The eighteenth season of American Idol premiered on February 16, 2020, on the ABC television network. Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie returned as judges, while Ryan Seacrest continued as host. Bobby Bones returned as the in-house mentor.
Taping was suspended after the top 19 were revealed and the contestants were sent home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show resumed production in late April, with the on-air talent and contestants filming from their homes. The stay-at-home and social-distancing mandates, according to Billboard, compelled producers "to get very, very creative this time around to keep season 18 afloat amid the most challenging conditions in show history." Up to forty-five remote sites were used and each contestant was treated equally, with access to similar equipment and resources. Segments were usually taped a day in advance, except for the judges' critiques and voting results, which aired live.
On May 17, 2020, Just Sam was crowned as the winner, with Arthur Gunn finishing as the runner-up.
Due to this season's contestants never having an opportunity to perform on the live stage because of COVID-19 safety restrictions, American Idol invited ten contestants back onto the following season to compete for a re-entry spotâÂÂas voted upon by the publicâÂÂas part of the top ten, after which they would still be eligible for votes or elimination as usual. This group included three finalists (runner-up Gunn; Louis Knight; and Makayla Phillips) and seven semi-finalists (Aliana Jester, Cyniah Elise, DeWayne Crocker Jr., Faith Becnel, Franklin Boone, Nick Merico, and Olivia Ximines), with Gunn ultimately being selected by the public's votes to join Season 19. He tied with Hunter Metts for sixth place.
Hollywood week was filmed December 2âÂÂ5, 2019, at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. There were several changes in format this season. In the first round, each contestant chose and performed a song from a selection of musical genres (pop, rock, R&B, soul, country, or singer-songwriter). Those who impressed the judges and the producers were advanced to the next round. Instead of group performances as had been done in previous seasons, contestants paired up and performed duets. They were given twelve hours to rehearse, which included a session with a vocal coach and a stage rehearsal. Judges could advance either, neither, or both of the contestants to the next round, where they performed their final solos before advancing to the Showcase round.
The Showcase round aired on March 29 and April 5, and featured the top 40 performing for the judges and a live audience at Disney's Aulani resort in Kapolei, Hawaii. The following day, the judges narrowed the number of contestants down from 40 to 20. The following is a list of the first nineteen contestants who reached the top 20 and the song they performed at the Showcase. For the twentieth and final spot, Grace Leer and Lauren Mascetti's result was determined by a vote from the public, which was revealed on April 19. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
After a short hiatus, production resumed and all contestants performed remotely due to safety measures in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Ryan Seacrest and the judges were also broadcast from their homes.
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The ten contestants who received the most votes continued on, while the judges were granted a one-time judges' save, which they used to save Makayla Phillips from elimination. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Each contestant performed two songs: one song from a Disney movie, and one song in honor of Mother's Day. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Each contestant performed two songs, and are listed in the order they performed.
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