Season 19 of American Idol premiered on ABC on Sunday February 14th, 2021 and ended on May 23, 2021. It is the show's fourth season to air on ABC.[1]
Ryan Seacrest returned as host, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan returned as judges, and Bobby Bones returned as mentor. On April 12, Paula Abdul filled in for Bryan.
This season was won by Chayce Beckham.
Auditions[]
- Main article: Season 19 Auditions
Audition Cities[]
The following cities held auditions for Season 19, date of the auditions are also shown.
- Los Angeles, California - October 5, 2020
- San Diego, California - October 16, 2020
- Ojai, California - November 16, 2020
Hollywood Week[]
Hollywood Week was filmed from December 7th-10th, 2020 in the Dolby Theater, Los Angeles, CA and aired March 21st & 22nd, 2021. This season was similar to the 18th season, with contestants competing in the Genre Challenge. The judges brought a twist and decided to do a Duet challenge, where they chose who performed with who. Those who survived the Duet Challenge moved onto the Showcase & Final Judgement.
Showcase/Final Judgement[]
The Showcase & Final Judgement aired on March 28th & 29th, 2021. It featured the Top 64 contestants. Each contestants performed, and at the end 24 contestants were chosen to move on to the Live shows.
Top 24[]
After the Final Judgement, 24 contestants were chosen to move on to the semifinals.
Males:
- Beane
- Chayce Beckham
- Graham DeFranco
- Deshawn Goncalves
- Colin Jamieson
- Caleb Kennedy
- Hunter Metts
- Wyatt Pike
- Cecil Ray
- Willie Spence
- Jason Warrior
Females:
- Alana
- Ava August
- Casey Bishop
- Cassandra Coleman
- Hannah Everhart
- Grace Kinstler
- Anilee List
- Liahona Olayan
- Alanis Sophia
- Andrea Valles
- Madison Watkins
- Alyssa Wray
- Mary Jo Young
All Star Duets and Solos[]
The Top 24 performances were split into 2 groups (12 each), and were pre-recorded and aired on April 4th & 5th, 2021. Each contestant sang a solo, followed by a duet with a celebrity, resulting in a total of 48 performances. The following week the Top 16 would be revealed. Celebrities included people such as Katherine McPhee, Tori Kelly & Jimmie Allen.
| Contestant | Order | Solo Song | Duet Partner | Duet Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alanis Sophia | 1 | "Alive" | Jimmie Allen | "Shallow" | Safe |
| Cassandra Coleman | 2 | "Find Me" | Ryan Tedder | "Apologize" | Safe |
| Alyssa Wray | 3 | "Something in the Water" | Katharine McPhee | "I'm Your Baby Tonight" | Safe |
| Wyatt Pike | 4 | "Rubberband" | Ben Rector | "Brand New" | Safe |
| Alana | 5 | "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)" | Brian McKnight | "Back at One" | Eliminated |
| Anilee List | 6 | "my future" | Joss Stone | "Tell Me Something Good" | Eliminated |
| Deshawn Goncalves | 7 | "Forever Young" | Ryan Tedder | "I Lived" | Safe |
| Graham DeFranco | 8 | "Raye" | Ben Rector | "Love Like This" | Safe |
| Andrea Valles | 9 | "Lo Vas a Olvidar" | Brian McKnight | "Careless Whisper" | Eliminated |
| Cecil Ray | 10 | "Paint Me a Birmingham" | Jimmie Allen | "Freedom Was a Highway" | Eliminated |
| Willie Spence | 11 | "Wind Beneath My Wings" | Katharine McPhee | "The Prayer" | Safe |
| Grace Kinstler | 12 | "Queen" | Joss Stone | "Midnight Train to Georgia" | Safe |
| Contestant | Order | Solo Song | Duet Partner | Duet Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Warrior | 1 | "Call Out My Name" | PJ Morton | "How Deep Is Your Love" | Eliminated |
| Madison Watkins | 2 | "Holy" | Tori Kelly | "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" | Safe |
| Beane | 3 | "Don't Start Now" | Josh Groban | "Angels" | Safe |
| Hannah Everhart | 4 | "I Was Wrong" | Jason Aldean | "She's Country" | Eliminated |
| Mary Jo Young | 5 | "Castle on the Hill" | Jewel | "Foolish Games" | Eliminated |
| Chayce Beckham | 6 | "Afterglow" | Brandon Boyd | "Drive" | Safe |
| Colin Jamieson | 7 | "Locked Out of Heaven" | Tori Kelly | "Hollow" | Safe |
| Liahona Olayan | 8 | "Just Friends" | PJ Morton | "Say So" | Eliminated |
| Ava August | 9 | "drivers license" | Josh Groban | "Both Sides, Now" | Safe |
| Caleb Kennedy | 10 | "Midnight Rider" | Jason Aldean | "Fly Over States" | Safe |
| Hunter Metts | 11 | "Chandelier" | Jewel | "Who Will Save Your Soul" | Safe |
| Casey Bishop | 12 | "Decode" | Brandon Boyd | "Wish You Were Here" | Safe |
Top 16[]
The Top 16 were revealed on April 11th, 2021. This was recorded a few days prior. The Top 16 shortly became the Top 15, due to Wyatt Pike withdrawing. America then voted 10 into the Top 12, while the judges saved 2 from the 5 in the danger zone.
