mariah_nicki_460.jpgBefore Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj joined Randy Jackson on the American Idol judges panel, they almost considered a similar show.

According to Us Weekly, both Carey and Minaj were in talks to take Cee-Lo Green and Christina Aguilera's spot on the NBC show after it was learned that neither judge would be available for the upcoming season.

Usher and Shakira have instead have been tapped to fill Cee-Lo and Christina's shoes while Fox announced on Sunday the additions of the Starships singer and country star Keith Urban to Idol's revamped group of judges. Mariah was the first to sign on after Jennifer Lopez's departure when she negotiated a lucrative $18 million deal over the summer.