The ‘American Idol’ winner is no surprise. There’s a reason for that. Image without a caption

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During the Season 20 premiere of “American Idol” in February, 23-year-old country singer HunterGirl impressed the judges

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“This is my fifth year doing this, and that is my favorite female country voice I’ve heard in five years,” Luke Bryan announced after HunterGirl’s first audition, asking,

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Fellow judges Lionel Richie and Katy Perry also lavished praise on HunterGirl throughout the season, repeatedly telling her that she was a star.

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And yet, even with HunterGirl (real name: Hunter Wolkonowski) as an obvious favorite, Thompson’s victory was not surprising.

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Neither is one of the reasons for his win: Bryan may have thought it was the year of the country girl, but on “American Idol,”

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Thompson is now the fourth consecutive male “Idol” champion who is also a country singer, following Trent Harmon (Season 15), Laine Hardy (Season 17) and Chayce Beckham (Season 19).

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The only female country singer winner in “Idol” history is Carrie Underwood, who was named the winner in Season 4 nearly two decades ago.

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