Only Real ‘American Idol’ Fans Will Ace This Quiz About the Show’s History
ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 3 minutes
Being a superfan of American Idol means more than knowing who’s won the series in the past few years. It means you’ve followed along ever since the series first began. Take this history quiz to find out if you’re truly a mega fan.
American Idol has been on television since June 11, 2002, and a lot happened since then. The only things truly remaining from the original series are portions of the format and the host, Ryan Seacrest. What important things from the history of American Idol do you remember?
American Idol first premiered in 2002 under the name American Idol: The Search for a Superstar. The show became popular when Kelly Clarkson won the first season. Original judges for the series were Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. The present day host, Ryan Seacrest has been apart of the cast since day one. Seacrest’s season co host was Brian Dunkleman.
What Did Season One Look Like?
The original series had five rounds, auditions, Hollywood, semi finals, top 10, and finals. Auditions were originally held in seven major cities. 121 golden tickets were handed out in total after auditions.
After auditions, the 121 singers singers went on to Hollywood week where they competed for a place in the finals. Singers went on stage with eight or nine other people and performed a solo piece. Singers that failed to impress were cut. From there 65 singers went on to the next round in Hollywood. The 65 singers were then given a song to learn and perform in groups of three. 45 remained after this, those singers then sang both independent and acapella. From there, the remaining 30 singers went on to the semi finals.
Between Hollywood week and the semi finals, singers worked with Debra Byrd, the vocal coach. In the semi finals, each singer performed a solo with a piano accompaniment. At the time, there was no studio audience. At home audience voted after each round of the performances. Result announcements occurred the next day, these segments were live. Once there were nine singers left, judges picked five contestants to return as wildcards. Wildcards fought for one spot in the Top 10.
From there, the finals dwindled down from the top 10 all the way to the top two. During the top two, Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini performed two songs, one was from a previous round of the competition. As you already know, Clarkson became the first winner of the series.
What Are Golden and Platinum Tickets?
Since season one, judges have given out golden tickets as an advancement into the next round of the competition. Season 20 introduces the Platinum Ticket. The Platinum Ticket basically does the same as the Golden Ticket, sends the singer to Hollywood, but with a surprise. This honor is used way less in auditions and is only handed out three times in each city.
It’s obvious that American Idol will be a series that’s around for a very very long time. There are plenty of fans that have remained loyal to the series throughout the years. I’m sure American Idol will continue to superstars in the coming years.
