The winner of The Road was overcome with emotion, while two runners up were left to wonder what he or she could have changed.
Sunday night’s (Dec. 21) season finale of The Road crowned a champion after 10 grueling weeks of music and travel.
The finalists were Channing Wilson, Cassidy Daniels and Adam Sanders, and each got two tries to convince the live audience to choose them.
- Episode 10 of The Road found three remaining finalists performing at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
- Blake Shelton returned to join Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson and Taylor Sheridan in the crowd. The other nine eliminated singers from the show were also there to cheer their friends on.
- Each contestant took part in a version of The Band‘s “The Weight” before singing a solo cover song and original.
READ MORE: The Road: Jenny Tolman Understands Why Keith Urban Let Her Go [INTERVIEW]
Evan Mulling, CBS
The Road, Episode 10 Performances
Channing Wilson
Channing Wilson didn’t shy away from who he was during the finale. His old-school cover bled into an old-school original that showcased him as a purist and a pure vocalist.
Urban loved both performances, but he said he thought the cover went over better than the original, perhaps for the first time on this show.
Cover: David Allan Coe, “The Ride”
Original: “Blues Comin’ On”
Cassidy Daniels
Urban said the only mistake that Cassidy Daniels could make is over-performing. That’s a thing young singers do, but this 25-year-old held back just enough to thrill the audience.
Taylor Sheridan wondered about her cover, but no one denied the power of her original song. “Crazy Love” started her journey as a relative unknown, and it might end it as a winner of The Road.
Cover: Heart, “Crazy On You”
Original: “Crazy Love”
Adam Sanders
Adam Sanders pivoted slightly during the finale.
After nothing but high energy rockers, he stirred this crowd with Brooks & Dunn‘s “That Ain’t No Way to Go.” Urban applauded the selection, but it didn’t show what he does best.
For his original, he trusted the metrics and selected the song that performed best for him through nine episodes. This was a big energy song, and the audience responded.
Cover: Brooks & Dunn, “That Ain’t No Way To Go”
Original: “All Summer Long”
Who Won The Road?
The results of The Road were going to be surprising no matter what happened, but after yet another outrageous vocal performance, it was hard to see Cassidy Daniels placing third. Fighting back tears, she wondered if singing two rock songs hurt her. It’s possible.
After a commercial break and significant pauses for TV purposes, Keith Urban revealed that the audience had chosen Adam Sanders as the winner of The Road.
He fought back tears in the moment, but later let loose as he considered his long road to get there.
Sanders is the singer most like Urban, and it was Urban’s crowd who voted. For that reason, it’s easy to see why he had an advantage.
He’s also made the most in-roads in Nashville (ToC has been talking to him for nearly a decade), so he had a home court advantage.
That’s to take nothing away from his moment. The Florida-raised singer is a talented songwriter, a hard worker and an electrifying performer. It’s going to be fun to see where he goes next.
What Does the Winner of The Road Get?
The Road aired weekly, with at least one singer expected to be sent home each episode. Taping took place earlier this year across seven dates in Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
The winner of The Road will receive a $250,000 cash prize, a recording contract, a Red Bull prize package and a performance slot at Stagecoach Country Music Festival in April 2026 in California.
He or she will also get a huge boost in popularity.
Who Is Left On ‘The Road’? Meet the Remaining Singers On CBS’ New Reality Show
Originally there were 12 singers on The Road, a new reality series on CBS. After each week someone is sent home however, so this list will be updated to reflect who is remaining on the show, and who isn’t.
Here is who is remaining after the Dec. 14 episode of the The Road. We’ve re-organized to reflect the order that each singer was eliminated. The finale is Dec. 21.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
See the Most Played Country Song from the Year You Were Born
Who had the most played country song during the year you were born? This list is a fascinating time capsule of prevalent trends from every decade in American history. Scroll through to find your birth year and then click to listen. Some of these songs have been lost through the years, many of them for good reason!
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
