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American Idol is back for season 18, and there’s a whole new group of hopefuls auditioning to make it to Hollywood week. Of course, since the first few rounds are filmed in advance, spoilers for the season have already begun to roll in.
WARNING: Spoilers for the top 40 contestants on the 2020 season of American Idol follow. Read at your own risk.
The final 40 contestants in season 18 of American Idol consist of 23 women and 17 men. They went on to be cut down to the top 20, which will be voted on live once that portion of the show starts which should be sometime in April.
Thanks to spoiler site The Idol Pad, we know who makes it through the first few rounds.
Read on to learn which contestants make it to the top 40. Keep in mind that, since these episodes haven’t aired yet, the list is still just rumored.
‘American Idol’ 2020 Top 23 Women
Among those auditioning for the coveted ticket to Hollywood include Just Sam, a subway performer from Harlem who gives one of the most emotional auditions in “Idol” history. Watch the journey unfold TONIGHT when #AmericanIdol returns at 8:00 p.m. on Channel 7!
The females that make it through to the final 40 are the following:
Aliana Jester
Amber Fiedler
Amelia Joyce
Cyniah Elise
DemiRae “Demi” Moreno
Emma Valentine
Faith Becnel
Geena Fontanella
Genavieve Linkowski
Grace Leer
Grace Lundy
Julia Gargano
Kimmy Gabriela
Lauren Mascitti
Lauren Spencer-Smith
Makayla Brownlee
Makayla Phillips
Natalie Jane
Olivia Ximines
Perrin York
Samantha “Sam” Diaz (A.K.A. Just Sam)
Shannon Gibbons
Sophia Wackerman
Notable names in the above list are Genavieve Linkowski, Grace Leer and Makayla Phillips. All three of these women have competed on competitive singing shows previously. Linkowski made it all the way to Hollywood Week during season 16 of the show, Leer was in the top 20 on American Juniors, and Phillips was in the top 22 of America’s Got Talent on season 13.
‘American Idol’ Top 17 Male Contestants
There are 17 total male competitors who make it through to the top 40 in 2020.
Bilaal Avaz
Cameron Havens
Devon Alexander
DeWayne Crocker, Jr.
Dibesh Pokharel (A.K.A. Arthur Gunn)
Dillon James
Elyjuh René
Francisco Martin
Franklin Boone
Jeb VonderBruegge
Jonny West
Jordan Jones
Jovin Webb
Louis “Louie” Knight
Nick Merico
Rob Taylor
Travis Finlay
There are definitely some names on the list here that would be familiar to those that watch a lot of reality TV.
DeWayne Crocker, Jr. was on B.E.T.’s Sunday Best: Race to the Stage, which he won; Elyjuh René was in the top 20 on season 7 of The Voice; Nick Merico was on American Idol last season, where he made it to Hollywood Week but later had to quit the competition; Rob Taylor is also an alumn of The Voice, where he made it to the top 10 in season 8; lastly, Travis Finlay was on American Idol in Season 14, meaning he performed for a different set of judges than he will this season.
Season 18 Schedule So Far
Season 18 kicked off on Feb 16, 2020 with a two-hour premiere episode showcasing plenty of talent. After Hollywood week, the top 40 contestants competed in the showcase round, which was filmed in January. After that, the number of contestants went down from 40 to 20.
After that, the top 20 contestants will compete in solo performances alongside celebrity guest stars; this is when the live voting will begin for the season, and that will likely happen in April.
It’s likely that the finale for this season will take place sometime in late May, though no official date has been announced yet.
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