Game Shows Wiki
Advertisement
in: Variety, Reality, Big Prize,
and 28 more

America's Got Talent

Edit
The topic of this page has a Wikia of its own: America's Got Talent wikia.
Hosts
Regis Philbin (2006)
Jerry Springer (2007-2008)
Nick Cannon (2009–2016)
Tyra Banks (2017-2018)
Terry Crews (2019-present)
Broadcast
NBC: 6/21/2006-Present
Packagers
Syco TV (2006-2013)
Syco Entertainment (2014-present)
FremantleMedia North America (2006-2018)
Fremantle (2018-present)

America's Got Talent is the NBC reality talent show competition that goes all over the United States to find some very talented people who are willing to showcase their talents to win $1,000,000.

Format[]

Auditions[]

Each season begins with auditions, the first being the "Producers' Auditions", is conducted across various cities in the United States. This stage is open to all forms of acts and judged by an independent group, and thus determines who will take part in the next stage of auditions titled "Judges' Auditions". These are held in a public venue, within select cities across the country, and are attended by the judges handling that year's contest.

Each participant reaching this stage of auditions is held offstage from the main performing area in a waiting room, and given a number that denotes when they will perform. Upon being called before the judges, the participant is given 90 seconds to demonstrate their act, with a live audience present for all performances. Each judge is given a buzzer, and may use it anytime during a performance if they are unimpressed, dislike what is being performed, or feel the act is a waste of their time. If a participant is buzzed by 4 (3 in Seasons 1-7) judges, their performance is automatically over. At the end of a performance, the judges give constructive criticism and feedback about what they saw, whereupon they are each given a vote. A participant requires a majority vote approving their performance to proceed to the next stage, otherwise they are eliminated from the program at that stage. Many acts that move on may be cut or forfeit their place, due to the limited slots available for the next stage. Filming for each season begins when the Judges' Auditions are taking place, with the show's presenter standing in the wings of each venue's stage to interview, and give personal commentary on a participant's performance.

From the fifth to seventh seasons, acts who did not attend live auditions could instead submit a taped audition online via YouTube. Acts from the online auditions were then selected to compete in front of the judges and a live audience during the "live shows" part of the season, prior to the semi-finals. Before the inclusion of this round, the show had a separate audition episode in Seasons 3 and 4 (2008–2009) for contestants who posted videos on Myspace.

In the ninth season, the show added a new format to the auditions in the form of the "Golden Buzzer", which began to make appearances within the Got Talent franchise, since it was first introduced on Germany's Got Talent. During auditions, each judge is allowed to use the Golden Buzzer to send an act automatically into the live shows, regardless of the opinion of the other judges. When it was initially used, the buzzer simply saved an act from elimination. The only rule to the buzzer was that a judge could use it only once per season. The host was later allowed to use the Golden Buzzer for an act starting from the eleventh season. In season 16-19, the host and the judges together are allowed to use the Golden Buzzer. Starting in season 18-19, the audience will use the Golden Buzzer, which it is similar to the "Group Golden Buzzer", but a twist, the audience will state the name. Starting in season 19, each judge will allowed to use it twice, but the host use it only once per season.

Second Round[]

After auditions are completed, the judges conduct a special session (or second "audition" round) to determine which participants will secure a place in the live rounds of the competition, though the format for this stage has been change several times over the course of the program's history. When the stage was first created after the first season, it was designed around a "boot camp" format titled "Las Vegas Callbacks". Under the format's rules, participants who made it through the preliminary auditions could undergo training to perfect their act, whereupon each would be assigned to a specific group of participants and perform a second time before the judges. Buzzers would be used to terminate a performance at any time, with those not deemed worthy of a place being eliminated from that season's format.

Between the fourth and ninth season, the format was changed to match that used in Britain's Got Talent. Participants who made it through the preliminary auditions had their audition footage reviewed by the judges, who set each one into a specific group, and were not required to perform again (unless the judges requested this). Acts which they liked would be allocated spaces in the live rounds, with the remainder eliminated from that season's competition. All acts were brought back to learn of the results of the judges' deliberations. The format was titled "Vegas Verdicts" and held on the Las Vegas Strip. For the final seasons of its usage, it was re-dubbed "Judgment Week" and conducted within New York.

Between the tenth season and fourteenth season, the stage's format was changed again under a new arrangement dubbed "Judge Cuts". Under the new format's rules, participants that passed the preliminary auditions underwent a second stage of auditions before the judges at a fixed venue. However, their performance would not only be judged by the panel, but also by a special guest judge, with all participants divided up into four groups. Each group would be judged by their own guest judge. Like the auditions, the main judges could use their buzzers at any time to stop a performance, while the guest judge would be allowed to use a Golden Buzzer for a participant they particularly liked (as well as providing comments on the performances they watched). In the fifteenth season, the round was condensed into a single episode and featured no guest judge, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in 2020.

