Whatever you do, don’t rely on the TV remote’s “info” button. Half the time it says “American Idol ends at 10:00 PM,” and then the show cuts to a five-minute segment of Seacrest interviewing a stagehand’s dog. That little button has lied to me more times than a contestant saying they’re “just happy to be here” before they start rage-crying.
In short: the show ends around 10:00 PM Eastern—but add a fat 15-minute buffer for tears, twists, and trademark Idol confusion. Now go grab your snacks, mute the commercials, and prepare to be emotionally manipulated by a perfectly timed key change.
