ABC/Eliza Morse Music industry legends and all-star judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, along with Emmy¨-winning producer and host Ryan Seacrest, and multimedia personality and in-house mentor Bobby Bones, were on hand when ABC's "American Idol" kicked off auditions for the upcoming season in search for the next singing sensation in Savannah, Georgia, Monday, Sept. 30, 2019.
American Idol season 18 is finally here, and with that comes questions about when exactly the live portion of the show, including live voting, will start. While it has not yet been announced, it is very likely that live voting for season 18 of American Idol will begin in April.
We do know that live voting will begin with the top 20 contestants this season rather than later on in the season like in previous years.
Returning to Idol in 2020 are judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. Joining them to round out the main cast are host Ryan Seacrest and in-house mentor Bobby Bones.
The premiere for season 18 airs on Sunday, Feb 16, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Live episodes will start later in the season and be simulcast across the country.
Read on to learn more about this season of American Idol.
American Idol 2020 Schedule So Far
The first two episodes of season 18 air on Feb 16 and Feb 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The two-hour premiere special will see the judges visit Savannah, Georgia; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles, California; and Sunriver, Oregon.
The synopses for these episodes promise never-before-seen twists, and performances from a subway performer from Harlem, a garbage collector with no experience, a hopeless romantic who “encounters her own fairy tale twist” and a performer who “unleashes her unique love for sardines with an original song.”
The rest of the audition episodes will be aired throughout February and much of March.
The American Idol judges visited the following cities to find their next star:
Mobile, AL
Tallahassee, FL
Macon, GA
Santa Barbara, CA
Baton Rouge, LA
Columbia, SC
Las Vegas, NV
Waco, TX
Knoxville, TN
Salt Lake City, UT
Raleigh, NC
Colorado Springs, CO
Washington D.C.
Wichita, KS
San Jose, CA
Pittsburgh, PA
Springfield, IL
Spokane, WA
Detroit, MI
Nashville, TN
Chicago, IL
The auditions and the Hollywood shows have all already been filmed. In fact, all of those episodes wrapped up before the end of 2019. Hollywood Week was filmed Dec 2 through 5 at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.
The showcase round, where the top 40 contestants compete, was filmed in January. The number of contestants after those went from 40 to 20.
From there, the top 20 compete in solo performances with celebrity guest stars. An Instagram post from American Idol says this is when live voting will begin. This will all likely happen by the middle of April.
It’s likely that the finale will happen sometime in late May, though no official date has been announced yet.
Past Contestants Will be Welcomed Back
There are a few familiar faces when it comes to contestants on this season of American Idol.
Layla Spring, who appeared on season 16, Logan Johnson, who appeared on season 17 and Shawn Robinson, who was also part of season 17, will all have a shot at returning to the American Idol stage this season. All three of their auditions were aired during the American Music Awards, and viewers were able to vote on which of the contestants should be able to come back to compete on the show.
Lionel Richie revealed during the season 28 finale of Dancing With the Stars that Layla Springs was the contestant who made it through to Hollywood this season.