Fans of “American Idol” will see some significant changes coming in season 24.
In a press release dated January 22, ABC revealed that a new stage of the competition, dubbed the “‘Ohana Round,” will be incorporated into season 24. The concept of the new round “blends peer respect, emotional support and professional insight before the competition moves on to America’s Vote,” ABC noted.
In addition, the show revealed there’s a new way to vote in season 24, adding a live social media component. These changes, plus a move to Monday nights, set the stage for a big season of “American Idol.”
Thirty ‘American Idol’ Contestants Face the ‘Ultimate Focus Group’
“American Idol” filmed the ‘Ohana Round for season 24 at Aulani, Hawaii’s Disney Resort & Spa, located in Ko Olina.
As Choice Literacy explains, “Ohana” means “family” in Hawai’i. A word familiar to fans of Disney’s “Lilo and Stitch,” Choice Literacy notes that Ohana “includes the people to whom you’re related as well as the larger group of folks outside your bloodline who support and sustain you, to whom you feel indebted and responsible.”
The ‘Ohana Round will play out over three episodes of “American Idol” season 24. ABC described it as the “ultimate focus group” that is “offering hopefuls a distinct moment in the competition.”
Thirty “American Idol” contestants for season 24 will make it to the ‘Ohana Round. They will perform for a varied group of “industry tastemakers,” and only 20 of them will make it to the next round.
The group of experts taking part in the ‘Ohana Round includes:
- Kaniyia Brown and Terry McCaskill, a social media duo with millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram
- Anthony Gargiula, a singer and songwriter who appeared on the “Today” show and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” at the age of 7
- Loren Gray, a singer and actress who has over 53 million followers on TikTok
- Shirley Halperin, the Rolling Stone magazine co-editor-in-chief
- Evan Ross Katz, the host of the “Shut Up Evan” podcast
- Cheryl Porter, singer and vocal coach
- Kelly Sutton, the first female announcer at Grand Ole Opry and a country music radio show and podcast host
In addition, ABC shared, the families, friends, and fellow “American Idol” hopefuls will have a say in which contestants survive the ‘Ohana Round.
Several Platinum Tickets Are at Stake in the ‘Ohana Round
Deadline provided some additional insight into what viewers can expect from the “American Idol” ‘Ohana Round. The structure will “inform the judges of [which contestants] people are responding to,” showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick explained.
The “American Idol” contestants will perform for separate groups at this stage, which will include fellow contestants, the guest entertainers, and family and friends. “The judges will comment, and at the end, each of the groups will pick their favorite person.”
Each of the finalists chosen in the groups will get a “platinum ticket,” and there will be three recipients.
Michaels Wolfick admitted, “I’m super curious who the [potential] Idols are going to pick because they can’t vote for themselves.”
