American Idol Photo: ABC

“American Idol” is in full swing for season three on Sundays  and Mondays on ABC. Helping to determine who America will ultimately vote for to become the next singing sensation are music industry forces and judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie with Ryan Seacrest returning as host of the Emmy-nominated series.

The show traveled to on-wide journey across Savannah, Georgia; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles, California; and Sunriver, Oregon, where the judge auditions surprised audiences with never-before-seen twists. Those auditioning were hoping to get the coveted ticket to Hollywood. 

167 contestants have made it to Hollywood week. First up was something new, a genre challenge. Each contestants must define their genre. Groups of the same genre were asked to perform a song. After each round, the judges announced who was advancing to the next round and which contestants will be eliminated. The next rounds was duets which lead to the final solo rounds.

Here is a sneak peek of Lauren Mascitti performing an original song.