When Theo Tams tried out for Canadian Idol, he was a nervous, armpit-soaked reality television show hopeful. Today he has a record deal, a national fan base and a shortcut to stardom.

Tams, a 23-year-old University of Lethbridge student from Lethbridge, Alta., could not hold back tears when he learned he beat Port Hood, N.S. carpenter Mitch MacDonald, 22 for the Idol title in the show’s sixth season.

The victory was an upset for MacDonald who never placed in the bottom two or three during the show and would have been the first Atlantic Canadian to win the competition.

The winner was decided by a nationwide poll that saw over four million votes cast. Voting followed a toe-to-toe musical battle Monday where the two finalists sang three songs — one of their choice, one of the judge’s choice and the single they would release if they were victorious.

The finalists returned last night, delivering reflective departing performances demonstrating their individual musical styles.

On the live finale, host Ben Mulroney returned with the show’s judges Farley Flex, Jake Gold, Sass Jordan and Zack Werner in a two-hour retrospective chock full of live performances and celebrity appearances, punctuated by R&B diva Mariah Carey.

The show’s top ten finalists opened with a medley highlighting each contestant, the first of the night’s three group performances. After looking back at the season’s highs and lows, British Columbia band Hedley, fronted by second season Idol contestant Jacob Hoggard, took to the stage to perform.

New to the program this season was the involvement of Toronto songstress Jully Black as a mentor. She returned to exercise her vocal pipes, followed by a smooth, soulful performance by American singer/song­writer John Legend, who advised the final two in New York prior to their final performances.

Likely the most anticipated performance of the night was the Canadian television debut of Grammy Award winner Mariah Carey. Donning a black sequined dress, a reserved Carey performed two songs against a frosted monogrammed panel to excited applause.

Tams joins past victors Ryan Malcolm, Kalan Porter, Melissa O’Neil, Eva Avila and most recently Brian Melo, who also sang at the finale and offered words of advice.

Multiple past Idol winners have charted number one singles and garnered Juno Award nominations following their Idol run.