It looks like the new season of “American Idol” is heating up like never before. And though “Bikini Girl” Katrina Darrell has already made a splash, she already has some competition.

“AI” contestant Casey Carlson is the latest installment of bathing suit bliss - she’s a model for the Campus Girls website, and is sure to give miss Darrell a run for her money, at least in the hotness category.

And it sounds like all of this hype is translating into bigger and better ratings for the FOX juggernaut- Tuesday’s total viewers (30.3 million) was eclipsed by a slightly higher 30.4 million on Wednesday.

According to FOX, this is the first time that the season-opening show was outdone by the follow-up episode. Between the bikini babes and new judge Kara DioGuardi, they’re doing something right.