American Idol season 22 explained

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Host:Ryan Seacrest
Winner:Abi Carter
Runner Up:Will Moseley
Num Episodes:18
Network:ABC

The twenty-second season of American Idol premiered on February 18, 2024, on the ABC television network.[1] [2] Ryan Seacrest returned as host; Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie returned as judges.[3] This season was Perry's final one on the show; she announced her departure on February 13, 2024, five days before the premiere.[4]

Abi Carter won the season on May 19, 2024, while Will Moseley was the runner-up, and Jack Blocker finished in third place.

Auditions

The Idol Across America virtual auditions program returned. Remote auditions took place from August 2 to September 8, 2023, as well as a number of open-call auditions, and from these, the producers selected the contestants who were then invited to audition in front of the judges.[5] Three locations were new, and selected due to them being hometowns of the judges: Leesburg (Bryan), Tuskegee (Richie), and Santa Barbara (Perry).[6]

The "platinum ticket" also returned from the previous two seasons. During the audition round, a total of three platinum tickets were awarded. The platinum ticket recipients were Odell Bunton Jr., Abi Carter, and Julia Gagnon.[7] [8] [9] Carter ended up becoming the first "platinum ticket" recipient to win the series.

City! scope="col"
Filming date(s)Filming venue
Leesburg, GeorgiaSeptember 19–20, 2023Lee County High School
Tuskegee, AlabamaOctober 2–3, 2023Tuskegee University
Santa Barbara, CaliforniaOctober 17–18, 2023Music Academy of the West
Los Angeles, CaliforniaOctober 24–25, 2023Calamigos Ranch
Nashville, TennesseeNovember 11–12, 2023Graduate Nashville

Hollywood week

Hollywood week was filmed on December 10, 2023 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Dubbed the "Idol Arena", each contestant was chosen at random to perform a solo, and fifty-six of them advanced to the next round.[10] The platinum ticket recipients (Abi Carter, Julia Gagnon, and Odell Bunton Jr.) sang "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & the Papas as a trio.[11] Their advantage was the ability to skip this round, but were asked to do a bonus performance. This season did not feature a duet round. The "Showstoppers" round would determine the Top 24 semifinalists.[12]

Showstopper round

The Showstopper round featured the top 56 contestants performing for the judges and a live audience at the Barker Hangar. This round was filmed on December 11, 2023, and aired on April 1, 2024. The judges then narrowed the number of contestants down to 24. The following is a list of the contestants who reached the top 24 and the song they performed. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant! scope="col"
Song
Jordan Anthony"Love in the Dark"
Odell Bunton Jr."Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
Nya"Get Ready"
Blake Proehl"In My Blood"
Triston Harper"By Your Grace"
Roman Collins"Come Together"
Kaibrienne"Simple Man"
Jack Blocker"You Should've Seen the Other Guy"
McKenna Faith Breinholt"Anyone"
Mia Matthews"You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)"
Emmy Russell"More Hearts Than Mine"
Will Moseley"Ain't No Sunshine"
Ajii"Too Close"
KAYKO"Gives You Hell"
Elleigh Marie"Golden Slumbers"
Kennedy Reid"Total Eclipse of the Heart"
KBlocks"River"
Abi Carter"If I Could Turn Back Time"
Jayna Elise"It's All Coming Back to Me Now"
Quintavious"You Say"
Hailey Mia"Alive"
Jennifer Jeffries"Northern Attitude"
Julia Gagnon"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"
Mackenzie Sol"With a Little Help from My Friends"

Top 24 (April 7 & 8)

The top 24 contestants were split into two groups of twelve and performed one solo each at the Aulani resort in Kapolei, Hawaii. The first group taped on February 7 and aired on April 7, while the second group taped on February 8 and aired on April 8. Tori Kelly served as a guest mentor and judge for the first group, and Jelly Roll for the second group. Two contestants from each group will be eliminated based on the public vote, and the rest will advance to the top 20. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Color key:

