See Carrie Underwood as 'American Idol' Contestant #14887 Nearly 20 Years After Win
Before she was our "American Idol," Carrie Underwood was contestant #14887.
On Monday, the country star, 41, took to Instagram to share the ultimate throwback photo of her from her now-unforgettable audition for the fourth season of American Idol, which aired in 2005. In the picture she posted, the then-21-year-old is smiling while holding a phone to her ear with one hand and holding a yellow paper with her number on it in the other.
"REFLECTION of the week: contestant number #14887 received her golden ticket to Hollywood!" she captioned the post. "I can't believe it has been almost 20 years since auditioning for @AmericanIdol!"
In the snap, the Oklahoma native is also wearing the pink shirt she was seen sporting when she serenaded the judges of that season -- Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell -- with Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" during her audition.
As the famed story goes, she ended up winning the season and has since become an eight-time Grammy winner and megahit country star while joining fellow successful American Idol alumni like Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson. Meanwhile, some fans were shocked by how much time has already passed.
"Wow! It's been that long?! It's flown by!" one fan wrote. "So many great songs and performances over the years, you have achieved so much! xxx."
Another fan in the comment section could not help but wonder if Underwood's post had anything to do with the vacant seat on the show's judging panel after Katy Perry's exit. "NEW JUDGE?!" their comment read.
While Perry's replacement has not yet been announced, the pop star told ET after the season 22 finale on Sunday about the kind of person she hopes takes over for her.
"I hope it's someone fearless. I hope it's someone that doesn't mince their words, maybe someone a little polarizing just like myself," Perry said. "There's a lot of people that's like, 'She's awful! She should go!' And there's a lot of people that are like, 'She speaks her mind! She's authentic!' Whatever -- you can't win 'em all. I think it's actually better not to win 'em all because that means you actually have a point of view."
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