some Idol chaos

This year, on American Idol they've introduced a fourth judge. And I happen to love her. Kara DioGuardi brings a lot to the judge's table with her real knowledge of music, star quality, and her ability to recognize a talented person when she sees him or her. She's also gorgeous (and she reminds me of one of our favorite bloggers, Nina).

Over the past few weeks, as the end of the show gets closer, the judges have less and less time to give their critiques. It takes a good bit longer for four judges to state their opinion, so the producers were rushing them along when it came time to critique the last two or three contestants.

Last night, Ryan said that the judges would be working in teams of two; Randy and Kara would critique one contestant then Paula and Simon would critique the next. And they would rotate. Personally, I don't like this method because I always want to know what Simon has to say. Honestly, I think everyone except Paula always has something constructive and valid to say. I'm also tired of Paula rolling her eyes every time Kara speaks. She seems a little territorial.

I personally like American Idol better with three judges-- I just think that Paula should be the one to take a hike.

I want to know what you think. Are there too many judges? Did you like the way they set it up last night? Are Nina and I the only ones that like Kara?