In case you haven’t been following, the newest development on the reality talent show horizon is the curious addition of Nicki Minaj to the American Idol panel.

The move has undoubtedly livened up the show considerably, with Nicki taking over a huge amount of screen time and unleashing her penchant for crazy behavior and kooky contestants. From her very first appearance on the show, it was clear who was in charge. Minaj was the last of the judges to appear, with her trademark flamboyance being spread across TV screens cross America. The move makes it clear that the show’s producers intend to indulge her, in order to boost ratings, and it looks like their move is working.

Will it work in the long run though? At least for a while, probably, but Miss Minaj’s brutal honesty with contestants, and her tendency to favor the, well, the weird ones and her 'feud' with fellow judge Mariah Carey certainly provides a breath of fresh air on Idol, but it can only go so far. Like a lot of its counterparts, notably the X Factor, American Idol has been struggling to boost ratings for the past couple of seasons, and it is becoming increasingly clear that the constant changes to the judging panel aren’t going to cut it. The format is becoming stale and at this point it will take nothing short of a miracle to refresh it. Sadly, even with all her wigs, personalities and stunningly unrealistic accents, Nicki Minaj is no miracle worker.