<P> Unlike most reality competition shows, contestants are not directly informed of their elimination, nor must they wait for extended tension - filled pauses to hear the results one by one . Rather, the bottom three are notified when "the list is up" and discover their fate as they find their name on the list . Afterwards, the eliminated contestant sings lead vocals in "Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne with the remaining contestants singing the background vocals . </P> <P> Although originally planned to begin broadcasting in late May 2011, The Glee Project premiered on June 12, 2011, and aired a two - hour extended premiere where the first hour showed the audition process and selection of the twelve contenders, and the second hour was the first episode of the series . The Canadian and UK premieres were also in the same two - hour extended format: in Canada, the series began airing on Slice on June 26, 2011, and in the UK, the series began airing on Sky One on July 14, 2011 . </P> <P> Damian McGinty and Samuel Larsen were both proclaimed the winners of the first season, each winning a seven - episode arc . Runners - up Lindsay Pearce and Alex Newell were given prizes of a two - episode arc on Glee, and Cameron Mitchell, who quit the competition in episode 7, won the "fan favorite" competition and the associated $10,000 prize . Pearce's two - episode arc, as a Rachel Berry-esque girl named Harmony, consisted of the season premiere episode "The Purple Piano Project" and the eighth episode "Hold On to Sixteen", while McGinty began his arc as Rory Flanagan, an Irish exchange student, in the fourth episode "Pot o' Gold"; McGinty was retained on the show beyond his seven - episode prize . Larsen debuted on Glee in the thirteenth episode, "Heart", as a transfer student named Joe Hart, also appearing beyond his original seven - episode stint . Newell's first appearance was in the April 17, 2012 episode "Saturday Night Glee - ver". He played Wade Adams, a transgender member of the rival Vocal Adrenaline show choir, and appeared briefly in "Props", returning a few more times before transferring to McKinley High for the series' fourth season and becoming a series regular for its fifth season . </P> <P> McGinty, Larsen, Pearce and Newell were chosen to sing on the 2011 Glee Christmas album, Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2 . </P>

Who won season 1 of the glee project