Steps in the American Idol Experience

POSTED: Mon, 07/04/2011 - 12:00 | POSTED BY: Kristen Heptinstall

Ready to show your stuff and compete before a panel of judges to see if you have "Idol" potential? Here's an idea of what to expect at the American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios, whether you're auditioning, or just taking part in the fun as the audience.

Step 1: Auditions, Round 1. If you're at least 14 years old, you're qualified to go before a Disney "casting director" and sing a capella. You can sign up online for an audition time, or sign up in the morning when you arrive. If they think you've got talent, you'll move on to Step 2.

Step 2: Auditions, Round 2. If you can make it through Round 1, you'll go on to a second round of auditions with a "producer." You'll get to select from a list of songs that include pop, country, rock, Latin, R&B -- and Disney songs, of course. At this audition, you sing along to pre-recorded music. If you've got your heart set on a certain song, it would be a good idea to get your audition in early in the day. Why? To ensure variety, singers may only select songs that have not previously been chosen that day. If you survive this round, it's on to Step 3!

Step 3: Preliminary shows. Several preliminary shows are scheduled each day in front of a live audience. StudiosCentral.com reports that there are 6 shows daily, all in the afternoon and evening. The theater holds up to 1,000 guests and the stage resembles that of the "American Idol" TV show. Using electronic keypads, guests vote for their favorite singer, who will return for the final show of the day - Step 4.

Step 4: Finale show and "Dream Ticket". The last show of the day features the winners of the previous 5 preliminary shows. Here the live audience again votes using the electronic keypads for their favorite singer. The winner for the day get a great prize: a "Dream Ticket" that allows the winner to bypass the line at one of the regional American Idol auditions for the TV show, provided he or she meets the show's age and residency requirements.

Have you seen an "American Idol Experience" show, or gone through the audition process? What was it like? Leave a comment below!

In:

worldfanatic wrote on Mon, 07/04/2011 - 17:03:

Last summer, my wife dragged me into the American Idol Experience kicking and screaming. But surprisingly, I really enjoyed it.

I'm curious if they've replaced the judges to reflect to new ones on the show.
The "Simon" judge was hilarious last summer.
Do they now have a new one that similar to Steven Tyler?

JeffC wrote on Tue, 07/05/2011 - 01:13:

We've been twice now - it's actually kinda fun, especially because you get to cheer on some pretty decent, talented (and gutsy!) folks. An added benefit is the great sit-down air-conditioned theater.

And like worldfanatic, we thought the judges (at least the Simon-esque one) were really funny.

Melinda Gregory wrote on Tue, 07/05/2011 - 12:28:

My brother actually made it into one of the shows on our trip there last October. It was one of the highlights of our whole trip! Even my then four-year-old daughters thought it was cool - especially to see their uncle on stage performing!