A Britain's Got Talent star was mortified when an unexpected voting twist led to a humiliating result for them.
BGT's first-ever winner, Paul Potts, faced a shocking exit from Britain's Got Talent: The Champions during the premiere week, back in 2019.
Despite his triumphant past and an appearance on America's version of the show, the then-48 year old opera singer couldn't secure a spot in the top three, leaving him visibly shaken.
Paul was embarrassingly outperformed by an act of dancing stormtroopers. Even Simon Cowell, who noted Paul's initial "shaky" performance, was taken aback by the result, while a flabbergasted Amanda Holden exclaimed, "What about Paul Potts?"
Ultimately, it was Boogie Storm, Ashley and Sully, and Bello and Annaliese Nock who advanced, with sand artist Kseniya Simonova also heading to the grand final thanks to Amanda's golden buzzer.
Despite receiving a standing ovation and some candid feedback from Simon, who reminded him of the importance of hitting the big notes, Paul's journey on the Champions stage came to an unexpected end.
Simon praised Paul's dedication, saying, "And that's what happened Paul, you hit the big note when it mattered. What I admire about you is you didn't need to be here tonight and the fact that you care is why you are a champion and always will be a champion."
David Walliams exclaimed: "It's the perfect story isn't it as you really are the regular guy with one extraordinary talent and it took this show to share that with the world.
"Wouldn't it be the most perfect thing, you won this 12 years ago, to win the champions."
Amanda Holden couldn't help but joke about Paul 's transformation, noting that the only thing that had changed was his teeth, while Alesha Dixon commended the singer for maintaining his "humility".
Before taking the stage, Paul reflected on his journey since his initial win, saying, "There's no real way for preparing what would happen after Britain's Got Talent. I went from selling mobile phones to selling records."
He also expressed the significance of potentially winning the champions series, stating, "There's quite a bit at stake but its great to return to where it began. It would be mind-blowing for me to become the first winner of Britain's Got Talent: The Champions."
The finale stirred up some controversy as the results were determined by the live audience, dubbed "super fans", who voted using keypads post-performance, rather than the traditional home viewer voting system, due to the show being pre-recorded.
This decision left some viewers frustrated, feeling excluded from the decision-making process.
