‘American Idol’ to get nastier

Reality show fiends who have lamented the sweetness of “American Idol” contestants and their to-the-end team spirit are in for a change of pace in Season 5, judge Randy Jackson says.

The new season, which kicks off Jan. 17, offers some contestant conflict even before the final 12 are selected. For the first time, “American Idol” has some backbiting, Jackson said during a telephone conference call with reporters Friday.

“The kids this time probably want this worse than ever and there’s quite a bit of fighting and dialogue going on amongst the contestants,” Jackson said. “I just think it’s people’s egos saying, ‘Hey, I want to win this and I don’t want anybody standing in my way.’ And I think they’re getting to the fact early that, ‘Yeah, we’re friends and we’re all in this together, but hey, I wanna win.’ ”

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-- Maria Elena Fernandez