At long last: The X Factor’s grand finale

“I have officially changed my name to Vote Joe,” said a woman from South Shields, in the Northeast. Her devotion, of course, was for Joe McElderry, the latest young voice to don the X Factor crown.

Hers is the level of obsession the X Factor generates. And judging from the numbers, the fever is contagious: a record 19 million people watched the finale this year, which represents 56 percent of all ratings from Sunday night.

The final kicked off with a two-hour session on Saturday. The highlights included new BFFs Olly Murs and Robbie Williams singing “Angels,” Stacie and Michael Buble boogying to “Feeling Good,” and Joe matching up to the vocals of pop legend George Michael. Stacie unfortunately got the axe, but she put on a brave face.

The main attraction was Sunday’s extravaganza. Dueling contenders Olly Murs and Joe McElderry sang two songs each, garnering rave comments from the judges and even some tears from Cheryl Cole. Leona Lewis sang once again, as did all 12 finalists (Go Jedward!), and George Michael chimed in with a Christmas ballad. But the biggest surprise of the night was Paul McCartney, who crooned two songs. He seemed thrilled when Simon Cowell told him, “you are through to the next round”.

At last the big moment came, and host Dermot took his time (seemingly forever) to announce the winner: Joe McElderry! Joe lifted mentor Cheryl off her feet in a massive hug and sputtered a dazed victory thank-you: “I can’t really speak, thank you so much everyone, Oh my God.” But he managed to push through the euphoria, giving a rousing performance of his new single, “The Climb.” His fellow contestants rushed the stage to congratulate him, fireworks shot off in the background and confetti fell from above. What a moment.

Was it worth the two hours I spent in front of the TV? For the 10 million people who voted last night, it wasn’t just worth it, it was magic—the same X Factor magic that convinced 200,000 people to apply for a chance at a million-pound record deal in the first place. I can only imagine how many will apply in 2010.