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alyssa Wray | 1 | "Killing Me Softly with His Song" | Safe |
| Graham DeFranco | 2 | "That's Life" | Not Chosen |
| Grace Kinstler | 3 | "Elastic Heart" | Safe |
| Alanis Sophia | 4 | "The Story" | Not Chosen |
| Willie Spence | 5 | "Set Fire to the Rain" | Safe |
| Deshawn Goncalves | 6 | "Feeling Good" | Safe |
| Wyatt Pike | 7 | "Use Somebody" | Withdrew |
| Cassandra Coleman | 8 | "Wicked Game" | Safe |
| Caleb Kennedy | 9 | "Midnight Train to Memphis" | Safe |
| Colin Jamieson | 10 | "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" | Not Chosen |
| Casey Bishop | 11 | "Black Hole Sun" | Safe |
| Madison Watkins | 12 | "Gravity" | Not Chosen |
| Beane | 13 | "Searching For A Feeling" | Not Chosen |
| Hunter Metts | 14 | "Skinny Love" | Safe |
| Ava August | 15 | "2002" | Safe |
| Chayce Beckham | 16 | "Waiting in Vain" | Safe |
The Top 12 results were revealed on April 12th, with Paula Abdul as guest judge due to Luke Bryant having COVID-19 and staying home.
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casey Bishop | 1 | "The House of the Rising Sun" | Safe |
| Colin Jamieson | 2 | "Waves" | Eliminated |
| Deshawn Goncalves | 3 | "Higher Ground" | Safe |
| Cassandra Coleman | 4 | "Light On" | Safe |
| Caleb Kennedy | 5 | "Nowhere" (original song) | Safe |
| Madison Watkins | 6 | "Hotline Bling" | Judges' Save |
| Ava August | 7 | "Love of My Life" | Safe |
| Beane | 8 | "Grow as We Go" | Judges' Save |
| Chayce Beckham | 9 | "What Brings Life Also Kills" | Safe |
| Alyssa Wray | 10 | "The Greatest Love of All" | Safe |
| Alanis Sophia | 11 | "Heart Attack" | Eliminated |
| Willie Spence | 12 | "Diamonds" | Safe |
| Grace Kinstler | 13 | "Dangerous Woman" | Safe |
| Hunter Metts | 14 | "I Can't Make You Love Me" | Safe |
| Graham DeFranco | 15 | "Cover Me Up" | Eliminated |
Oscar Nominated Songs (Top 12)[]
The Top 12 aired live on April 18th, 2021. The contestants sang songs from movies that were nominated Oscar Awards, such as The Greatest Showman, Harriet & Despicable Me 2. The Top 9 were revealed at the end. Special performances by Lauren Daigle, Henry Connick Jr. & Lionel Richie.