Contestant! scope="col"
SongResult
Hailey Mia"she's all i wanna be"Eliminated
Jordan Anthony"Titanium"Safe
Jayna Elise"Confident"Safe
Julia Gagnon"Rumour Has It"Safe
KAYKO"HOW TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU"Safe
Nya"The Best"Safe
Blake Proehl"Anyone"Eliminated
Abi Carter"Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"Safe
Quintavious"Something in the Water"Safe
Kaibrienne"Heaven"Safe
Will Moseley"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"Safe
McKenna Faith Breinholt"The Story"Safe
Contestant! scope="col"
SongResult
Odell Bunton Jr."Uptown Funk"Safe
Elleigh Marie"Forget You"Eliminated
Mackenzie Sol"Jealous"Safe
Jennifer Jeffries"Bruises"Safe
Emmy Russell"Beautiful Things"Safe
Ajii"Higher"Safe
Kennedy Reid"Fancy"Safe
Jack Blocker"Rainbow"Safe
Roman Collins"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)"Safe
KBlocks"Harleys in Hawaii"Eliminated
Mia Matthews"Daddy's Hands"Safe
Triston Harper"God's Country"Safe
Non-competition performances (April 7)
PerformerSong
Tori Kelly"High Water"
Iam Tongi"Why Kiki?"

Top 20 (April 14 & 15)

The top 20 performances were taped on Wednesday, April 10 and aired on Sunday, April 14, followed by the live results show on Monday, April 15.

Color key:

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant! scope="col"
SongResult
Jack Blocker"You Don't Mess Around with Jim"Safe
Mia Matthews"Wildflowers and Wild Horses"Safe
Mackenzie Sol"I'll Never Love Again"Wild Card
Roman Collins"Never Would Have Made It"Wild Card
Kennedy Reid"Love Can Build a Bridge"Wild Card
Ajii"Like a Stone"Wild Card
Jennifer Jeffries"Grave Digger"Wild Card
Emmy Russell"Want You"Safe
Triston Harper"H-O-P-E"Safe
Odell Bunton Jr."The Door"Wild Card
KAYKO"OVER YOU"Safe
Jordan Anthony"when the party's over"Wild Card
Quintavious"Hollow"Wild Card
Kaibrienne"girl i am now"Safe
Nya"Georgia on My Mind"Wild Card
Jayna Elise"My All"Wild Card
Abi Carter"Welcome to the Black Parade"Safe
Will Moseley"Makin' Me Look Good Again"Safe
McKenna Faith Breinholt"Both Sides, Now"Safe
Julia Gagnon"I Believe"Safe
Contestant! scope="col"
SongResult
Quintavious"Make It Happen"Eliminated
McKenna Faith Breinholt"Tumbleweed"Safe
Jordan Anthony"Attention"Saved by the judges
Jack Blocker"Feeling Whitney"Safe
Kennedy Reid"Somethin' Bad"Eliminated
Jennifer Jeffries"All I Want"Eliminated
Ajii"Call Out My Name"Eliminated
Mia Matthews"Burning House"Safe
KAYKO"WHAT IF?"Safe
Nya"Water"Saved by the judges
Will Moseley"Gone For Good"Safe
Abi Carter"My Mind"Safe
Odell Bunton Jr."Wait on You"Eliminated
Kaibrienne"Zombie"Safe
Mackenzie Sol"False Alarms"Eliminated
Emmy Russell"skinny"Safe
Julia Gagnon"Need a Favor"Safe
Jayna Elise"All I Wanted"Saved by the judges
Triston Harper"'Til You Can't"Safe
Roman Collins"It's a Man's Man's Man's World"Saved by the judges
Non-competition performances (April 14)
PerformerSong
Teddy Swims"Lose Control"
Paul Russell"Lil Boo Thang"
Lauren Spencer-Smith"Fingers Crossed"

Finals

Color key:

Top 14 – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (April 21)

