Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production has halted on almost every project in the entertainment industry, including two of the biggest competition shows in the world.
American Idol is out of pre-taped episodes for its current season, but gathered up enough clips to air two specials called American Idol – This Is Me. The second of these two episodes will air on Sunday (April 19).
For the upcoming live shows, ABC confirmed with Variety that Idol will go live via remote performances from the contestants. The first live show is slated to air on April 26.
American Idol is moving ahead with its live shows, with contestants, judges and host @RyanSeacrest all filming from their homes https://t.co/BxuQEIrcUD
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 14, 2020
As for The Voice, the producers have been given a little more time to think things through. The show is still airing pre-taped episodes, having just aired its first knockout round performances on Monday (April 13).
During an interview with The Associated Press, coach John Legend said The Voice had enough episodes taped to last throughout the month of April. At the time, he had hope they’d still be able to host the three weeks of live shows in May:
“But if we can do those shows in May, that’d be great,” he said. “Possibly without an audience, that would be understandable,” he added. “But, you know, if we can pull it off, then that would be great. We’ll see if that’s doable.”
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Now, with just a few weeks of pre-taped episodes left, it seems the Voice producers are starting to establish a plan for how to handle the live shows in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a virtual interview with Jimmy Fallon for The Tonight Show, coach Blake Shelton shared what he knew about the fate of the show:
“Obviously the live shows are coming up here in a matter of weeks,” he said. “Especially in L.A. we’re not going to be ready to have events again. It’s gonna be crazy. We’re gonna have to coach [from home]…it’s gonna be nuts.”
Then, Shelton said he believes Voice producers have an idea of how to go about hosting the live shows, which are supposed to kick off on May 4. “I think they have a plan and they’re gonna tell me when to be at the computer,” he said. “And I’ll listen to [contestants] I guess, perform, and give ‘em some pointers. I don’t know.”
You can watch Shelton’s full interview with Fallon below.
We hope The Voice is able to work things out in order to continue its current season. There is so much talent to be found on the show, and we’d love to keep hearing from the contestants!