Francisco Martin
The eighteenth season of American Idol premiered on February 16, 2020, on the ABC television network. Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie returned as judges, while Ryan Seacrest continued as host. Bobby Bones returned as the in-house mentor.
Taping was suspended after the top 19 were revealed and the contestants were sent home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show resumed production in late April, with the on-air talent and contestants filming from their homes. The stay-at-home and social-distancing mandates, according to Billboard, compelled producers "to get very, very creative this time around to keep season 18 afloat amid the most challenging conditions in show history." Up to forty-five remote sites were used and each contestant was treated equally, with access to similar equipment and resources. Segments were usually taped a day in advance, except for the judges' critiques and voting results, which aired live.
On May 17, 2020, Just Sam was crowned as the winner, with Arthur Gunn finishing as the runner-up.
Due to this season's contestants never having an opportunity to perform on the live stage because of COVID-19 safety restrictions, American Idol invited ten contestants back onto the following season to compete for a re-entry spot—as voted upon by the public—as part of the top ten, after which they would still be eligible for votes or elimination as usual. This group included three finalists (runner-up Gunn; Louis Knight; and Makayla Phillips) and seven semifinalists (Aliana Jester, Cyniah Elise, DeWayne Crocker Jr., Faith Becnel, Franklin Boone, Nick Merico, and Olivia Ximines), with Gunn ultimately being selected by the public's votes to join Season 19. He tied with Hunter Metts for sixth place.
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