'American Idol,' 'Jeopardy!' college tournament coming to ABC in February

Dec. 2 (UPI) -- American Idol and a new Jeopardy! National College Championship are coming to ABC in February 2022.

ABC said Thursday that American Idol will return for a fifth season Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. EST.

The new season will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest and feature Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie as judges. The season is the show's fifth on ABC and its 20th season overall.

Live, virtual auditions for the season started in August.

The new Jeopardy! National College Championship will be hosted by actress Mayim Bialik. Bialik and former Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings have been hosting the game show since September.

The college tournament will feature contestants from 36 U.S. colleges and universities. The event will take place Feb. 8-11 and 15-18, with the ninth night set for Feb. 22.

Bialik and Jennings are set to host Jeopardy! through the end of the year. Longtime executive producer Mike Richards stepped down as host in August following controversy over his past comments.

Alex Trebek, who hosted Jeopardy! for 37 seasons, died at age 80 in November 2020.