# American Idol season 20

The twentieth season of American Idol premiered on February 27, 2022, on the ABC television network. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, and Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie returned as judges. Bobby Bones did not return this year as the in-house mentor.
Noah Thompson won the season on May 22, 2022, while HunterGirl was the runner-up, and Leah Marlene finished in third place.

## Auditions

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Idol Across America virtual audition program that was launched last season was used again this season. Remote auditions took place from August 5 to October 28, 2021, 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.
American Idol introduced the "platinum ticket" during the audition round in celebration of the show's twentieth season. A total of three platinum tickets were awarded, and they gave the recipients the opportunity to advance directly to the second round of Hollywood week as well as choose their partners for that week's duet challenge before the remaining contestants were paired. The platinum ticket recipients were HunterGirl, Kenedi Anderson, and Jay.
American Idol (season 20) – auditions :
| City | Filming date(s) | Filming venue |
| Austin, Texas | October 4–7, 2021 | Lakeway Resort & Spa |
| Los Angeles, California | October 17–20, 2021 | 1 Hotel West Hollywood |
| Nashville, Tennessee | November 11–15, 2021 | Kimpton Aertson Hotel |

## Hollywood week

Hollywood week was filmed December 6–9, 2021, at the Orpheum 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). This season, contestants were mentored by American Idol alumni: Lauren Alaina (country), David Cook (rock), Lee DeWyze (indie folk), Haley Reinhart (soul), Jordin Sparks (pop), and Ruben Studdard (R&B). Those who impressed the judges and the producers were advanced to the next round. The contestants were paired up by the judges and performed duets. They were given twelve hours to rehearse, which included consultation with a vocal coach, a stage rehearsal, and 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 59 contestants performing for the judges and a live audience at the Orpheum Theatre. This round was aired on April 4, but only 33 contestants were aired. The following day, the judges narrowed the number of contestants down 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.
Showstopper round (April 4) :
| Contestant | Song |
| Leah Marlene | "She's a Self Made Man" |
| Jay | "Jar of Hearts" |
| Nicolina | "Rolling in the Deep" |
| Emyrson Flora | "Honey" |
| Katyrah Love | "Sweet Thing" |
| Fritz Hager | "Inconsequential Love" |
| Jacob Moran | "Is That Alright?" |
| Allegra Miles | "Reality" |
| Ava Maybee | "Falling" |
| Cameron Whitcomb | "It Ain't Me Babe" |
| Sir Blayke | "Honesty" |
| Elli Rowe | "Fields of Gold" |
| Mike Parker | "Second Guessing" |
| Tristen Gressett | "Come Together" |
| Christian Guardino | "Sex on Fire" |
| Noah Thompson | "Stay" |
| Cadence Baker | "The Story" |
| HunterGirl | "Girl Goin' Nowhere" |
| Danielle Finn | "Evergreen" |
| Sage | "I Hate This" |
| Kenedi Anderson | "Talking to the Moon" |
| Scarlet | "You Oughta Know" |
| Lady K | "I'd Rather Go Blind" |
| Dan Marshall | "Hard Workin' Man" |

## Top 24 (April 10 & 11)

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 aired on April 10, and the second group on April 11. Jimmie Allen served as a guest mentor for the first group, and Bebe Rexha for the second group. Two contestants from the first group and one from the second group were eliminated based on the public vote, and the rest advanced to the top 20. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Color key:
Group 1 (April 10) :
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Jay | "I Want You Back" | Safe |
| Elli Rowe | "Everywhere" | Safe |
| Tristen Gressett | "With a Little Help from My Friends" | Safe |
| Scarlet | "Levitating" | Eliminated |
| Sage | "Jolene" | Safe |
| Danielle Finn | "Your Song" | Eliminated |
| Mike Parker | "Best Shot" | Safe |
| Emyrson Flora | "Angels like You" | Safe |
| Dan Marshall | "Heaven" | Safe |
| Jacob Moran | "In My Blood" | Safe |
| HunterGirl | "Banjo" | Safe |
| Nicolina | "Elastic Heart" | Safe |
Group 2 (April 11) :
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Cadence Baker | "Something's Got a Hold on Me" | Safe |
| Sir Blayke | "Breakeven" | Eliminated |
| Allegra Miles | "Adore You" | Safe |
| Kenedi Anderson | "Human" | Withdrew |
| Lady K | "Before He Cheats" | Safe |
| Ava Maybee | "Tell Me Something Good" | Safe |
| Noah Thompson | "Blue Side of the Mountain" | Safe |
| Leah Marlene | "Call Me" | Safe |
| Cameron Whitcomb | "Bad Moon Rising" | Safe |
| Christian Guardino | "Leave the Door Open" | Safe |
| Katyrah Love | "Blame It on the Boogie" | Safe |
| Fritz Hager | "Waves" | Safe |
* ↑ Kenedi Anderson withdrew from the competition prior to the results show for personal reasons.
Non-competition performance (April 10) :
| Performers | Song |
| Jimmie Allen | "Down Home" |

