The sixteenth season of American Idol premiered on March 11, 2018, on the ABC television network. It was the show's first season to air on ABC, and after 15 years, Ryan Seacrest continued his role as host, while Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie joined the show as judges. Maddie Poppe won the season on May 21, 2018, while Caleb Lee Hutchinson was the runner-up, and Gabby Barrett finished in third place.
Background In early 2017, Variety reported that FremantleMedia was in talks to revive the show for either NBC or Fox, the show's original network. A dispute between Fremantle and Core Media Group derailed these plans. In May 2017, it was announced that ABC was making a bid to revive the program. Later, ABC announced that it had acquired the rights to the series and that American Idol would return for the 2017–18 television season.Holloway, Daniel, ‘American Idol’: ABC Confirms Plan to Revive Talent Competition Series , Variety, May 9, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017. On November 6, 2017, it was announced that the revival would premiere on March 11, 2018.
On July 20, 2017, it was announced on Live with Kelly and Ryan that Ryan Seacrest would return as host for the revival season. On May 16, 2017, Katy Perry was the first judge to be announced by ABC. On September 23, Luke Bryan was announced for a second judge, and on September 29, Lionel Richie was announced as the final. On February 21, 2018, it was announced that iHeartRadio radio personality Bobby Bones would serve as the mentor for the top 24 this season.
On April 23, 2018, ABC announced that the April 29, May 6, and May 13 live shows of the season would air across all mainland U.S. time zones, a first for American Idol.
Regional auditions In June 2017, it was announced that American Idol would begin two bus tours in 19 cities, and this was later increased to 22, for auditions beginning on August 17, 2017. Those who passed the first audition went in front of the producers, where they would be selected to appear before the judges in different cities. Instead of focusing on a city in each episode as had been the case in previous seasons, each episode this season showed a compilation of auditions from different cities.
+American Idol (season 16) – regional auditions City Filming date(s) Filming venue New York City, New York October 3–4, 2017 Madison Square Garden New Orleans, Louisiana October 14, 2017 Mardi Gras World Nashville, Tennessee October 19–20, 2017 Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Savannah, Georgia October 28–29, 2017 Kehoe Iron Works Los Angeles, California November 16–17, 2017 Hollywood and Highland Center
During the live broadcast of the 2017 American Music Awards, three contestants who did not advance after their auditions in front of the judges were given one more chance to convince the audience to vote for them. The contestants were Britany Holmes, Maris, and Dominique Smith. The winner of the golden ticket to Hollywood was then revealed the next night on an episode of Dancing with the Stars. Lionel Richie appeared in the show and announced that the vote was in favor of Britney Holmes, a 28-year-old vocal coach from Texas, who advanced to Hollywood as the first semifinalist of the season.
Hollywood week Hollywood Week aired over two episodes on March 26 and April 1. It featured three rounds: lines of ten, a group round, and a solo round. In the first round, each contestant sang individually, and after ten had sung, they gathered in a line. Those who impressed the judges and the producers were advanced to the next round, where the contestants performed together in groups of four or five. The contestants who passed the group rounds performed their final solos before advancing to the Showcase round.
Showcase round The Showcase round aired on April 2, which featured the top 50 performing for the judges and a live audience at Exchange LA, a nightclub in Los Angeles. On April 3, the judges narrowed the number of contestants down from 50 to 24. The top 24 contestants then moved on to perform solos and celebrity duets.