Gene Simmons served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed one song from inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant! scope="col"
SongResult
Triston Harper"Heartbreak Hotel"Safe
Julia Gagnon"Run to You"Safe
Roman Collins"You're All I Need to Get By"Safe
Kaibrienne"I Hate Myself for Loving You"Safe
Jayna Elise"I Have Nothing"Safe
Mia Matthews"Those Memories of You"Safe
KAYKO"High and Dry"Safe
Emmy Russell"I Can't Make You Love Me"Safe
Jordan Anthony"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"Eliminated
McKenna Faith Breinholt"Hard to Say I'm Sorry"Safe
Jack Blocker"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"Safe
Nya"I Say a Little Prayer"Eliminated
Will Moseley"Night Moves"Safe
Abi Carter"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"Safe

Top 12 – Billboard #1 Hits (April 22)

Meghan Trainor served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed a Billboard #1 song. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant! scope="col"
SongResult
Abi Carter"All Too Well"Safe
Will Moseley"Starting Over"Safe
Jayna Elise"Diamonds"Eliminated
Mia Matthews"Over You"Safe
Roman Collins"Roar"Eliminated
Jack Blocker"Blinding Lights"Safe
Emmy Russell"Lose You to Love Me"Safe
Triston Harper"Beautiful Crazy"Safe
Julia Gagnon"Something in the Orange"Safe
Kaibrienne"Wrecking Ball"Safe
McKenna Faith Breinholt"cardigan"Safe
KAYKO"Somebody That I Used to Know"Safe

Top 10 – Contestants' birth year (April 28)

Shania Twain served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed a song from the year of their birth. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant! scope="col"
SongResult
Mia Matthews"No One Needs to Know"Eliminated
Jack Blocker"Believe"Safe
McKenna Faith Breinholt"Iris"Safe
KAYKO"Teenage Dirtbag"Eliminated
Emmy Russell"All the Small Things"Safe
Triston Harper"She's Country"Safe
Abi Carter"Clocks"Safe
Julia Gagnon"Here I Am"Safe
Will Moseley"Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde"Safe
Kaibrienne"Here Without You"Safe
Non-competition performances
PerformerSong
Just Sam"One Moment in Time"
Scotty McCreery"Cab in a Solo"

Top 8 – Judges' song contest (April 29)

The judges chose songs for each of the contestants to perform. Katy Perry had the most song choices selected by the contestants, and was able to save one contestant from elimination. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant! scope="col"
SongResult
Will Moseley"Folsom Prison Blues"Safe
Kaibrienne"traitor"Eliminated
McKenna Faith Breinholt"Everywhere I Go"Saved by Katy Perry
Jack Blocker"Always on My Mind"Safe
Abi Carter"Bring Me to Life"Safe
Julia Gagnon"Over the Rainbow"Safe
Triston Harper"Sand in My Boots"Safe
Emmy Russell"Coal Miner's Daughter"Safe
Non-competition performances
PerformersSong
Jack Blocker & Emmy Russell"Hello"
Triston Harper & Will Moseley"What Makes You Country"
Melinda Doolittle, Colton Dixon
& Danny Gokey
"Shackles (Praise You)" (Tribute to Mandisa)
Abi Carter, McKenna Faith Breinholt,
Julia Gagnon & Kaibrienne
"Wide Awake"

Top 7 – Dance songs & Adele (May 5)

Ciara served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed two songs: one dance song, and one song from the Adele discography. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant! scope="col"
OrderSongResult
Jack Blocker1"Long Tall Sally"Safe
9"One and Only"
Julia Gagnon2"Roam"Eliminated
11"Set Fire to the Rain"
Abi Carter3"My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)"Safe
14"Hello"
McKenna Faith Breinholt4"E.T."Eliminated
8"Make You Feel My Love"
Will Moseley5"Gimme Three Steps"Safe
10"Rolling in the Deep"
Emmy Russell6"Shut Up and Dance"Safe
12"Water Under the Bridge"
Triston Harper7"T-R-O-U-B-L-E"Safe
13"Easy on Me"

