Let It Shine finale: Was Nightfall, Five to Five, or Drive the season 1 winner?
Who won Let It Shine season 1? We’ve got the answer for you below, and also our final verdict of the BBC One series as a whole…
Going into the finale, there were three different groups all vying for the opportunity to star in the Take That inspired musical, which equates to a year-long job. It’s a very different prize than the standard singing show. It brings you camaraderie, exposure, and also a paycheck that’s consistent. All of these things are important for someone just starting off in a singing career. There were three groups who started off the finale in contention for a role: Nightfall, Five to Five, and Drive. They all performed two numbers in hopes of being declared the champion in the end.
The winner of the season is … Five to Five! This means that AJ Bentley, Curtis T. Johns, Nick Carsberg, Sario Solomon, and Yazdan Qafouri all get a chance to make their stage dreams a reality.
Our take on the series as a whole
Let It Shine started with an incredible amount of potential. After all, the show was an incredible opportunity to watch singers from all walks of life battle it out, and it had many things going for it. The judges provided entertaining remarks, and there was a legitimate amount of talent here. The singers were engaging, and it was nice to have a musical-theater representation on a singing show for a change.
Then, the later rounds of the show entered the equation. The big problem here is that there were too many cooks in the metaphorical kitchen. The auditions worked better because there were chances to learn about the singers individually. In the end, there simply wasn’t time to get to know everyone, and that personal connection wasn’t quite there. The performances were great, but it was hard to get that sort of investment that you get in other singing shows that are both longer and have smaller groups of contestants.
We said this in our piece discussing a second season of the show, but we really feel like if there’s a next time, the premise should be narrowed down. Either cast two people for leading roles in a musical, or narrow it down further and just go for a leading man or women. There’s nothing stopping you from doing that.
What did you think about the finale of Let It Shine? Did the right person in your mind win? Be sure to share your thoughts now in the comments! (Photo: BBC.)