It’s been 20 years since Carrie Underwood was a contestant on American Idol, but she still has keepsakes from her time on the show.

One of those mementos was actually a gift from Paula Abdul, who was judging the singing competition alongside Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell at the time.

In the latest episode of her Idol to Icon YouTube series, Underwood reflected on her Top 5 performance of “God Bless the Broken Road.” While she agreed with Cowell’s critique that she was a bit “robotic” on stage, it was one of her accessories that really caught her attention.

“I just realized the ring on my finger Paula gave me,” Underwood recalled. “She came by and gave all of us jewelry one time, and I still have that ring. It’s diamonds, it’s so pretty.”

Something else that she still has from her American Idol days is the dress that she wore during the Season 4 finale. She was wearing the frock when she was announced as the winner in 2005 and re-wore it on a recent episode of the show as a judge. Yes, it still fit!

ABC

Since the country singer has been through this process herself, she’s able to relate to the contestants she’s judging this season. There are now just seven artists left, but that will be dwindled down to the Top 5 after this Sunday’s episode. From there, three will move onto the May 18 finale, where a winner will be crowned.

It was around this time in the competition that Underwood started having doubts about her fate, as she explained, “I think I was a little worried after that performance, after that night in general, that I’d be going home. I think it was, like, Top 3, to be honest, where I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I might actually win this thing.’ I think at Top 5, I was still very cautiously optimistic.”

‘American Idol’ Producers Eye Judging Panel Shakeup: Report

Although the judging panel on “American Idol” changed in season 23 with the addition of Carrie Underwood, who replaced Katy Perry after seven seasons, producers are seriously considering a more significant shakeup to the judging panel, according to the U.S. Sun.

On May 6, 2025, the outlet published insights from a show “insider” who said producers are “desperate to find their next Simon,” referring to original judge Simon Cowell, whose harsh critiques were infamous from 2002 to 2010.

Producers think a more opinionated judge could give the show “a fresh face lift,” the insider told the Sun, but multiple celebrities who’ve been approached about joining the series have turned them down because “no one wants to be the ‘bad guy.’”

Insider Says a More Critical Judge Would ‘Bring Back the Spark’

GettyKelly Clarkson poses with original “American Idol” judges (L to R) Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul after receiving her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in September 2022
During the early years of “American Idol,” Cowell never held back with his critiques, unafraid to admonish contestants for their performances, while Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson typically delivered much kinder feedback.

After the original trio went their separate ways, FOX tried for several years to find good chemistry with different celebrity judges, including Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, Steven Tyler, Mariah Carey, and more. When ABC took over the show in 2018, it found great chemistry with Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie who intentionally aimed to lift up the contestants rather than tear them down.

But after eight years of niceties, the U.S. Sun said producers think hiring someone like Cowell “would bring back the spark the show needs to boost ratings.” The insider did not provide any specific names of stars being considered, but said those who’ve been approached have turned down the opportunity, not wanting to get “canceled” for their negative takes on contestants.

Ratings for ‘American Idol’ Were Up in April With Carrie Underwood & Jelly Roll in the Cast

DisneyLionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Jelly Roll
Although “American Idol” is not nearly as popular as it was in its early years, ratings were significantly up in April during the live shows, beating NBC’s “The Voice” by 25%, according to Deadline.

Season 23 of “American Idol” kicked off on March 2 with a half-hour preview after the Academy Awards, which resulted in the show’s biggest launch in three years, according to ABC, drawing 5.93 million total viewers. Ratings began to slip after that, according to the U.S. Sun, and routinely lagged behind “The Voice” in March.

However, “Idol” began attracting a crowd in early April as the competition heated up during Hollywood Week, pushing it ahead of “The Voice,” Deadline reported. When Jelly Roll joined on April 7 as the show’s first-ever artist-in-residence, “Idol” beat out “The Voice” by 690,000 viewers, per Deadline, which was the “largest margin of victory head-to-head with the NBC competition series in over seven years.”

Although ABC has not officially announced its renewal, “American Idol” is expected to return for season 24, given that virtual auditions for the next season opened in early May, with current contestants filming promos to encourage singers across the U.S. to try out.