In 2005, the country music singer competed in, and eventually won, Season 4 of American Idol.

On Monday, Carrie, 41, posted a photo of herself during the audition stage of the singing competition on Instagram.

In the snapshot, the Before He Cheats singer was shown talking on her cellphone while showcasing a tag with her contestant number.

She sported era-appropriate crimped blond hair and an off-the-shoulder pink top.

Carrie captioned the post, “REFLECTION of the week: contestant number #14887 received her golden ticket to Hollywood! 

I can’t believe it has been almost 20 years since auditioning for @AmericanIdol! #ReflectionOfTheWeek.”

The eight-time Grammy winner received her golden ticket by performing I Can’t Make You Love Me for original American Idol judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul.

In the comment section, one fan wrote, “I was a little 6 year old watching Idol with my dad for the first time. It was during that audition that I said you would win the whole thing.

“My dad said we shall see. And when the finale came I was so excited to see you win. You’ll always be my favorite American idol!!”

Another fan agreed writing, “Best American Idol contestant and WINNER ever! Xoxo.”

However, in an up-to-date social media photo, fans claimed they couldn’t recognize the Good Girl singer’s appearance.

One critic wrote, “It looks like she’s had work done. Doesn’t look the same. Why can’t they just be their natural selves?”

“Is this AI or has she gone down the rabbit hole of plastic surgery?” questioned another.

A third commenter asked, “Who is that in the photo? AI doing overtime.”

“I didn’t even recognize you. You’ve always been stunning but this barely even looks like you,” remarked a fourth.

“We need more natural. I thought this was AI,” complained a fifth.

“Literally didn’t recognize her. Wow,” added another.

Carrie is one of the most recognizable singers in country music.

On May 25, 2005, Carrie was crowned the winner of American Idol’s fourth season.

The then-unknown contestant earned an estimated 37 million votes from Idol’s viewers.

As mentioned, she was first selected to compete by the show’s judges after she impressed them during Idol’s audition rounds with a rendition of Bonnie Raitt’s I Can’t Make You Love Me.

Years later while reflecting on her achievement that caught the eyes of millions, Carrie shared with her fans via Instagram, “I took one more look at the amazing crowd and let it sink in for a few seconds.

“Ryan said something like ‘and your 2005 American Idol is…’ My heart beat fast and I closed my eyes.

“The crowd went wild. I immediately started crying. It was a beautiful moment.

“All the other contestants were sent out to hug me. I was crying the whole time.”

She told Pop Entertainment, “I never really knew what to expect but it really has exceeded any expectations I think I could have had.

“Yeah, it’s very surreal. It was one of those moments I feel like I’ll remember forever.

“It was just awesome to have all of those months of work and being on TV and doing stuff every single week and all the nerves and everything – just, whew, it’s over.”

Just months after her victory, Carrie released her debut album Some Hearts on November 11, 2005.

Carrie and Kelly Clarkson both rose to fame after competing on American Idol.

Over the years, fans of both Carrie and Kelly have claimed that there’s been beef between them.

The pair have been pitted against each other several times and many outlets have claimed this has caused a feud.

The rumors date back to 2016 when an alleged source told Radar Online that Carrie “threw a fit” after Kelly was asked to perform a solo on American Idol over her, according to Nicki Swift.

At the time, the alleged source said, “Carrie caused serious drama with the final production of the show because she flipped out that she was stuck doing a duet [with Keith Urban] when she has a tour and so many things to promote right now.”

A year later, another source claimed that Carrie was again upset after Kelly was picked to be a coach on The Voice.

“Carrie was jealous Kelly got a coaching gig on The Voice that she thought should’ve been hers,” the source stated.

The insider added, “And Kelly’s always been jealous that Carrie’s the bestselling idol to come out of Idol.”

At first, Carrie and Kelly ignored the feud rumors but in 2018, the Since U Been Gone singer finally put them to rest by taking a picture with her on the red carpet of the Radio Disney Music Awards.

“Everybody always tries to pit me and Carrie against each other,” Clarkson recalled during an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

“So, when I saw her I was like, ‘You know what? Let’s just end this right now and get a picture together because we are never in the same place.’

And, like, it never happens. And people always try to put it together like we’re enemies.

And I’m like, ‘We don’t even know each other well enough to be enemies.’

So, anyway, I went to get a picture and then everybody lost their mind.”

Clarkson joked about the beef rumors again in 2019 by sharing a picture on X, formerly Twitter, of a tabloid cover that claimed she was feuding with Underwood.

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Source: Tampa Bay Times