For Season 16, the round was changed once again to match Britain's Got Talent, this time known as "Deliberation Day". During this round, the judges gather at a private location to review the acts that passed the auditions. From there, the judges decide which of them are worthy to move on to the live shows. This format is essentially a simplified variant of the Vegas Verdicts format, without the need for additional performances.

Live Rounds[]

Participants who have successfully secured a place in the live rounds of the competitions, including Golden Buzzer recipients, are divided into groups and compete against each other to secure a place within the live final of the competition. Live episodes of the competition are held within a set venue (the location has varied), with the current arrangement focused on a venue within Los Angeles and live episodes for each season being aired weekly on the network. The arrangement differs from the schedule used by other international editions. Britain's Got Talent, for example, broadcasts its live episodes within the space of a single week. The structure of the live rounds by this stage of the competition has varied, but is more commonly arranged as quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final itself. Earlier seasons varied, sometimes having the finals split into separate rounds.

The format of the live rounds, for the quarter-finals and semi-finals, sees each participant conduct a new performance of their act before the judges and the viewers within a "performance" episode. In this episode, the judges can still give out feedback and comments about a participant's performance, and be able to use their buzzers, with the performance terminated if all the buzzers are used. After the episode is broadcast, the network provides the public a set period of time to vote for their act, with the results of these held in a separate "results" episode. When it is broadcast has varied, though it more commonly occurs after an interval of one day after the live "performance" episode. Participants are then informed of the results, with those receiving the highest votes (i.e. Top 4) advancing to the next stage. For the two acts that receive the mid-range of votes for all participants, they undergo a vote by the judges to determine who joins those who advanced. When the program brought in the format of using four judges, a tie-break on this vote results in the act with the higher number of public votes moving on. The Judges' vote was not a common format element in earlier seasons. In the first season, the judges did not decide on who moved on, instead voting for acts they liked or disliked. In the second season, they could not vote on acts at all, instead only being able to buzz them. Starting in the fourth season, a special performance will stop by sometime during the results show. Starting in Season 19, a “Golden Buzzer” which each judge is allowed to use the Golden Buzzer to send an act automatically into the finals.

For some acts that are eliminated, there is still a chance for advancement by being appointed as that round's "Wildcard". Until the tenth season, this format varied in how it would work. In some seasons, the judges could each individually select an act, or more than one, to move on to the next stage or compete within a special Wildcard round. In other seasons, the Wildcard acts were selected from among the auditions and competed in a special round. Since the tenth season, the format is more structured and works in a similar manner to that of the format used by Britain's Got Talent, in that the judges and the public can each chose the acts they want to see move on as a Wildcard act. Although the judges are refrained from choosing a quarter-finalist as a Wildcard act, the public may vote online for an act within each quarter-final and semi-final to move on into the next stage, with this vote aptly named after the sponsor for the show in that respective season. In Season 16 upwards, one act will move on to Instant Save vote to the finals.

Those who make it into the season's final compete against each other to secure the most votes from the public, with the number of finalists varying between seasons. Later seasons allow each finalist more than one performance and sometimes being joined by a celebrity guest, previous winner, or notable participant from a previous season. The winner that achieves the most votes is crowned the winner and receives a cash prize. Although stipulated as $1 million per the program's advertising, in reality winners can choose to either take it as a lump sum, or as a financial annuity of this amount that is paid out over forty years at around $25,000 per year. Both options are liable to taxation. Since Season 10, the winner will also perform on the first results show of the next season. From 2008, the program also includes an additional prize of headlining a show, except from between 2010 and 2013, where the winning finalist headlined a national tour. The show they headline mainly takes place within Las Vegas.

In the start to the fifteenth season, the winner and runner up will receive a brand new car.

Judges[]

Winners[]

Rating[]

Inventor[]

Simon Cowell - Based on a British pilot Got Talent

Studios[]

Music[]

Matt Vowles & Jason L. Mattia

Trivia[]

  • The sound effect that was used to indicate a buzzer during the show's original run was a passed spin used on Press Your Luck for the auditions in the first season when the first two judges were asked to press the buzzer.

Spin-Offs & Similar Shows[]

Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento - Spanish version of the show
American Idol
American Juniors
The X Factor
World Idol
America's Got Talent: The Champions
America's Got Talent: Extreme
America's Got Talent: All-Stars
America's Got Talent: Fantasy League

Link[]

Official Site

YouTube Videos[]

The Pendragons came to perform after a bad accident
LeAnn Rimes' Swingin' Beach Party

Duo Trancend[]

Performance Audition
Judges' Comments
Duo Transcend Defies Heights To Impress The AGT Judges

Bello Nock[]

Circus Performer Thrills From Towering Heights
Circus Daredevil Is Shot Out Of Cannon Over Helicopter
Comedic Daredevil Takes on Wheel of Death
Daredevil Daughter Takes On Dynamite Performance

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
Advertisement