America's Got Talent

America's Got Talent (abbreviated AGT) is an American reality television series on the NBC television network. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of US$1 million. The show debuted in June 2006 for the summer television season and its current season premiered on May 28, 2019.

Among its significant features are that it gives opportunities to talented amateurs or unknown performers, with the results decided by an audience vote.

The current incarnation was created by Simon Cowell, and was originally due to be a 2005 British series called Paul O'Grady's Got Talent, but was postponed due to O'Grady's acrimonious split with broadcaster ITV. As such, the American version became the first full series of the Got Talent franchise. Despite being heavily involved in the show's production, Cowell did not appear as a judge, due to the conditions of his contract with Fox Network, until the eleventh season.

Overview

America's Got Talent allow contestants of all ages and of all talents to give minutes-long performances in front of a set of judges. At the end of each performance, the judges evaluate those performances. Each earlier rounds each season, judges decide which acts move forward and which acts are eliminated. In later rounds, contestants perform live, after which American viewers can vote for the acts they want to see moving forward.

Judges' Votes

During the auditions, the judges vote at the end of each round whether to send an act to the next round with a "Yes" or a "No." In seasons with three judges (1 - 7), two "Yes" votes send an act to the next round. In seasons with four judges (8 - present), three "Yes" votes send an act to the next round.

During the live shows in Season 1, the "Yes" votes took the form of a check, while the "No" votes took the form of a post-performance buzzer. In subsequent seasons, the judges simply verbalize their votes after each act's performance.

Buzzer

Each judge can press their Buzzer during a performance if they disapprove of an act or want the performance to end.  Four buzzes automatically ends the performance, or in the case of Judge Cuts, not only ends the performance but automatically eliminates the act from further competition.

Wild Card

Any eliminated act that receives a Wild Card returns to the competition. The format was adjusted in Season 11, where the judges choose two acts from those eliminated in Judge Cuts to return to the competition in the Quarterfinals (a third act was automatically passed through to even out the numbers), and one from the eliminated quarterfinalists to return for the Semifinals.

Judges' Choice

Introduced in Season 3, the Judges' Choice appears in live show results episodes (excluding the season finale). The judges can vote to send one of two acts, acts with the least amount of votes to be eligible for the next round, to the next round.
Starting in Season 9, the Judges' Choice is contested between the two remaining acts that did not win the Instant Save.  In a 3-judge panel, a two-vote majority is needed for an act to advance to the next round while a three-vote majority is needed in a 4-judge panel.  In the case of a 2-2 tie in the 4-judge configuration, the tie is broken by reverting to the public vote from the night before, with the act that receives more votes than their opponent advancing.

Golden Buzzer

Introduced in Season 9, the Golden Buzzer can be pressed by each judges only once per season. In Season 9, the Golden Buzzer sent the act receiving the Golden Buzzer to the next round regardless of the other judges' votes; its main purpose was to break ties. In Season 10, the Golden Buzzer was upgraded to send an act straight to the live shows.
Each judge during the auditions starting in Season 10 had the opportunity to press the Golden Buzzer for an act they thought stood out for them, which would send that act to the live shows. In Judge Cuts, each guest judge was also given a Golden Buzzer for the same reason. Starting in Season 11, the show's host was also given the power to use one during the audition phase.

Instant Save

Introduced in Season 9 during the Semifinals, the Instant Save appears in live show results episodes (excluding the season finale). American voters can vote to save one of three acts, acts with the least amount of votes among top vote-getters, to the next round. The remaining two acts participate in the Judges' Choice.
In Season 10 , the format was reconfigured.  In the Quarterfinals, the three acts that finished in 6th, 7th and 8th place in the public vote went on to contest for the Instant Save, while in the Semifinals it was the three acts that finished in 4th, 5th and 6th place.

In Season 9, the Instant Save was named the Snapple Save, while from Season 10 onwards, it was named the Dunkin' Save.

Season 1

Season 1 premiered on June 21, 2006, with Piers Morgan, Brandy Norwood, and David Hasselhoff as judges. Regis Philbin served as host. The season consisted of 15 episodes and at least 83 acts. The season concluded on August 17, 2006, with Bianca Ryan as the winner.

