‘American Idol’ Revival Reveals Location Of Auditions For New Season – Walt Disney World

One of the most shocking and unexpected pieces of entertainment news hit everyone on Tuesday morning with the return of American Idol, but everyone wants to know one thing – When and where are auditions? While there is not a lot of information known about the hit show’s revival on ABC, the location of the first auditions is now known, and it should not be surprising to find out that they will be held in Walt Disney World.

As reported by CNN, ABC reached an agreement with FremantleMedia to have American Idol return to television in 2018. It won a bidding war over Fox (the singing competition’s former network) and NBC to produce and revive the iconic reality competition.

After 15 seasons on Fox, American Idol was taken off the air due to declining ratings and the fact that it was extremely expensive to produce. Now, it is coming back, and the fans want to know where and when they will be able to audition.

This…is #AmericanIdol–coming to @ABCNetwork in 2018! pic.twitter.com/o2sdLAtdar

— American Idol (@AmericanIdol) May 9, 2017

While waiting on more details to be revealed about the revival of the hit show, TMZ has learned the scoop on the first auditions. In a very unsurprising move, the site has learned that the audition weeks are going to be filmed at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

The Walt Disney Company owns ABC and having the auditions at the theme park giant makes good financial sense. This will save Disney money by not having to travel from city to city, set up, pay road crews, and keep spending more and more cash.

Thousands upon dozens of thousands of people visit the theme parks, resorts, and shopping areas of Walt Disney World every single day. There will be no shortage of those looking to take part in the auditions and others will make sure to pack their bags and travel to Orlando to participate.

It is also possible that the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California could be a location for some auditions as well.

There is no word on when the first auditions will take place, but it likely won’t be too far into the future. With a return date set for 2018, the first rounds will need to take place in the next couple of months, but there are a few things that need to be cleared up first.

There is the matter of finding a host and judges for the new version of American Idol, and Disney hasn’t said who those people will be as of yet. Ryan Seacrest is a member of the ABC family as he was just recently named the new co-host of Live with Kelly and Ryan, but he could pull double-duty.

The hosts of Good Morning America stated that the host and panel of judges would be announced at a later date. There has also been no word on if Simon Cowell, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, Harry Connick Jr., Randy Jackson, Paul Abdul, or any of the other judges would be returning either.

The only other info possibly known is that the new version of Idol may air on Sunday nights, but that could change too. Right now, it looks like the main focus will be on Walt Disney World and the first auditions which will take place sometime later this year.

With auditions heading to Walt Disney World, one has to wonder if “The American Idol Experience” attraction will return to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It opened in 2009 and allowed day guests to try their hand at singing to a large audience, but it ended up closing in August of 2014.

It really did come as a complete surprise to everyone when the return of American Idol was announced on Tuesday morning. After a year off the air, the hit Fox series is on the way back, but this time, it will be in the “House of the Mouse.” ABC won the bidding war to bring back the expensive-to-produce show, but Disney is going to make sure they make their money on it. By having auditions at Walt Disney World and possibly Disneyland, theme park ticket sales will be on the rise.

[Featured Image by Danny Cox]