An emotional Melanie Amaro won the TV singing contest “The X Factor” on Thursday, earning a $5 million recording contract and closing the first US season of the heavily hyped Fox show. Josh Krajcik finished second after a public vote and Chris Rene came in third after a Christmas-themed, two-hour finale that also saw performances by Justin Bieber, Stevie Wonder, Leona Lewis and 50 Cent. Amaro, 19, a ballad singer whose voice has drawn comparisons to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, had been tipped by the four judges to win after delivering a powerful rendition of Beyonce's hit “Listen” in Wednesday's live show. On Thursday, she dropped to her knees in prayer and wept with joy, speechless at her victory. More than 100,000 people auditioned for a chance to compete in “The X Factor,” which judge and entrepreneur Simon Cowell brought to American television after making it the most-watched show in his native Britain. But the US show has fallen short of the ratings and critical expectations set up by Cowell this year. It has drawn an average of 12 million viewers or about half the audience for long-running singing contest “American Idol” that is also on Fox.