Top 5 – Disney (May 12)

Kane Brown served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed two songs from Disney films. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant! scope="col"
OrderSongDisney filmResult
Abi Carter1"Part of Your World"The Little MermaidSafe
8"The Chain"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Triston Harper2"Almost There"The Princess and the FrogEliminated
7"Life Is a Highway"Cars
Emmy Russell3"The Climb"Eliminated
6"Carried Me with You"Onward
Jack Blocker4"Nobody's Fool"Cars 2Safe
9"Space Oddity"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Will Moseley5"The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy"Toy Story 4Safe
10"Born to Be Wild"
Non-competition performances
PerformersSong
Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan,
Katy Perry & Ryan Seacrest
"You've Got a Friend in Me"
Jenifer Lewis & Terence Blanchard"Dig a Little Deeper"

Top 3 and Top 2 – Finale (May 19)

Jon Bon Jovi served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed two songs – one from the Jon Bon Jovi discography and one dedicated to their hometowns – before the contestant who had the fewest votes up to that point was eliminated, thereby finishing in third place.

After Jack Blocker was eliminated, the Top 2 were Abi Carter and Will Moseley. Near the end of the show after the guest performances, Moseley and Carter sang their potential coronation singles. After the voting lines were closed, Carter was declared the winner while Moseley was runner-up.

Contestant! scope="col"
OrderSongResult
Will Moseley1"It's My Life"Runner-up
4"My Town"
7"Good Book Bad"
Jack Blocker2"I'll Be There for You"Third place
5"All My Ex's Live in Texas"
Abi Carter3"Bed of Roses"Winner
6"Somewhere"
8"This Isn't Over"
Non-competition performances
PerformersSong
Top 3"Livin' on a Prayer"
Top 3
with Jon Bon Jovi
"Legendary"
Julia Gagnon
with Jason Mraz
"I Feel Like Dancing"
Jayna Elise
with Seal
"Crazy"
McKenna Faith Breinholt & Kaibrienne
with James Bay
"Let It Go"
Luke Bryan"Love You, Miss You, Mean It"
Mia Matthews
with Luke Bryan
"Run"
Top 12
with Lionel Richie
"Running with the Night"
Triston Harper
with Cody Johnson
"'Til You Can't"
Bishop Briggs"Triumph"
Abi Carter
with Bishop Briggs
"River"
Will Moseley, Jack Blocker,
Triston Harper, KAYKO
& Roman Collins
with Nick Fradiani
"America"
"Sweet Caroline"
Will Moseley
with Hootie & the Blowfish
"Hold My Hand"
"Let Her Cry"
"Only Wanna Be with You"
Jack Blocker
with Katy Perry
"What Makes a Woman"
New Kids on the Block"Kids"
KAYKO
with New Kids on the Block
"You Got It (The Right Stuff)"
Emmy Russell
with Wynonna
"Coal Miner's Daughter"
"No One Else on Earth"
Roman Collins
with CeCe Winans
"Goodness of God"
Abi Carter, Emmy Russell,
Julia Gagnon, McKenna Faith Breinholt,
Kaibrienne, Mia Matthews
& Jayna Elise
"Teenage Dream"
"Dark Horse"
"California Gurls"
Abi Carter"What Was I Made For?"

