American Idol Spoilers: Season XIII To Introduce New Schedule And Major Format Changes

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Published

January 13, 2014

Another season of American Idol is right around the corner…like a few days away actually. The last few seasons proved to be a disappointment to fans of the long running series and critics agree the show had lost its sparkle.

Back in the good ole days when Simon, Paula, and Randy ruled the roost and discovered the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Clay Aiken, Fantasia, and Adam; Idol seemed unstoppable. With shifts in the judging panel including Ellen Degeneres, Kara Dioguardi, and most recently (and probably the sour frosting on the cake) was the tumultuous duo of Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj.

The upcoming season promises a glimmer of hope with return judges and fan favorites Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and newcomer Harry Connick Jr. I am personally a huge fan of the show through some of the lowest moments (ie: Lee Dewyze, Taylor Hicks winning or Haley Reinhart not winning) and I have a renewed hope that this season is going to turn the tides.

Not only has the judging panel been completely re-hauled; this will be the first season that not one of the original judges will appear. But new producers and even big changes with the schedule and show format could prove to be the key to finding another bona fide superstar.

According to MJSBIGBLOG, the new schedule is as follows:

Hollywood Rounds begin Wednesday Feb 5
Semi-finalists revealed Thursday Feb 13
WINNER CANDICE GLOVER will be featured in a VICTORY SPECIAL on Tuesday Feb 19!
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Voting begins Wednesday Feb 19
FAST PASSES awarded Wednesday March 5
The Finale will take place in NEW YORK CITY! Tuesday May 20 and Wednesday May 21

Last year’s winner getting her own special is new, yes, but the biggest changes come later when the Top 31 get split into groups (X Factor style). The two phases of the semi-finals are as follows:

The Top 31 will be split into 3 groups based on AGE. Seniors, Intermediates and Juniors.
Starting, Wednesday Feb. 19, One group of semi-finalists will sing for both the judges consideration and America’s votes, in 3 separate episodes.
On Thursday Feb 27, in the first results show, only 16 semi-finalists will advance. This is the first LIVE show.
On Wednesday March 6 in a 2 1/2 hour broadcast, the Top 16 will perform live.
Before the votes are cast, a few will be fast-tracked to the finals.
On Thursday March 7, The Top 12 will be revealed, live.
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