X-Factor judge L.A. Reid is going out on a high note, his mentee, 37-year old country singer Tate Stevens was declared the winner of X-Factor USA.
Unfortunately for the show’s creator Simon Cowell, the X Factor finale was high on performance and low on ratings.
According to Entertainment Weekly,
The Voice finale hit a season high and ranked as the show’s biggest closer yet, last night’s X-Factor finale was below its best numbers this season and fell notably from last year. X-Factor was seen by 9.6 million viewers and had a 3.1 rating, down 18 percent from its first season finale. Factor was also down 37 percent compared to The Voice finale on Tuesday. Broadcast rivals aired modestly rated repeats and specials.
MTV added,
The producers pulled out all the stops with a performance-packed, holiday-themed, two-hour finale that ended with the news that after 35 million votes cast, America chose soulful, sensitive country crooner Tate Stevens as the contestant with the x-factor and is most deserving of the show’s very lucrative grand prize, a $5 million recording contract.
Judge L.A. Reid explained why he believed Stevens walked away with the prize,
“First of all, he presented himself well and he sings really well. But (he’s) also a real lovable human being. It was the whole him supporting the family, the family supporting him. It was like the American Dream,” he said. “The first time I saw him I said this guy’s an American classic, an authentic, true-to-life country singer. And I think all those things sort of resonated with the Tate Nation that voted for him.”
USA Today added that “having the winning singer wasn’t enough to persuade Reid to rethink his decision to leave the show. “My advice to everyone is, ‘Go out on top. Go out before someone asks you to leave.’
Do you think America made the right choice and will you miss L.A. Reid from USA X-Factor’s third season?