Name	Act	Result
Bianca Ryan	Singer	Winner
All That	Clogging Group	2nd/3rd Place
The Millers	Singer/Guitarist and Harmonicist	2nd/3rd Place
Celtic Spring	Violin/Irish Dance Group	4th/5th Place
Taylor Ware	Singer/Yodeler	4th/5th Place
At Last	Vocal Group	Top 10
David & Dania - Quick Change	Quick Change Act	Top 10
Jon & Owen - The Passing Zone	Comedy Juggler Duo	Top 10
Rappin' Granny	Rapper	Top 10
Realis	Acrobatic Dance Duo	Top 10

Season 2

Season 2 premiered on June 5, 2007, with Piers Morgan and David Hasselhoff returning as judges. Sharon Osbourne debuted as a judge and Jerry Springer debuted as host. The season consisted of 12 episodes and at least 107 acts. The season introduced the Vegas Round to the competition. The season concluded on August 21, 2007, with Terry Fator as the winner.

Name	Act	Result
Terry Fator	Ventriloquist/Singing Impressionist	Winner
Cas Haley	Singer/Guitarist	2nd Place
Butterscotch	Beatboxer/Singer	3rd Place
Julienne Irwin	Singer	4th Place
Jason Pritchett	Singer/Guitarist	Top 8
Robert Hatcher	Singer	Top 8
Sideswipe	Martial Arts Dance Group	Top 8
The Glamazons	Burlesque Vocal Group	Top 8
Calypso Tumblers	Tumblers/Acrobatic Group	Top 10
The Duttons	Family Country Band	Top 10

Season 3

Season 3 premiered on June 17, 2008, with Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, and David Hasselhoff all returning as judges. Jerry Springer returned as host. The season consisted of 20 episodes and at least 169 acts. The season introduced the Quarterfinals to the competition. The season concluded on October 1, 2008, with Neal E. Boyd as the winner.

Name	Act	Result
Neal E. Boyd	Opera Singer	Winner
Eli Mattson	Singer/Pianist	2nd Place
Nuttin' But Stringz	Hip-Hop Violin Duo	3rd Place
Donald Braswell	Opera Singer	4th Place
Queen Emily	Singer	5th Place
Jessica Price	Singer/Guitarist	Top 10
Joseph Hall	Elvis Impersonator	Top 10
Kaitlyn Maher	Singer	Top 10
Paul Salos	Frank Sinatra Impersonator	Top 10
The Wright Kids	Bluegrass Band	Top 10

Season 4

Season 4 premiered on June 23, 2009, with Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, and David Hasselhoff all returning as judges. Nick Cannon debuted as host. The season consisted of 26 episodes and at least 173 acts. The season concluded on September 16, 2009, with Kevin Skinner as the winner.

Name	Act	Result
Kevin Skinner	Country Singer/Guitarist	Winner
Barbara Padilla	Opera Singer	2nd Place
Recycled Percussion	Percussion Group	3rd Place
The Texas Tenors	Vocal Trio	4th Place
Voices of Glory	Vocal Trio	5th Place
Drew Stevyns	Singer/Guitarist	Top 10
Fab Five	Clogging Group	Top 10
Grandma Lee	Stand-up Comedienne	Top 10
Hairo Torres	Contortionist Breakdancer	Top 10
Lawrence Beamen	Bass Singer	Top 10

Season 5

Season 5 premiered on June 1, 2010, with Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne returning as judges. Howie Mandel debuted as a judge. Nick Cannon returned as host. The season consisted of 32 episodes and at least 180 acts. The season introduced YouTube Week to the competition. The season concluded on September 15, 2010, with Michael Grimm as the winner.