Here is a list of the contestants who reached the top 24 and the song they performed at the Showcase. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
+Showcase round (April 2) Contestant Song Layla Spring "Proud Mary" Michael J. Woodard "You Oughta Know" Gabby Barrett "Church Bells" Michelle Sussett "24K Magic" Dominique "Landslide" Trevor McBane "Wake Me Up" Maddie Poppe "Me and Bobby McGee" Ron Bultongez "All I Want" Alyssa Raghu "Every Breath You Take" Catie Turner "Bad Romance" Jurnee "Never Enough" Shannon O'Hara "Unconditionally" Kay Kay "Brokenhearted" Amelia Hammer Harris "Paint It Black" Brandon Diaz "Let's Get It On" Adam Sanders (as Ada Vox) "Creep" Jonny Brenns "Lay Me Down" Mara Justine "Something's Got a Hold on Me" Caleb Lee Hutchinson "I Was Wrong" Garrett Jacobs "Knock on Wood" Cade Foehner "No Good" Effie Passero "The Dance" Marcio Donaldson "If You Really Love Me" Dennis Lorenzo "A Song for You"
Top 24 The top 24 contestants were split into two groups of twelve. Prerecorded performances of the first group aired on April 8 and 9, and the second group on April 15 and 16. On the first episode, each contestant performed one solo; and on the second episode, each contestant performed one duet with a celebrity singer. The judges then eliminated five contestants from each group on the second episode.
The artists who performed duets with the top 24 were Banners, Aloe Blacc, Bishop Briggs, Cam, Colbie Caillat, Luis Fonsi, Andy Grammer, Lea Michele, Patrick Monahan, Rachel Platten, Bebe Rexha, Sugarland, and Allen Stone.
Color key:
Group 1 Contestants are listed in the order they performed. +Group 1 (April 8) Contestant Song Dominique "Ain't Nobody" Layla Spring "A Broken Wing" Catie Turner "Call Me" Dennis Lorenzo "Rude" Michelle Sussett "If I Were a Boy" Michael J. Woodard "Golden Slumbers" Trevor McBane "Way Down We Go" Jonny Brenns "Georgia" Kay Kay "Love on the Brain" Brandon Diaz "Hello" Gabby Barrett "My Church" Cade Foehner "All Along the Watchtower"+Group 1 (April 9) Contestant Song Result Catie Turner "Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah)"(with Andy Grammer) Advanced Cade Foehner "Never Tear Us Apart"(with Bishop Briggs) Advanced Layla Spring "Stuck Like Glue"(with Sugarland) Eliminated Dominique "Wake Me Up"(with Aloe Blacc) Eliminated Brandon Diaz "Despacito"(with Luis Fonsi) Eliminated Kay Kay "Drive By"(with Patrick Monahan) Eliminated Trevor McBane "River"(with Bishop Briggs) Eliminated Michelle Sussett "I Can't Make You Love Me"(with Luis Fonsi) Advanced Jonny Brenns "Back Home"(with Andy Grammer) Advanced Dennis Lorenzo "Unaware"(with Allen Stone) Advanced Michael J. Woodard "Angel in Blue Jeans"(with Patrick Monahan) Advanced Gabby Barrett "Stay"(with Sugarland) Advanced
Group 2 Contestants are listed in the order they performed. +Group 2 (April 15) Contestant Song Amelia Hammer Harris "Believer" Garrett Jacobs "Treat You Better" Maddie Poppe "Brand New Key" Ada Vox "Feeling Good" Caleb Lee Hutchinson "Die a Happy Man" Effie Passero "Barracuda" Alyssa Raghu "Stay" Marcio Donaldson "Inseparable" Mara Justine "Run to You" Jurnee "Flashlight" Shannon O'Hara "All I Ask" Ron Bultongez "Dancing On My Own"+Group 2 (April 16) Contestant Song Result Caleb Lee Hutchinson "Meant to Be"(with Bebe Rexha) Advanced Ada Vox "Defying Gravity"(with Lea Michele) Advanced Maddie Poppe "Bubbly"(with Colbie Caillat) Advanced Ron Bultongez "Someone to You"(with Banners) Eliminated Amelia Hammer Harris "Me, Myself & I"(with Bebe Rexha) Eliminated Shannon O'Hara "Burning House"(with Cam) Eliminated Alyssa Raghu "Yellow"(with Banners) Eliminated Marcio Donaldson "What's Going On"(with Allen Stone) Advanced Jurnee "Run to You"(with Lea Michele) Advanced Garrett Jacobs "Lucky"(with Colbie Caillat) Advanced Mara Justine "Fight Song"(with Rachel Platten) Advanced Effie Passero "Diane"(with Cam) Eliminated
Top 14 The Top 14 performances aired on Sunday, April 22, followed by the live results show on Monday, April 23.
