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Sal Valentinetti was a jazz singer from Season 11 of America's Got Talent. He finished the competition in 5th place.  He then returned for America's Got Talent: The Champions, where he was eliminated in the Preliminaries.

Background[]

Sal Valentinetti is an Italian pizza delivery man for his cousin's place from Bethpage, New York. He wants to bring back Dean Martin-style roasts. Sal first learned the American standards at his grandmother's knee and his passion grew further when he discovered his hidden vocal talent in his teenage years. Yet Valentinetti wasn’t always aware of his talent. It was during a horn lesson at 15 when it was uncovered by Dr. Joseph Merkel, a prominent private music teacher and performer, in Long Island and the NY metro area. Dr. Merkel asked him to choose a song to play and Valentinetti started singing the lyrics to a song he used to listen to with his grandmother: Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife.” Taken aback, Dr. Merkel immediately urged him to take singing lessons as well as brass lessons. "Sal the Voice," as he is known by everyone from Brooklyn to Bayshore, can be found on most Sundays sipping cappuccino at the café, telling stories, making jokes and planning his next move - to bring back to American pop culture the consummate, classy, old-school entertainer with a heart of gold. [1]

When his grandmother passed away, her music was all Sal had to remember her by. He had previously tried out for season 14 of American Idol, where he successfully made it past the auditions but did not proceed to the live shows. 

Audition[]

Sal Valentinetti's audition in Episode 1103 consisted of singing Frank Sinatra's "My Way." Moved by his performance, Heidi Klum pressed her Golden Buzzer, sending Sal straight to the Quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals[]

Sal Valentinetti's Week 2 Quarterfinals performance in Episode 1113 consisted of singing a jazz rendition of One Direction's "Story of My Life". Mel B, Heidi Klum, and Simon Cowell gave him standing ovations. While the judges gave their feedback, Simon (jokingly) buzzed because Howie Mandel said something that he did not agree with. Sal finished in sixth, seventh, or eighth place in America's Vote. In the Dunkin' Save, Sal received more online votes than both Kadie Lynn and ThroWings, sending him to the Semifinals in Episode 1114.

Semifinals[]

Sal Valentinetti's Week 1 Semifinals performance in Episode 1117 consisted of singing Frank Sinatra's "That's Life". Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Simon Cowell gave him standing ovations. Sal received enough votes to be sent to the Finals in Episode 1118 instead of Malevo.

Finals[]

Sal Valentinetti's Finals performance in Episode 1121 consisted of singing "Mack The Knife" by Bobby Darin. Howie Mandel, Mel B, Heidi Klum, and Simon Cowell all gave him standing ovations.

Finale[]

For the finale in Episode 1122, Sal Valentinetti sang "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" with The Jersey Boys. Sal received enough votes to advance to the Top 5 instead of Tape Face. Sal finished in fifth place in the competition overall, behind Grace VanderWaal, The Clairvoyants, Jon Dorenbos, and Brian Justin Crum.

The Champions Preliminary[]

Sal Valentinetti returned for The Champions.  Sal's performance in Episode TC05 consisted of performing "Mack the Knife."  Howie Mandel , Mel B , Heidi Klum and Simon Cowell all gave him standing ovations.  Sal did not receive enough votes to place in the night's Top 3, eliminating him from the competition.

Trivia[]

  • Sal Valentinetti progressed further in Season 11 than any of the other acts that had to rely on the Dunkin' Save or Judges' Choice in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals.
    • He and Linkin' Bridge are also the only acts that relied on either the Dunkin' Save or Judges' Choice in the Quarterfinals, but progressed to the Finals with the public vote in the Semifinals.  Both were later succeeded by Bello Sisters in Season 15 .

After AGT[]

Sal performed "New York, New York" prior to the main race at the 2022 Belmont Stakes.

External Links[]


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