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When & Where Was Hollywood Week Filmed for ‘American Idol’ Season 23?
In addition to Ryan Seacrest remaining the host on all 23 seasons of “American Idol,” one thing that hasn’t changed since 2002 is the talent show’s tradition of putting contestants through the ringer during Hollywood Week.
That rite of passage returns on March 31, 2025, as the singers who earned golden tickets to Hollywood during their auditions compete against each other in front of judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood. A promo for the new episode says half of the contestants will be sent home during the first round. So, when and where was Hollywood Week filmed? Read on…
Hollywood Week Episodes Will Feature ‘Intense Battles’ & Jelly Roll’s Debut
The performances and drama of season 23’s Hollywood Week will air two months after it all went down in late-January at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. Multiple producers, musicians and audience members posted behind-the-scenes glimpses as the competition was unfolding in L.A.
According to ABC, the two-hour episode airing on March 31 will follow contestants as they “battle through intense challenges and group performances.”
The three platinum ticket winners, the singers whose auditions impressed the judges most, will get to skip that round of competition. But press photos reveal that Kolbi Jordan, Filo, and Canaan James Hill will perform as a trio, as platinum ticket winners have done in past seasons.
Jelly Roll is set to debut as the show’s first-ever artist-in-residence during the episodes that air on April 6 and , mentoring the remaining Hollywood Week contestants who make it through the first round of cuts.
62 Contestants Will Move On to Hollywood Week’s Showstopper Round
Among the showstopper audience members who shared peeks from the venue, teacher Shane Twamley posted a carousel of photos on Instagram featuring fans who helped raise $1,000 for victims of the recent L.A. wildfires by attending. He included pics from inside the Orpheum, including some of the judges, and said 62 contestants performed.
On April 6, another two-hour episode will feature the showstopper round. Early in the new year, the show’s ticket coordinator, On Camera Audiences, announced that tickets were available on January 27 for fans to “be the first to see the top contestants perform in front of a live audience for the iconic Hollywood week.”
On April 7, Hollywood Week will conclude with “intense head-to-head battles,” ABC said.
Other attendees who leaked pics from the event included a fan who tweeted a selfie while waiting in line to get into the Orpheum. Another audience member shared Facebook photos of Underwood in a metallic, purple mini dress sitting at the judging table with Bryan and Richie.
The 24 contestants who make it through Hollywood Week then head to Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii, where filming of the next round of competition took place from February 6 – 13, according to Reel News Hawaii.
