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Barring defections in the ranks, Sean “Diddy: Combs, Fergie and DJ Khaled will be back with Season 2 of The Four this summer. (FOX Photo)

And the winners actually had a chance to release new music and re-introduce themselves to the public before their successor was named.

Apparently, those days are gone.

Hours before The Four named its first winner Thursday, FOX announced that its bizarre show has been renewed for a second season.

And that second season will air — drum roll, please — this summer.

Which pretty much guarantees that whichever member of The Four prevails tonight — (Editor’s note: It wound up being Evvie McKinney) — his or her molding into superstar form will be interrupted by the search for the show’s next champ.

Here’s a snippet from the official FOX press release, courtesy of Rob Wade, president, Alternative Series & Specials for FOX.

And, please, try not to laugh too hard.

“THE FOUR is truly a next-generation show. It has pushed past the boundaries of traditional music competition series by focusing on recording artists in an epic battle to become a superstar. And for the winner, guided by music giants Sean “Diddy” Combs, DJ Khaled, Meghan Trainor and Republic Records, this is just the beginning.

“We’d like to thank our panel, our ringleader, Fergie, the contestants and our incredible production team for delivering concert-quality shows every week. And we look forward to pushing the boundaries even further in Season Two.”

Did he say “pushing the boundaries even further?”

Oh, no.