WHAT HAPPENED? – Nicki Minaj tells Mariah Carey “Clean your ears out” – THROWBACK VIRAL VIDEO | HO

It seems Nicki Minaj believes her fellow American Idol judge Mariah Carey has too much wax in her ears.

For when they had yet another disagreement on the hit show, she taunted her rival by waving a cotton bud at her.

The confrontation arose as the pair argued about a performance of ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’ by Angie Miller.

Scroll down for video

Budding rivals: Nicki Minaj taunted Mariah Carey by waving a cotton swab at her on American Idol on Wednesday

Fireworks flew after Nicki told Miller, 18, from Beverly, Massachusetts, that she reminded her of a ‘Disney Princess’ and that her looks, voice and disposition reminded her of ‘Beauty and the Beast.’

Nicki said: ‘I could totally see you singing those kind of songs on Broadway, you have a very Broadway type of thing.

‘Something you should work and concentrate on is your high notes as when you hit them you seem to get into it and your face and your body transforms so just get the beginning to there.’

Throughout Minaj’s criticism Mariah mumbled under her breath and shook her head in disbelief.

When it came to Mariah’s turn she said she had to disagree with ‘certain’ judges who claim Angie was better off singing at the top of her range and having a ‘happy Disney princess moment.’

Swabbing the decks: Nicki pulled the bud out of the makeup bag she had sitting on the desk

Talk to the hand: Fuming Mariah tried to quieten her younger rival down so she could finish her critique

Unflappable: Luckily Idol’s dashing host Ryan Seacrest was able to step in and nip the problem in the bud

A riled Nicki immediately rolled her eyes, and fired back insisting ‘I didn’t say that.’

That earned a finger wag from Mariah, who shot back ‘Oh excuse me, the music will cut me off.’

But Nicki would not take it laying down, going into her purse for some ear buds and trying to hand them over to Mariah while repeatedly telling the diva to  ‘Clean your ears out, clean your ears out.’

Mariah shot back ‘Darling, let me express this to her as a singer. Just sing from your heart every time and your notes will continue to shine regardless of the dirt that gets splattered around you.’

The show’s dashing host Ryan Seacrest then got involved, warning them about their Punch and Judy-esque behaviour.

Cheeky girl: Nicki knew exactly what she was doing when she wound up her diva rival

Miller’s crossing swords: The dynamic duo started arguing of the performance of show favourite Angie

Pitch perfect: In contrast with her rival, Mariah seemed to think Angie had performed a sterling cover

‘Someone is going to go to the corner, we have to get to the end of the show ladies. Are we all still on for dinner?’ he joked.

Each of the top four was asked to sing a current hit and a standard, under the mentorship of crooner Harry Connick Jr.

Partially deaf Miller earlier kicked off the show with ‘Diamonds’ by Rihanna.

‘While I commend you doing an original take on that I didn’t feel that was the song to do that do. I was waiting for it to happen and it never happened,’ said judge Keith Urban, wearing an ‘I Am The Stig’ Top Gear t-shirt.

Just the Connick: Angie had a great time learning from crooner Harry during a mentorship session

Diamonds geezer: And she took his advice to perform Rihanna’s hit in front of the packed audience

‘It was bland, it was lackluster, you can do a lot better,’ said an equally unimpressed Nicki Minaj.

‘It is a great song but I agree with Keith, it did not go anywhere. I do like the leather shorts though!!!’ said Randy Jackson.

‘I do think you tried to take it to another place but I also must agree that there was a bit of a sense that you were playing to the camera more than the usual Angie who is lost in the moment,’ said Mariah.

Nicki then talked over Mariah and saying ‘Oh so you must agree with Nicki?’

Mariah waved off her fellow judge and took a swipe at her, saying ‘Back to the Billboard Hot 100 number ones, which you just performed, it is difficult to get and and not everyone has one, you did a great job.’

They’re at it again: Spiky Nicki could not resist rubbing it in when her rival actually agreed with her

Exasperated: The Charmbracelet singer seemed to be trying to do breathing exercises to stay calm

Farm girl Amber Holcomb, 18, from Shepherd, Texas, ‘Just Give Me A Reason’ by Pink and Nate Ruess.

Amber admitted during rehearsals that she was struggling to remember the words to the hit tune.

‘In the earlier video footage you seem so free spirited and are very relatable, humming and forgetting the words, but there is a big difference between that girl and this girl that just performed,’ said Nicki.

‘The voice was there but this performance did not seem very connected. Sometimes you were in, sometimes you were out, you have got to do a better job bringing that girl into the performances.’

‘At this point in the competition something happens with the contestants where it gets serious and the fun goes away,’ said Randy.

‘Did you have a good time tonight? You looked out of your mind nervous. You have got to have fun, this is not the same care-free Amber, something is in the air tonight. That was not stellar.’

Amber to red: The judges though Texan Holcomb lacked her usual sparkle during her performance

Wrestling with his words: Macho man Randy did not quite savage Amber but was clearly disappointed

Family fortunes: She may not have won the approval of the judges but her relations loved her turn

‘We need to see that confident Amber we have been seeing and you will continue to go on,’ said Mariah.

