As “American Idol” prepared to name the contestant who would round out this season’s top 24, Carrie Underwood got emotional. But the “Idol” judge’s emotions had more to do with the performance she had just heard than it did the pressure of the situation.

Carrie Underwood‘s American Idol journey has come full circle. Fans first met Underwood when she auditioned for season 4 of the singing competition. Following her 2005 victory, Underwood went on to become one of the biggest names in the country music world,

Country singer Carrie Underwood took on a new role when she replaced Katy Perry as judge for the 23rd season of American Idol. It was the perfect fit as Carrie has plenty of experience with reality TV singing competition series — she won it once before.