Thanks for going on the Neal E. Boyd journey with us

I'm tired. I'm probably not as tired as Neal E. Boyd will be in a few hours, though.

Right now it's about 11:55 p.m. on Wednesday night, and Sikeston, Mo., native Boyd just won "America's Got Talent" and a $1 million prize.

I spent a couple of hours tonight in Sikeston, at the home of Randy and Charlotte York, friends of Boyd's family, watching the tenor win it all. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife, at first. But that tension was replaced by cheers of joy. Amazing.

I tried to call Neal tonight, but couldn't reach him. No doubt the big guy was very, very busy. Right now he's probably having a five-star dinner with a bottle of the finest wine. That's what I'd be doing.

So it's been a long few months for Neal. This isn't necessarily the outcome he expected, but I'm sure he'll take it.

Last week, the judges really seemed to think Neal would be going home. America proved them wrong, though the vote was very, very close. Now Neal's going to be a big star, but having talked to him before, I'm pretty sure he won't forget where he came from.

I just want to thank you all for keeping track of the big guy's journey with us here on "America's Voice." It's been quite a ride. The Southeast Missourian will continue to follow Neal's career from here as he goes on to become a huge Las Vegas star. Exciting times.

I looked for video clips on the web of Boyd's win tonight that I could embed here. Couldn't find any before I decided to finally hang it up for the night, but I did find some video of Boyd and runner-up Eli Mattson (who Boyd's formed a close friendship with, I hear) on YouTube. Enjoy.

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Results of our poll

Almost forgot, here are the results of the poll we posted last week on "America's Voice." Looks like you called the outcome:

Of the top five contestants, who has the best chance of winning?

Neal E. Boyd: 81.0% (366 votes)

Eli Mattson: 4.4% (20 votes)

Donald Braswell: 1.1% (5 votes)

Queen Emily: 2.7% (12 votes)

Nuttin' But Stringz: 10.8% (49 votes)

452 votes cast