American Idol has been renewed for another season.
Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan all have new deals as well. And host Ryan Seacrest – who has been accused of sexual abuse – will also return to the show.
Idol was not expected to come back after bad ratings. Through the end of April, American Idol averaged a 2.1 rating among adults 18-49 for the Sunday shows and a 1.9 rating for the Monday telecasts with live-plus-three day lifts.
More: American Idol has been renewed for a new season. Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan all have new deals as well. And host Ryan Seacrest – who has been accused of sexual abuse – will also return to the show; seen on April 29
Both of those pass the 1.8 rating that had been guaranteed, but not by much: 30-second spots went for nearly $200,000, with 75 percent of the season’s inventory sold ahead of the premiere.
Earlier this week the stars tried to ramp up ratings for American Idol’s first ever Disney Night.
Perry, 33, came out to huge screams in a perfect-looking costume of the iconic character flanked by her fellow judges as well as Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
Three of the top 10 got axed during the two-hour live show from Los Angeles.
Fairest one: Perry came as Snow White to judge American Idol on Sunday as the ABC singing competition show held its first ever Disney Night
With her long, flowing yellow skirt attached to her hands and with a red band in her hair, some fans undoubtedly took some time to realize the spot-on costume was hiding Katy.
‘We have our very own princess tonight,’ host Ryan Seacrest told her, insisting he was ‘totally surprised’ and telling her: ‘That is incredible.’
‘Isn’t it also magical?’ she asked.
But the costume did not spark princess-like behavior throughout the night – with Katy at one point sniffing Luke Bryan’s bare foot as she pretended to slip Cinderella’s slipper on it.
Jealous streak: The singer pretended to be jealous of Cade Foehner singing for someone
Then hearing that he once drank beer from his boot during a concert, Katy grabbed her drink, which Ryan joked was vodka, poured it in her slipper and drank from it.
She also shouted in mock anger and heartbreak after hearing that hunky hopeful Cade Foehner may have started a romance with a fellow contestant.
‘WHO IS SHE! MY GOD!! HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON!’ Katy screamed, with Ryan joking: ‘Keep her back! Stay back, Katy! Don’t upset the princess! Hold her back!’
Getting emotional: Katy pleaded to know how long it has been going on
Ryan, meanwhile, had teased Katy over on-off boyfriend Orlando Bloom, who she was just with as they met the Pope, asking: ‘Maybe we’ll find out if she has a prince later in the show.’
After a pause to fake shock, Katy then smiled as she broke into one of the most famous songs from Snow White, singing: ‘One day my prince will come….’
Ryan teased her again later when Katy revealed she had spent the weekend with her mother, with the host smiling: ‘So you were with your mom over the weekend? That explains the outfit.’
Strong start: Disney Night started with Katy singing When You Wish Upon A Star
‘Oh no, it’s Walt Disney, he’s my hero,’ Katy said in character.
It was not the only time she spoke as Snow White, either.
She gave her first set of comments with a high-pitched voice and super-polite wording just like Snow White, too.
Ryan also told her at one point: ‘Princess, you look amazing for being born in 1938.’
The Disney Night episode saw the final 10 all going to Disneyland and then singing a number from one of the company’s famous films as they battled to make it to the top seven.
They also had an extra surprise with Idina Menzel, who shot to fame as the voice of one of Disney’s most beloved characters, Elsa in Frozen, as a special guest mentor.
Disney star: Idina Menzel who played Elsa in Disney’s hit musical Frozen was guest mentor
Disney Night, however, was anything but a dream come true for drag queen Ada Vox, Dennis Lorenzo, and Michelle Sussett as they all failed to make it through.
Katy earlier told Michelle, 22, after her performance of Remember Me from Coco: ‘You are a star, a star, a star! I don’t care what happens, I’m not going to forget you.’
Lionel, meanwhile, told Ada: ‘You have to know how special this is to have you on this show. You are a movement unto yourself.’
Singing legend: Lionel Richie had high praise for Ada Vox
Idina had called Dennis ‘super talented’ and told him: ‘You’re the real deal. You can make the phonebook sound good.’
Despite failing to make it through, he said he had ‘the happiest moment of my life’ when his young daughter who he had not seen for years surprised him and they got to enjoy Disneyland together.
One of the contestants appeared to have a particular effect on Idina — with her blushing during her one-on-one time with Cade, the same hopeful who Katy has flirted with the past couple of weeks.
Blushing moment: Cade Foehner got Idina to blush while rehearsing
After praising his ‘sexy, viby thing,’ she told him off for calling her ‘ma’am’ and asked instead to be called ‘sweetheart,’ like he recently called Katy.
