Tate Stevens wins Season 2 of 'The X Factor'

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LOS ANGELES, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Tate Stevens, a 37-year-old road worker from Missouri, was declared the winner of "The X Factor" in Los Angeles.

Stevens, a father of two children beat out runner-up Carly Rose Sonenclar and third-place-holder Fifth Harmony Thursday to win a $5 million recording contract.

"First and foremost, I got to thank the man upstairs for taking care of me, my family, all the country music fans -- God bless you," Stevens said. "Thank you so much for all the votes. This is the best day of my life."

"You deserve this. I'm proud to work with you. I think you represent 'The X Factor' really, really well. So on behalf of Simon and myself and all the judges, congratulations," judge L.A. Reid told Stevens.

Simon Cowell, Britney Spears and Demi Lovato also served as judges on the singing competition series this season.