RECAP: Paula Abdul Says She Sees Ghosts on X-Factor

Simon Cowell's return to American televised singing competitions, The X-Factor, has a lot of people talking and just as many wondering if it's going to be able to find a niche in the increasingly overcrowded marketplace populated by such heavyweights as American Idol and The Voice. The ratings for Wednesday's premiere (12.5 million viewers) were strong but not earth-shattering, as the show lost the number one slot to ABC's Emmy-winning comedy Modern Family, EW.com reports.

Cowell probably made the wisest choice by bringing former-Idol judge Paula Abdul aboard; her zany personality adds a dose of humor and surprise sorely missing from the current Idol panel, and Thursday night's episode was no exception. After contestant Ashley Deckard, 14, revealed on the The X-Factor insisted she could see ghosts, Abdul claimed that she could see them, too. Other highlights from the show included great and not-so-great auditions, leaving viewers to worry that truly spectacular talent is as rare on singing shows as it is an any common karaoke bar.

Stand-outs from the night's auditions included male soprano Jeremiah Pagan, Melanie Amaro, 18, who blew the audience away with "Listen" from the Dreamgirls soundtrack, lady group 2squar’d, Kendra Williams, 32, and the dashing Brendan O’Hara. Caitlin Koch, 21, with her low-tempo rendition of The Supremes' "Stop in the Name of Love" was impressively original, and got good marks from the judges.

The X-Factor will be back on Fox next Wednesday. Check out a video of Amaro's performance: