American Juniors

Hosts

Ryan Seacrest (episodes 1-5, 7-17) Gladys Knight (episode 6)

Broadcast

FOX: 6/3/2003 – 8/19/2003

Packager

FremantleMedia North America 19 Entertainment

American Juniors was a short-lived spin-off of American Idol with teens playing to vie to become the next idol.

Judges

Debbie Gibson
Gladys Knight (episodes 1-5, 9-17)
Justin Guarini (episodes 1-4, 6)
Nick Carter (episode 6)
Lamont Dozier (episodes 7 and 8)
Mary Wilson (episodes 7 and 8)
Brian McKnight (episodes 9 and 10)
Jordan Knight (episodes 11 and 12)
Monica (episodes 13 and 14)
Dionne Warwick (episode 15)

Format

Two thousand children and teenagers auditioned for the show. From there, a selected group of kids and their parents were flown out to Hollywood to participate in "Hollywood Week." During "Hollywood Week", several cuts took place, eliminating all but 20 of the children and teens who originally auditioned. These kids were shown on TV during 2 top-20 episodes, which each showcased 10 kids. For each top-20 episode, America voted for the 5 kids they wanted to see in the top-10. Once the top-10 was formed, America voted each week for the one contestant they wanted to put into the group. The results were aired the following evening with the next round beginning the following week. Taylor Thompson was the first contestant voted into the group. She was eventually followed by her younger sister, Tori Thompson, Chauncey Matthews, Lucy Hale, and Danielle White.

Trivia

Lucy Hale, one of the participants on the show is not only still active in the music field, but she has also become an accomplished actress. In fact, she is one of the stars of the hit ABC Family (now Freeform) drama, Pretty Little Liars.

Gallery

Set Pics

Models

Rating

Inventor

Based on the British show Pop Idol by Simon Fuller.

Other Versions

Idol Kids Puerto Rico - Version for Puerto Rico
American Idol
Idol Puerto Rico
World Idol