Just last month, American Idol made the decision to halt production due to wanting to follow social-distancing and stay-at-home orders. However, they recently announced that they will resume their regular schedule by having contestants perform from their homes.
In an interview with Billboard, American Idol showrunner Trish Kinane, said “There was never a conversation about completely scrapping this season with ABC. It would not have been okay to pay the singers on the back for making it through Holywood Week, the showcase and auditions, and then just call it all off… We felt we needed to bring in to a conclusion.”
The plan is for there to be “mini-studios” in the homes of the last 20 contestants as well as the judges, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan; host Ryan Seacrest, mentor Bobby Jones, along with dozens of executives and producers who will be a part of the show behind the scenes.
Kinane also stated that there will be a band and backup singers available for the contestants so that the show remains as authentic as possible. Those remaining in the competition have already been working with producers to shoot video footage on their iPhones and American Idol did two feature episodes that delved deep into the lives of these competitors.
Producers are working hard to ensure that each contestant has a strong internet connection and is each given a fair chance. A singing competition has never been done this way and American Idol was quick to come up with a creative way to finish out their season.
The first episode of live show performances is set to air on April 26th.
