American Idolseason 23 has seen Carrie Underwood step into the role of a judge, and though she’s had some issues in the first few episodes,I’ve seen improvement in her performance thus far. Carrie, thewinner ofAmerican Idolseason 4, is the first-everIdolwinner to return to the show in a judging capacity after their win. A historic move forAmerican Idol, it’s clear the show was hopeful that it would be able to make some bold moves after Katy Perry chose to leave the series afterAmerican Idolseason 22, which was her seventh Idol season.
Although Katy was a dynamic judge who brought something specific to the panel, it was clear that her chemistry with her fellow judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan was a huge part of why she was good in the role. With Carrie coming in,viewers were made more aware of her accomplishments and her history withAmerican Idolas a whole, rather than the way she would work with Lionel and Luke.Carrie’s time onAmerican Idolwas a big deal for the show, and it was advertised as a major event wrapped up in a casting change to viewers.
Even thoughAmerican Idolviewers hadn’t seen the just howCarrie was able to connect with the contestantsyet prior to the show’s season premiere,Idolwas already advertising what a dynamic, exciting judge she would be. Known for her kindness and grace, Carrie’s career has been one of the largest of anyAmerican Idolwinner or contestant, but her exciting trajectory after the show wasn’t brought into the mix right away. Instead,Carrie was advertised as the exciting new judge who was going to bring another wholesome, country star into the mix, replacing Katy’s pop vibes with something different.
In the first episode ofAmerican Idolseason 23, many tuned in to see how Carrie worked into the mix. While it was clear her relationship withAmerican Idoland her time with the show originally was a massive part of her career, as a judge, Carrie sort of faded into the background when she wasn’t being moderately difficult. It was clear in the first episodes that she wasn’t entirely sure how she fit into the show, which was fair considering she was brand new. Even so, seeing Carrie move through the season,I’ve been consistently surprised by her improvements.
It’s possible that without the decision-making process in her hands, Carrie feels more comfortable giving her honest opinion.
6Carrie Has Been Giving More Thorough Criticism
She’s Judging More Specifically
AlthoughAmerican Idolseason 23 has only started getting to episodes with contestant performances that viewers can vote on, it’s been clear thatCarrie’s been improving in the way she’s been judging the performances themselves. During her first episodes as a judge, Carrie spent her time vacillating between judging performances a bit too harshly and getting overly emotional by contestant’s stories, which ultimately impacted the judging.Carrie was likely very overwhelmedon her own by coming intoIdolas a judge, but her critiques weren’t the most thorough or helpful to the new Idol contestants she was giving them to.
After the first few rounds of auditions, it appeared thatCarrie’s figured out what kind of criticism she wants to give and how to deliver it. With the most recent episode not putting too much pressure on Carrie or the other judges in terms of who would be moving forward, it’s possible that without the decision-making process in her hands, Carrie feels more comfortable giving her honest opinion with some constructive criticism involved. Sharing more openly and giving her critiques a bit less bite, Carrie’s made it clear that she’s finally finding her groove when it comes to the contestants.
5Carrie’s Not Outshining The Contestants
She’s Keeping Herself In Check
At the beginning of the season, some wereconcerned about Carrie’s star simply being too large to allow others to shine. While it wasn’t much of a concern I had leading up to the season, I understood why people felt like that could happen as it came closer toAmerican Idolseason 23’s premiere. Carrie, who has become one of the most successful country stars of all time, has been one of the biggest names to come out ofAmerican Idolin the history of the show. With her coming into a judging role, anything felt like it was possible.
As the first episodes of the season rolled out, it felt like Carrie may be taking a bit more of the spotlight than it originally seemed like she would. ThoughCarrie has been clear about her intentionsas an Idol judge, to provide feedback and help shape the next generation of stars, it also felt like she may be just too famous to truly do that for herself or the contestants.Carrie’s shadow was hard for some to come out from behind, but once she was able to scale back her superstardom slightly, the feeling of being overshadowed has diminished.
