Melissa Lawson Wins Nashville Star

During the commercial break just before the winner of the sixth season of Nashville Star was announced Monday night, crew members pushed a big red Toyota Tundra pick-up truck onto the stage.

There stood the two remaining contestants, hoping to hear their name called by host Billy Ray Cyrus (father of Miley).

Would it go to Tex-Mex electrician-turned-musician Gabe Garcia or Melissa Lawson, a wife and mother of five boys?

As it turns out, Melissa Lawson, 32, got the keys to the truck and the ticket to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Nashville.

Garcia was disappointed about the pick-up, telling reporters after the show, “I really wanted that truck. I was already thinking about how I was going to jack it up and trick it out.”

Still, Garcia was relatively satisfied with his second place finish and thrilled by the experience of competing on Nashville Star.

“It’s been a great ride, from beginning to end,” he said after the show, still picking strips of silver confetti out of his hair.

“But I’m looking forward to getting back to my own life for a few days. I haven’t made my own bed or driven myself in two months.”

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.