Idol<\/em> on the show, pop icon Richie said their new partner is a \u201cjukebox\u2026 she knows every song that the contestants are singing,\u201d joking that Underwood can\u2019t help joining in.<\/p>\n\n\t\u201cI go Carrie, \u2018they\u2019re competing. It\u2019s not you. You already won,’\u201d Richie joked, as Underwood defended herself by explaining that if a nervous contestant flubs a lyric she is happy to be their human \u201cTeleprompter. I got you. I will help you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAs for whether contestants still try to \u201cbutter up\u201d the panel by covering their songs, Underwood said they\u2019ve all had it happen so far, for good or ill. \u201cThey think it\u2019s to compliment us, but some days we\u2019re just praying, \u2018Please God, just let them be able to sing it.\u2019 And sometimes they nail it and sometimes it goes south real fast,\u201d Richie admitted.<\/p>\n
\n\tReplacing fan favorite Katy Perry, Underwood appears to have slipped into the pump-up pal seat with no hiccups. Richie said the country star immediately said yes to the first singer the panel saw, then again for the second one, only to reach a crossroads for singer number three out of nearly 200. \u201cLuke and I were laughing, \u2018well, she\u2019s gotta say no,’\u201d Richie recalled. \u201cAnd she said, \u2018well, she\u2019s so cute\u2026 she\u2019s so adorable.\u2019 I said, \u2018the answer is no!’\u201d <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI care a lot and it\u2019s people\u2019s hopes and dreams,\u201d Underwood said in her defense. \u201cI\u2019m trying to evaluate, \u2018is there more in there,’\u201d she added, as Richie flashed some performative exasperation at his co-star\u2019s gentle nature. \u201cThere was not any more in that woman\u2019s [inaudible]\u2026 it was a firm \u2018no,’\u201d Bryan said.<\/p>\n
\n\tAsked if some of the singers get nervous in front of the superstar panel, Bryan said he\u2019s basically become an amateur psychologist at this point. \u201cI can read a fainter when they\u2019re about to faint\u2026 we had one kid and I went behind him and kind of patted him down and he was 157 degrees, his body temperature,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\n\tThe trio kicked off their visit with a competitive, trash-dancing showdown in the \u201cName That Song Challenge,\u201d during which Bryan and Richie faced off against Underwood and Fallon. Racing to guess which instrumental versions of pop songs house band the Roots were playing while adding one instrument at a time, UnderFallon shot out to an early lead when the host quickly guessed Cyndi Lauper\u2019s \u201cGirls Just Want to Have Fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tFallon rubbed in his correct guess with a hip-shaking dance and impromptu duet with Underwood, cheekily asking his rivals, \u201cisn\u2019t this the best game ever?\u201d A not-amused Richie rolled his eyes and shot back sarcastically, \u201cthis is so much fun,\u201d with Bryan pointing to the other team and saying, \u201cshe\u2019s a jukebox and all you do [Fallon] is listen to music!\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThe next one was trickier, with Fallon incorrectly guessing the Commodores\u2019 \u201cBrick House,\u201d as the band\u2019s former singer Richie snagged the obvious answer: the Jackson 5\u2019s \u201cABC,\u201d which set him and Bryan off on their own touchdown dance routine. They all struggled with the third track, with Fallon finally humming out Billie Eilish\u2019s \u201cBirds of a Feather\u201d for the win, then fanning himself theatrically.<\/p>\n
\n\tAfter Underwood nailed Huey Lewis & the News\u2019 \u201cPower of Love\u201d to Bryan\u2019s chagrin, Richie rocked back with a correct guess on Heart\u2019s \u201cBarracuda,\u201d setting off a friendly twin air guitar solo with Fallon that lead to a celebratory couple\u2019s waltz for the team that correctly guessed the last song. American Idol<\/em> airs at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday (March 9) on ABC.<\/p>\n\n\tClick below to find out who won the guessing game and to hear Underwood, Bryan and Richie talk about the new season of Idol<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n
![Carrie Underwood in \"Icon to Icon\"](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/carrie-underwood-icon-to-icon-2025-billboard-1548.jpg?w=237&h=147&crop=1\"){kind=icon}
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