American Idol is known for making stars, but what exactly happens behind the scenes on the show? In a series of interviews and social media posts, past Idol contestants gave the inside scoop about what went down when the cameras weren’t rolling.
Videos by American Songwriter
It all starts well before the contestants auditions in front of the judges. This season the esteemed panel includes Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan this season.
In an essay for Growing Up in Santa Cruz, Lindsey Wall said she was recruited for the competition series via an email from a producer. She first auditioned with a Skype interview, which was followed by a phone call, before an in-person interview with producers.
After that audition, Wall said she moved forward to the round where she’d perform in front of the celebrity judges.
David Cook, who won season 7 of Idol, backed up Wall’s account.
“People always seemed a little shocked when I tell them that my audition in front of Simon and Paula and Randy was my fifth audition,” Cook told Business Insider of the show’s three original judges.
American Idol‘s Hollywood Week
Contestants cover all of their own expenses at the beginning of the process. However, when they make it through to Hollywood Week, Idol begins paying for their flights and hotels, Cook said.
In a TikTok, Margie Mays, a past Idol contestant, said the show also covers transfers and meals.
“They’re not paying you money, but they are paying for your expenses,” she said.
If a contestant is sent home during Hollywood Week, they’re quickly on a plane heading home, Mays said on TikTok. If a singer is sent packing during Hawaii week, they have to hang out on the island until that portion of the competition wraps, she said.
The Live Shows and Beyond
From there, the live shows kick off. At that point, Mays said on TikTok, contestants start to get paid for their time. Additionally, that point in the competition marks the first time the show provides stylists, hair, and makeup for the contestants.
“They really want you to go from looking like [an] everyday person to a star and to really transform from the beginning of the show to the end,” Mays said.
When contestants are eliminated between the Top 10 and Top 20, they go home quickly, Mays said. However, anyone in the Top 10 has to hang around Los Angeles until the finale. That’s “because they’re gonna bring you back for the finale and you’re gonna perform in the finale,” according to Mays.
If, after all of that, you wind up the winner of the show, you don’t get all the prize money up front.
“You do get $250,000, but not really because of taxes. You get half of it before you complete your record, and then the second half you get after you complete the record,” season 16 winner Maddie Poppe told Business Insider. “So it’s just like an advance from the record deal, but I’m pretty sure I have to recoup it.”
Photo by Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.