'American Idol' Is Going to Be Very Different Next Season
Your favorite singing competition - a.k.a. American Idol - is coming back really soon, and it's going to be very different when it does.
So far, info about the judges, new faces joining the team, and the season premiere have been revealed. Here's the lowdown on all things American Idol season 2 so far:
American Idol season 2 will return Sunday, March 3, 2019 at 8 p.m. ET.
After the season 2 premiere, American Idol will then be airing an all-new episode Wednesday, March 6 at 8 p.m. ET. After that though, ABC notes that new episodes will be on Sunday nights starting March 10. The show then switches from Sunday and Monday nights for five weeks starting March 18. After the auditions are over, live shows will reportedly begin airing in April.
FYI: Though this will technically mark season 17 of the reality singing series, ABC is calling it season 2, because the first 15 seasons were aired on Fox.
All your favorite American Idol judges are returning.
According to the ABC website, and based on recent Instagram pics of the upcoming season, judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie will all be taking their seat once again. This marks the second season for all three on the panel.
Ryan Seacrest is also coming back as the show's host.
Though there were some who thought Ryan might not return to the show (because of sexual harassment accusations revealed in February 2018), the host appears to be signed on for another season as well. Ryan has been in the American Idol family since the first season aired in 2002. He started out as a co-host alongside comedian Brian Dunkleman, but became the show's only moderator for season two.
Bobby Bones is joining American Idol in a huge way.
It's official! Please join us in welcoming @mrbobbybones to #AmericanIdol as our in-house mentor!
A post shared by American Idol (@americanidol) on Nov 5, 2018 at 6:34pm PST
In perhaps the most exciting twist of season two, the country music radio host announced during a past Dancing With the Stars episode that he is going to be the show's in-house mentor. More specifically, Bobby will be helping Idol hopefuls reach their full performance potential and, as ABC puts it, "offer his industry expertise throughout the competition." Bobby appeared on the show last season as a mentor when he helped the top 24 prepare for their celebrity duet performances.
Auditions started way back in August 2018.
A post shared by American Idol (@americanidol) on Nov 8, 2018 at 9:19am PST
If you were hoping to audition for the newest season, it looks like you'll have to wait until next season. The ABC website notes that the auditions and taping for the first round have already concluded. This year, the search for the next AI started at a Walt Disney World Resort on August 25. The crew then made stops in over 20 different cities across the country. Apparently, season one (so, really, season 16) winner Maddie Poppe and finalists Caleb Lee Hutchinson and Catie Turner all made special appearances during the audition process.
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