Carrie Underwood Returning to 'American Idol' as Guest Mentor
Carrie Underwood Proves You Can 'Cry Pretty' In First Music Vide…
Gabby Windey Teases What Fans Can Expect From 'DWTS' Tour (Exclu…
‘Sister Wives’: Kody Shares His Hopes for Christine and Janelle …
'Sister Wives': Robyn 'Struggles' With Living Monogamously With …
'90 Day Fiancé’: Michael Reveals Affair With Another American Wo…
'Seeking Brother Husband' Showcases Women Seeking Multiple Male …
Inside the ‘NCIS’ Crossover Event With OG, 'Hawaiʻi’ and ‘Los An…
'MILF Manor': First Look at TLC's New Dating Series (Exclusive)
Golden Globes: Why Jamie Lee Curtis Called Out Paul Walter Hause…
Mischa Barton and Rachel Bilson Tear Up Watching Marissa's Death…
Jessica Betts ‘So Proud of’ and ‘Constantly in Awe’ of Wife Niec…
Brad Pitt Reveals Surprising Hobby He Shares With Daughter Shiloh
Steven Spielberg Shares Surprising Secret Behind Ke Huy Quan's C…
'Golden Globes': Janelle James on Sitting Near Brad Pitt and 'Ab…
'Sister Wives' Star Meri Brown Calls Out Media for Misinformatio…
'Abbott Elementary': Gregory's Dad Comes to Town (Exclusive)
Brad Pitt Was the Most Popular Actor at 2023 Golden Globe Awards
Christine Taylor and David Lascher Revisit Their Secret 'Hey Dud…
'The Last Of Us' Showrunner Craig Mazin on Plans After Season 1 …
It's full circle for Carrie Underwood!
Sunday night's American Idol came with a special announcement -- the season four Idol winner would be returning to the show as a superstar guest mentor for this season's top five contestants.
The 35-year-old country crooner will also perform her latest single, "Cry Pretty," on the Idol stage, bringing her back to the place that started it all, 13 years later.
In the meantime, Gabby Barrett, Cade Foehner, Caleb Lee Hutchinson, Maddie Poppe and Michael J. Woodward are headed to Nashville, Tennessee, where they'll have a special mentoring session with the "Dirty Laundry" singer before putting their own spins on songs from her catalogue.
ET's Lauren Zima caught up with a few of the contestants backstage after Sunday's live broadcast to see how they were handling the news.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native Barrett told ET that she was jumping up and down onstage "like a flopping fish" when Underwood's involvement was announced. "I'm wearing heels right now and I didn't even know I could jump in these heels," she joked.
"I had to fight back tears, I really had to, because [Underwood] is just somebody that I've looked up to my entire life," the 18-year-old singer added. "Ever since she won on American Idol I've just really watched her grow as a person, and her family, and how she sings and how she acts and just everything about her. So, I'm gonna freak out when I meet her and probably gonna cry."
As for Foehner, he's looking to get some practical tips. "Shoot, first I want to pick her brain how she survived this," he said. "Next, I want to figure out how I can take her song and make it my own with respect to her. 'Cause I love her catalogue and I want to pay dues to it."
Carrie Underwood Breaks Down in Tears in First Music Video After Face Injury
Carrie Underwood Hangs Out With Fellow 'American Idol' Alum David Cook Backstage at 'Kinky Boots'