Parade.com asked executive producer Megan Wolflick at the ABC TCA panel for the series, who would be filling that spot—and the news could turn out to be exciting. “There’s not anyone to replace Bobby per se, but this year we will be leaning into our amazing American Idol university alum to help our current Idols along the way in different stages of the competition, so lots of those familiar faces, who America has grown to love will be seen throughout the season and we are very, very excited and our alum are excited to give back,” she said. Just who those “familiar faces” may be wasn’t announced yet, but host Ryan Seacrest seems to have a wish list, saying, “In terms of the contestants, I want to see every one of them come back, way back from the beginning. I remember a moment with Clay [Aiken] and Ruben [Stoddard], I want to see Carrie [Underwood] again, I love seeing Jennifer Hudson. I can remember standing next to them looking at their faces and reactions in moments of success and challenge.” Another twist for the 20th anniversary is the addition of a platinum ticket, since platinum is the modern-day 20th anniversary gift. Only three were given out, one each in Nashville, Austin and Los Angeles. “We identify the best talent in each place and we give them this ticket, rather than our usual gold ticket, so this ticket gives them the ability to go to Hollywood Week,” Katy told Parade.com. “We already filmed Hollywood Week and it was so rigorous and survival of the fittest. They get to basically observe from the box seats at the theater one day. They get to rest their voice, strategize, check out the competition and select who they want to duet with.” In past seasons of American Idol, the contestants got to select who they would duet with, but in the last season, the judges made the choice, so this season, the three platinum ticket holders get a tiny advantage by getting to choose their partner because they are considered to be the cream of the crop. As to how the platinum ticket holders were selected, Lionel said, “For me, it was the fact that they were just naturals. Some people walk out, and they are just stars. They have all the boxes ticked: stage presence, delivery, their sound, their style. They have it all there, so when they open their mouths, you know exactly who they are as artists. It just rings that bell. When that happens, you give them the platinum ticket as fast as you can.” And according to Megan, “It was pretty unanimous. It was obvious who was going to get the platinum tickets.” Another topic of interest during the panel, considering the current status of the COVID pandemic, was how will that affect the season. Since auditions and Hollywood Week have already been filmed, they are business as usual, but it remains to be seen what will take place when American Idol gets to the live shows. “We always want to do this show closest to its normal format in delivery and execution as possible because that’s where we all excel,” Ryan said. “Nothing can replace being up close and personal with an artist in a moment when they’ve gone through a tough break or when they’ve gone through a big break. Our goal is to get to those places where we can capture those kinds of moments and memories.” According to Megan, the hope for this year is to bring back an audience for the live portions, the same as last season. “Last year, we were able to have a safe, minimal, masked audience to feed off of, whereas before we were Idol at home, which was virtual,” she said. “It is, of course, our goal to have the fans back in the studio because that’s what makes the atmosphere. Having had this be our third year in the pandemic, we are ready to pivot on a dime at a moment’s notice, we are ready to be innovative, to push the envelope, to do anything we can to make this show move forward in 2022. It is our aspiration at this moment to go back to having as many fans as possible in that studio, being completely safe with L.A. County.” American Idol returns for season 5 on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Sunday, Feb. 27. Next,American Idol 2022! Why Bobby Bones Is Not Returning for New Season and Who Will Replace Him!