‘He’s a little flirty. Be your flirty self,’ she blushed.
It was not lost on Luke, who asked Cabe after his performance: ‘Did you even realize you had Idina so smitten she could hardly look at you?’
Country star: Luke Bryan noticed that Idina was smitten with Cade
Katy was less subtle, however, as she told him she felt ‘like the only person in the room’ and pretended to sob: ‘Whoever she is, or will be, she’s the luckiest.’
But her quiet sobs turned to angry shouts when Ryan got Cade to admit his version of Kiss The Girl was ‘possibly’ about a special someone with fellow contestant Gabby Barrett blushing and hiding her face when the cameras cut to her backstage.
‘WHO IS SHE! MY GOD!! HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON!’ Katy screamed in mock outrage, with Ryan joking: ‘Keep her back! Stay back, Katy! Don’t upset the princess! Hold her back!’
Pouty princess: Katy feigned being upset when Cade admitted his song was about a special someone
But she also praised him for showing a new side, dropping the rocker routine for a softer take on Kiss The Girl from The Little Mermaid, telling him: ‘I just thought that you were a Ferrari, I didn’t know that you were an old Cadillac.’
He made an impact on America, too, getting through during the live vote — along with apparent new sweetheart Gabby.
She had sung Colors Of The Wind from Pocahontas, which Idina said ‘blew me away’ in rehearsals, calling her take ‘really simplistic and beautiful.’
Softer side: Cade showed his softer side with Kiss The Girl from The Little Mermaid
New couple: Gabby Barrett sang Colors Of The Wind from Pocahontas as it appeared she and Cade were a new couple
‘You have all of the tools to win this thing in my opinion,’ Luke told her, with Lionel agreeing: ‘You’re the package my dear. I put you under that star quality.’
Caleb Lee Hutchinson, 18, had been first told he was through, with Katy telling him ‘Randy Newman will be proud’ of his take on his tune You’ve Got A Friend In Me from Toy Story.
He had dedicated it to his dog, saying ‘he really is my best pal,’ and was shown a photo of the pet watching his performance on TV, joking: ‘He’s a chunky boy just like his daddy.’
Country singer: Caleb Lee took on You’ve Got A Friend In Me
Michael J. Woodard, 20, got through after getting some of the highest praise of the night for his version of Beauty And The Beast with Katy looking close to tears as she called him ‘my angel,’ adding: ‘I love you so much — you really make my heart smile.
‘And for me you kind of fit in-between a Michael Jackson and a Frank Ocean.’
Luke added: ‘Like Disney, you are magical my friend. It’s infectious. Just be you.’
Magical performance: Michael J. Woodard impressed the judges with Beauty And The Beast
Calling him ‘my little Martian,’ Lionel added: ‘I love you so much — we love you so much — they love you so much.’
Maddie Poppe, 20, got through after performing The Bare Necessities from Jungle Book, playing along on ukulele, with Luke telling her: ‘Your voice just feels timeless to me.’
Catie Turner, 17, had performed Once Upon A Dream from Sleeping Beauty, with Idina telling her during their mentoring session: ‘Elsa approves of you, darling.’
Timeless voice: Maddie Poppe performed The Bare Necessities from Jungle Book
Quirky singer: Catie Turner sang Once Upon A Dream from Sleeping Beauty
‘You have just taken us on a magical, magical, magical journey,’ Lionel told her.
‘Dreams do come true, my darling. I love you so much, I really do.’
Luke added: ‘I’m kind of speechless about what you’re able to do. You just sing from this part of your soul… it just flows out of you and it’s so inspiring.’
Three gone: Ryan addressed the audience as the top 10 stood behind him before three were eliminated
Catie then pulled a shocked face when Katy told her: ‘You went from a girl to a woman right there.’
The last spot went to Jurnee, 18, who had admitted ‘balling her eyes’ out after initially not getting voted through last week, and getting saved at the very last moment.
But she seemed to have a healing moment when mom Gretchen was able to join her at Disneyland, dedicating How Far I’ll Go from Moana to her ‘because it reminds me of my mom and how far she’s supported me.’
Katy felt it was a turning point for her, saying: ‘I was just with my mom this weekend and there’s a special connection between mothers and daughters and you’re glowing because of it. So whatever she reinstated in you that you already knew, just believe it.’
Lionel also told her: ‘Tonight, for whatever reason, I felt that you were present onstage singing from your heart and not your head.’
American Idol will return next week on ABC as the top seven perform live.