Name	Act	Result
Michael Grimm	Singer/Guitarist	Winner
Jackie Evancho	Opera Singer	2nd Place
Fighting Gravity	Blacklight Dance Group	3rd Place
Prince Poppycock	Opera Singer	4th Place
Anna and Patryk	Ballroom Dancer Duo	Top 10
Christina & Ali	Vocal Duo	Top 10
Jeremy Vanschoonhoven	Stunt Biker	Top 10
Michael Grasso	Magician	Top 10
Studio One Young Beast Society	Dance Group	Top 10
Taylor Mathews	Singer/Guitarist	Top 10

Season 6

Season 6 premiered on May 31, 2011, with Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, and Howie Mandel all returning as judges. Nick Cannon returned as host. The season consisted of 32 episodes and at least 173 acts. The season concluded on September 14, 2011, with Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. as the winner. 

Name	Act	Result
Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.	Singer	Winner
Silhouettes	Shadow Dance Group	2nd Place
Team iLuminate	Light-up Suit Dance Group	3rd Place
POPLYFE	Band	4th Place
Anna Graceman	Singer/Pianist	Top 10
Landon Swank	Magician	Top 10
Lys Agnès	Opera Singer	Top 10
Miami All Stars	Dance Group	Top 10
Smage Bros. Riding Shows	Stunt Motorbike Team	Top 10
West Springfield Dance Team	Dance Group	Top 10

Season 7

Season 7 premiered on May 14, 2012, with Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel returning as judges. Howard Stern debuted as a judge. Nick Cannon returned as host. The season consisted of 31 episodes and at least 182 acts. The season concluded on September 13, 2012, with the Olate Dogs as the winner.

Name	Act	Result
Olate Dogs	Dog Act	Winner
Tom Cotter	Sand-up Comedian	2nd Place
William Close	Earth Harpist	3rd Place
David Garibaldi and His CMYK's	Painting Dance Group	4th Place
Joe Castillo	Sand Artist	5th Place
The Untouchables	Dance Group	6th Place

Season 8

Season 8 premiered on June 4, 2013, with Howard Stern and Howie Mandel returning as judges. Heidi Klum and Mel B debuted as judges. The season was the first to feature four judges instead of three. Nick Cannon returned as host. The season consisted of 27 episodes and at least 140 acts. The season concluded on September 18, 2013, with Kenichi Ebina as the winner.

Name	Act	Result
Kenichi Ebina	Dancer	Winner
Taylor Williamson	Stand-up Comedian	2nd Place
Jimmy Rose	Country Singer/Guitarist	3rd Place
Forte	Opera Trio	4th Place
Collins Key	Magician	5th Place
Cami Bradley	Singer/Pianist	6th Place
Branden James	Opera Singer	Top 12
Catapult Entertainment	Shadow Dance Group	Top 12
Chicago Boyz	Acrobat Team	Top 12
D'Angelo and Amanda	Ballroom Dancer Duo	Top 12
Innovative Force	Acrobatic Dance Group	Top 12
KriStef Brothers	Hand Balancer Duo	Top 12

Season 9

Season 9 premiered on May 26, 2014, with Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Mel B, and Howie Mandel all returning as judges. Nick Cannon returned as host. The season consisted of 24 episodes and at least 135 acts. The season concluded on September 17, 2014, with Mat Franco as the winner.

Name	Act	Result
Mat Franco	Magician	Winner
Emily West	Singer	2nd Place
AcroArmy	Acrobatic Group	3rd Place
Sons of Serendip	Band	4th Place
Quintavious Johnson	Singer	5th Place
Miguel Dakota	Singer/Guitarist	6th Place
Blue Journey	Shadow Dance Duo	Top 12
Christian Stoinev	Hand Balancer	Top 12
David and Leeman	Magicians	Top 12
Emil and Dariel	Rock Cellists	Top 12
Mara Justine	Singer	Top 12
Mike Super	Mystifier	Top 12

Season 10

Season 10 premiered on May 26, 2015, with Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Mel B, and Howie Mandel all returning as judges. Nick Cannon returned as host. The season consisted of 23 episodes and at least 164 acts. The season concluded on September 16, 2015, with Paul Zerdin as the winner.