Elimination chart

Color key:

Contestant! rowspan="2" scope="col"
Top 24Top 20Top 14Top 12Top 10Top 8Top 7Top 5Finale
4/74/84/144/214/224/284/295/55/125/19
Abi Carter1SafeN/ASafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeWinner
Will Moseley2SafeN/ASafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeRunner-up
Jack Blocker3N/ASafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeThird place
Emmy Russell5N/ASafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeEliminated
Triston HarperN/ASafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafeSafe
Julia Gagnon7SafeN/ASafeSafeSafeSafeSafeEliminated
McKenna Faith BreinholtSafeN/ASafeSafeSafeSafeSaved
Kaibrienne8SafeN/ASafeSafeSafeSafeEliminated
KAYKO10SafeN/ASafeSafeSafeEliminated
Mia MatthewsN/ASafeSafeSafeSafe
Jayna Elise12SafeN/ASavedSafeEliminated
Roman CollinsN/ASafeSavedSafe
Jordan Anthony14SafeN/ASavedEliminated
NyaSafeN/ASaved
AjiiN/ASafeEliminated
Odell Bunton Jr.N/ASafe
Jennifer JeffriesN/ASafe
QuintaviousSafeN/A
Kennedy ReidN/ASafe
Mackenzie SolN/ASafe
Elleigh MarieN/AEliminated
KBlocksN/A
Blake ProehlEliminated
Hailey Mia

Notes and References

  1. Web site: American Idol Scores Season 7 Renewal At ABC. Deadline Hollywood. Campione. Katie. May 16, 2023. February 4, 2024.
  2. Web site: ABC Midseason Premiere Dates: The Bachelor, 9-1-1, Abbott Elementary, Grey's Anatomy, More. Deadline Hollywood. Petski. Denise. November 16, 2023. February 4, 2024.
  3. American Idol Announces Return of Judges, Kick-Off Date for Idol Across America Auditions. Billboard. Kaufman. Gil. July 25, 2023. February 4, 2024.
  4. News: Morrow. Brendan. Katy Perry says she's leaving American Idol amid 'very exciting year'. February 13, 2024. February 13, 2023. USA Today. https://web.archive.org/web/20240213150503/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2024/02/13/is-katy-perry-leaving-american-idol/72580521007/. February 13, 2024. Katy Perry is leaving American Idol after seven seasons. She surprised fans on Monday's Jimmy Kimmel Live! by casually revealing her exit..
  5. Web site: American Idol - Season 7 ABC. https://web.archive.org/web/20230720172215/https://us.castitreach.com/ag/fmna/ai7abc/welcomeOnsite.html. dead. July 20, 2023. Cast It Reach. February 4, 2024.
  6. Web site: There's a Lot That's Different About American Idol 2024 . 2024-04-08 . 2024-04-19 . . DeHollogne . Lauren . …Santa Barbara, Tuskegee, and Leesburg. Notice something odd about the last three cities? They are not known to be the typical cities Idol holds their auditions, but they are rather the judges' hometowns..
  7. Auditions, Part 1. American Idol. 22. 1. February 18, 2024. ABC.
  8. Auditions, Part 2. American Idol. 22. 2. February 25, 2024. ABC.
  9. Auditions, Part 5. American Idol. 22. 5. March 24, 2024. ABC.
  10. Web site: American Idol Season 22 Contestants Black Out During Hollywood Week's Brand-New Twist . 2024-03-27 . 2024-03-27 . . Dodge . Jeff . It's common for the contestants to be in the audience watching each other perform during Hollywood Week, but it's the added element of surprise--they don't know when they'll have to perform--that will cause a lot of stress..
  11. 'California Dreamin': EPIC Song Ft. Abi Carter, Julia Gagnon, & Odell Bunton Jr. - American Idol 2024 . 2024-03-29 . American Idol . Video clip . en-us . . American Idol . 2024-03-31 . An epic start to Hollywood Week on American Idol, as our three platinum ticket powerhouses perform California Dreamin on the Idol Arena stage! Give it up for Abi Carter, Julia Gagnon, and Odell Bunton Jr.! . YouTube.
  12. Web site: American Idol 22 episode 6 recap: Who survived Hollywood Week in the all-new Idol Arena? [Live Blog] ]. 2024-03-31 . 2024-03-31 . . Davidson . Denton . Just 56 contestants remain of the 143 brought to Hollywood. Tomorrow night this group will be narrowed down to just 24 in the iconic Showstoppers Round..