Congratulations to the 2011 winner of Australia’s Got Talent Jack Vidgen, beating Cosentino (2nd) and Timomatic (3rd) and the 7 other finalists for the $250,000 grand prize.

In a final grand final episode filled with flashbacks, recaps, sneak peaks and special performances, the contestants were paired down pretty promptly to the final two, allowing both Jack and Cosentino to present encore performances showcasing what got them into this season’s Top2.

It what was the most unsurprising result for a reality talent show ever, Jack was announced as the winner by a decidedly over excited host Grant Denyer amid cheers, glitter and the collective sarcastic smack on the face by the viewing audience. In a campaign not even close to thinly veiled, the 7 Network have ensured Jack has remained the only talking point of the show since he made it through to the final performance rounds. Cross-over stories on Sunrise, The Morning Show and Today Tonight appeared on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis. Ads for the program featured visuals of no other performer. There was no way the Network was going to let anyone else win, to the point where they should have renamed the show “The Jack Vidgen Variety Hour, featuring JACK VIDGEN (and some other acts)”.

Denyer announced that we were “minutes away” from learning the winner of the program a good hour out from the actual announcement. Never short of hyperbole or cliche, every act gave “more than 100%”, “had the most amazing journey” and “getting to this point in the competition is a feat no one can ever take away from you”. A promo for the upcoming series of The X Factor Australia was somehow squeezed in before the announcement of the winner, and it worked quite well. Certainly better than the drawn out winner’s announcement. That said, the show was a ratings success for the Network (averaging 1.82 million viewers per episode), highlighted by the massive ratings for this final episode.

Vidgen launches his professional career as the AGT winner with a performance on Sunrise this morning. Auditions have been announced but not yet begun for the 2012 series of the show.