ABC 'American Idol' filmed Season 18's 'Final Judgement' semi-final episodes in Hawaii.
Last week, American Idol wrapped up its season 18 showcase round, which was filmed in Hawaii. Those were the last episodes filmed for the season before production was shut down due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
Now, the show will only be airing new episodes until Sunday, April 19, 2020, at which point they will reassess the live episodes. The episodes airing on Sunday, April 12 and 19 are titled American Idol: This is Me, and they will spotlight the lives and unseen performances of this year’s top 21 contestants.
Right now, it’s unclear when or how the American Idol season will continue after the two episodes of American Idol: This is Me. ABC has already shut down production on the network’s biggest reality show, The Bachelorette, with no announced plans on whether Clare Crawley’s season will happen at this point.
The pre-taped Idol episodes were stretched out over an extra week after the show stopped airing the new episodes on Monday nights.
‘Idol’ Host Ryan Seacrest Offered Hope for Fans
Long-time American Idol host Ryan Seacrest recently spoke with TMZ and offered what could be a glimmer of hope for fans awaiting the rest of the season. He said that the show has been working behind the scenes to try to figure out how they could still have live shows while keeping everyone involved safe.
“We do want to deliver all of this season. We want to put on these performance episodes, we want to put on the episodes that allow America to vote for their favorites to get to an American Idol winner this season,” Seacrest said. “How are we going to do that? We haven’t fully decided, we’re looking at all the different options.”
On March 30, the outlet reported that Idol producers had completely abandoned their plans to try to make the show work in-studio, saying instead that the show may go on.
According to TMZ, an email was sent out to the crew saying “As we continue to monitor advice from federal and local agencies, it seems unlikely we are going to be able to make it back into the studio for this season of American Idol.”
Now, the judges and host may have to make the show work while filming at home. It’s unclear how exactly the performances would go down if they’re filmed at each of the contestants’ homes.
Who Made the 2020 Top 21?
The top 21 contestants were announced at the end of the Showcase round. The contestants will be featured in the two-part event American Idol: This is Me, and they will later participate in the later rounds of the 2020 competition.
Aliana Jester, 19, from Tampa, Florida
Arthur Gunn, 22, from Wichita, Kansas
Cyniah Elise, 18, from Atlanta, Georgia
DeWayne Crocker Jr., 23, from Pensacola, Florida
Dillon James, 26, from Bakersfield, California
Faith Becnel, 20, from Desterhan, Louisiana
Francisco Martin, 19, from San Francisco, California
Franklin Boone, 28, from Durham, North Carolina
Grace Leer, 28, from Nashville, Tennessee
Jonny West, 23, from Murietta, California
Jovin Webb, 29, from Gonzales, Louisiana
Julia Gargano, 22, from Staten Island, New York
Just Sam, 21, from Harlem, New York
Kimmy Gabriela, 17, from Lakeland, Florida
Lauren Mascitti, 28, from Nashville, Tennessee
Lauren Spencer-Smith, 16, from Vancouver Island, Canada
Louis Knight, 19, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Makayla Phillips, 17, from Temecula, California
Nick Merico, 24, from Woodland Hills, California
Olivia Ximines, 17, from Menifee, California
Sophia Wackerman, 20, from Long Beach, California
The top 20 will officially be announced in the coming days as fans finish up their voting on whether Grace Leer or Lauren Mascitti will advance to the next round. Idol has already opened at-home auditions for next season of the show.
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