Winner Kelvin Dixon of Farm Heights, Montego Bay, in performance at the Tastee Talent Trail finals. - Nathaniel Stewart photos

It was a case of show up or go home. Expectations were great, the stage was set and a winner had to be chosen.

Saturday night was the grand finale for the 2008 season of the Tastee Talent Trail at Mas Camp and at the end of it all Kelvin Dixon walked away with the $1 million prize in cash and a talent contract.

The contest was broken down into two rounds, leaving the judges, Natalie Morris, Winford Williams, Dean Frazier, Amina Blackwood-Meeks and Chantal Hylton-Tonnes with the difficult task of choosing a winner.

With each contestant performing two songs - one new and the song performed in the semi-finals, it was a treat to enjoy.

Dixon, a 28-year-old tattoo artist from Farm Heights, Montego Bay, delivered the best performance of the first round with a medley of Shaggy's Mr Boombastic and Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On, teasing the women in the audience as he took his shirt off while performing.

"A boombastic performance," said Blackwood-Meeks.

Real entertainer

In the second round, Dixon entered the stage singing Air Supply's Just As I Am, receiving immediate applause from the crowd.

"You use the stage so well, you are a real entertainer," said Williams.

Along with the grand prize, Dixon took home $10,000 for winning the best-dressed male category.

The St Ann-based Dustville Dancers placed second and won $250,000.

Denese Smith won $25,000 in total for best original piece and best-dressed female.

Andrew Reid, general manager of sponsor Pepsi, agreed that the judges had a tough task last Saturday.

"It's so hard to pick a single winner from the crop that we have this year," Reid told The STAR.

"It's just so amazing to see the amount of talent that can be unearthed from the grass roots. I mean the variety goes beyond what people say about talent contests, and it's just really great to be part of this movement."

While the judges consulted each other to determine the winner, the audience was treated to some bonus performances by Etana and Tarrus Riley.

"Anything that gives the youths exposure wi love," Riley told The STAR. Etana echoed similar sentiments.

"It's always great for young talents to show what they can do and Tastee has been doing that," she said.

Past Tastee Talent Trail contestants such as Nazzle and X-Ale, as well as last year's winner, Marvin Fishley, added to the performances.

Kareen Ricketts delivered a rendition of Natural Woman.

Denese Smith claimed the best dressed and original song prizes at the Tastee Talent Trail finals.

Etana was among the established artistes who passed through to deliver great performances