Carrie Underwood slipped back into her 'American Idol' finale dress — and even she was surprised
Carrie Underwood proved why she is the 'winning' factor on 'American Idol.' The 2005 champion revisited her iconic style from her 'Idol' days to celebrate 'Iconic Idol Moments.' Underwood re-styled her cheetah-print chiffon dress, which she wore 20 years ago, while accepting the season 4 trophy. The orange midi dress featuring a lace-lined plunging neckline and an oversized embellished green belt with triangle-shaped silver beads still looked a 'perfect fit' on her svelte figure. Underwood shared the special memory on her Instagram with the caption, "Same dress, different view." #CUonIDOL. In the video, the Grammy winner called it her "2005 fit check," then twirled for the camera and ended by saying, "Still fits."
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However, she accessorized it uniquely by accentuating the bold necklace with layered necklaces and wearing gold danglers. She styled her long blonde hair in a pulled-back pony bun fashion, leaving the rest of her tresses cascading around her shoulders in soft beach waves. This contrasted with her first time wearing the outfit, when she paired it with a set of chunky red earrings and permed curls, as per People. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Underwood revealed that she chose to wear her 'winning dress' for her sons, Isaiah Michael Fisher and Jacob Bryan Fisher. "What a special night for you, wearing the winning dress. What was it like putting this back on?" the interviewer asked.
“We did try it on before I committed. It wasn’t like, I'm going to wear it." Um, we wanted to make sure it looked nice, and it feels like she's held up all right," the 'Jesus, Take the Wheel' hitmaker gushed. When asked if her sons have watched her winning season, Underwood had an instant reaction: "No. They've seen pictures of my winning moment. We have not watched the season together, but I feel like that's coming." The latest episode of 'American Idol' brought back five finalists from season 4, including Constantine Maroulis, Vonzell Solomon, and Anthony Fedorov, as mega mentors. Today reported that season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino also returned as a mega coach for the remaining top 12 contestants.
“I have no idea how that 21-year-old Carrie was able to muster up enough guts to walk into a room and audition in front of Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and the world,” she recalled during her 'Idol to Icon' series on YouTube. Underwood stunned the judges back then with a beautiful rendition of Bonnie Raitt's 'I Can’t Make You Love Me' during the audition. She remembered getting nervous when Cowell stopped her performance midway, only to compliment her singing style. “I was like, I did a bad job,” she reminisced.
“He immediately gave me a compliment and then said, ‘I’m surprised we haven’t found any good country singers,’ which surprised me," she said. The 'Before He Cheats' singer confessed that she felt more alive on stage than in the audition room. "But in a situation like that, you’re not on stage. It’s just you singing without a band, without anything," she recalled. Underwood remembered being nervous because she knew the judges were the ones who would decide her fate, as per Today. However, she ended up being an 'Idol' and made a successful career by releasing nine albums and winning eight Grammys.