On Wednesday night, NBC's summer hit, The Voice declared its first ever winner.

Javier Colon, the favorite from the start and 'the voice' featured in many of NBC's promo ads back in April, took the top honor: a recording contract with Universal Republic, a $100,000 cash prize, and a featured role on The Voice summer tour.

Wow, thank you, Colon said upon winning. The three women behind me are absolutely awesome and it was a pleasure to be here with them, he said, referring to fellow contestants Dia Frampton 23, of St. George, Utah, Vicci Martinez, 26, of Tacoma, Washington, and Beverly McClellan, 41, of Virginia and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Before I came out to do this audition in January, I had been rejected from yet another record label that I really thought [I was] gonna get, Colon told reporters after the show, according to EW.com. It was over. The singer wasn't planning on auditioning for The Voice until a family member changed his mind. I thought, I can't just keep living on a dream and expecting that things are going to work out because it's not just my wife and I anymore.

The Connecticut native barely beat out Dia Frampton, who many had hoped would win. Her rendition of Kanye West's Heartless and her original song Inventing Shadows were both on top of the iTunes chart, ahead of Colon.

According to host Carson Daly, the margin separating the two talents was just two percent.

Aside from Colon (who will be working with Universal Republic), runner-up Dia Frampton said she intends to continue working with her sister in the duo Meg & Dia, who have already released two lo-fi, folksy albums. She has already asked her band members if they will back her on a solo outing -- both in the studio and on the road. It will be more upbeat more rock oriented, she said, noting that her biggest thrill on the show was performing Tom Petty's hit I Won't Back Down, which is representative of a direction she might take as a solo artist.

Vicci Martinez, who shared the stage with Train's Pat Monahan on the finale, says she will be working again with Monahan in the near future. She intends to start working on an album within a week and that a deal is already in the works.

Based on a Dutch series, The Voice proved a much-needed ratings hit for NBC and will return to the network's lineup next year, premiering in the coveted slot after the Super Bowl. The next season's casting call is under way at NBC's website.

The voice's pop star coaches, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton each led their own team of talent through the battle rounds until it was down to one competitor from each team. In the end, it was Adam Levine who helped Javier Colon to the top. Though, many critics agree that it was country star Blake Shelton who was the clear standout on the coaching side.

Many praised the new show for the very things that made it different from its powerhouse rival American Idol, TV's No. 1 singing show. As the title suggests, this show was about the competitor's voice, with the singers chosen in blind auditions. Additionally, two of the top performers, bald rocker Beverly McClellan and bluesy, war dancing Vicci Martinez are openly gay. This contrasts with American Idol, which has included several gay singers (notably Adam Lambert) who didn't address their sexuality until after the competition ended.

Here's a look at the finale moments of 'The Voice'

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