Cameron Mitchell: A Glee Project Winner After All :)

Remember Cameron Mitchell? He’s the North Texas singer who walked away from a chance to star on Glee in episode seven of The Glee Project, a reality show that airs on Oxygen. As it turns out, doing so may have helped his career more than hurt it.

Not only did it generate a lot of media interest, his fan base has exploded as well. Mitchell’s YouTube channel has attracted more than 2.3 million views, his five-song “Love Can Wait” LP cracked the top 25 on iTunes—and last night he was named winner of The Glee Project’s “fan favorite” competition, which netted him a $10,000 prize.

In a video announcing the results, Mitchell thanked the “nerds” who voted for him then showed why he has so much star potential, performing Michael Buble’s “Just Haven’t Met You Yet.” He was joined by Damian McGinty—a Glee Project castmate who had been picked by the judges to go home in episode seven, but saved by Mitchell’s decision to walk.

Lucky for McGinty. Then 18-year-old singer, who hails from Ireland, ended up as one of the co-winners in last night’s series finale. He and indie rocker Samuel Larsen will each get a seven-episode storyline on Season 3 of Glee. Lindsay Pearce and Alex Newell, who rounded out the top four, will appear in two episodes of the show, which returns Sept. 20.

All 12 original contenders were on hand for the finale, including Mitchell. “Coming back for the final episode, I had some hesitance to get involved again, but when I got here I realized this show has made me into a performer, and I owe everything to it,” he said.