Carrie Underwood Reveals Her Recurring 'American Idol' Stress Dream! (Exclusive)

Carrie Underwood spoke to “Extra’s” Terri Seymour after the first “American Idol” live show of the season, which saw the Top 20 cut down to 14, with the final four picks made by the judges. 

She reflected on how tough it was, saying, “It was a huge cut tonight and it was on us to save people. That's the problem when you have so much talent… There's certainly going to be hopefuls that we're all going to miss, and I will see them in my dreams forever. I will carry guilt with me for the rest of my life.”

Underwood, who won Season 4 of “American Idol,” returned to the show’s stage on Easter Sunday to perform "How Great Thou Art."

Terri pointed out, “People are just saying, ‘Can we just crown Carrie the winner again?’”

The singer confessed, “I actually have dreams… often where I'm trying out for ‘American Idol’ again even though I won once, and in my dream I know that I won, and it's like, ‘Do I want to try out again? Do I think I can win again, or what if I lose this time?’ So, no, I don't want to do that, but it was a great night.”

Carrie also dished on the emotional final night of her Vegas residency and closing a big chapter in her life, sharing how proud she was of what they accomplished with the show. 

“It was so bittersweet,” she said. “I compared it to graduation. It's like, you know it's coming and you're excited for whatever lies ahead, but, you know, to close a chapter of your life like that, it's a big deal.”

Terri also spoke with Carrie’s fellow “Idol” judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

Lionel raved that Carrie is a “natural” as a judge since she’s “been there, done that,” noting that she’s also “grounded” as a mom and has amazing vocal abilities. Lionel shared his reaction to former judge Katy Perry’s trip to space.

After the sad news of Pope Francis’ death, Lionel recalled getting to meet him and how he was “in touch with the common person.” Lionel also spoke about recently getting to meet soccer star Lionel Messi, who was named after him! 

Luke also talked about the “Idol” cuts and said he’s keeping in touch with Perry and texting with her after her trip to space, noting he’s just glad she made it back safely!