{"id":1468,"date":"2026-07-06T17:42:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hnnews24h.store\/?p=1468"},"modified":"2026-07-06T17:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:42:08","slug":"when-21-year-old-michael-rice-stepped-onto-the-all-together-now-stage-for-the-grand-finale-the-pressure-couldnt-have-been-higher-needing-a-huge-score-to-become-the-shows-first-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hnnews24h.store\/?p=1468","title":{"rendered":"When 21-year-old Michael Rice stepped onto the All Together Now stage for the grand finale, the pressure couldn\u2019t have been higher. Needing a huge score to become the show\u2019s first-ever champion, he chose one of the most performed songs in music history: \u201cHallelujah.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Former McDonald\u2019s Worker Bags Season Finale With Jaw-Dropping \u2018Hallelujah\u2019 Performance<\/h3>\n<\/header>\n
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No One Has EVER Performed \u201cHallelujah\u201d The Way Michael Rice Just Did<\/h3>\n

This was the song that made the former fast-food worker, Michael Rice the winner of \u201cAll Together Now\u201d Season 1, bagging him the \u00a350,000 prize.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

All Together Now<\/em>, introduced some extremely talented people to the world.\u00a0 The show works like this: Contestants audition in front of 100 judges who have experience in the music industry.\u00a0 Each judge has a light that they can either turn on or leave off during a contestant\u2019s audition.\u00a0 The contestant who gets the most lights turned on during each round moves on to the next one.<\/p>\n

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\"Eurovision<\/div>\n

Twenty-one-year-old Michael Rice from Hartlepool was just a street performer before he decided to audition for\u00a0All Together Now.<\/em>\u00a0 During one of his previous performances, Michael took home a perfect score with his surprisingly impressive version of \u201cProud Mary.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0He was the show\u2019s first contestant to get all 100 judges up on their feet singing and dancing along to his rendition of Proud Mary\u00a0first recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival and also sung by Tina Turner.<\/p>\n

\"MichaelNow with three rounds behind him, Michael stood on stage for his final audition. He picked the well-known song \u201cHallelujah,\u201d written by Canadian singer\u00a0Leonard Cohen.\u00a0 Even though the song was originally released in 1984, it didn\u2019t gain popularity until 1991.\u00a0 Since then, it has been performed by over 300 singers, in multiple languages.<\/p>\n

In order to win the show and the 50,000-pound prize, Michael must score greater than the previous high score of 84.\u00a0 The singer definitely feels the pressure as he takes the center stage to begin his final performance.\u00a0 He anxiously shakes out the nerves while the introduction starts.<\/p>\n

\"Everything<\/div>\n

Michael starts to sing and flashes the audience a bright smile.\u00a0 Audience members start to immediately clap and stand to their feet.\u00a0 Michael\u2019s voice begins to build and flow through the auditorium.\u00a0 In response, judges\u2019 lights start illuminating in front of him, and the judges rise to their feet to sing along with him.<\/p>\n

It is clear to see that the singer is putting his entire heart into his performance, as he belts out the iconic song. \u00a0Flawlessly, he hits every note and makes the song his own by switching up the melody a bit here and there.\u00a0 On screen, you can see the total vote count quickly rising.<\/p>\n

\"UK<\/p>\n

In the end, Michael earned 94 out of 100 and went home with the title as the first winner of All Together Now \u2013 and the 50,000 pounds.\u00a0 His beautiful version of this song was so touching and heartfelt, that it left many of the judges in tears.<\/p>\n

Michael said he has had great support from his hometown after announcing his involvement, and also from fans of Eurovision.\u00a0He added:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cThe support has been massive. \u201cI\u2019ve had hundreds of shares on Facebook and I feel like everyone in town is behind me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The former McDonald\u2019s worker recorded the show\u2019s final back in November and has had to remain tight-lipped about it, not even telling his family and close friends that he\u2019d won. \u201cI won the show, but I\u2019ve had to keep it secret since last November. \u201cI haven\u2019t been able to tell anyone, not even my brothers and sisters. That was the hardest part of all!\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael put everything he had into his final performance, and it paid off.\u00a0 With a voice like this and a humble personality, he more than deserves the prize and the world\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n