Tate Stevens Wins ‘The X Factor’ and a HUGE $5 Million Contract

THE X FACTOR: X FACTOR season two winner Tate Stevens performs during THE X FACTOR Finale, Thursday, Dec. 20 (8:00-9:00PM ET/PT) on FOX. CR: Ray Mickshaw / FOX.

(Los Angeles) Country singer Tate Stevens won the second season of “The X Factor” on Thursday night during the finale televised live on Fox television.

Pop singer Carly Rose Sonenclar came in second place.

As part of the grand prize, Stevens wins $5 million, a record deal with Sony Music and a Pepsi-sponsored music video that will premiere during the 2013 Grammy Awards.

According to announcement made on the show, 35 million votes were cast in the final tally on December 19, 2012.

Sonenclar, 13, and Stevens, 37, were consistently the top two vote getters of “The X Factor” U.S. Season 2 in 2012. However, Stevens had been No. 1 in three of the five weeks that the show had announced the contestants’ vote rankings.