Keith Urban

Now that Upfronts 2015 have entered the scheduling phase, we thought most of the major renewals, cancellations and pickups had delivered their biggest surprises. Not so apparently, as FOX has decided to put American Idol out to pasture after 15 seasons, ending the reality singing competition for good next year.

As had been rumored for a while, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj have both publicly confirmed that they are leaving 'American Idol' after this season, following the announcement that Randy Jackson was also retiring. This leaves Keith Urban as the last judge standing, though perhaps not for long.

'American Idol' used to be the hottest show on television, but after 13 years, it's starting to show its age. The show's ratings have slipped from regularly having 30 million viewers to now somewhere around 11 million. And though the show has had some different judges over the course of its run, it's now looking to ditch all four current judges to have a fresh face for season 13.

For a show that hasn't mattered in the cultural landscape for about five years now, there sure has been a lot of a back-and-forth and debate about who is going to take the empty judge's seats on 'American Idol.'  Many names were bandied about, but it looks like those two seats next to Randy Jackson and Mariah Carey will be filled by Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj.