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. Devoted Idol fans all know that Carrie won Season 4 of the show, beating out other finalist, Bo Bice.

As Carrie now sits on the opposite side of where she once stood before former judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson, she reflects on her time on the show 20 years later, including a moment that still ‘haunts’ her to this day.

American Idol Judge Carrie Underwood Is Still “Haunted” By A Certain Moment With Ryan Seacrest When She Auditioned For The Show

Carrie Underwood Won Season 4 Of American Idol

Carrie Underwood was just a 21-year-old college student when she decided to audition for the fourth season of American Idol in 2004. The Oklahoma native wowed former judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson during her performance of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” during auditions. Carrie instantly became a fan favorite and won Season 4.

While Carrie will forever remember her momentous win on the American Idol stage after beating out other finalist Bo Bice, there is another vivid moment that sticks out to not only Carrie, but Idol fans.

Carrie, who is now Season 23’s judge, along with Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, had to recall that very moment that she shared still “haunted” her. On April 1st, the Idol Instagram page shared the 2004 throwback of her exchange between Carrie and host Ryan Seacrest. While it “haunts” Carrie, it’s a funny exchange that is certainly a top Idol moment.

During Season 4’s “Hollywood Week,” Carrie is interviewed by Ryan, who asks her if she has seen any stars — meaning famous people since they were in Los Angeles. However, instead of naming a few celebrities, Carrie points up to the sky and shares, “I mean, it’s been pretty cloudy.”

Ryan then states, “No, I mean celebrities.” Carrie laughs at her mistake, and shares, “No, only you.”

Watching the clip 20 years later, the “Before He Cheats” singer admitted:

Carrie also defended her answer to Ryan. “It just was what it was. We were talking about buildings and palm trees and things that were outside, and then all of a sudden he threw me a curveball and is talkin’ about celebrities. My brain was still in outdoor mode.”

She added, “A lot of people, I remember actually, at the time, were like, keyboard warriors, (typing) like, ‘Nobody’s this dumb, surely this is scripted.’ I’m sad to say it was not scripted.”

Carrie Revealed She Forgot The Words To Her Song During Her “Hollywood Week” Auditions On Season 4

Carrie Looks Back On Her Time On The Show On Her “Idol To Icon” Web Series

Carrie is having a full-circle moment as she steps into a judge’s seat on Season 23 of American Idol, after replacing Katy Perry. As she navigates this new role alongside Luke and Lionel, she also launched a web series called “Idol to Icon,” in which she looks back at her time on the show.

In the second episode of her series, Carrie looked back at the “Hollywood Week” portion of the show. Having the current Season 23 Hollywood audition held in the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, which is the same place Carrie sang her heart out in Season 4, she recalled it looking “so different” when she took the stage.

However, what Carrie reveals is that she actually forgot the words to her song, “Young Heats Run Free” by Candi Staton, during the “Hollywood Week” auditions. In the clip, fans can hear her forgetting her words, but quickly picking herself back up again.

“I did forget the words,” Carrie shares. “But I feel like in that moment, it was more about how you jump back in. I mean, we’ve had a couple contestants now that we’ve seen mess up some words and kind of lose track of where they were. It’s such a huge moment. You could have practiced this song a million times, but the important thing is you’ve gotta get back on the horse and get back going.”

In the episode, Ryan shared that Carrie was “in for a nervous wait backstage” while Carrie admitted looking back at her performance she was certain she was going to go home. When Carrie appeared back on stage, Randy told her that she had received a “unanimous yes.”

When Carrie made it to the Top 11 of Season 4, Simon predicted that not only would she win the entire competition, but she would also become more successful than the previous three winners. Boy, was he correct.

Carrie Was “Nervous” To Become A Judge For American Idol

The Idol Winner Did Not Want To Come Across As “Mean” During Judging

During an interview with Superstar Power Hour podcast in March, Carrie was asked how it felt being a judge since winning the show 20 years ago. She divulged that she was “nervous” and didn’t want to come “across as mean” to the contestants when she was delivering her criticisms.

“It’s been really great. I was nervous coming in because it’s a different ballgame, you know. And sitting on the other side of the table, more than anything, I want to help all of these people coming through, and help them become better performers and live their dreams,” Carrie said.

She continued, “So I want to be constructive and tell them things they can work on, but then you’re like, am I coming across mean, or like how is it gonna turn out, that I’m really happy getting to watch the first little bits of it. There’s so much talent. It’s kind of insane how gifted some of these people are.”

Carrie replaces long-running Idol judge Katy Perry for Season 23. The “I Kissed a Girl” songstress stepped down from her position after seven seasons to focus on her pop career.

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Katy shared that although the show “made her feel connected to the heart of America,” she needed to “feel that pulse to my own beat.”

As Idol is closely headed to choosing the Top 24 for Season 23, fans have said nothing but positive things about Carrie. However, when she was first announced as Katy’s replacement, fans feared that there would be an unfair advantage to those who sing country music with both Luke and Carrie at the judges’ table. But, that’s since been thrown out the window as Carrie has shown her extensive knowledge of all music genres.

For those who don’t know, Carrie loves rock and metal music. During this season’s auditions, viewers were shocked to see Carrie singing along with a contestant who performed Korn’s “Freak on a Leash.” She righfully called herself “Jukebox Carrie” when both Lionel and Luke were stunned at seeing her sing every word.