American Idol

There were no video montages played before any of the songs, usually one plays before the first one.

Instead of the contestants going and sitting by the hosts after their song, they came to center stage (the exception was after Justin's last performance), which Ryan does in the newer seasons.

Will Young, who won Pop Idol, sang "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" by Jackie Wilson which he sang during the competition during the Top 3 week as the Judges' Choice.

The judges sat up in a special box, instead of right in front of the stage as usual. They also did not critique each performance, instead at the end they gave their overall impression of the two contestants