Exclusive

American Idol Holds Its First Audition on a Boat

Exclusive: Watch Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan take the American Idol auditions to the high seas. Sort of.

By Lauren Piester Mar 13, 2020 6:44 PMTags

They're on a boat! They're on a boat! Everybody look at them 'cause they're sailing on a boat!

American Idol is hitting the water this week as judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan decide they're done with stuffy, indoor audition rooms and decide to take the auditions to a nearby boat. E! News has an exclusive clip of the little vacation. 

"It's a beautiful day in Washington," Katy says at the start of the clip. 

"Why are we not out on the boat? Boating on the Potomac?" Luke wonders. 

"Because we're here discovering the newest of talents," Lionel explains.

But you can also discover the newest of talents on a boat, which is exactly what they do. They head to the boat and pick up an auditioner along the way. We only briefly get to hear her audition, but it does seem like her time on the boat might be a success. 

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American Idol: Where Are They Now?

This Sunday's episode wraps up auditions all over the country, in Savannah, Georgia; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles, California; and Sunriver, Oregon. Along with the boat audition, we'll see a Milwaukee contestant reuniting with Ryan Seacrest years after they met on American Juniors, and in Oregon, a contestant "shares a unique emotional and personal story that touches the judges." 

Hollywood Week then begins on Monday, so get ready! 

American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC. 

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