X Factor Winner: Melanie Amaro

The X Factor, originally a European show, aired their first season in America in 2011, announcing their winner days before the new year. The show’s judges include Simon Cowell, (the producer of the show), Paula Abdul (singer and choreographer), Nicole Scherzinger (singer/dancer), and LA Reid (music producer who has worked with Bobby Brown, Justin Bieber, Pink, etc.). The rules differ from American Idol in a few ways. Once auditions are over, the contestants are sent to Los Angeles and broken up into four groups: Girls, Boys, Over 30’s, and Groups. Next, the judges are assigned to a group that they will mentor for the remainder of the season. Paula mentored “the groups”, Nicole the “over 30’s”, LA Reid “the boys”, and Simon Cowell “the girls”. There were two episodes per week- one being the lives performances and the second being the results show. During the results show at least one contestant was eliminated. Once the bottom two contestants were revealed at the end of the show, there was a sing-off between them. Then the judges were able to vote for the contestant they wanted to stay and who would inevitably go home that night. If the votes were split, there would be a deadlock meaning the judges lost their power and the contestant going home would be the one with the overall lowest votes.

Each show was entertaining, enlightening, uplifting, and encouraging. Viewers were able to watch each contestant transform and grow vocally, emotionally, and physically each week. They were able to work with choreographers, voice coaches, stylists and of course their seasoned mentors. The top three contestants, Chris Rene, Melanie Amaro, and Josh Krajcik, fought for the $5 million dollar recording contract with Syco Music and Epic Records. Chris Rene, a recovering drug addict and amazing singer/songwriter, won the hearts of many with his passion, dedication, and honesty. Melanie Amaro, originally sent home by Simon Cowell before the live shows and brought back to perform, amazed viewers with her powerful, pitch-perfect voice and relentless faith. Josh Krajcik, a struggling singer and musician in the “over 30’s” category, gained fans all over America due to his soulful voice and pure talent.

The last show was filled with suspense, tears, and joy. It was a culmination of all their hard work, progress, and devotion. The winner of The X Factor, announced December 22nd, 2011, was Melanio Amaro with Krajcik coming in second and Rene coming in third. Amaro, born June 26, 1992 in Florida, was sent to live in the British Virgin Islands with her grandparents because her parents did not have the means to take care of her. She moved back to her native Florida to be with her parents, brothers, and sister when she was older and was encouraged by her mother to audition for the show. After being eliminated, she was devastated. Simon Cowell took a trip to Amaro’s home in Florida to ask her to come back to the show, admitting he made a huge mistake. Each week Amaro seemed stronger and more confident as she gained fans and votes. You could see her determination in the way she presented herself and the way she worked with her mentor. She was very deserving of the prize and will hopefully be releasing an album in the next year. She will also appear in a Pepsi commercial set to air during the Super Bowl XLVI. Be sure to keep an eye out for many of the other talented singers and musicians featured on the show. Not surprisingly, Fox has announced that they are picking the show up for another season.