‘American Idol’ season 12: Full schedule for Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj’s first season

If you are new to “American Idol” and are here to check out what is coming up for Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey, you may find the following to be rather handy. Even if you are a longtime fan, these are still some important dates worth nothing if you’re only interesting in watching a certain phase of the competition.

As you probably know already, the audition episodes for season 12 are going to air beginning with the show’s season premiere on Wednesday, January 16. They will then continue the next day, and carry on that way until wrapping up on January 31. That’s only six audition episodes, and we like that it’s relatively short and sweet.

Hollywood Week kicks of on February 6, and one of the biggest changes coming this year is an extended Vegas round. The show actually looks to air all of the performances from the top 40 (20 guys and 20 girls) over the course of two weeks beginning on February 20, and then the top 20 semifinalists perform live beginning on March 5. (There are three episodes of “American Idol” that week.)

By the time the lives shows begin on March 13, we will seemingly have our top 10, though another contestant or two will probably be added as a wild card. If the show does not add anyone, the show would end on May 9. This is why we’re thinking there will be two wild-card entries, since this would push the finale to a more traditional date considering the May sweeps in May 23. While we know America has the power on this show, the judges also will likely want to ensure that a strong finalist (a la Stefano Langone or Erika Van Pelt) is not forgotten.

Do you like the arrangement of events this season? If you want to hear some of Mariah’s latest comments about Nicki (and they aren’t exactly positive), you can do so over here.

Photo: Fox