American Idol's Carrie Underwood's Overcoming Major Red Flags & Making Her Mark As A Judge (She's Not The Problem On The Series Anymore)

American Idolseason 23 has been a big move for Carrie Underwood, as her time as a judge has become part of the cultural conversation, and building up to the forthcoming live shows, she's been getting better in her newfound role. Carrie, who was the winner of American Idol season 4 in 2005, has become a major part of the series once again as she's moved to the judge's panel. While Carrie may be doing a better job in the most recent episodes, she was struggling early on in the season with her role and how to be a judge.

Though Carrie may not have been doing her best job in the opening episodes of American Idol season 23, it's clear that she was having a tough time finding her footing. Being tossed into the pre-existing dynamics between Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, Carrie was struggling to figure out how she belonged in her new role. While she's a previous Idol winner, Carrie hadn't been a contestant in over 20 years and, though she'd been on the show in the past, Carrie hadn't been part of the series in such a high capacity in quite some time, which added pressure.

Carrie has been letting people in on other sides of her personality, which has helped her to become a relatable judge.

Carrie's Reviews Are Getting Better Leading Up To The Live Shows

She's Improving With Each Episode

Although American Idol'sCarrie got off to a tough start, her ability to move through the difficult parts of the Idol experience hasn't wavered since her own time on the show. Throughout the first episodes of the season, Carrie has shown improvement with each passing performance. Coming into American Idol season 23, it seemed like it was tough for Carrie to find her footing. Joining in on a pre-existing dynamic of judges who have been doing this for seven years wasn't easy, and though Carrie has Idol experience of her own, it's not the same as what she's doing now.

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With Carrie moving closer to the live shows of American Idol season 23, she's been making a major difference in the way she judges the contestants. At the beginning of the competition, the American Idol judges yield all the power. Rather than investing some of the power into the hands of American Idol viewers, the show is pre-taped until the top ten are chosen, and voting only begins in the round before the live shows. Throughout the show, judges are completely in control of the contestants' fate, which may have been tough for Carrie without being used to the format.

Carrie Used To Overshadow Contestants & Overstep

Her Tone Has Changed Since She Started

American Idol's Carrie Underwood smiles in a montage image. — American Idol's Carrie Underwood

In early episodes of American Idol season 23, Carrie seemed like she may be too difficult on the contestants because of a mixture of moments. While she was a contestant nearly 20 years ago, Carrie came onto American Idol with a very specific point of view. Having become a country megastar after winning the series, Carrie has found success in ways she never could've dreamed or expected. Instead of trying to center herself as someone who made it big and got the chance to give back, the first few episodes of American Idol season 23 saw Carrie overshadowing the contestants.

Carrie's time on the show may have been starting out, but many were nervous after seeing the first auditions that her time as a judge was going to be tough to watch. Seeing Carrie overstep her boundaries was difficult in the early episodes of the season, as she moved into a different sort of space where she wasn't a judge. When she told a contestant not to call herself "just" a stay-at-home mom, Carrie may have meant well in trying to boost the woman's ego, but she overstepped her boundaries as a judge quickly and had to rectify the behavior.

Carrie's Recent Performance With An Alt-Metal Band Got Noticed

She's Shaking Things Up Professionally

In an early episode of American Idol, it was clear that Carrie was beginning to feel more comfortable on the show, on the judge's panel, and with contestants. While her first episodes felt a bit stiff at times, it became clear that Carrie was relaxing into herself and finding her voice as a judge when she made her way out from behind the table to join in one of the contestants' moments in the spotlight. Joining an alt-metal singer in their rendition of "Bodies", Carrie made it clear that there are still a lot of things to learn about her.

While Carrie's venture into emo music isn't something she intends to bring into her soulful country career, her time singing the song with the contestant was huge for American Idol. Carrie, sharing that she went through a phase where she listened to alt-metal in high school, may not have seemed like someone who would get up and sing along with a screamo song, let alone know one in the first place. Peeling back the layers of who she is,Carrie has been letting people in on other sides of her personality, which has helped her to become a relatable judge.

Ryan Seacrest Bends Over Backwards For Carrie

She's Worth His Extra Behavior

side by side image of American Idol Season 23's Ryan Seacrest and Carrie Underwood

As the longtime host of American Idol, Ryan Seacrest is incredibly familiar with Carrie. Having hosted the show since the very beginning, Ryan was the host of Carrie's season and got to know her during her time competing on the show. After her season, Ryan and Carrie's friendship continued, and throughout the years it's been clear that he's still checked in on her and kept in touch. While Ryan wasn't likely a factor in getting Carrie back, he's been doing everything he can to keep her happy since her return to the show at the beginning of the current season.

Watching Ryan bending backwards for Carrie and doing whatever it takes to keep her happy has been somewhat interesting, but it's clear that he wants to keep her on American Idol for several reasons. Though Carrie had a tough time in her first episodes, she's become a better judge with each passing week, and Ryan can likely tell she'll be great in time for the live shows. Carrie may be well worth the strife Ryan is dealing with trying to keep her on American Idol. Understanding that makes it clear Carrie could be on the show for a long time.

American Idol airs at 8 p.m. EDT Sundays and Mondays at on ABC.

Source: American Idol/Instagram