Whereas greater than 20 seasons of American Idol have aired, little is understood about what actually goes on behind-the-scenes of the present. One of many huge viewer questions is in regards to the contestants’ wardrobe and whether or not or not they must pay for it themselves.
The contestants’ voices are a very powerful a part of the present, however on the finish of the day, American Idol is about producing a star, so the look can also be very important. As soon as the dwell rounds start, the upped manufacturing worth is obvious, and that’s as a result of wardrobe, hair, and make-up come into play in a a lot greater manner by that time within the present.
In a 2020 TikTok, former Idol contestant Margie Mays, who made it to the highest 40 on Season 17 and was eradicated throughout Hollywood week in Season 18, gave some perception into what styling is like on the present.
“You might be chargeable for dressing your self,” she confirmed. “Nevertheless, if you happen to make it to the dwell rounds, which is often high 14 and above, they do costume you. There might be stylists, hair, make-up, the entire shebang, as a result of they actually need you to go from trying like [an] on a regular basis individual to a star, and to actually rework from the start of the present to the top.”
In 2013, the present’s then-costume designer Soyon An informed The Hollywood Reporter that the contestants got $400 an episode to spend on their wardrobe throughout dwell reveals. By that time within the competitors, there’s often a efficiency present and a outcomes present, which added as much as $800 per week for every artist nonetheless within the competitors. This quantity probably elevated with inflation over time, however an up to date quantity has not been confirmed.
An mentioned that many contestants spent cash out of their very own pockets if their desired outfit went over the price range. “The contestants know they are going to be in entrance of 300 million individuals, they usually’re creating a picture, their model,” An mentioned. “So if the costume goes over $400, the contestants must determine whether or not or to not purchase it themselves in the event that they actually need to put on it. Additionally, the $500 is just not like rollover minutes. In case you solely spend $200 one week, you couldn’t roll over the opposite $200 for the next week. It’s use it or lose it.”
Regardless of the contestants do purchase, even with the cash from the present, they’re capable of take dwelling.
Richard Rushfield, who wrote the guide American Idol: The Untold Story, informed Fox Enterprise in 2016 that the contestants acquired to go on a purchasing journey with a “vogue advisor who works on the present” each week. “They get, like, $450 per week to spend on no matter they need,” he shared. “However plenty of them dip into their very own pocket as a result of a number of hundred {dollars} doesn’t go far in plenty of these costly shops in Hollywood. The garments are theirs to maintain after the present.”
Within the earlier days, although, the contestants have been extra on their very own. Season 7 winner David Prepare dinner recalled pondering the weekly stipends he acquired can be greater than sufficient to cowl his wardrobe. “The concept of getting $100 to $200 to spend on an outfit to your efficiency was like, ‘Oh my God, how am I probably going to spend all this?’” he informed Enterprise Insider. “And then you definitely buy groceries in L.A. and also you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s how I’m going to spend all of it.’”
There’s additionally a hair and make-up workforce to assist the contestants look their finest for dwell reveals.
American Idol, Season 23, Sundays and Mondays, 8/7c, ABC