There have been some skeptics who have floated around the theory that American Idol staged the riff-raff between judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey in order to drum up interest in the singing competition. Not so says Idol founder Nigel Lythgoe.
When asked by TMZ to confirm or deny the rumors, Lythgoe said,"I have no idea why I would be doing it [for ratings] five months before the show went out."
He continued, "I would only do ANYTHING for ratings a month before the show went out. They've got my timing wrong."
No matter what school of thought you subscribe to, this season of American Idol could be filled with a different type of drama than ever before.