While it’s still unclear how the audiences will react to American Idol‘s new casting addition, one important question was recently answered. Prior to this season, contestants hoping to move on through the audition phase simply needed to get two out of three votes. But now that we have four judges, what does this mean for Idol hopefuls?

Well, when Simon Cowell said he planned on having more input this year—he apparently wasn’t kidding. In the event of any future ties, Cowell will be the one granted the deciding vote.

How do you feel about this development? Will Simon’s opinions prevent possible winners from reaching the finals? Or are his assessments usually spot on anyway?

(You can find all the American Idol 8 posts here.)