American Idol season 23 judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan sidelined Carrie Underwood during her first year as a judge, even though they might not have meant to. For American Idol season 23, Carrie took Katy Perry's place at the judging table when Katy left the show after seven seasons in order to focus on her own music career again. Carrie seemed like the perfect person to be an American Idol judge because she'd won season 4 in 2005, and she's since gone on to become a global superstar.

Although Carrie started off American Idol season 23 giving some real to the contestants during the auditions, she eventually fell into Lionel and Luke's bad habit of gushing over the singers without giving them anything to work on. This was a complete disservice to them, but it wasn't Carrie's fault. Rather, Lionel and Luke dominated the show with their judging style, and, as a new judge, Carrie fell in line with them. Now that American Idol season 23 has ended, and Jamal Roberts was crowned as the winner, it's clear that Lionel and Luke unintentionally pushed Carrie aside throughout the season.

American Idol Season 23 Judges Lionel Richie & Luke Bryan Inadvertently Made Carrie Underwood The Villain

Their Lack Of Negative Made Carrie's Criticism Stand Out

During the American Idol season 23 auditions, Carrie itted that she was worried about coming across as mean with her comments. She must've been thinking back to her experience with the notoriously harsh Simon Cowell, who was a judge during her season. In the ABC era of the show, the judges have always been gentle with the contestants, but this season took it to a whole new level.

Because Lionel and Luke are always so positive towards the contestants, gushing about their performances without giving them any sort of critique at all, any bit of negative that Carrie gave really stood out. This ended up hurting her, especially during the penultimate episode when she told Jamal after his performance of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" that he should've moved around more.

Luke spoke first and raved that he had watched Jamal's original audition that morning, and he'd taken everyone on such a ride. He said that he deserved every bit of what he got. Lionel added that he had the ability to "Jamalarize" any song. He called the performance amazing.

However, although Carrie said that Jamal's voice was incredible, she told him that she thought that he missed an opportunity to move around and entertain. She explained that they were getting close to the end, and it was time to pull out all the stops. Carrie stated that they knew that he had it in him, and she wanted him to pull everyone in, not just with his voice, but with everything else that he had. She told him to put a hundred percent of himself into his performances.

Carrie immediately faced fierce backlash for her comments because fans weren't used to hearing anything negative about Jamal up to that point in the season from any of the judges. Whether Carrie was right about her comments is up for debate, but the fact remains that Lionel and Luke's overly positive judging made it nearly impossible for her to ever say anything negative about a performance. They might not have meant to, but they made her the villain while making themselves the heroes. This was unfair to Carrie, especially in her first year as a judge.

Lionel & Luke's Judging Style Didn't Match Carrie's

Carrie Had To Conform To Their Methods Of Judging

In the beginning of American Idol season 23, it seemed that Carrie might be a judge who gave constructive criticism about the contestants' performances. However, she quickly seemed to realize that if she gave any sort of negative , then she'd be cast as the bad guy because Lionel and Luke were always cheerleaders for the contestants. As a new judge, Carrie had to conform to their style, rather than branch out with her own.

Carrie seems to care about her image, as she's known as an America's Sweetheart-type without a mean bone in her body. Katy was more edgy, and simply didn't care as much about what people thought of her. She wasn't afraid to speak up when she wanted to, but Carrie seemed eager to please. If Lionel and Luke had been more honest with their critiques, then perhaps it would've been easier for Carrie to give the contestants more truthful . After all, not every American Idol season 23 performance was as perfect as they made it out to be.

The Judging Needs To Change For American Idol Season 24

The Contestants Need Real In Order To Improve

If American Idol hopes to be taken seriously as a competition show, then the judges have to change their ways for season 24. Giving a standing ovation for every performance and raving about the contestants is not only unfair to them, but very boring for the audience to watch. The stakes are very low when viewers know that no one will ever be told that they made a mistake or that they need to improve.

Carrie seemed capable of giving the contestants constructive criticism because she did at certain points, but, as long as Lionel and Luke continue to sing the praises of the contestants instead of actually judging them, she won't be able to unless she's comfortable being cast as the "mean judge." This is a very bad situation for her to be in because now she's also getting negative for not judging. It's like Carrie can't win no matter what she does, and this is because of Lionel and Luke's non-judging.

Although they might not have meant to, Lionel and Luke pushed Carrie aside without thinking about letting her find her own way as a judge. For American Idol season 24, they need to her if she decides to give honest to the contestants. Lionel and Luke are kind-hearted people who definitely didn't mean to sideline Carrie. However, they should realize that they did, and allow her to spread her wings and shine more as a judge if they all return for season 24. If Lionel, Luke, and Carrie judge more, American Idol season 24 will be much better off.

American Idol is available to stream on Hulu.

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