Naman Shrestha
Created by Simon Fuller, ABC’s ‘American Idol‘ is a singing reality series that follows the journey of 12 future singers who compete against one another showcasing their singing prowess in front of a host of judges, who critique their performances based on their expertise. Apart from the judges, the entire nation has a say in choosing a finalist as they get to vote using their cell phones. Combining the votes from America and the judges, the contestant with the least amount of votes is eliminated each week. The last contestant standing earns the label “American Idol” and wins a dream recording contract worth up to $1,000,000.
Season 22 followed the same format and saw the return of Ryan Seacrest as the host, alongside Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie, who returned as the judges for the long-running competition show. But just like each season, the audience at home becomes a bit too eager to learn about all the different filming locations where the contestants audition and start their journey to realize their musical dreams.
American Idol Season 22 Was Filmed Across The Country
‘American Idol’ season 22 was filmed in various different locations across the nation, including Leesburg in Georgia, Tuskegee in Alabama, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara in California, and Nashville in Tennessee. Some portions were also shot in Kapolei, Hawaii. According to reports, principal photography for the 22nd round got underway in September 2023 and wrapped up in a couple of months, in November of the same year.
Leesburg, Georgia
The production team traveled to the city of Leesburg in Georgia to tape some pivotal sequences for ‘American Idol’ season 22. To be specific, they set up camp inside the auditorium of the Lee County High School at 1 Trojan Way in Leesburg. A set was constructed by the high school staff and students in the auditorium where the judges of the show sat for the first day of auditions.
Tuskegee, Alabama
Important portions of ‘American Idol’ season 22 were also lensed in the city of Tuskegee in Alabama. Situated at 1200 West Montgomery Road in Tuskegee, Tuskegee University became another host for the production of the show’s 22nd iteration. Founded in 1881, the University is a private and historically black land-grant university that ended up getting designated as the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site by the National Park Service in 1974.
California
In California, the filming unit of ‘American Idol’ season 22 utilized the locales of two different cities, one of them being the coastal city of Santa Barbara. Located in Santa Barbara County, the city’s scenic landscape makes it a popular tourist as well as filming destination. Apart from that, the home of the Hollywood industry, Los Angeles, also served as another prominent production location, just like it has on several other occasions throughout the course of the long-running reality show.
Nashville, Tennessee
For the purpose of shooting, ‘American Idol’ season 22 also traveled to the capital of Tennessee — Nashville. The filming unit supposedly made the most of one of the actual establishments in and around the city to tape several indoor portions of the show. It is also possible that they utilized the premise of one of the film studios situated in and around Nashville.
Kapolei, Hawaii
As has been the tradition for several seasons of ‘American Idol,’ the judges, contestants, and the rest of the crew also took the production of the 22nd season in Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa at 92-1185 Aliinui Drive in the planned community of Kapolei. Reports suggest that they shot two episodes on location at the resort.
Read More: Where is American Idol 2023 Filmed?
