The X Factor judges are currently touring the country to find the best contestants for the premiere season. Entertainment Weekly sat in on a taping in New Jersey and shared details concerning what to expect when the show debuts on TV!

Here are a couple aspects from their report:

4. A lot of deciding votes. Contestants need a “yes” from three of the four judges to move on, and it comes down to the last judge casting his or her vote in the rotation quite often. All four judges can be tough, but it seems like Nicole Scherzinger, whose first day on the panel was Wednesday, was the most likely to vote “yes” if she was on the fence. Paula Abdul was next, then L.A. Reid, who, as my colleague Dave Karger pointed out when he attended the very first X Factor taping, definitely gives Cowell a run for the title of harshest judge.

5. Nicole tends to coddle the lost causes. Nicole is like Paula in that she will try to say something positive if at all possible. But unlike Paula, she hasn’t yet learned how ridiculous you look giving real advice to someone who will, sadly, never be more than a joke. During one critique, Paula actually hugged Nicole because it was obvious Nicole was going out of her way (and mind) to take someone seriously. I think Simon may also have laughed at her at one point. To Nicole’s credit, she reined it in, and found a way to be respectful and succinct. She’s clearly the fourth judge, but she’s got promise. We only saw one contestant flirt with her. Let’s hope that’s representative of other cities and her sex appeal doesn’t become a focus of the show. When the season ends, I want to remember something she said, not a contestant kissing her or how she shook her fringe-covered bottom.

Read more from their visit at this link!