Heavy American Idol
This week, “American Idol” season 21 will whittle the competition down from the top 26 to the top 12 ahead of this season’s first live shows. It all begins tonight, April 23, at 8 p.m., when six more singers are sent home to reveal the top 20. Fans will then be able to vote after tonight’s episode for which singers they’d like to advance to the top 12, which will be revealed in tomorrow’s results show.
According to TV Guide, tonight’s episode will see “The contestants return to Hollywood to learn the results of America’s first votes for the Top 20, performing again in hopes of securing a spot in the Top 12. ‘American Idol’ 2022 winner Noah Thompson and runner-up HunterGirl will also take the stage.”
With more than 10 total singers leaving the competition after tonight and tomorrow night’s episodes, it is more important than ever to make sure your vote is cast for the singers you want to see continue on in the competition and have a shot at being the next “American Idol”.
How To Vote for ‘American Idol’ Top 20 Contestants
Voting for the top 20 contestants will begin at the end of the performances during the Sunday, April 23, episode, which will most likely be around 11 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Pacific time. The voting window will be open until tomorrow morning, Monday, April 24, at 9 a.m. Eastern/6 a.m. Pacific time, with the results being revealed live on Monday night’s episode of the show.
According to ABC’s website, “American Idol” fans will have three different ways to cast their votes for their favorite singers.
The first method is voting online at AmericanIdol.com/vote. Online voting will automatically open and close, though only viewers ages 16 and older can vote online.
The second method is voting via the “American Idol” app. Similarly to the online option, the voting window will automatically open and close in the app (and users can set up notifications to remind them when it is time to vote), however the app has the same 16-year-old age restriction as the online voting.
The final voting option is via text. During the episode, each contestant will be assigned a number, and viewers of any age with cell phone access can text their favorite contestant’s number to 21523. Message and data rates may apply for this method, with full terms of text voting available here.
See which numbers to text for which singers below:
The Judges Have a Say in Picking the Top 12
Fans aren’t the only ones choosing who makes the top 12 this season. According to the TV Guide description of tomorrow’s “Top 12 Reveal!” episode, America’s vote will only determine the top 10 contestants who will advance in the competition, with judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan selecting the remaining two singers that will fill out the top 12 and advance to the live shows, which begin next week.
The schedule for the rest of the season includes themed live shows as the top 12 are slowly eliminated until finale night. The first themed live show will be Sunday, April 30’s “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Night”, followed by a “Judge’s Song Contest” the next night. One week later the “Top 7” will perform (with no theme specified at this time), and the week after that will see the return of “Disney Night”, with the rest of the season after that not yet announced.
READ NEXT: Katy Perry Responds to Questions About Her Daughter on Live TV