| Contestant | Order | Song | Featured Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grace Kinstler | 1 | "Happy" | Despicable Me 2 | Safe |
| Ava August | 2 | "City of Stars" | La La Land | Eliminated |
| Caleb Kennedy | 3 | "On the Road Again" | Honeysuckle Rose | Safe |
| Hunter Metts | 4 | "Falling Slowly" | Once | Safe |
| Madison Watkins | 5 | "Run to You" | The Bodyguard | Eliminated |
| Chayce Beckham | 6 | "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" | Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | Safe |
| Beane | 7 | "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" | Dirty Dancing | Eliminated |
| Alyssa Wray | 8 | "This Is Me" | The Greatest Showman | Safe |
| Deshawn Goncalves | 9 | "The Way We Were" | The Way We Were | Safe |
| Casey Bishop | 10 | "Over the Rainbow" | The Wizard of Oz | Safe |
| Cassandra Coleman | 11 | "Writing's on the Wall" | Spectre | Safe |
| Willie Spence | 12 | "Stand Up" | Harriet | Safe |
The Comeback[]
10 Contestants from Season 18 were invited to perform again on a live stage due to not being able to last year because of the pandemic. The winner from the 10 would join the Top 9, making it the Top 10. Aired live on April 19th, 2021.
| Contestant | Order | Song | Season 18 Placement | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyniah Elise | 1 | "Edge of Midnight (Midnight Sky Remix)" | Top 20 | Eliminated |
| Nick Merico | 2 | "City Lights" (original song) | Top 20 | Eliminated |
| Aliana Jester | 3 | "I'll Never Love Again" | Top 20 | Eliminated |
| Franklin Boone | 4 | "Meant to Live" | Top 20 | Eliminated |
| Faith Becnel | 5 | "Cry Baby" | Top 20 | Eliminated |
| Arthur Gunn | 6 | "Iris" | Runner-Up | Safe |
| DeWayne Crocker Jr. | 7 | "Voice of God" | Top 20 | Eliminated |
| Makayla Phillips | 8 | "Anyone" | Top 11 | Eliminated |
| Olivia Ximines | 9 | "Say Yes" | Top 20 | Eliminated |
| Louis Knight | 10 | "Maybe That" (original song) | Top 7 | Eliminated |
Disney Night (Top 10)[]
The Top 10 performed Disney songs live on May 2nd, 2021. The 10 also got to go to Disney World. The Top 7 were revealed at the end of the show. John Stamos as guest mentor. Special performances by Sofia Carson & John Bastite.
| Contestant | Order | Song | Featured Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Kennedy | 1 | "Real Gone" | Cars | Safe |
| Willie Spence | 2 | "Circle of Life" | The Lion King | Safe |
| Deshawn Goncalves | 3 | "When You Wish Upon a Star" | Pinocchio | Eliminated |
| Casey Bishop | 4 | "When She Loved Me" | Toy Story 2 | Safe |
| Chayce Beckham | 5 | "Baby Mine" | Dumbo | Safe |
| Alyssa Wray | 6 | "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" | Cinderella | Eliminated |
| Arthur Gunn | 7 | "Remember Me" | Coco | Safe |
| Cassandra Coleman | 8 | "Go the Distance" | Hercules | Eliminated |
| Hunter Metts | 9 | "You'll Be in My Heart" | Tarzan | Safe |
| Grace Kinstler | 10 | "Into the Unknown" | Frozen II | Safe |
Mother's Day (Top 7)[]
The Top 7 will perform 2 songs, one for Mother’s Day & a song by Coldplay. This will air live on May 9th, 2021. Coldplay will be guest mentor. Coldplay also sang their new single, Higher Power. The Top 5 were revealed at the end of the show.
| Contestant | Order | Coldplay Song | Order | Mother's Day Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casey Bishop | 1 | "Paradise" | 8 | "Ironic" | Safe |
| Chayce Beckham | 2 | "Magic" | 9 | "Mama" (original song) | Safe |
| Willie Spence | 3 | "Yellow" | 10 | "You Are So Beautiful" | Safe |
| Caleb Kennedy | 4 | "Violet Hill" | 11 | "Mama Said" (original song) | Safe |
| Arthur Gunn | 5 | "In My Place" | 12 | "Simple Man" | Eliminated |
| Grace Kinstler | 6 | "Fix You" | 13 | "When We Were Young" | Safe |
| Hunter Metts | 7 | "Everglow" | 14 | "The River" (original song) | Eliminated |
Top 4[]
The Top 4 will perform 3 songs, one from their Personal Idol, an Artist single, and a duet of a song by guest mentor FINNEAS with another contestant.
Despite securing a place in the Top 5, Kennedy was disqualified from the show due to a controversial video, thus changing the Top 5 to the Top 4 with one contestant eliminated that week.
Top 4[]
The following contestants advanced to the Top 4:
Finale[]
Top 3[]
The following contestants advanced to the Top 3:
References[]
