Millions of Canadians watched as Melissa O’Neil was crowned the Canadian Idol Wednesday night. The seventeen year old from Calgary, Alberta, had some shaky moments near the beginning of the summer, appearing repeatedly in the bottom three. She bounced back with more energy than ever and remained a judges’ favourite throughout the competition. A few knockout performances carried Melissa to the final where she coasted on the Idol stage.

While it is sad that someone had to lose, Rex Goudie, the lovable rocker from Newfoundland, did get some decent exposure. He had some unbelievable performances on the show so there’s no doubt he could make a career out of his passion for music should he choose to.

The top ten was back in full force with singles from the Idol CD “High Notes” and a ’60s medley. Other special guests included the Barenaked Ladies, Sass Jordan, Kalan Porter and Debra Byrd. All of these performers were entertaining, but the best one would have to be Byrd. The acclaimed singing coach of the show, Debra is respected and loved by all of her Idol students. She has never starred on the show directly, only on video clips. She sang “I Know I’ll Never Love This Way Again” to the competitors, which was followed by a group hug and response song from the Idols- “Dedicated to the One I Love.”

The whole show was really a big lovefest, but it seemed a fitting ending for the summer of competition.

Melissa and Rex sang an emotional duet- the Phil Collins tune “Against the Odds.” After they gave each other a hug, it was on to a more serious subject that happened to be the results of months of hard work. While I can’t say that Melissa has ever been my favourite competitor, seeing her win was a happy moment. She definitely deserved the title.

The Idol franchise will no doubt continue next year with a new set of talented young Canadians. It is hard to believe that three seasons of the hit show have come and gone. Hopefully Melissa can hold onto her fame even after the climax of her journey.
The sparkle of winning is exhilarating but it is impossible to keep up such a momentum. For now she can just enjoy the huge accomplishment of winning Canadian Idol. As Farley told Rex and Melissa, “Every moment you’ve been on this show, you’ve been a part of Canadian history.”

Come back later today for an interview with Melissa!






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