‘You are performing in front of millions of people and that is pretty bizarre but there was a clarity in your voice, I am hearing a song like you wrote it. Fantastic,’ said Keith.

Candice Glover, 23, from South Carolina, then performed ‘When I was Your Man’ by Bruno Mars.

‘Emotions are running high with the contestants but this is a singing competition and I have always said if you can sing, you can sing anything. This girl right here, that is how you sing a song. That was amazing,’ said Randy.

‘Candice knows how to take any song and has the musicality to change it to suit her. That is what separates you from almost everyone else in this competition,’ said Mariah.

Canny Glover: Clever Candace blew the judges away when she sang When I was Your Man by Bruno Mars

Standing ovation: The fantastic four rose as one to salute the singer’s wonderful performance

‘When you sing that good, that is a winning performance baby. Beautiful,’ said Keith.

‘That performance deserved a standing ovation,’ said Nicki bringing the judges to their feet.

‘You gave me everything. I don’t know if you lost weight baby girl but you look great, you look and feel like an artist. You are a singer’s singer.’

Texas-born country singer, Kree Harrison, 22, then did ‘See You Again’ by Carrie Underwood.

‘I felt you were very connected and I felt you, I was really happy. You did not go wild at the end on a complete vocal tirade but I enjoy you because of how authentic you are,’ said Mariah.

‘I loved my Kreedom’s performance, you sang with your eyes and I felt you absolutely connected with every lyric in that song and you sang it from your heart,’ said Nicki.

‘Somebody is going to win this thing and I am now really focussed on the voice and less on the song. You have got an amazing voice. I loved that,’ said Randy.

Big moment: But the backing string section only seemed to inspire country singer Kree Harrison

Enjoying the acclaim: But she will have been savouring standing next to talented Ryan Seacrest even more

Mentor Harry Connick Jr. was so impressed he came out on stage to give Kree a hug.

The second part of the show was dedicated to standards.

Amber Holcomb sang the standard ‘My Funny Valentine’, after Harry Connick Jr. had to explain the meaning of the lyrics to her.

‘Up there looking like a budding red rose. That was so beautiful. Why do you look like you want to cry?’ said Nicki.

‘I am just overwhelmed,’ said Amber shedding tears on stage.

‘Stop thinking about votes, it doesn’t matter about votes, you are a superstar and you have fans, please believe in yourself,’ said Nicki.

‘I think you made a believer out of a lot of people who were on the fence,’ said Randy.

‘The last half of that song was absolutely unbelievable. You should be proud of yourself, you slayed it.’

Puppet master: Harry Connick Jr was the mentor pulling the strings as he turned the singers into living marionettes

Clash of the titans: The testosterone levels were on overdrive when Harry and Ryan appeared together but the latter was even more macho

Mariah praised the ‘spirit’ with which Amber sang, while Keith called the performance ‘stellar’ after she got her confidence back.

Candice Glover then took on ‘You’ve Changed’, which got her a standing ovation from the judges.

‘Man. Candice is in it to win it tonight. She brought everything she needed and that was her amazing voice,’ said Randy.

‘Oh I hated it, that was the worst thing I’ve heard in my life,’ joked Mariah.

‘There is no critique, I am going to download it ASAP. This girl is anointed, your voice is spectacular.’

‘I loved watching Mariah watch you, it was incredible. Your power and control was just beautiful, that was a really great performance,’ said Keith.

‘I am not going to add anything else, Ryan, come on out,’ said Nicki.

Flange with Ange: Miller was not afraid to experiment with vocal effects during her later performance

Lucky ladies: The thrill of sharing the stage with Ryan Seacrest will surely never wear off for the contestants

Kree Harrison then sang ‘Stormy Weather.’

‘I was interested in the choice of song. You look gorgeous and elegant, beautiful. I thought you would have done something more bluesy and less loungy, something a bit more gritty,’ said Mariah.

‘I would have chosen a different song and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Don’t ever lose the things that are natural about your style, your instincts are beautiful and separate you from other people, never lose those,’ said Keith.

‘I wish you guys would have paid more attention to the song choice, whether you are going to put someone to sleep or give a memorable performance,’ said Nicki.

Giving them a treat: The audience were clearly loving it when the charismatic host ventured upstairs

‘The disconnect between you, Harry and the song, you need to stick to who you are,’ said Randy.

This brought deep frowns from Connick Jr. as he sat in the audience and listened to the criticism of his coaching, before being brought up on stage by Keith Urban.

Harry took offense at Randy saying he had told Kree to base her performance on the wrong version of the song.

‘You have to learn the song first, then be Kree,’ said Harry.

All four girls then finished the show off by together performing Wings by ‘Little Mix’ from British X-Factor.

PS they love you: It was obvious the girls could not believe they had spent some time with Harry

Another triumph: Australian country singer Keith Urban was obviously in awe of the incomparable DJ