Carrie Underwood
"Carrie Underwood was up on stage at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles with host Ryan Seacrest and her last competitor, rock singer Bo Bice. She had spent the last 4 months on the breakout hit show, American Idol, a singing competition that guaranteed instant stardom for the winner. The show's judges had crisscrossed the country, stopping in many cities the summer before to listen to regular teenagers and young adults sing their hearts out for a chance on the show. Underwood, a college student from Oklahoma who loved singing and animals, had taken a chance on Idol despite her doubts that she would win or even pass the first audition. So, she arrived in Los Angeles at the beginning of the show ready and willing to work harder in life than she ever had before. The producers had pegged Underwood as the somewhat naïve, down-home country girl, and in a lot of ways, she was just that. She had sung over 20 songs on national television in front of an audience of millions who would call in to vote for her in high numbers. The judges, and many other people across the nation, had predicted that Underwood would win. But was that true? Underwood was not one to be boastful or overconfident. She gripped her microphone tight and took several deep breaths as Seacrest opened the envelope and dramatically said, "And the winner of the 2005 season of American Idol is ... Carrie Underwood!" The audience at the theater roared and stood up to clap for her. Underwood covered her face with both hands, and she began to cry as the confetti streamed down around her. Underwood had just won a million dollars, a recording contract, and a new Ford Mustang. Her life had already changed since her journey on American Idol, but now she had been launched into a whole different world. That summer, she went on a tour with other Idol contestants, filmed commercials, and began working on her first record that would be released in the fall, titled Some Hearts. She described the immediate onslaught from the press and the pace of her new life after she won as, "Bam, bam, bam. Welcome to your life.""--
