The “beef” between Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj that’s been brewing promoted for months wasted no time getting started on Wednesday night’s premiere episode of American Idol. With auditions that began in New York City, both native New Yorkers (hailing from Huntington, Long Island and Jamaica, Queens, respectively) fiercely competed to prove who had more of a reason to sit behind the judges table, and who was more worthy of a network television paycheck.

For every time a contestant gushed about listening to Mariah through his or her childhood and dreaming of one day being able to replicate her five-0ctave range (with good reason), Nicki made sure to assure the next, completely hopeless hopeful that they, too are a star–they’re just not right for this competition. It was an outer battle to be the kindest and funniest judge, as well as the truest Big Apple resident. Queens and Long Island have had a turf war for years, so we guess this makes sense. While Nicki surprised me with her thoughtful and straightforward assessments, she did overuse pet names like “darling” and “sweetheart,” making things a little bit more about her when she could, while Mariah was cool with keeping a slight distance between her and the contestants.  Five Grammys have given her that right. But does it make her a Mean Girl?

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