## Top 20 (April 17 & 18)

The top 20 performances aired on Sunday, April 17, followed by the live results show on Monday, April 18.
Color key:
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 20 (April 17) :
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Emyrson Flora | "Tell Me You Love Me" | Safe |
| Mike Parker | "Chasing After You" | Wild Card |
| Tristen Gressett | "Sacrifice" | Wild Card |
| Sage | "Rhiannon" | Wild Card |
| Jay | "You Know I'm No Good" | Wild Card |
| Nicolina | "Edge of Seventeen" | Safe |
| Jacob Moran | "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" | Wild Card |
| HunterGirl | "Heartbreak Down" | Safe |
| Elli Rowe | "Somewhere Only We Know" | Wild Card |
| Dan Marshall | "Friends in Low Places" | Safe |
| Ava Maybee | "Anyone" | Safe |
| Allegra Miles | "Free Fallin'" | Wild Card |
| Noah Thompson | "Falling" | Safe |
| Leah Marlene | "Heal" | Safe |
| Christian Guardino | "Imagine" | Safe |
| Fritz Hager | "When the Party's Over" | Safe |
| Katyrah Love | "Dream" | Wild Card |
| Cameron Whitcomb | "Changes" | Wild Card |
| Cadence Baker | "Train Wreck" | Wild Card |
| Lady K | "Love on the Brain" | Safe |
Top 20 (April 18) :
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Ava Maybee | "Cuz I Love You" | Safe |
| Christian Guardino | "Creep" | Safe |
| Cameron Whitcomb | "If It Hadn't Been for Love" | Eliminated |
| Allegra Miles | "Tainted" | Saved by the judges |
| Lady K | "Bust Your Windows" | Safe |
| HunterGirl | "Vice" | Safe |
| Katyrah Love | "Through the Fire" | Eliminated |
| Cadence Baker | "I'm Your Baby Tonight" | Eliminated |
| Dan Marshall | "Stuck on You" | Safe |
| Leah Marlene | "Wisher to the Well" | Safe |
| Nicolina | "She Used to Be Mine" | Safe |
| Sage | "Brown Eyed Lover" | Eliminated |
| Jay | "Believer" | Saved by the judges |
| Noah Thompson | "Cover Me Up" | Safe |
| Jacob Moran | "Rise" | Eliminated |
| Elli Rowe | "All I Want" | Eliminated |
| Emyrson Flora | "Love in the Dark" | Safe |
| Mike Parker | "Bed on Fire" | Saved by the judges |
| Fritz Hager | "Golden" | Safe |
| Tristen Gressett | "Are You Gonna Go My Way" | Saved by the judges |
Non-competition performances :
| Performers | Song |
| Chayce Beckham | "Doin' It Right" |
| Alejandro Aranda | "The Darkness" |
| Phillip Phillips | "Love Like That" |

## Top 14

Color key:

