Getty Carrie Underwood is set to return to "American Idol"
ABC’s “American Idol” has been bringing on big names to mentor contestants during the monumental season 20. For the top 5, the show upped the ante.
The next new episode of “American Idol” is the top 5 performances and top 3 reveal episode, which features guest mentor Carrie Underwood and is set to air on Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 8 p.m. Eastern time live coast-to-coast.
At the end of the episode, the top 3 contestants will be revealed going into the three-hour season finale, which airs on May 22, 2022.
Underwood Is ‘Excited’ About Mentoring Contestants
Carrie Underwood took to Instagram to share the announcement of her mentoring contestants.
“Can’t wait!,” she wrote. “#Repost @americanidol Well, here’s a dream come true! ✨ #AmericanIdol icon @carrieunderwood will mentor the Top 5, live from the home of her Las Vegas residency ‘REFLECTION’ at @resortsworldlv! Who better to help our hopefuls earn a place in the Grand Finale? 🤍”
The contestants will also be joined by singer-songwriter Finneas, who was a mentor on last season of the show. He’ll be performing during the semifinals episode alongside the contestants.
“Last season’s guest mentor @finneas will return to Idol, this time to PERFORM next Sunday!” the show wrote.
The Top 5 Will Join Underwood in Las Vegas
The top five contestants, Fritz Hager, Noah Thompson, HunterGirl, Nicolina and Leah Marlene, are all headed to Las Vegas this week to meet up with country music superstar and “American Idol” winner Carrie Underwood.
It’s unclear if Hager and Thompson will actually be able to travel with the rest of the crew. Both contestants were on health and safety protocols for the top 7 episode, with the show airing Hager’s rehearsal footage and Thompson performing from his hotel room.
Hager was sick for his performances of two originals, though he did show up via video for the results. The producers saved announcing his safety for last, which made him emotional.
“As soon as those cameras were off I was ON THE FLOOR of my hotel room,” Hager wrote in an Instagram post after the performances. “Thank you guys so much for this. You truly are making my dreams come true. Here’s to another week of beautiful music on @americanidol.”
Luckily for fans, however, the top 7 contestants all recorded original songs with producers. The top 5 will all have their songs released this week, on Friday, May 13, 2022.
Here’s what the remainder of the current known “American Idol” schedule looks like:
- Sunday, May 15 – Top 5 (LIVE coast-to-coast)
- Sunday, May 22 – Season finale, LIVE coast-to-coast, three-hour episode, winner crowned
“American Idol” has not officially been renewed for another season, but the show has announced that auditions for season 21 will be taking place in the near future and details are available online. Hopeful contestants must be at least 15 years old at the time of their auditions.
The first round of auditions will be online and virtual, and the show will announce the dates in the coming weeks, likely after the season 20 finale of the show.
“American Idol” airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. Eastern time on ABC.
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