American Idol judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey have been struggling to remain civil with one another, but now the tension may be getting out of hand, reports The Sun Times.

A video obtained by TMZ had previously shown Minaj shouting that she's "not f---in' putting up with Her F---ing Highness over there," and now a source close to the action has confirmed that the drama was once manageable, but is now getting out of hand. "This is really starting to get nasty. . A bit of controversy is OK - even good - because it adds spice to the show," explained the source. However, if it gets too intense and their true dislike for each other becomes obvious - and continuously obvious - then that moves into the uncomfortable stage for the viewers," they added. Fox have declined to comment both the video, and the state of affairs that lead to Minaj and Carey's fiery showdown, presumably because of the rumours that the events are being fabricated for publicity. But they are just that: rumours. Another source, this one close to judge Keith Urban, said: "Keith is such a wonderful, easygoing, lovely guy. This kind of drama was not the reason he signed on to be an 'Idol' judge. . He hates nastiness in any form."

Ryan Seacrest, though, as the host of the show, thinks the tension is a good thing. " 'Idol' needs some passionate debate. It did get intense. We want that. . The feedback that they give is very good," he explained on his radio show yesterday (October 4th, 2012).