### Top 14 – Breakout hits (April 24)

Gabby Barrett served as a guest mentor this week. On Sunday, April 24, each contestant performed one breakout hit. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 14 (April 24) :
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Jay | "Just the Way You Are" | Safe |
| HunterGirl | "Baby Girl" | Safe |
| Christian Guardino | "Take Me to Church" | Safe |
| Dan Marshall | "She's Got It All" | Eliminated |
| Leah Marlene | "Happy Together" | Safe |
| Fritz Hager | "Let It Go" | Safe |
| Tristen Gressett | "Whataya Want from Me" | Safe |
| Lady K | "I Believe" | Safe |
| Allegra Miles | "Ocean Eyes" | Eliminated |
| Ava Maybee | "Sign of the Times" | Eliminated |
| Mike Parker | "Hurricane" | Safe |
| Emyrson Flora | "drivers license" | Safe |
| Noah Thompson | "Stand by Me" | Safe |
| Nicolina | "Hallelujah" | Safe |

### Top 11 – Judges' song contest (April 25)

On Monday, April 25, the judges chose songs for each of the contestants to perform. Luke Bryan and Katy Perry tied with the most song choices selected by the contestants, and were able to save one contestant from elimination. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 11 (April 25) :
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Nicolina | "Since U Been Gone" | Safe |
| Mike Parker | "Chasin' You" | Safe |
| Fritz Hager | "Wonderwall" | Safe |
| Christian Guardino | "I'm Not the Only One" | Safe |
| Noah Thompson | "Heartbreak Warfare" | Safe |
| Lady K | "traitor" | Saved by the judges |
| HunterGirl | "9 to 5" | Safe |
| Leah Marlene | "Make You Feel My Love" | Safe |
| Tristen Gressett | "You Can't Always Get What You Want" | Eliminated |
| Emyrson Flora | "Lovely" | Safe |
| Jay | "Lilac Wine" | Safe |
* 1 2 3 Song chosen by Lionel Richie
* 1 2 3 4 Song chosen by Luke Bryan
* 1 2 3 4 Song chosen by Katy Perry

### Top 10 – Disney (May 1)

Derek Hough served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed one song from a Disney film, and are listed in the order they performed.
Top 10 (May 1) :
| Contestant | Song | Disney film | Result |
| Lady K | "How Far I'll Go" | Moana | Eliminated |
| Noah Thompson | "You've Got a Friend in Me" | Toy Story | Safe |
| Emyrson Flora | "Carried Me with You" | Onward | Eliminated |
| HunterGirl | "I See the Light" | Tangled | Safe |
| Jay | "Remember Me" | Coco | Safe |
| Leah Marlene | "When She Loved Me" | Toy Story 2 | Safe |
| Nicolina | "Poor Unfortunate Souls" | The Little Mermaid | Safe |
| Mike Parker | "You'll Be in My Heart" | Tarzan | Eliminated |
| Christian Guardino | "Circle of Life" | The Lion King | Safe |
| Fritz Hager | "Go the Distance" | Hercules | Safe |
Non-competition performances :
| Performers | Song |
| Top 10 with Adassa & Rhenzy Feliz | "We Don't Talk About Bruno" (from Encanto) |

### Top 7 – TikTok & Mother's Day (May 8)

will.i.am served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed two songs this week: one that they have posted on TikTok or has gone viral on TikTok, and one in honor of Mother's Day. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 7 (May 8) :
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Leah Marlene | 1 | "Electric Love" | Safe |
| Leah Marlene | 10 | "Sanctuary" | Safe |
| Jay | 2 | "I Have Nothing" | Eliminated |
| Jay | 8 | "A Song for Mama" | Eliminated |
| Fritz Hager | 3 | "All My Friends" | Safe |
| Fritz Hager | 9 | "The Ocean" | Safe |
| Christian Guardino | 4 | "Lonely" | Eliminated |
| Christian Guardino | 14 | "Dear God" | Eliminated |
| HunterGirl | 5 | "You Broke Me First" | Safe |
| HunterGirl | 11 | "Like My Mother Does" | Safe |
| Noah Thompson | 6 | "Painted Blue" | Safe |
| Noah Thompson | 12 | "Landslide" | Safe |
| Nicolina | 7 | "Alone" | Safe |
| Nicolina | 13 | "Light in the Hallway" | Safe |
* ↑ Fritz Hager tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the May 8 show, so rehearsal footage was used instead of a live performance.
* ↑ Noah Thompson tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the May 8 show, so he performed from his hotel room instead of on stage.

