Graham DeFranco

The nineteenth season of ''American Idol'' premiered on February 14, 2021, on the ABC television network. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, while Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie returned as judges, and Bobby Bones came back as the in-house mentor.

Chayce Beckham won the season on May 23, 2021, while Willie Spence was the runner-up, and Grace Kinstler finished in third place.

Auditions

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, ''American Idol'' offered live virtual auditions to aspiring contestants through its ''Idol Across America'' program using custom-built Zoom technology to mirror the way the audition was done in previous season but in a home environment. The remote auditions took place from August 10 to October 28, 2020, in all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., as well as a number of open-call auditions, and from these the producers selected the contestants who would then be invited to audition in front of the judges.

Due to the pandemic that limited travel for the judges, the judges' auditions were held in only three locations across California: Los Angeles, San Diego, and Ojai. The judges' auditions began on October 5, 2020, with a number of health and safety protocols in place, such as separate tables for the judges and regular COVID-19 testing for cast and crew.

Hollywood week

Hollywood week was filmed December 7–10, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The format remained similar to last season. In the first round, each contestant chose and performed a song from a selection of musical genres (indie folk, pop, rock, R&B, soul, or country). Those who impressed the judges and the producers were advanced to the next round. Instead of group performances as had been done in earlier seasons, the contestants were paired up by the judges and performed duets. They were given twenty-four hours to rehearse, which included advice from one of the judges. Judges could advance either, neither, or both of the contestants to the Showstopper round.

Showstopper round

The Showstopper round featured the top 64 contestants performing for the judges at the Dolby Theatre. The round was aired on March 28 and March 29, but only 37 contestants were aired. The next day, the judges narrowed the number of contestants to 24. Here is a list of the contestants who reached the top 24 and the song they performed. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 24 (April 4 & 5)

The top 24 contestants were split into two groups of twelve. The first group aired on April 4, and the second group on April 5. Each contestant performed one solo and then one duet with a celebrity singer. Four contestants from each group were eliminated based on the public vote, and the rest advanced to the top 16. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

The artists who performed duets with the top 24 were Jason Aldean, Jimmie Allen, Brandon Boyd, Jewel, Josh Groban, Tori Kelly, Brian McKnight, Katharine McPhee, PJ Morton, Ben Rector, Joss Stone, and Ryan Tedder.

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Top 16 (April 11 & 12)

The Top 16 performances aired on Sunday, April 11 and were followed by the live results show on Monday, April 12. Paula Abdul served as a guest judge on April 12 after Luke Bryan tested positive for COVID-19.

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Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 12

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Top 12 – Oscar-nominated songs (April 18)

Each contestant performed one Oscar-nominated song. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

The Comeback (April 19)

Ten contestants from last season were brought back to compete for a second chance since last season's production was forced to go entirely remote because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only one was allowed to re-enter the competition. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 10 – Disney (May 2)

John Stamos was a guest mentor for the week. Each contestant performed one song from a Disney movie. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 7 – Coldplay & Mother's Day (May 9)

Chris Martin served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed two songs: one song from the Coldplay discography and one song in honor of Mother's Day. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 4 (May 16)

Finneas served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed four songs: one song from their personal idol, their winner's single, a repeat of their favorite performance from the season, and one song from the Finneas discography performed as a duet with a fellow contestant.

Top 3 – Finale (May 23)

Each contestant performed two songs–one song chosen by the judges and one song dedicated to the contestant's hometown – before the one contestant who had the fewest votes up to that point was eliminated, thereby finishing in third place. The remaining two contestants performed one last song as voting continued. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Elimination chart

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Ratings

Notes

References

External links

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{{American Idol

2021 American television seasons
American Idol seasons
Television series impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic