The X Factor USA: And The Winner Is...

(Photo courtesy of MTV UK)

...Tate Stevens!

The 37-year old country music singer was announced as the winner of The X Factor's second season at yesterday's season finale. Tate, whom was a season frontrunner, earned the most votes in the end against runner-up Carly Rose Sonenclar and third place finisher Fifth Harmony. While I'm not surprised to see him walk away with the title, he wouldn't have been my first choice to win. Nevertheless, he has won the title and a $5 million recording contract.

With that being said, let's get right into the overview:

TEENS (Mentored by Britney Spears)

Carly Rose Sonenclar

Oh Carly, I wanted her to win this season. She was the one I felt with the most "star quality" and potential to be a successful artist post-show. However, things can't always be planned and this might be the best news for her. Hit Broadway again, sign with a new record label, take some time off, or start recording some new tracks. Tate may have walked away with the title but she earned the most social buzz for when her debut albums hits shelves (or iTunes). The finale performances weren't as great as the previous ones and the recent trouble with LeAnn Rhimes might overshadow her reputation for a while. Though, I can't wait to see what her first new song will be.

OVER 25 (Mentored by L.A. Reid)

Tate Stevens

The sound I heard when he won: whomp whomp! It was kind of expected that he would be the winner because of his song choices, his backstory and the fact that country music seems to be a really big thing in the U.S. The finale performances were good (not great) and he could be a moderate success in the genre. However, I found him to be dull and repetitive - not my type of thing but who cares. He may not have been my favourite but I will say congratulations and good luck on the solo career.

GROUPS (Mentored by Simon Cowell)

Fifth Harmony

Fifth Harmony did better than many had originally expected. Their finale performances weren't that great - I have a bias against repeating past performances and they did this a lot in the last two weeks. Contestants should never look back unless it's the week's theme and they HAVE to choose a previous song. Third place was almost guaranteed once the show started; my preferred final two from these three would have been Carly and Fifth Harmony. Surprisingly, I read that they've been signed by Simon Cowell's record label and will be staying together, even though they were created for the purpose of the show. Congratulations to them on being signed! Thing about it for a minute, the number of talent contestants who perform and never get signed... they deserve some credit.

Well, that's it for another season of The X Factor. The show is confirmed to return for 2013 with a third season and there will be another round of hopefuls ready to compete. New judges, new contestants and a new season of overblown performances... sounds like fun.

Did the right person win the prize? Sound off in the comments and let me know what you thought of the season.