Color key:
Contestants are listed in the order they performed. +Top 14 (April 22) Contestant Song Result Caleb Lee Hutchinson "Midnight Train to Memphis" Advanced Michelle Sussett "Friends" Wild Card Marcio Donaldson "It's a Miracle" Wild Card Mara Justine "This Is Me" Wild Card Garrett Jacobs "Raging Fire" Wild Card Ada Vox "The Show Must Go On" Wild Card Catie Turner "Take Me to Church" Advanced Cade Foehner "Black Magic Woman" Advanced Dennis Lorenzo "In My Blood" Wild Card Maddie Poppe "Homeward Bound" Advanced Jurnee "Bang Bang" Wild Card Jonny Brenns "This Is Gospel" Wild Card Michael J. Woodard "Titanium" Advanced Gabby Barrett "The Climb" Advanced +Top 14 (April 23) Contestant Song Result Maddie Poppe "Walk Like an Egyptian" Immune Michelle Sussett "I'm a Dreamer" Advanced Marcio Donaldson "Jealous" Eliminated Cade Foehner "Bright Lights" Immune Garrett Jacobs "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" Eliminated Gabby Barrett "Little Red Wagon" Immune Dennis Lorenzo "This Woman's Work" Advanced Jonny Brenns "Demons" Eliminated Caleb Lee Hutchinson "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)" Immune Mara Justine "Love on the Brain" Eliminated Jurnee "Never Enough" Advanced Michael J. Woodard "Believe in Yourself" Immune Catie Turner "Havana" Immune Ada Vox "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" Advanced
Top 10 contestants
Maddie Poppe (born December 5, 1997) was from Clarksville, Iowa. She auditioned in New York City by performing "Rainbow Connection." In Hollywood, she sang "Dreams" by Brandi Carlile as her first solo and performed her original song "Don't Ever Let Your Children Grow Up" as her final solo. She advanced to the top 24 after performing "Me and Bobby McGee" in the Showcase round. During the course of the season, she played the ukulele, guitar and keyboard.
Caleb Lee Hutchinson (born March 2, 1999) was from Dallas, Georgia. He auditioned in Atlanta by performing "If It Hadn't Been for Love." In Hollywood, he performed Keith Whitley's "Don't Close Your Eyes" as his first solo. He made it to the Showcase round by singing Josh Turner's "Your Man" as his second solo. After performing "I Was Wrong" by Chris Stapleton, Hutchinson advanced to the top 24 semifinals.
Gabby Barrett (born March 5, 2000) was from Pittsburgh. She auditioned in Nashville, intending to perform one song, but the judges encouraged her to sing a church song instead. She sang "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" and advanced to Hollywood. She sang Aretha Franklin's "Ain't No Way" as her final solo and advanced to the Showcase round, where she then sang "Church Bells" by Carrie Underwood and advanced to the top 24.
Cade Foehner (born July 24, 1996) was from Shelbyville, Texas. He earned a golden ticket from the judges after singing The Black Crowes' "She Talks to Angels" at his audition in New Orleans. In Hollywood, he performed "The Thrill Is Gone" by B.B. King as his first solo and "Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man as the final solo. He sang Kaleo's "No Good" to advance in the semifinals in the Showcase round. Michael J. Woodard (born October 6, 1997) was from Philadelphia. For his audition, he sang "Make It Rain." He then progressed to the Showcase round after performing "Maybe This Time." He also sang Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" to advance in the top 24. Catie Turner (born February 14, 2000) was from Langhorne, Pennsylvania. She had auditioned for American Idol's fifteenth season, but was rejected by the producers. She auditioned in New York City and sang her original song "21st Century Machine." She also sang the Beatles' "Come Together" and another original song during the solo rounds of Hollywood Week. She sang "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga in the Showcase round to earn a spot in the top 24.