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`Rising Star`: The finale episode of ABC's groundbreaking reality series aired Sunday, Aug. 24. (ABC photos by Adam Rose)
"Rising Star": The finale episode of ABC's groundbreaking reality series aired Sunday, Aug. 24. (ABC photos by Adam Rose)

'Rising Star' names first winner

by jmaloni

Submitted

Mon, Aug 25th 2014 04:30 pm

America voted, and with an approval score of 76 percent, Jesse Kinch won "Rising Star" Sunday on ABC. Runner-up Austin French earned 61 percent.

The finale of ABC's "Rising Star" was up for the second week in a row in Adults 18-49 (up 13 percent - 0.9/3 vs. 0.8/2) and drew its biggest overall audience in three weeks (3.2 million). The ABC unscripted series shot up from its first half-hour to its second half-hour by 25 percent among young adults (0.8/2 to 1.0/3).

Internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter Josh Groban hosted "Rising Star," while country music superstar Brad Paisley, pop music sensation Kesha, and hip-hop artist and actor Ludacris served as judges. "Rising Star" reinvented the traditional singing competition as - for the first time ever - the audience had the final say in real time. 

The show followed a group of aspiring singers as they performed live. During the performances, viewers voted in real time via an app to determine if the singer would advance in the competition. If the voting reached a certain threshold, the performer moved on.

In addition, the performer could see how the voting was going throughout the performance, so the feedback was immediate and dramatic.

"Rising Star": The finale episode of ABC's groundbreaking reality series aired Sunday, Aug. 24. Pictured are Jesse Kinch and Josh Groban. 

"Rising Star": The finale episode of ABC's groundbreaking reality series aired Sunday, Aug. 24. Pictured are Jesse Kinch and Josh Groban.

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