Mariah Carey A 'Great Choice' For 'American Idol,' Haley Reinhart Says

Now that Mariah Carey has officially become a judge on the next season of "American Idol," many fans have been counting down the days until the show's much-anticipated season premiere — and one of those fans is former "Idol" hopeful Haley Reinhart.

"I think it's a great choice, and I don't think they could have done much better than that," Reinhart told after her performance at Chicago's Lollapalooza. "She's a huge diva with a huge, beautiful, amazing voice. I don't think that there's anybody who could give better critiques to people who are trying to be aspiring singers, so I think they did really good."

Reinhart, who released her debut album, Listen Up!, in May, doesn't envy the incoming contestants who will have to perform in front of Carey, admitting that the powerhouse diva is a bit intimidating.

"I think it would be a little more pressure," Reinhart said of singing in front of Carey. "So I'm glad she wasn't there, but it would have been very cool to meet her."

Even though Carey is locked in, the rest of the panel is still in flux. Randy Jackson has yet to confirm whether he is staying as a judge or switching to a mentor, while many names have been thrown around for the third position. Hip-hop producer Pharrell Williams has been rumored, along with Nick Jonas, who confirmed that he is in talks to join "Idol."

"Pharrell, Nick Jonas — interesting," Reinhart said of the rumored judges. "I think there so many different takes. That last spot can go in so many different directions. I know they are even talking about Adam Lambert, which would be cool, 'cause it's a past contestant. He knows what it's about and he's been through it all, so I think any one of those would be really interesting to see. I'd also like to see somebody amazing like a classic rock-and-roller: Prince or Elton John, Paul McCartney."

Reinhart, who finished in third place during season 10, said she would want to return to the show that started it all for her — but not as a mentor, not a judge.

"Honestly, there's nothing that I really love more, aside from performing, but to be a guiding force and to help people and to mentor and to judge in the nicest way possible and just be real," she said. "So I would love to [be a mentor] at some point. I mean, definitely working on my career right now, but maybe one day."

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