Heavy/ABC "American Idol" judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan
The 22nd season of “American Idol” won’t premiere on ABC until February 18, 2024. But behind the scenes, the new season is already well underway.
This fall, auditions were held in several cities, including the hometowns of celebrity judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Those who received golden tickets flew to Los Angeles in early December to film the show’s infamous Hollywood Week. The remaining contestants are now back home, waiting to compete again in Hawaii.
Here’s what you need to know:
Nearly 60 Season 22 Contestants Survived Hollywood Week, Per Reports
ABC“American Idol” judges Luke Perry, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie with host Ryan Seacrest
According to a tweet from The Idol Pad, which has revealed behind-the-scenes spoilers about “American Idol” for years, Hollywood Week for the upcoming season took place from December 4 through 12. The account tweeted photos of stage set-up happening at Santa Monica Air Center’s Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California — about a 30 minute drive from Hollywood.
As is typical, those who made it through the early rounds of the judge’s challenges each performed with the “American Idol” band and backup signers in front of a live audience. That event was filmed on December 11, according to an email to Heavy from On Camera Audiences, which coordinates tickets for the show. The standing-room-only event was scheduled to start at 2 p.m. and fans were required to to be eight or older to attend.
According to The Idol Pad, 57 contestants made it through to the showcase round, which will take place again at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii. The resort has begun informing guests that filming will be taking place on the grounds from February 1 through 10.
Some of the 57 contestants have begun posting on social media that they auditioned for “American Idol,” and are encouraging their friends and families to tune in to see how far they get in the competition. For instance, two of them — Emery Robbins and Noah Peters — posted a behind-the-scenes photo together on December 17.
One familiar face to “Idol” fans will be Alyssa Raghu, who made it to the top 57 for season 22, according to The Idol Pad. The singer is hoping that the third time’s the charm for her, given that she’s been on two separate seasons of “Idol.” Raghu appeared as a teen on season 16, just missing the cut for the Top 24, and the following year she made it into the Top 10 before being cut, per Distractify.
‘American Idol’ Cast & Crew Excited to Be Back Filming
Though none of the judges nor host Ryan Seacrest have shared photos or details from Hollywood Week, several musicians and producers have shared their excitement about being back for season 22.
Guitarist Greg Suran, who spent the summer touring with Richie, posted a photo with two fellow musicians, Peter Dyer and Joe Ayoub, from the set of season 22, marking the show’s seventh season of “Idol” airing on ABC.
Suran wrote, “It’s amazing to say this: We’re here on set again filming our 1st band episode of American Idol Season 7! About 6 years ago, these two dudes and I showed up at about 6am on set to film the first band episode of American Idol Season 1 on ABC. This was right after the show left FOX and was restarting on a new network with new judges and a new band.”
“I’m so thankful to Kris Pooley for bringing us all together and making this happen,” Suran continued. “And so it begins AGAIN…Season 7 of American Idol on ABC. #americanidol”
Dyer replied, “My fellas! Weve now lasted over twice as long as the original Star Trek series. True achievements.”
On December 13, Dyer, a keyboardist on “Idol,” also re-shared a photo in his Instagram Stories, taken by backup singer Felicia Barton, from a dinner with many of the people who work behind the scenes at the show.
He wrote, “Each season has been a gift, working with these wonderful people (pictured here not working) with @krispooley at the helm.”
Vocal coach Antonio Solnow also shared a quick Instagram video on December 8 of someone with the large “IDOL” letter display and wrote, “And…we’re back!”