Carrie Underwood Shamelessly Flaunted Her Biggest Hair Fail (& Haters Love To See It)

Carrie Underwood has been known to turn heads as her sense of style has evolved over the years. Be that as it may, though, she hasn't been immune to the occasional bad hair day. In fact, not even Underwood's killer legs could distract from her dry hair extensions while she was judging "American Idol." However, arguably the "Before He Cheats" hitmaker's biggest hair fail came when she was actually a contestant on the show 20 years prior.

If the 1980s were known for one thing, it was big hair. But Underwood understood the assignment a little too well back in 2005, when she decided it would be best to look the part while performing Heart's 1987 classic "Alone" on "American Idol." Let's just say we can see why this sort of pouffy hairdo went out of style. More to the point, it really didn't suit the future Grammy winner at all. What may surprise you is that Underwood went on to shamelessly flaunt this particular retro look of hers. And while her haters probably loved to see it, her fans did too, not least since it endeared the singer even more to them.

"Big hair, don't care! 20 years ago this month, I had what some call an iconic hair moment!" Underwood proudly wrote in an April 2025 Instagram post, while sharing a throwback image. In the comments, fans really seemed to enjoy this little blast from the past. "That sweet Beethoven hair. Timeless," one user wrote. "Your hair looked great!! And by the way big hair is back in!!!" another added (we have some doubts about that last part).

While the hairstyle she chose for her 2005 performance of "Alone" may have been all of the retro without much of the charm, it's still far from Carrie Underwood's most outdated "American Idol" look. Bad hair day aside, the performance itself proved to be a huge win for the contestant, and even earned her high praise from famously hard-to-impress "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell. "Carrie, you're not just the girl to beat, you're the person to beat," he gushed after the "Jesus, Take the Wheel" hitmaker finished, adding, "I will make a prediction: Not only will you win this show, you will sell more records than any other previous 'Idol' winner." 

Indeed, Underwood went on to not only win Season 4 of "American Idol," but she has since sold more albums than any other winner in the history of the hit competition show. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that the country icon decided to run back her performance of "Alone" while hosting in April 2025. Despite this reprisal, however, the "All-American Girl" hitmaker left the big hair in the past — which is probably where it belongs, if we're being honest. 

Still, while her 2005 'do may have already been 20 years out of date even back then, Underwood's talent has certainly stuck around, especially if the YouTube comments are anything to go by. "That 20 year confidence right there. She smashed that out of the park," one commenter wrote. "WOW! Breathtaking. The Very Best I've Ever Heard Carrie Sing!" another added.