### Top 5 – Carrie Underwood (May 15)

Carrie Underwood served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed two songs this week: one song from her discography and one song of their choice. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 5 (May 15) :
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| HunterGirl | 1 | "Undo It" | Safe |
| HunterGirl | 7 | "Girl Crush" | Safe |
| Leah Marlene | 2 | "I'll Stand by You" | Safe |
| Leah Marlene | 6 | "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" | Safe |
| Fritz Hager | 3 | "I Wanna Remember" | Eliminated |
| Fritz Hager | 8 | "Youngblood" | Eliminated |
| Noah Thompson | 4 | "So Small" | Safe |
| Noah Thompson | 10 | "Working Man" | Safe |
| Nicolina | 5 | "Blown Away" | Eliminated |
| Nicolina | 9 | "All I Ask" | Eliminated |
Non-competition performance :
| Performer | Song |
| Finneas | "Naked" |

### Top 3 – Finale (May 22)

Each contestant performed two songs this week – one song from the Bruce Springsteen discography and their winner's single – before the 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.
Top 3 (May 22) :
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Leah Marlene | 1 | "Cover Me" | Third place |
| Leah Marlene | 4 | "Flowers" | Third place |
| HunterGirl | 2 | "Dancing in the Dark" | Runner-up |
| HunterGirl | 6 | "Red Bird" | Runner-up |
| HunterGirl | 8 | "Riot" | Runner-up |
| Noah Thompson | 3 | "I'm on Fire" | Winner |
| Noah Thompson | 5 | "One Day Tonight" | Winner |
| Noah Thompson | 7 | "Stay" | Winner |
Non-competition performances :
| Performers | Song |
| Top 10 with Flo Rida | "Good Feeling" |
| Jay with Earth, Wind & Fire | "Shining Star" "Let's Groove" "September" |
| Mike Parker with Deana Carter | "Strawberry Wine" |
| Lady K with Ben Platt | "Take Me to the Pilot" |
| Emyrson Flora with Gabby Barrett & Cade Foehner | "Pick Me Up" "The Good Ones" |
| Top 10 with Tai Verdes | "A-O-K" |
| Nicolina with Sara Bareilles | "She Used to Be Mine" |
| Katy Perry & Thomas Rhett | "Where We Started" |
| Fritz Hager with James Arthur | "Can I Be Him" |
| Christian Guardino with Michael Bublé | "Smile" |
| Noah Thompson with Melissa Etheridge | "I'm the Only One" |
| Top 10 with Lionel Richie | "You Are" |
| Emyrson Flora, Jay, Leah Marlene & Nicolina with Ben Platt & Sara Bareilles | "Grow as We Go" |
| Leah Marlene with Katy Perry | "Firework" |
| HunterGirl with Luke Bryan | "I Told You So" |
| Noah Thompson | "One Day Tonight" |

## Elimination chart

Color key:
American Idol (season 20) - Eliminations :
| Contestant | Pl. | Top 24 | Top 24 | Top 20 | Top 14 | Top 11 | Top 10 | Top 7 | Top 5 | Finale |
| Contestant | Pl. | 4/10 | 4/11 | 4/17 | 4/24 | 4/25 | 5/1 | 5/8 | 5/15 | 5/22 |
| Noah Thompson | 1 | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winner |
| HunterGirl | 2 | Safe | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Runner-up |
| Leah Marlene | 3 | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Third Place |
| Fritz Hager | 4 | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | |
| Nicolina | 4 | Safe | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | |
| Christian Guardino | 6 | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | | |
| Jay | 6 | Safe | N/A | Saved | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | | |
| Emyrson Flora | 8 | Safe | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | | | |
| Lady K | 8 | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Saved | Eliminated | | | |
| Mike Parker | 8 | Safe | N/A | Saved | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | | | |
| Tristen Gressett | 11 | Safe | N/A | Saved | Safe | Eliminated | | | | |
| Allegra Miles | 12 | N/A | Safe | Saved | Eliminated | | | | | |
| Ava Maybee | 12 | N/A | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | |
| Dan Marshall | 12 | Safe | N/A | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | |
| Cadence Baker | | N/A | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | | |
| Cameron Whitcomb | | N/A | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | | |
| Elli Rowe | | Safe | N/A | Eliminated | | | | | | |
| Jacob Moran | | Safe | N/A | Eliminated | | | | | | |
| Katyrah Love | | N/A | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | | |
| Sage | | Safe | N/A | Eliminated | | | | | | |
| Sir Blayke | | N/A | Eliminated | | | | | | | |
| Danielle Finn | | Eliminated | | | | | | | | |
| Scarlet | | Eliminated | | | | | | | | |
| Kenedi Anderson | | N/A | Withdrew | | | | | | | |
* ↑ Kenedi Anderson withdrew from the competition for personal reasons.

## Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of American Idol season 20 :
| No. | Title | Air date | Timeslot (ET) | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Auditions, Part 1" | February 27, 2022 | Sunday 8:00 p.m. | 0.9/7 | 6.30 | 0.2 | 1.17 | 1.1 | 7.47 |
| 2 | "Auditions, Part 2" | March 6, 2022 | Sunday 8:00 p.m. | 1.1/8 | 6.57 | 0.3 | 1.55 | 1.4 | 8.12 |
| 3 | "Auditions, Part 3" | March 13, 2022 | Sunday 8:00 p.m. | 1.0/7 | 6.64 | 0.3 | 1.42 | 1.2 | 8.05 |
| 4 | "Auditions, Part 4" | March 20, 2022 | Sunday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7/5 | 5.40 | 0.3 | 1.47 | 1.0 | 6.87 |
| 5 | "Auditions, Part 5" | March 21, 2022 | Monday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7/6 | 5.29 | 0.3 | 1.46 | 1.0 | 6.75 |
| 6 | "Auditions, Part 5A" | March 28, 2022 | Monday 12:18 a.m. | 0.6/10 | 2.95 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | "Hollywood Week: Genre Challenge" | March 28, 2022 | Monday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7/6 | 5.66 | 0.3 | 1.47 | 1.0 | 7.13 |
| 8 | "Hollywood Duets Challenge" | April 3, 2022 | Sunday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7/5 | 4.89 | 0.2 | 1.50 | 0.9 | 6.31 |
| 9 | "Showstopper/Final Judgment" | April 4, 2022 | Monday 8:00 p.m. | 0.6/5 | 5.58 | 0.3 | 1.46 | 0.9 | 7.06 |
| 10 | "Top 24 at Disney's Aulani Resort in Hawaii Part #1" | April 10, 2022 | Sunday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7/6 | 5.47 | 0.2 | 1.33 | 0.9 | 6.80 |
| 11 | "Top 24 at Disney's Aulani Resort in Hawaii Part #2" | April 11, 2022 | Monday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7/6 | 5.31 | 0.2 | 1.23 | 0.8 | 6.43 |
| 12 | "Season 20's Top 20" | April 17, 2022 | Sunday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7/6 | 5.27 | 0.2 | 1.37 | 0.9 | 6.64 |
| 13 | "Top 14 Live Reveal" | April 18, 2022 | Monday 8:00 p.m. | 0.6/5 | 5.57 | 0.4 | 1.67 | 1.0 | 7.25 |
| 14 | "Top 14" | April 24, 2022 | Sunday 8:00 p.m. | 0.8/7 | 5.88 | 0.4 | 1.51 | 1.2 | 7.29 |
| 15 | "Judge's Song Contest" | April 25, 2022 | Monday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7/6 | 5.82 | 0.4 | 1.55 | 1.1 | 7.37 |
| 16 | "Disney Night" | May 1, 2022 | Sunday 8:00 p.m. | 0.9/8 | 6.57 | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | "The Great Idol Reunion" | May 2, 2022 | Monday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7/5 | 5.89 | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | "Top 7" | May 8, 2022 | Sunday 8:00 p.m. | 0.8/6 | 5.52 | 0.1 | 1.28 | 0.9 | 6.80 |
| 19 | "Top 5" | May 15, 2022 | Sunday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7/5 | 5.57 | 0.3 | 1.43 | 1.0 | 7.00 |
| 20 | "Grand Finale" | May 22, 2022 | Sunday 8:00 p.m. | 0.8/6 | 6.49 | — | — | — | — |
* ↑ Live+7 ratings were unavailable, so Live+3 ratings have been used instead.