Carrie Underwood secured her place as a national star when she won the fourth season of “American Idol” on May 25, 2005. Underwood squared off in the finals against Bo Bice and was the judges’ choice for all three of the final songs. Underwood initially auditioned for the show in St. Louis, Missouri, and quickly became a front-runner in the TV singing competition. The singer was raised a devout Christian in the small town of Checotah, Oklahoma, and said that her upbringing sometimes made the competitive aspect of American Idol difficult. “I feel kind of guilty because so-and-so is not going to be here anymore, but I’m glad it’s not me. I feel guilt but I guess you get kind of used to it after a while,” she told the Tulsa World during the show.Underwood would go on to be the most successful “Idol” winner, with hits like “Jesus Take The Wheel,” “Before He Cheats” and “Undo It.”