"They're probably going to get sick of like 'when I was on the show,'" laughed Underwood. "For the past 20 years I've been blessed enough to come back and be a part of it, be a mentor, perform. This is home. "
The music superstar admits to being a little nervous going into this side of the production.
"Critiquing and telling people 'No.' It is people's dreams, and I don't take that lightly," said Underwood. "But it is exciting to be part of other people's journeys."
The judges and host Ryan Seacrest talked about what's special about this season.
"Every year is different," said Bryan. "It takes magical kids with magical talents and stories to drive the show. And now where they stack up with the past it's hard to know, but what is really cool is they keep showing up."
"What I live for is when all of a sudden there's a moment where the light goes on and they go... I can do this!" said Richie. "There's nothing like it on the planet to see that discovery as artists when they come alive."
Seacrest reflected on the family element of this show. "I think that the amount of family support, and towns, and communities come out and support has been at another level this year. That's always very special."
"It's going to be easy for people to watch and see how much care and heart is in this show," said Underwood. "Hopefully we can make some dreams come true."
The season premiere for "American Idol" airs Sunday, March 9 on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC, Hulu and this ABC station.