bewildered" in the US.
He said: "She looked a bit bewildered. You come to a country like America, it's a bit deal, takes a while to adjust. And I took the view, along with a few other people, that she would have been more comfortable back in the UK."
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