American Idol 2018 Spoilers: Top 40-45 Chosen, Top 24 to Come (UPDATED! More Details!)

I have an American Idol 2018 Hollywood Week spoiler update. It’s not over! From what I understand from a source, last week’s Hollywood Week ended (Jan 26) with 40-45 contestants remaining.

Just to recap: Monday and Tuesday were first solo rounds; Group rounds took place on Wednesday with media in attendance; Thursday was another solo round. On Friday, Idol posted a photo of judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie entering a room to deliver news to a group of contestants. I’m hearing the “rooms” segment whittled the field down to 40-45 contestants.

There will be a Top 24. And it will be chosen soon. I’m hearing the contestants were not sent home on Friday, but also were not told what would happen next. So that’s where we stand at the moment. The Green Mile could be happening as we speak.

UPDATE: A source just dropped specific intel. The remaining contestants begin rehearsals tomorrow. They perform next Thursday in front of the judges for a spot in the Top 24. Interesting that the remaining singers have an entire week to rehearse for a final performance. Will the contestants perform for their shot in the Top 24 live in a club as they have in the last few seasons of the show? Or will the performances be more like The Voice–polished set pieces filmed in the studio?

UPDATE 2:  On Camera Audiences is advertising tickets for February 8. So, whatever is going down next Thursday (Feb 8) is happening in front of a live audience! Click for your Tix.

American Idol posted this photo to Twitter on Tuesday (Jan 30). Hm.

Meanwhile, Reality Rocks Lyndsey Parker had a nice long chat with Idol producers Trish Kinane and Megan Michaels on media day last week. Here are a few highlights. Click to read the full interview.

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Not only is it time for Idol to make a return, it should never have gone away in the first place, says Kinane:

“It’s interesting,” she muses. “The ratings when American Idol went off the air was 2.9 in the demo, and the finale had 13.3 million viewers. And even the average was like, 9, 10, 11 million viewers. That’s not a show that needs to go away, I don’t think! Having said that, I think the two years off has given everyone time to miss it a bit. It’s given us time to just take stock, and also given time for the talent pool to regenerate.”

Lyndsey watched the groups perform. Her observations of the judges:

While Bryan seems to be the most laid-back of the trio, Richie spends much of his screentime literally up out of his seat, authoritatively giving Group Night contestants Commodores-inspired choreography pointers. (“I love doing this; it’s right up my alley,” he gushes at one point.) He seems likely to be the show’s most popular and lovable judge. “He’s been around a long time, and he has a lot of wisdom. Luke and Katy take the mickey out of him, but he is wise, and he has a lot to offer. He’s very warm, and he really cares,” says Kinane. Still, Richie can be brutally honest: When one group performance unravels into a mess of forgotten lyrics, he describes the effort as “raggedy.”

Perry, however, is the real revelation. She’s sharp and assertive, she doles out specific and actionable advice, and she has zero problem describing one singer’s tendency to sing everything at top volume as being “excruciating to the ear,” lecturing one swelled-headed contender about the difference between confidence and arrogance, or flatly telling another singer with enunciation issues, “Don’t sound like a frog.”

Kinane says the judges will be honest, but fair with the contestants. As Lyndsey put it: “While the coaches on The Voice are basically enablers who dole out gold stars and participation trophies to all contestants, and the panel on The Four is vicious enough to make even Simon Cowell blanch.” But just like Goldilocks, American Idol hopes to get the formula just right.

As far as the contestants are concerned, Kinane said:

“We’ve got a lot 15-, 16-, 17-year-olds. A lot of young people who grew up watching the show. We’ve even got one Idol baby who was born on the exact day Idol went on air: June 11, 2002. Like, she’s been waiting her whole life to prepare for it.”

Hollywood Week Behind the Scene

About mj santilli 34829 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!