More details have been revealed regarding American Idol coming to Mississippi this fall.
On Friday, the Mississippi State Fairgrounds announced plans to host a talent show with the top five contestants advancing straight to the Nashville auditions but didn’t provide any dates or further information.
That was until Monday morning when Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson disclosed during an appearance on The Gallo Show that the American Idol talent show will be part of this year’s Mississippi State Fair, set to take place in Jackson from October 5-15.
“We always try to do something new and better at the state fair,” Gipson explained. “In planning last year’s state fair, we decided to bring back the beauty and talent show that we hadn’t had for several years. It was such a success…that the folks at ‘American Idol’ heard about it, and they actually called us to see if they could do a talent recruitment here during our state fair.”
With registration for the talent show already open, a total of 40 aspiring singers will be selected to perform at the Mississippi Coliseum on Saturday, October 7. The competition will then be cut in half with 20 singers returning on Tuesday, October 10. Both portions will be open to the public.
“It’s going to be a great highlight on Mississippi talent,” Gipson continued. “We’ve got more talent than anybody else.”
This past season, Monroe County natives Colin Stough and Zachariah Smith both finished in the American Idol top five. Season 22 of the hit TV show is set to return next February.
Colin Stough finishes third place on ‘American Idol’ season 21
