‘American Idol’: What Is the Ohana Round? Everything to Know About the New Addition  

Something new is coming to Season 24 of American Idol. After judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie made the biggest cut in the show’s history during Hollywood Week, narrowing down the group from 127 contestants to the Top 30, it’s now time for the Ohana Round.

The upcoming March 9 episode will feature the Top 30 performing in the new round of competition, which is being introduced in Season 24 for the very first time. Scroll down to learn more about what to expect and why the round was added.

What is the Ohana Round?

The Ohana Round is a new round of competition on American Idol in Season 24. It features the Top 30 contestants taking the stage for another round of performances after Hollywood Week.

However, while the judges will offer their critiques, they will also be getting some insight from three other groups of people who will be voting on their favorites (more on that below).

The purpose of this round is to give the judges “some sort of focus group” to inform them “who people are responding to,” showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick explained to Deadline. “The judges will comment, and at the end, each of the groups will pick their favorite person.”

The favorite from each group will get a platinum ticket, which used to be given out during Auditions as an advantage in Hollywood Week. It’s unclear what advantage the platinum tickets will hold this season.

Once all the performances are complete, there will be 10 cuts made, and only 20 artists will move on.

Who votes in the Ohana Round?

The three groups of voters in the Ohana round are the contestants themselves, the artists’ family and friends (each singer has two loved ones in the group), and a group of “industry tastemakers.”

The industry tastemakers are Kaniyia Brown & Terry McCaskill (social media personality duo), Sasha Farber (dancer and choreographer), Anthony Gargiula (artist and music creator), Loren Gray (singer and actress), Shirley Halperin (co-editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone), Cheryl Porter (singer and vocal coach phenomenon), and Kelly Sutton (country music personality and Grand Ole Opry announcer).

Where does the Ohana Round take place?

The Ohana Round takes place at the Aulani Resort in Hawaii. Since Season 20, American Idol has traveled to Hawaii for a portion of the competition.

Related

Why Did Julián Kalel Leave 'American Idol'?

In Seasons 20, 22, and 23, the Top 24 performed in Hawaii, and four were eliminated. Season 21 brought the Top 26 to Hawaii, with a bit of a bigger cut, as there were still only 20 who moved on.

For Season 24, the Top 20 will also perform at the Aulani Resort after the Ohana Round, and the judges will decide who will move on to the Live Shows.

American Idol, Season 24, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC