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"You don’t get paid until you marque it to the unrecorded rounds," Margie Mays, who competed connected seasons 17 and 18 of American Idol, shared successful a 2020 TikTok, "and past you tin beryllium paid."

The vocalist noted she did get paid to look successful American Idol commercials and to instrumentality for a finale show aft she was eliminated.

"When they instrumentality you to places similar Hawaii, obviously, they wage for that and past there’s things similar a per diem for, like, eating portion you’re successful Hawaii," she added. "But they’re not paying you to beryllium a contestant. That’s the sacrifice you marque to effort to win."

But if you bash win, determination is simply a large prize.

"You bash get $250,000, but not truly due to the fact that of taxes," play 16 champion Maddie Poppe told Business Insider successful 2022. "And you get fractional of it earlier you implicit your record, and past the 2nd fractional you get aft you implicit the record. So it's conscionable similar an beforehand from the grounds deal, but I'm beauteous definite I person to recoup it."

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Nope.

In fact, play 7 victor David Cook told Business Insider his audition successful beforehand of then-judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson was his 5th round.

There are a fig of ways to audition for producers, including done unfastened calls, unrecorded virtual auditions and societal media. However, American Idol's guidelines authorities that singers who get a callback during the audition process indispensable put their ain travel.

"Once you get to Hollywood Week, they enactment you up [and] screen flights and each that," David continued, "but yeah, for the metropolis auditions segment, you're connected your ain pocket."

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You're going to Hollywood...now what?

After contestants get their aureate summons from the judges—who presently see Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan—they person to question retired to California for the nail-biting Hollywood Week. But does the amusement screen these question expenses?

"Yes, they volition alert you to Hollywood Week if you person to instrumentality a flight," Margie continued successful a 2020 TikTok. "They wage for that, they publication for that. Awesome. They'll get you from the airdrome to the hotel. Hotel is paid for. Meals are provided."

As she clarified, "They're not paying you money, but they are paying for your expenses."

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When it comes to picking retired their outfits, contestants are a solo enactment successful the aboriginal rounds of the competition.

"You are liable for dressing yourself," Margie said successful a 2020 TikTok, aboriginal adding, "However, if you marque it to the unrecorded rounds, which is usually Top 14 and above, they bash formal you. There volition beryllium stylists, hair, makeup, the full shebang 'cause they truly privation you to spell from looking similar [an] mundane idiosyncratic to a prima and to truly alteration from the opening of the amusement to the end."

Stylists person to enactment with a budget, though. And backmost successful 2013,  former costume decorator Soyon An told The Hollywood Reporter contestants were allotted $400 an occurrence for their wardrobe.

"They're creating an image, their brand," she added. "So if the costume goes implicit $400, the contestants person to determine whether oregon not to bargain it themselves if they truly privation to deterioration it."

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After big Ryan Seacrest reveals the results and singers are eliminated from the competition, it's clip for them to battalion their bags.

"For Hollywood Week, you mostly get sent location arsenic soon arsenic they tin publication you connected a flight," Margie said successful a 2021 TikTok video. "So, you volition virtually permission the theatre and spell to a abstracted edifice and past they enactment you connected a formation and permission close away."

As for aboriginal successful the competition?

"For Hawaii, you don't permission the aforesaid day," she added. "Everybody flies backmost to L.A. connected the aforesaid plane, whether they made it to the Top 20 oregon didn't. And past erstwhile you unrecorded successful the apartments and you're doing unrecorded shows, if you get chopped betwixt similar 20 and 10, I deliberation you astir apt permission rapidly after. But if you're successful the Top 10 and you get cut, you precise apt volition enactment successful the apartments until the finale due to the fact that they're gonna bring you backmost for the finale and you're gonna execute successful the finale."

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You indispensable beryllium astatine slightest 15 years aged to vie connected American Idol, truthful immoderate of the singers are inactive keeping up with their studies.

"We had to person schoolhouse connected acceptable and each that stuff," Danielle Finn, who was 17 years aged erstwhile she made the Top 24 connected play 20, explained to play 14 runner-up Clark Beckham in 2022. "And we couldn't movie much than 10 hours a day. So if we ever went over, we would beryllium kept to the side. Or, if we ever had escaped time? 'Oh, you gotta spell to school.'"

Victoria Johnson, who was 16 erstwhile she made it to the Showstopper circular connected play 22, had a akin experience.

Though she was connected outpouring interruption during Hollywood Week, bececause she was a minor, "they had maine bash the required schoolhouse hours," she told University Press successful 2024. "I conscionable did puzzles the full clip due to the fact that I didn’t person immoderate schoolwork to do....I americium taking each my classes online this semester due to the fact that of Idol, due to the fact that I was going backmost and distant with filming."

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Over the years, American Idol contestants person lived successful apartments, hotels and adjacent mansions. The immense location connected play eight, for instance, had a hoops court, bowling alley, cinema country arsenic good arsenic indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

"The mansion was sooo awesome," contestant Lil Rounds wrote successful a February 2024 Instagram station portion looking backmost astatine her play 15 years prior, "but we hardly had immoderate sleep."

These days, contestants look to enactment successful hotels. In fact, play 22 victor Abi Carter and apical 7 finalist Julia Gagnon were roommates.

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They enactment rather busy. 

Season 2 victor Ruben Studdard remembered however packed his docket was with opus selection, preparation, vocal coaching, and filming for amusement packages and commercials.

"Thursday we got the songs," helium recalled connected a 2023 interview with West Byrd. "Friday we chose the songs. Friday-Saturday we taped commercials. Sunday we made last selections. Then Sunday night-Monday nighttime we went to the workplace to marque definite everything was close for the track. And past Tuesday greeting we would bash a adust tally of the show, similar apical to bottom. So erstwhile you spot the bundle erstwhile radical are like, 'You should ballot for X, Y, Z' that's already been taped Tuesday morning."

Then, of course, there's the existent show. "Wednesday is the elimination, and past it starts each over," Ruben added. "And it gets adjacent tougher erstwhile the radical gets smaller due to the fact that the enactment is the same."

Jena Irene Asciutto has shared a akin sentiment.

"As the weeks went connected and radical were eliminated, the radical near were liable for filling that occurrence of time," the play 13 runner-up told Business Insider. "So we were needed for much things. And I deliberation astatine similar apical 8 was erstwhile we started doing Ford commercials each Sunday."