A Look Back at Carrie Underwood’s ‘American Idol’ Winning Season
ABC has confirmed that Carrie Underwood will replace Katy Perry on the American Idol judging panel for season 23, and Us is feeling nostalgic for the country singer’s 2005 winning season.
Underwood, now 41, was 21 when she auditioned for season 4 of American Idol in St. Louis. She wore a pink scoop-neck shirt and light wash jeans to perform Bonnie Rait’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” for judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. (Paula Abdul, who was also a judge at the time, was absent that day.)
During her audition, Underwood quipped that Cowell, 64, was “scary,” showed off her “ability to cluck like a chicken” and discussed the third nipple she’d had removed. Her playful personality made her an early fan favorite, and her talent was undeniable.
“That was very good. Very good, Carrie,” Cowell said, adding that he was “surprised that we haven’t found a good country singer in this competition yet.” (The three previous winners, Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino, excelled at pop and R&B.)
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Underwood got her golden ticket to Hollywood and left her hometown of Muskogee, Oklahoma, behind. During a 2019 appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, she shared that the trip to Hollywood marked her first time on a plane.
“I was like, ‘I’m gonna have to find some nice airport employee to tell me what to do,’” she said, recalling how she missed a connecting flight on her way to California.
Early in the competition, the judges pushed Underwood to play it less “safe” and come out of her shell more.
“Safe, to me, becomes boring,” Abdul, 62, told her after a group performance of “Please Mr. Postman” during Hollywood Week. But by the time Underwood reached the top 24, she was a clear frontrunner. After her performance of Tiffany’s “Could’ve Been,” Cowell called her “one of the favorites to win this competition” and praised her authenticity.
“What I like about you is that you know who you are and what you’re all about,” the notoriously tough judge said.
One of Underwood’s most memorable moments on the show came when just 11 contestants remained. Rocking teased hair, Underwood stepped out of her comfort zone by performing Heart’s “Alone,” and the risk paid off.
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“I think this is one of your best performances yet,” Jackson, 68, told her. “I like the hair too, man.”
Cowell was so impressed that he made a bold prediction, which proved to be entirely correct.
“I will make the prediction [that] not only will you win this show, you will sell more records than any other previous Idol winner,” he said.
Underwood wasn’t just popular with the judges. According to a 2008 New York Times piece, former Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe revealed that Underwood received the most votes from viewers by a wide margin every week.
Underwood continued to thrive as contestants including Nadia Turner, Anwar Robinson and Constantine Maroulis were eliminated. During the May 2005 season 4 finale, Underwood faced off against Bo Bice. She sang Martina McBride’s “Independence Day,” a song she’d previously performed during the top 10. Underwood named McBride, 58, as her favorite singer during her audition. She later recorded her version of “Independence Day” for the American Idol Season 4: The Showstoppers album, which featured performances from each of the top 12 contestants.
At the end of the finale, longtime host Ryan Seacrest stood between Bice, 48, and Underwood to announce the results of the competition.
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“The winner of American Idol 2005 is … Carrie Underwood!” Seacrest, 49, decreed, prompting Underwood to burst into tears. She had only moments to hug her fellow finalists and thank the voters before launching into her performance of her then-new single, “Inside Your Heaven,” as confetti fell from the ceiling.
Underwood’s winning performance was far from the end of the road for her. Her debut album, 2005’s Some Hearts, became the best-selling solo female debut album in country history with memorable hits including “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and “Before He Cheats.” To date, she’s won eight Grammys and sold 85 million records worldwide.
Almost two decades after Underwood’s victory, her massively successful career still gives Idol hopefuls a blueprint for turning a stint on the show into superstardom. The competition series has undergone some big changes since Underwood’s day — a move from Fox to ABC and a new crop of judges — but Underwood’s return feels like the beginning of a new era for Idol.
