AceShowbiz -

"American Idol" season 12 was officially kicked off on Wednesday, January 16 when its first episode aired on FOX. As soon as the cameras captured the judges, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj couldn't help taking jab at each other, although it's mostly light-hearted.

The two female artists argued about Nicki's hat during which Mariah said she'd have brought her dog if she knew "accessories" were allowed. The "My All" singer was accused of mocking the raptress, but Mariah insisted, "I was admiring the hat!"

They rolled their eyes back many times during the auditions, but at the end of the New York auditions Nicki claimed, "I feel like we jell well." Keith Urban also said, "I loved being in between Mariah and Nicki."

The judges bickering aside, 41 contestants got the golden tickets in this round. They included Tenna Torres who declared herself as a big fan of Mariah, music student Christina Isabelle, Shira Gavrielov who had a No. 1 song in Israel, Frankie Ford who made money by singing on a train, as well as Angela Miller who has partial hearing loss in both ears.

The show brought laughters when Benjamin Gaisey appeared in a "Thriller" outfit complete with a wig. Keith hid under the table while laughing, as Nicki urged him to show more. Nicki commented sarcastically, "Your range is better than Mariah's," when Albert Chang hit the high notes.

Meanwhile, "Idol" poked fun on Brett Holt in the editing process. The show featured the judges saying "yes" to his horrible rendition on "When I Fall in Love" before showing that he was just dreaming as the judges gave unanimous "no."