Demi Lovato Says 'The X Factor' Is 'Like a Bachelorette Party' with New Judges

"Basically, if you're a male with at least one leg, you've got a really good chance," Simon Cowell says of the new panel

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Photo: Mike Pont/Getty

Good looking guys may have an advantage at auditions for season 3 of The X Factor.

“Basically, if you’re a male with at least one leg, you’ve got a really good chance of going through with these three,” Simon Cowell says of his new panel, which includes returning judge Demi Lovato and new additions Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio.

Cowell’s female costars looked friendly and united on stage, taking photos together and chatting when the cameras stopped rolling during auditions at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., on Thursday.

“It’s a lot of fun being on a panel with two other women,” Lovato, 20, says. “It’s kind of like a bachelorette party when there’s a cute guy that walks on stage. We’re all on one side like, ‘He’s so cute!’ and [Simon]’s [has] his arms crossed all mad and jealous.”

Case in point: the women banded together behind the first performer of the day, an attractive personal trainer who sang Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” Cowell found the performance lackluster but the women were thrilled with the contestant, ogling him before and after his song and even asking to see his abs.

“We’re having so much fun,” says Rubio, 42, who’s been affectionately nicknamed “Pau Pau” by Lovato. “And on top of everything else, we’re discovering great talent.”

Jokes and disagreements aside, Cowell is happy with The X Factor‘s new vibe. “These shows have lacked warmth, focus. It’s become about judges arguing and this and that,” he said. “Where these girls can be fantastic is when they are totally focused on the contestant. So we’re in a different world right now – this has been a good thing.”

Still, some things never change: “It’s three women up here and we re supposed to be the divas,” Rowland, 32, says, “but [Simon] is a diva.”

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