Having Carrie Underwood return to the Carrie, who won the competition back in 2004, is one of the biggest success stories to come from the show, having become a country superstar in the 20-plus years since she first broke through on American Idol. Carrie's a judge now, and while early episodes had fans concerned that Carrie wasn't cut out for the job, she's showing major signs of improvement and is showing herself to be a valuable asset to the judging table.

Carrie is a poised, professional addition to American Idol alongside host Ryan Seacrest and fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.

Carrie stepped in to replace judge Katy Perry who, as many know, recently returned from a mission to outer space, which is not a sentence I ever thought I'd type.

Carrie's become a natural at judging, and leading up to the live shows, she's proving she can judge with care, comion, and integrity.

Carrie Is Always Nice To The Contestants

Carrie Is A Class Act

In contrast to the early days of American Idol judges, Carrie is always nice to the contestants. She has a warm presence, and because she's been famous for so long, and because fans watched her evolution into a country superstar, she feels very relatable for the hopeful American Idol contestants. In a touching moment during episode 1, Carrie was ive of a contestant, Breanna Nix, who came to the audition with her toddler, Emerson.

When Breanna arrived with her husband and son in tow, Carrie sweetly offered to hold Emerson on her lap while Breanna performed and her husband accompanied her on piano. As Carrie held Emerson, Breanna unleashed a stirring rendition of Carrie's own hit song, "Jesus Take The Wheel." Emerson even appeared to nod off on Carrie's lap, which led Carrie to tear up watching his mom sing.

"I'm sorry, he's just adorable and sweet and it got to me."

Carrie even took issue with Breanna undermining her job as a "stay-at-home mom." When Breanna told the judges, "I'm 25 years old. I'm just a stay-at-home mom," Carrie replied, "Never say, 'I'm just a stay-at-home mom.' You have the most important job." As a mom to two sons, Carrie resonates with other moms who are trying to chase their dreams of stardom.

Carrie Brings A Better Energy Than Her Other Judges

Carrie Often Grooves Along In Her Seat

Carrie is so ive of all the American Idol contestants. She offers advice, since she's been there and can relate to their situations better than any of the other judges. Carrie can often be seen in her judges' seat, grooving along to the performances, which boosts the confidence of the singers. Imagine seeing a superstar like Carrie Underwood enjoying your performance. It means something coming from her.

During the April 14 episode, the second half of the top 24 performed at Disney's Aulani Resort in Hawai'i. Country singer John Foster performed a cover of Garth Brooks' "Callin' Baton Rouge," and nobody seemed to be having a better time than Carrie herself. Carrie sang along and danced in her chair, even inspiring Ryan Seacrest to say, "It was basically a duet with you and Carrie, she was singing along the whole time there."

So Far, Carrie Is My Favorite American Idol Judge

Carrie Is More Relatable Than Other Judges

As the sole female judge this season, Carrie brings a different kind of relatability to the judging . She related to Breanna as a mom, for instance, which made Breanna more at ease letting her son sit on Carrie's lap. No offense to the other judges, but if I were a mom, I'd want my kid to sit on Carrie's lap over Lionel or Luke's. Mom's understand, and it probably helped Breanna's audition run more smoothly.

As the season progresses and the competition heats up, American Idol's Carrie seems like she's getting more confident in her role. The first few episodes, she seemed a little more unsure of herself. Carrie also itted she finds the judging part of being a judge very difficult, since she doesn't like to let people down. But the more Carrie does it, the better she's getting, and I think her casting on this season was a brilliant move to remind fans why they love American Idol in the first place.

American Idol airs at 8 p.m. EDT Sundays and Mondays on ABC.