‘American Idol’ Carrie Underwood Almost Quit After Top 10

Carrie Underwood might be one of American Idol’s most successful alumni, but the road from contestant to country music superstar—and eventually, judge—wasn’t always smooth.

In her YouTube series Idol to Icon, Underwood opened up about a surprisingly vulnerable chapter of her early Idol days, revealing that she once contemplated quitting the show entirely.

Carrie’s Personal Journal

Long before becoming a household name, the Oklahoma native chronicled her journey on Idol in a personal journal.

Now, years later, she’s been revisiting those entries with fans. One particular passage stood out—not for the usual optimism or excitement, but for its raw honesty.

“I don’t know, sometimes I think it would just be easier if I go home,” she read aloud.

That entry marked a moment of doubt, but also, as Underwood revealed, the beginning of a powerful shift in mindset.

“But I know I would regret it forever. I just have to remember that I know I’ve got this. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t good. I can so do this. And who cares if the judges don’t like it? I know I do… lol,” she read with a self-aware grin, poking fun at her younger self’s mix of fear and fire.

Laughing at the memory, she reflected on how that inner pep talk built momentum. “I love how I started out, like, ‘I don’t know, I just think it’d be easier if I go home,’ and then I just gradually start talking myself up. ‘I would regret it.’ ‘I got this.’ ‘I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t good!’ ‘I can so do this!’ It gets a little more and more ramped up.”

She Didn’t Expect to Win—She Just Wanted to Get Noticed

It’s hard to imagine a world where Carrie Underwood didn’t stay in the competition. But at that time, her future in music wasn’t guaranteed—and she certainly didn’t assume she’d win.

“I don’t think I let the ‘win’ scenario really enter my brain until, like, Top 3 or 4,” she admitted. “For me, at the time, it was like, there were certain levels you wanted to get to because different things can happen.”

She was strategic about every stage of the show, viewing each new round not just as a step toward the finale but as a career move. “So, of course, you want to make Top 24, and then it’s like, you want to make Top 12, then you want to make Top 10. There were certain levels you really wanted to get to.”

Journalism Was Her Plan B—And She Was Totally Okay With That

And once she reached the Top 10, the broadcast journalism major saw real potential beyond the stage. “With every step, it’s going to be easier for me to get a job when I get sent home,” she explained. “I was very practical in my thinking. Top 10 was a little more of a relaxing stage to be in because it’s like, ‘No matter what happens, this is Top 10. We’re here. And nobody can take that away.’”

In another twist, Underwood even revealed her backup plan if music didn’t pan out. “I picked a mass comm[unications] field because I like words, and I like writing stories. I like writing,” she said. “I was hoping to get into either being on your local news or doing something in that realm. Or advertising, something like that.”

A Moment of Doubt That Changed Her Life

It’s a rare glimpse behind the glittering curtain of fame—proof that even the most iconic careers can begin with doubt, a little journaling, and a lot of guts.

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