Name	Act	Result
Paul Zerdin	Ventriloquist	Winner
Drew Lynch	Stand-up Comedian	2nd Place
Oz Pearlman	Mentalist	3rd Place
The Professional Regurgitator	Regurgitator	4th Place
The CraigLewis Band	R&B Vocal Duo	5th Place
Benton Blount	Country Singer/Guitarist	Top 10
Derek Hughes	Magician/Comedian	Top 10
Gary Vider	Stand-up Comedian	Top 10
Piff the Magic Dragon	Magician/Comedian	Top 10
Uzeyer Novruzov	Ladder Acrobat	Top 10

Season 11

Season 11 premiered on May 31, 2016, with Heidi Klum, Mel B, and Howie Mandel returning as judges. Simon Cowell debuted as a judge. Nick Cannon returned as host. The season consisted of 22 episodes and at least 148 acts. The season concluded on September 14, 2016, with Grace VanderWaal as the winner.

Name	Act	Result
Grace VanderWaal	Singer/Ukuleleist	Winner
The Clairvoyants	Mentalist Duo	2nd Place
Jon Dorenbos	Magician	3rd Place
Brian Justin Crum	Pop Singer	4th Place
Sal Valentinetti	Jazz Singer	5th Place
Laura Bretan	Opera Singer	Top 10
Linkin' Bridge	Vocal Group	Top 10
Sofie Dossi	Contortionist/Aerialist	Top 10
Tape Face	Mime	Top 10
Viktor Kee	Juggler	Top 10

Season 12

Season 12 premiered on May 30, 2017, with Heidi Klum, Mel B, Howie Mandel, and Simon Cowell all returning as judges. Tyra Banks debuted as host. The season consisted of 22 episodes and at least 126 acts. The season concluded on September 20, 2017, with Darci Lynne as the winner.

Name	Act	Result
Darci Lynne	Singing Ventriloquist	Winner
Angelica Hale	Singer	2nd Place
Light Balance	Light-Up Dance Crew	3rd Place
Mandy Harvey	Singer/Ukuleist	4th Place
Sara and Hero	Dog Act	5th Place
Chase Goehring	Singer/Guitarist	Top 10
Diavolo	Acrobatic Dance Group	Top 10
Evie Clair	Singer/Pianist	Top 10
Kechi	Singer	Top 10
Preacher Lawson	Stand-up Comedian	Top 10

Season 13

Season 13 premiered on May 29, 2018, with Heidi Klum, Mel B, Howie Mandel, and Simon Cowell all returning as judges. Tyra Banks returned as host. The season concluded on September 19, 2018, with Shin Lim as the winner.

Name	Act	Result
Shin Lim	Magician	Winner
Zurcaroh	Acrobatic Group	2nd Place
Brian King Joseph	Electric Violinist	3rd Place
Samuel J. Comroe	Stand-up Comedian	4th Place
Michael Ketterer	Singer	5th Place
Courtney Hadwin	Singer/Dancer	Top 10
Daniel Emmet	Opera Singer	Top 10
Duo Transcend	Trapeze Duo	Top 10
Glennis Grace	Singer	Top 10
Vicki Barbolak	Stand-up Comedienne	Top 10

Season 14

Season 14 premiered on May 28, 2019, with Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell returning as judges.  Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough debuted as judges.  Terry Crews debuted as the main series' host after hosting America's Got Talent: The Champions. The season concluded on September 18, 2019, with Kodi Lee as the winner.

Name	Act	Result
Kodi Lee	Singer and Pianist	Winner
Detroit Youth Choir	Choir	2nd Place
Ryan Niemiller	Stand-Up Comedian	3rd Place
V.Unbeatable	Acrobatic Dance Group	4th Place
Voices of Service	Vocal Group	5th Place
Benicio Bryant	Singer	Top 10
Emanne Beasha	Opera Singer	Top 10
Light Balance Kids	Light-Up Dance Crew	Top 10
Ndlovu Youth Choir	Choir	Top 10
Tyler Butler-Figueroa	Violinist	Top 10

Season 15

Season 15 premiered on TBA, with Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell returning as judges. Heidi Klum returned to the panel for the first time in the regular series since Season 13, while Sofia Vergara debuted as a judge. Terry Crews returned as host.