Cheryl Cole is critics X Factor favourite

Simon Cowell dropped Cole, 28, from the judge's panel just a few days into filming for the talent show. But after watching the series premier last night, which featured both Cheryl and Nicole, critics decided that they much preferred the former.

Talking about Cole's unexplained disappearance after the auditions in LA and Chicago, the New York Times said, 'She 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.'

The Chicago Tribune echoed the sentiment, stating simply, 'Scherzinger doesn't come off as an obvious improvement.'

The LA Times agreed, 'She is much more interesting than Scherzinger, if only for her fabulous Geordie accent.'

Meanwhile, an insider told The Mirror that Cowell may have made a boo-boo.

'They tried to make Cheryl come across as a smiling dummy, but it has backfired and people love her,' said the source.

'Simon is not going to be happy with the initial reviews because Nicole is being knocked and Cheryl has only praise. Maybe he made a bad call which could affect the success of the show long-term.'