Everything We Know About ‘American Idol’ Season 20
ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 3 minutes
It is the time of the year where American Idol is right around the corner. Idol fans, you have total permission to go wild with this news. The popular singing show is set to return to ABC in 2022. Here’s what we know so far!
This winter will be American Idol‘s fifth season on ABC. This show became a hit on FOX in 2002, but ended its time with the network in 2016. This show has always been a household name, so taking a break and changing networks didn’t lessen viewership. Idol has thrived since its Simon Cowell era, and has never lost its loyal fans.
What Should We Expect to See?
If Idol follows it’s normal schedule, the show should premiere on Sunday, February 13, 2022. If this upcoming season follows the series normal arc, it should conclude in late May. On August 3, ABC confirmed that the celebrity panel we all know and love will be returning to the show. Ryan Seacrest will host the series alongside the returning judge trio, Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie.
American Idol began their audition process almost immediately after their previous season ended and it is rapidly concluding. There is only one week left to audition for the historic 20th season.
This year they maintained their COVID-19 safe protocols and did not embark on their Idol Across America tour in person. Instead of in-person auditions, they booked days for certain states to audition over zoom for the show. Additional Zoom audition dates have been set for October 26 and 28.
On top of Zoom auditions, Idol gave singers the option to audition using a video submission. These submissions are open from May 16 to October 15. Even though it’s getting close to the premiere of the upcoming season, some performers have shared that they have not yet heard back from producers. People who auditioned should expect to hear from producers by mid November.
What Comes After Online Auditions?
Next up in the search for the next American Idol comes Hollywood Week. Last season, this round was filmed on December 7–10 in Los Angeles, California. The Hollywood Week last season featured genre and duet challenges. Once all contestants perform in the genre challenge judges decide which will go on to the rest of the show. After that they move on to the duet challenge. Judges picked their partners, gave them 24 hours to rehearse, and then were voted upon.
After this vigorous round is over, 64 singers will remain to go on to the Showstopper Round which typically airs in late March. After the Showstopper round only the Top 24 are left in the competition. The Top 24 will go down to Top 16, then Top 12, and eventually the live shows will begin in mid April.
Filming seems to have begun, so we can expect more great behind the scenes footage from our favorite judges as they get to work selecting this year’s winner. Soon enough we’ll have our next Idol on our hands. I seriously cannot wait to see the amazing singers on this show in its 20th season.
