'American Idol' 2014: Season 13 Premieres with New Judges as Auditions Kick Off in Boston [VIDEO]
American Idol is back on Fox, as season 13 officially kicks off Wednesday with a two-hour premiere.
Thousands of hopefuls have auditioned to see if they can become the next American Idol, and the season 13 premiere will feature footage from the Boston, Mass. auditions. While host Ryan Seacrest and judge Keith Urban have returned this season, there will be many new changes to Idol this season.
Urban's fellow judges from season 12, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson, are not returning as judges, leaving the country singer as the only holdover for season 13. Joining Urban on this year's panel are Jennifer Lopez, who judged seasons 10 and 11, and Harry Connick, Jr., who has previously guest judged on the show.
Jackson, who quit the judging panel after 12 seasons in 2013, will serve as the official mentor to the contestants, taking over for record producer Jimmy Iovine.
There will be many format changes to this season of Idol, including a condensed middle round. A new set of episodes called Rush Week will replace the lengthy middle portion of the season, in between the auditions and the live shows. American Idol executive producer Trish Kinane told critics at the TCA press tour this week that audiences were "fed up" with the drawn out middle portion, so they've condensed it considerably.
Additionally, there will be a new element of the show called The Chamber, a segment in which the audience will see footage of the contestants preparing right before they're about to sing on the Idol stage.
American Idol season 13 premieres Wednesday at 8 p.m. on Fox. The second episode of the season will also be two hours and be shown Thursday at 8 p.m.
Watch a preview of the American Idol premiere here.
