Ryan Seacrest spoke with Entertainment Tonight about changes in season four about American Idol.

“I’m most excited about splitting up the guys and girls,” he said. “I think it really adds to the competitive edge of the show. Having guys compete on one night and girls compete on another night, eliminating those, and having the contestants that make it through appear on the show each and every week all the way to the end is probably the change I’m most excited about.”

Fox begins the season with a two-hour special on January 18 as well as a one-hour episode on the 19th. Read more and watch a video clip here.