With an hour to think about it, Melanie Amaro has already tallied up her dream purchases with the $5 million she earned Thursday night after being named the The X Factor's first winner."Life will change a lot," she told. "The most I have ever had before was $200, if I was lucky."
The college freshman and piano teacher from Sunrise, Fla., plans to buy her mother a new house because, as she deadpans, "The one we live in now sucks."But the chicken is for her. "I can't live without it," she says. "It's my favorite food.Backstage, Amaro laughed as she recalled the moment she won and how she forgot the lyrics to her final song, "Listen."
"I couldn't remember any of the words," she says. "I was so overwhelmed; it was such a surprise to me."On Thursday, after 40 million votes were tabulated, Amaro, 19, defeated burrito slinger and second place finisher Josh Krajcik, 30, and third place finisher Chris Rene, 28, a former garbage man and recovering addict.
