Where Do ‘American Idol’ Contestants Stay While Competing on the Show?

Curious about life as an American Idol contestant? You don’t have to get a ticket to Hollywood to find out what it’s like to compete on the show. Read on for answers to frequently-asked questions about contestants’ living quarters, their paycheck, their wardrobe, and more.

Where do American Idol contestants stay in Hollywood?

After making it to Hollywood, Idol contestants of early seasons stayed together in a mansion, but producers eventually moved the accommodations to an apartment complex to give the singers more privacy and space, MSNBC.com reported in 2005.

Nowadays, the Idol contestants who reach Hollywood stay in hotel rooms in pairs, as seen in a TikTok video from recent contestant Abi Carter.

Do American Idol contestants get paid?

Yes, as TV Insider previously reported, Idol contestants do get paid once they make it into the competition. Richard Rushfield revealed in the book American Idol: The Untold Story (via Bankrate.com) that the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or AFTRA, has paid top 24 contestants a performance fee of $1,571 plus meals for two-hour Idol shows, $1,303 for one-hour shows, and $910 for half-hour results shows. But first the contestants have to join AFTRA, and the current initiation fee is $3,000.

Disney/Eric McCandless

Do American Idol contestants wear their own clothes?

Contestants who make it into the Idol competition get to work with a costume designer, and they get a wardrobe budget of $400 per episode as of The Hollywood Reporter’s 2013 interview with former costume designer Soyon An.

“The contestants know they will be in front of 300 million people, and they’re creating an image, their brand,” An said. “So if the costume goes over $400, the contestants have to decide whether or not to buy it themselves if they really want to wear it.”

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Do American Idol contestants pick their own songs?

Contestants have said they can select any Idol song to perform as long as the show’s producers can secure the rights to have the song both performed and synchronized — e.g. played alongside televised images of the contestant performing — on the show, according to MSNBC.com. And sometimes, songwriters, artists, or labels refuse to grant those rights, the site adds.

What do American Idol contestants do during downtime?

Idolcontestants stay busy when they’re not on air, as former winner Ruben Studdard said in his 2023 interview on the Conversations & Music With West Byrd podcast.

“Thursday we got the songs,” Studdard said. “Friday, we chose the songs. Friday, Saturday we taped commercials. Sunday, we made final selections. Then, Sunday night, Monday night, we went to the studio to make sure everything was right for the track. And then Tuesday morning, we would do a dry run of the show, like top to bottom.”

American Idol, Sundays, 8/7c, ABC