Cheryl Cole's appearance on The X Factor USA has received a largely positive reaction from critics as the show made its debut. The former X Factor UK judge was shown in the first hour of the Fox reality singing competition's series premiere. Cole was permanently replaced by Nicole Scherzinger after the Los Angeles auditions.
Cole was impressed by the first contestant, 13-year-old Rachel Crow, saying: "You had me before you even sang, and then when you sang, I was like 'Oh my God, we've found ourselves a little star!'"
She also had praise for 42-year-old single mother Stacy Francis, telling her: "I was completely and utterly blown away with every single word you sang, and I could feel the whole room was willing you to win... and you just won. You're amazing."
Cole was also seen rebuking auditionee Miranda Singleton - who said that she wanted to be "the next Madonna" - when she remonstrated with Simon Cowell following negative comments from the music mogul.
The Girls Aloud singer told the 30-year-old: "You have a really bad attitude."Cole's appearance was warmly received by the New York Times, whose review said: "In the premiere [Cole] just kind of disappears mid show, without much explanation, and suddenly Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls is in her chair.
"It's a downgrade. Ms Cole showed glimmers of being interesting; in two seasons as a judge on The Sing-Off on NBC, Ms Scherzinger was a pretty face but, judicially speaking, not much more than a seat warmer."