The X Factor USA 2013 Season 3 winners Alex and Sierra talk finale night, Simon Cowell previews Season 4 plans

Season 3 of The X Factor aired its finale on Thursday night and crowned a new champion in Alex & Sierra, the adorable boyfriend/girlfriend act that acoustic guitar strummed and harmonized their way to a $5 million recording contract.

E! Online interviewed the winners minutes after their victory on Thursday night and the two said that, unsurprisingly, they couldn't believe they had won.

"I think we're still in shock, honestly," Alex said. Sierra added that, just before host Mario Lopez announced their names, "we couldn't really think of anything. All I could really feel was my heart beating really loudly."

Alex, though, revealed that Lopez was driving him crazy by delaying the announcement of the winner. "I kept thinking, 'Mario just say it. Seriously,'" he said. "I got really tired of that."

Simon Cowell, who mentored the two throughout the season, admitted that he was probably in worse shape than his musicians. "I was more nervous than these two. They were looking at me and expecting me to be happy and they were like, 'You're not happy,' and I went, 'No because I don't know,'" he said. "I was practicing my fake smile, which I don't do very well."

Cowell also broke the news that Alex & Sierra's first album may not come out anytime in the near future. "It's going to be as long as it takes. I mean I don't care how long the album takes as long as they're happy with it," he said. "They've got the support of so many people worldwide, people love this group so you know you just have to take your time and do it well."

As for Season 4 of The X Factor (which may not even happen), Cowell said he would wait "a month" before he starts to work on the next season. Demi Lovato and Cowell both confirmed that she would not return for Season 4, but the series creator said that he is prepared to make some changes.

"It has to come back in a different way and I think I know what I want to do now," Cowell said.

For the record, the ratings for the Season 3 finale did not inspire much confidence. The show earned 6.2 million viewers and a 1.7 rating in the adults 18-49 demo. That represents a 27 and 42 percent increase respectively from last week, which is good for a two-month his in the demo, but the show dropped 36 and 45 percent respectively from the Season 2 finale. The Season 3 capper also declined more than 50 percent from the Season 1 finale, which drew 12.6 million viewers and a 3.8 demo rating.

To make matters worse, ABC's repeat of A Charlie Brown Christmas (6.5 million viewers, 1.7 rating) beat The X Factor (5.8 million viewers, 1.5 rating) in the 8 p.m. hour.