Season 18 of American Idol will premiere on ABC on Sunday, February 16, 2020. It is the show's third season to air on ABC.
Ryan Seacrest will return as host, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan will return as judges, and Bobby Bones will return as mentor.
This season was won by TBD.
Auditions
22 cities were visited by the Idol bus beginning with Nashville, Tennessee on June 7-8, 2019. Auditions could also be submitted via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Musical.ly.
Audition Cities
The following cities held auditions for Season 18, dates of the auditions are also shown.
- Savannah, Georgia - September 30-October 1, 2019
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin - October 8-9, 2019
- Washington, D.C. - October 14-15, 2019
- Los Angeles, California - November 1-2, 2019
- Portland, Oregon - November 7-8, 2019
Regional Auditions
During the live broadcast of the 2019 American Music Awards, three contestants who were eliminated from the competition in Season 16 and Season 17 were given a chance to return to the competition. The contestants were Logan Johnson, Shawn Robinson, and Layla Spring. The winner of the vote was revealed to be Layla Spring on the finale of Dancing with the Stars on November 25, 2019.
Hollywood Week
During Hollywood Week, the contestants must perform in front of the judges in hopes of advancing to the next round. These rounds consist of numerous cuts while the contestants perform in solos and in groups. Only the best contestants will advance.
While the majority of Hollywood Round is similar to that of previous seasons, for the first time ever, head-to-head duets will be added.
Judgement Round
The first judgement round of Hollywood was known as "Line of Ten". Numerous groups of contestants lined up in sets of ten to perform a song individually. After a line performed, the judges chose the best to advance on while others were cut from the competition. Those who advanced moved on to the group rounds.
Group Rounds
The group rounds are the ultimate test of the stability and harmony of an artist within a group. Like previous seasons, contestants were required to assemble into gender neutral groups of three or more. Those who failed to assemble a group of three or more, were instantly disqualified due to the three person rule. Groups who gave a quality performance advanced on to the next round. However, groups or certain group members that didn't perform to a good enough extent, were cut from the competition.
Solo Round
Those who advanced passed the Group Rounds had to perform a solo in front of the judges. After the performances, 40 contestants were chosen to perform in front of a live audience for their Final Judgement.
Showcase Week
After the Top 40 performed in front of their first full audience, they met with the judges for their Final Judgement. Only 20 were able to advance to the next round while the rest were unfortunately cut the from season.
Top 20
After the Final Judgement, 20 contestants were chosen to move on to the semifinals.
Semifinals
During the Semifinals of Season 18, the Top 20 performed in solos and in duets with Idol Alumni. The Top 20 was split into two groups, one group performing one week and the other the following week. After the combination of solos and duets were performed within a group, the judges handpicked only seven out of the twenty to continue to the next round of competition. The remaining three contestants were cut from the season. By the end of the the Top 20's performances, the Top 14 were revealed.
Celebrity Duets
Instead of Idol alumni since Season 17, Celebrity singers were chosen as duet partners for the Top 20 contestants.
Gallery
Images
- Main article: Season 18/Gallery
Video
