LIer Jesse Kinch wins ABC's 'Rising Star'

Jesse Kinch, of Seaford, among contestants on ABC's "Rising Star,"... — Jesse Kinch, of Seaford, among contestants on ABC's "Rising Star," a new ABC musical show that debuted June 22, 2014, won the contest. Credit: ABC / Craig Sjodin

By Verne GayAugust 25, 2014

Jesse Kinch, a Seaford-based rocker who from the beginning of this ABC experiment called "Rising Star" appeared to be the chosen one, affirmed all assumptions on Sunday night's finale: He was chosen.

Above, his clinching "Love Reign O'er Me," which scored 76 percent of the audience vote, compared to runner-up Austin French's 61 percent. (No, this was not close.)

Congrats to the talented Kinch. (The future for "Star" is unclear, which is another way of saying this was probably the last season -- the numbers never materialized, or a little more than three million viewers over each edition of the past few weeks.)