Simon Cowell has taken a swipe at The Voice.

The TV mogul is currently judging hopeful singers for the second series of The X Factor in the US and told one contestant they would be better off auditioning for rival show The Voice - where the judges don't see what contestants look like before they pick them.

After the singer's audition, fellow panelist L.A. Reid told them, "If you decide to try out again, please do it on another show."

"Yes, the good news is I hear The Voice auditions are happening next week," Simon added.

This is not the first time Simon has blasted the rival show, having previously said he thought it would be better as a radio show: "That show [The Voice] puzzles me because it starts off and 'it's all about the voice.' So my first thought is: 'Why isn't this on radio?' because what's the point in looking at them. Then suddenly I'm watching it a week or two weeks ago and it's the same as The X Factor. They've got dancers behind them, graphics, lights. Same show. I see a lot of shows trying to rip us off. If you try and rip somebody off it always looks like a bad copy."