Executive producers Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe - yep, they're British - "are big fans of Americana and getting the whole American experience," said Lynn, glossing over the part where a bunch of guys gathered in Philadelphia to declare our independence from the country that would later dispatch Simon Cowell to tell us we can't sing.
So what took "Idol" so long to get to the home of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell?
"They wanted to go to Boston first," Lynn said, something the show did in Season 5.
"There's a lot of reasons why we go to certain cities," said the producer, who leads the team that helps scout audition locations.
"We can't always do New York, L.A., New York, L.A.," he added.
Or even East Rutherford, N.J., which is about as close as "Idol" has ever come to Philly.
"I remember when we did [Washington] D.C., a lot of people from Philadelphia came to D.C." to audition, he said, adding, "The movie 'National Treasure' possibly has a little bit to do" with the decision to come here.
Not to mention "Rocky."
"We all want to run up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum early in the morning and run around the Rocky statue," Lynn said.
Philadelphia in late August? Better make that really early in the morning.
Lynn's not concerned.
"We hold [most of] our auditions in August, for God's sake. I'm a lot more worried about going to Dallas, Texas, than I am going to Philadelphia," said the producer, whose first trip to the city since 1986 was made a couple of months ago when "it was really cold."
Three years ago, Houston "was incredibly hot," Lynn said.
"But the weather's going to be the weather," he added. "That's part of the city."
Before settling on the Wachovia Center, Lynn said, "Idol" scouts looked at Citizens Bank Park, and "basically it just came down to dates."
