What is the Judge’s Song Contest on ‘American Idol’ Season 20?
ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 2 minutes
During Monday night’s new episode of American Idol Season 20, host Ryan Seacrest teased something called the Judge’s Song Contest. This new twist will take place during next week’s Top 11 episode of the show, airing on Monday.
What Is the ‘American Idol’ Judge’s Song Contest?
As part of the first-ever Judge’s Song Contest, the American Idol judges (Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan) will all pick songs for the Top 11 contestants to perform. The singers will review the chosen songs without knowing which judge picked what track.
According to a press release, the contestant will choose their favorite song among the suggestions to perform on the show. The press release also mentions a “winning judge,” perhaps referring to the judge who gets the most contestants to sing their chosen songs.
This episode will air live next Monday, April 25, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. On Sunday’s episode, the Top 14 will take the stage, mentored by past contestant Gabby Barrett. The competition will be narrowed down to the Top 11.
SEE ALSO: GABBY BARRETT OFFICIALLY SET TO MENTOR ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ TOP 14 THIS SEASON
Is the Show Borrowing from Other Formats?
American Idol has been adding a few twists for Season 20, some of which are reminiscent of other talent shows. The Platinum Ticket, for example, is similar to the Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent, in that it gave the chosen singers a chance to sit out part of the competition.
This upcoming Judge’s Song Contest is similar to The Voice in that the judges are choosing the artists’ songs and competing against each other. With in-house mentor Bobby Bones sitting this season out, the show has also welcomed a number of celebrity mentors, which is also reminiscent of The Voice, although not entirely new for Idol.
What do you think of these new shake-ups to the show’s traditional format? Are they too gimmicky? Too similar to other shows?
