I haven’t watched American Idol since the ’80s so I just learned that last year, the finalists got sent home thanks to COVID-19 and had to finish the season remotely. But now, 10 of last year’s 20 finalists are getting a chance to compete the way they were meant to.

They’ll perform on next Monday’s show and viewers will have a week to vote for their favorite. The winner will be revealed Sunday, May 2nd, and he or she will join this season’s Top 10.

One of the producers says, “They did so well with the remote production . . .  but they never had the proper Idol experience. Some people really come alive on that big stage. We thought they deserved to have that experience.”

(You can see the 10 contestants and the songs they’ll be singing next week here.)

One last quick note:  Ryan Seacrest announced last night that finalist WYATT PIKE “had to drop out.”  There’s no word why so I vote we start a rumor. Like Post Malone’s building another bunker in Utah, and Wyatt got the invite.

— Jenn