4Carrie Has Related To The Contestant’s Experiences
She’s Looking Inward To Her Own Time On Idol
As a winner ofAmerican Idolin her own right,Carrie has been upfront about the fact that she’ll be able to relate to the contestants on a different level. Part of bringing Carrie in was likely about that connection between theIdolcontestants and someone who’s been in their shoes, moved ahead, and succeeded so thoroughly. While Carrie was able to recall her original time onIdolwell, it wasn’t seeming like something she was calling back on during the first episodes of the season, at least not when delivering her sometimes tough critiques to the eager new contestants.
Carrie was a little tough on the contestantsearly on, which made it feel like she couldn’t relate to their experiences. When things got more in depth, however, it became clear that Carrie was accessing memories about her time onAmerican Idolthat were giving her more clarity. Remembering more,Carrie has been able to unlock memories from each stage of herIdoljourney, even taking it further with her memories on herIdol To Iconseries. Carrie being able to relate to the contestants has made her a far better judge, as she has a great point of connection.
3Carrie’s Having More Fun With Judging
She’s Enjoying Her Role
Although it didn’t necessarily seem possible, it was clear that Carrie was nervous at the early stages ofAmerican Idolseason 23. While Carrie is a megastar who performs in front of millions of people per year, she’s also someone who is intensely private about her personal life and her family. Exposing herself to reality TV, even in a capacity that made it clear that it wasn’t about her personally at all, was likely a difficult thing for her to do.Coming toAmerican Idolput Carrie in the position to be criticized, regardless of the reasoning behind doing so.
WithCarrie moving past the fear of being perceivedin the first few episodes, it’s been far more obvious that she’s having a good time judging the show. Carrie seems to be finding her natural element as she moves forward in the season, doing a great job at putting her professional life ahead of everything else.Carrie’s ability to continually prioritize theIdolcontestants and their performances grew as soon as she was able to put her fears and nerves behind her, allowing herself to fall into step with her fellow judges and the newAmerican Idolcontestants' overall journeys.
2Carrie Isn’t Intimidated By Luke & Lionel’s Experience Anymore
She’s Paving Her Own Way
Working with an icon like Lionel at all is likely intimidating, but coming into a pre-existing dynamic of Lionel and Luke serving as co-judges must have been tough for Carrie, who has her own relationship with the show. While it was going to be difficult for anyone to come into the judge’s panel and try to make space for themselves after Katy’s departure, Carrie doing so was a whole different beast. Withher own relationship withAmerican Idolintimidating her already, Carrie also had to contend with Lionel, Luke, and their experiences judging the show for years ahead of her.
Carrie having to break through that barrier was likely very tough, and something viewers saw during her first episodes ofAmerican Idol. Working with people she’s familiar with wouldn’t be difficult for a professional like Carrie, but working with Luke and Lionel on a show that’s so near and dear to her heart may have made a different challenge entirely for Carrie.As a formerAmerican Idolwinner, coming into the competition would be different overall, and doing so with two well-practiced judges would make it tougher.Carrie, thankfully, has managed to shake off any nerves she may have felt.
1Carrie Has Found The Right Energy
She’s Finally In Her Groove
Although Carrie’s spent a lot of time onAmerican Idolin the past, this is the first time she’s been on the show as a judge, which makes the experience unique and, ultimately, more difficult. WithCarrie’s relationship withAmerican Idolbeing something the show is relying on this seasonto make connections with the contestants, it’s likely been weighing on her. Carrie’s probably struggled to find her footing in this pre-approved box of having to mention her ownIdolexperiences, and on top of that, having to create her own sense of self in her brand-new role on screen.
AlthoughCarrie’s a reality TV alumnus, she hasn’t appeared on a show in quite a few years. This means she’s had to readjust to the idea of being on camera in the same way, and hasn’t had the opportunity to present herself as a person since the days of Carrie Underwood,American Idolwinner. Moving forward onAmerican Idolseason 23 with her current persona hasn’t been easy for Carrie, but she’s been able to adjust after the first few episodes of the season, and has improved entirely.Finding the right energy, it turns out, wasn’t too hard for Carrie.
