Carrie Underwood is in the hot seat. 

The American Idol judge gazes into the hopeful eyes of 25-year-old Pat Johnson, a Philadelphia native who has already performed two songs and is standing on the precipice of going to Hollywood after Underwood's fellow judges, country superstar Luke Bryan and four-time Grammy-winner Lionel Richie, delivered a split verdict on his audition. In doing so, the pair have put Underwood in what they call the American Idol vice, with Johnson's future in the competition resting solely on her shoulders.

The sunny New York City audition room falls silent when Underwood asks for a moment to decide, mulling over Johnson's performances before ultimately agreeing to let him through. "I'm going to side with Lionel here," she says, drawing gasps from the two men sitting on opposite sides of her and a wave of joy from Johnson. Still, Underwood’s approval comes with a caveat as she warns the Hollywood-bound rocker: “You better bring it.” 

If there’s anyone who understands the rush that Johnson felt at that exact moment, it’s Underwood. The 41-year-old Oklahoma native once stood on the opposite side of the desk praying for her own big break when she auditioned for season 4 of American Idol in 2005, performing a rendition of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" for then-judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul. Her country roots, soaring vocal range, and ability to cluck like a chicken would lead Underwood to win the title of American Idol, and — 20 years, eight Grammys, and several world tours later — now she returns home to the series that started it all as its newest judge.

Entertainment Weekly joined the Idol crew in season 23's first stop of its country-wide search to tag along with Underwood on one of her first days as a judge — which is way harder than she thought. “It's such a difference when you're sitting at home from your couch watching it. You're like, 'What? That person was great!' Or, 'Oh my gosh, that person was terrible. I can't believe they sent them through!'" Underwood tells EW during a much-needed pizza lunch break with the judges and host Ryan Seacrest. "You think you can talk a lot of smack at home and it's so easy to sit up here in this chair, and it's not. These are people's dreams and feelings and hopes."

Underwood, who joins the series following Katy Perry's departure last season, represents the ultimate American Idol success story, according to showrunner and executive producer Megan Michaels Wolflick. "Win or lose, this show will change your life, and Carrie is the ultimate testament to that,” Wolflick says. "I think she's getting confidence in being a judge at the same time that she's giving hopefuls confidence in their journey. So it's actually going to be a beautiful season to watch Carrie and the hopefuls evolve, and that's something we've never had before."

But don't expect to hear a shift in this season's sound just because Underwood and Bryan are both award-winning country singers — in fact, two of the contestants who continue on to the next stages during EW's visit are Johnson and an Adele-crooning pop singer. "Carrie is a country artist; however, first and foremost, she's the American Idol. So that is her title, so to speak," Wolflick adds. "You have Luke, country artist; you have the American Idol; and you have Lionel, living legend."

To prepare, Underwood, who admits she’s very much a “newbie” this early in the judging process, has been connecting with the American Idol crew members from her season and rewatching past episodes to brainstorm the type of advice she'd like to give contestants. Meanwhile, Bryan, 48, and Richie, 75, enjoy watching Underwood step into her leadership role and slowly find her groove on set.

“Her first day, she was kind of checking out the environment," Bryan recalls. "Then there was one moment I told a kid [to] sing another song and the kid actually did something good, and Carrie's like, 'I didn't know we could just tell him what we wanted them to do!' When I think about all she was processing and all the things she was taking in and trying to learn... it's a lot. Lionel and I, our first day on this job, we kind of learned together."

She's also been able to reunite with Seacrest, although the pair note they've crossed paths a "gazillion times" at events and on the show since season 4. "I'm introducing her all the time: 'Carrie Underwood, and her new album!' 'Carrie Underwood, and her big hit!'" Seacrest, 50, teases. "But I do think back and I remember those early days. It was a long time ago, but when you really reflect on it, you remember the feeling of the size and scale of the show and what it was doing... We didn't really know where it was going to go, what the history of the show would be, and the evolution, how it would organically evolve — and certainly wouldn't have known that you'd be sitting here at the table. But that's the beautiful thing." 

Underwood agrees that the Idol she auditioned for and what the show has become are worlds apart. "It was a different time in the show — in the world in general — and there was a decent chance you might get super-duper humiliated in front of tens of millions of people," she confesses. "It's changed a lot, and hopefully people can leave with some information that will make them better — no matter how long they are on the show." 

These days, Richie explains, the judges have taken on a more parental role toward the contestants. "Before, it was a great TV show where you go, 'Boy, you suck. Go home,' you know? 'What the hell?' Now, it's, 'Okay, the kid is, first of all, traumatized from being here. A nervous wreck. How do we calm them down to build them up so they can get the best out of themselves?' If they go through, fantastic, but if they don't go through, we want to build them up enough to where they can go out and go, 'Okay, I gave it my best try, and Lionel and Luke and Carrie said I need to try harder.' And they'll be back."

The trio hasn't had to say too many goodbyes just yet, though, after finding a host of talent in New York City. Bryan recalls a Bronx-born participant who blew them all out of the water when she sang Underwood's revenge anthem, "Before He Cheats."

"For that amount of time, it was not my song," Underwood declares. "And I'm not mad about it, you know what I mean? Because I thought about that coming in... What do I actually say to somebody who's singing one of my songs? But when they sing your song and it's like, 'That wasn't mine just now,' it's not a problem. I'm impressed. And it makes me happy." 

The best part of being a judge, Richie says, is watching the contestants embark on their own thriving careers after the competition ends. "Our kids go on to be stars. It's not a talent show where it's about the judges or it's about the ha-has. They leave out of here and go get recording contracts and they make hit records," he says. Seacrest adds, "I just played [season 19 winner] Chayce Beckham's record today on the radio. It's in the American Top 40 countdown."

"When you get to that point, you start realizing, this is the greatest A&R manufacturing company we've ever been a part of, right now," Richie continues, "because we're curating artists." And proof of that is the Grammy winner sitting at the desk beside him.

A special preview of American Idol will air following the 2025 Oscars March 2 on ABC, with the season 23 premiere slated for March 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and streaming next day on Hulu. Watch the premiere's opening above.