The February 10 episode of American Idol marked the beginning of Hollywood Week, or as Ryan Seacrest affectionately called it, “Hell Week.” The process of winnowing down the 327 aspiring contestants to the final group began, and while some of the strongest contestants from the auditions made it through, there were also plenty of disappointments.
Twice as many singers as usual made it to Hollywood
At the start of the show, Randy Jackson said the talent this year was the best Idol has ever seen, which is basically what he says every season. But the idea was to suggest that the competition is tougher than ever, an impression reinforced by Seacrest’s observation that twice as many singers than usual received golden tickets to Hollywood this season.
After some sweeping establishing shots of Hollywood and a montage of the contestants arriving at their hotel, Seacrest explained the way Hollywood Week works. The singers come out in groups of 10, and sing individually without any feedback from the judges. At the end of each group, the judges have a few singers step forward, but these aren’t necessarily the ones going through to the next round. Sometimes the front row moves on, sometimes the back row.