America's Got Talent

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America's Got Talent
Format Reality talent show
Created by Simon Cowell
Ken Warwick
Cécile Frot-Coutaz
Jason Raff
Presented by Regis Philbin (2006)
Jerry Springer (2007-2008)
Nick Cannon (2009–present)
Judges Brandy Norwood (2006)
David Hasselhoff (2006–present)
Piers Morgan (2006–present)
Sharon Osbourne (2007–present)
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 52
Production
Executive producer(s) Simon Cowell
Ken Warwick
Jason Raff
Running time Varies
Production company(s) FremantleMedia North America
SYCOtv
Distributor FremantleMedia Enterprises
Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Picture format 480i (NTSC),
1080i (HDTV) (since 2009)
Original run June 21, 2006 – present

America's Got Talent 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. Starting in the third season, the Talent top prize included US$1 million, payable in a financial annuity over forty years (or the present cash value of such annuity), and a show as the headliner on the Las Vegas Strip.

The show concept can be traced back to the American talent contest Major Bowes Amateur Hour, broadcast in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s. Among its significant features were that it gave an opportunity to talented amateurs or unknown performers, with the results decided by an audience vote. The format is a popular one and has often been reworked for television in the United States and the United Kingdom.

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 [1] 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 Simon Cowell does not appear as a judge. This is due to the conditions of his American Idol contract. However he does appear as a judge on Britain's Got Talent. America's Got Talent began airing season one in the United Kingdom on ITV2 on 22 June 2007, TV3 Ireland on July 2007 and in New Zealand on Prime Television on 9 July 2007. The third season of Talent premiered on ITV2 beginning June 4, 2009.[2]

Contents

[edit] Selection process

[edit] Season 1 process

For the audition round, each of the three judges has a button in front of them that they can press when they do not want the act to continue; the button rings an electronic bell (the same one heard for passed spins on Press Your Luck) and a large red X with the judge's name lights up over the stage. A louder buzzer (the same one heard for "strikes" on Family Feud) indicates the third judge's button was pressed, and the contestant's performance is terminated. Then, the judges deliberate over the act and decide whether they pass over to the live semifinals. In the semifinals, the judges have X's and checks. Acts are divided into 4 groups of either 14 or 15, and only 10 of those acts in the group perform. They do not have the power to terminate an act in the middle of his/her performance. At the end of the performance, the judges give the act a check for approval, and an X if they did not like the act. At the end of the episode, the judges would pick an act and automatically move them through to the live finale. Then, the viewers at home would vote another act through to the finale, and that act would be announced in a live results show the next day. There was also a fifth wild card episode, where the judges picked ten acts who were previously eliminated and give them one more chance to perform. In the finale, there is no judges' choice, and the voting is entirely handed over to the viewers.

[edit] Season 2 process

The audition process for the second season is very similar to that of the first, except that only a buzzer sounds when the X is pressed. When all the judges X's have been pressed, a lonely blue spotlight centers on the act, indicating they've been struck out. Unlike the previous season, the acts who pass the auditions then attend a Las Vegas bootcamp, where they have a chance to perfect their craft. At this point, acts are divided into 2 groups, music, and variety. The music acts consist of singers and instrument players. The variety group consists of other acts. The music acts performs first, followed by the variety acts. Each act will perform for 3 minutes, and their performance will not be terminated, as the judges have no buttons to press. After each group has finished, the judges will split the groups into lines, either a yes line, or a no line. The ones who the judges said yes to will go to the short list of 35 acts. The acts which the judges have said no to will go home. After that, the judges will cut the short list of 35 to 20 final acts.

In the semifinal episodes, the 20 acts will be first split into 2 groups of 10. America will vote and eliminate 5 out of the first group, then 5 out of the second. The remaining 10 will perform head to head in the next round, where the field will be narrowed each week until there are four, which the viewing audience at home votes on. In the second season, the judges may terminate a performance any time they want with an X. The checks are eliminated from the game and the judges may only have comments. There is no judges' choice in this season, as the voting is entirely handed over to the viewers.

[edit] Season 3 process

Season 3 is similar to Season 2 in the audition process, except that the auditions are held in large theaters across the nation, there are three more audition episodes, and two more audition sites. The Las Vegas bootcamp continues, but they are divided into more groups, such as ventriloquists, impersonators, male singers, female singers, opera, instrumental music, bands, and other variety acts. There are forty acts that pass through, instead of twenty. The semifinal process consists of shows on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Ten of the top forty acts perform each of the two nights for two weeks. Four are eliminated each week by public vote. However, the contestants that come in fifth and sixth place must face the judges' decision. The panel will eliminate the act they wish not to put through. Afterward, the Top 20 is formed from the Top 40.

Following the Top 20, the American viewing audience will eliminate ten acts from this group, creating a Top 10. The Top 10 then perform and a Top 5 is formed after the American viewing audience votes. Afterward, The Top Five perform and a finale episode concludes the season the next week. In Season 3, when all three judges pressed their X's to terminate a performance in the semifinals, the act is allowed to continue, but must end it early.

[edit] Season 4 process

The selection and elimination process is still yet to be determined, as the Las Vegas round has not been aired yet.

[edit] Season 1

Main article: America's Got Talent (season 1)

In June 2006, NBC announced the new show. The audition tour took place in June. Auditions were held in the following locations: Los Angeles, California, New York City, New York, Chicago, Illinois, and Atlanta, Georgia. Some early ads for the show implied that the winning act would also headline a show at a casino, possibly in Las Vegas; however, this was replaced with $1,000,000 due to concerns of minors playing in Las Vegas, should one become a champion. More than 12 million viewers watched the season premiere (which is more than American Idol got during its premiere back in 2002). The two-hour broadcast was the night's most-watched program on U.S. television and the highest-rated among viewers aged 18 to 49 (the prime-time audience that matters most to advertisers), Nielsen Media Research reported.[3]. On the season finale, there was an unaired segment that was scheduled to appear after Aly and AJ. The segment featured Tom Green dressing in a parrot costume, and squawking with a live parrot, to communicate telepathically. Green then proceeded to fly up above the audience, shooting confetti streamers out of his costume onto the crowd below.

In season one, the show was hosted by Regis Philbin and judged by actor David Hasselhoff, singer Brandy, and journalist Piers Morgan.

[edit] Winner

  • Bianca Ryan (Viewers' choice, November 4): An 11-year-old singer.

[edit] Other finalists

[edit] Top Three

The runners-up each won a Dodge Caliber.

  • The Millers (Judges' choice, September 23): A musical group consisting of two brothers. Cole, age 20, plays guitar, and L.D., age 12, plays harmonica.
  • All That (Judges' choice, December 23): A clogging ensemble.

[edit] Top Five

  • Taylor Ware (Viewers' choice, September 30): An 11-year-old yodeler
  • Celtic Spring (Viewers' choice, December 2): A family Irish step dancing/fiddling act.

[edit] Finalists

  • Realis (Judges' choice, October 21): An acrobatics mixed pair performing hand-to-hand balancing and releases.
  • At Last (Viewers' choice, October 21): An a cappella act, performing R&B songs with a hip hop beat.
  • Rappin' Granny (real name: Vivian Smallwood) (Judges' choice, November 4): A 73 year old rapper.
  • The Passing Zone (Judges' choice, August 2): A comedy/juggling act.
  • Quick Change (Viewers' choice, Deceber 2): Clothes-changing magic act.

[edit] Season 1 Elimination Chart

In the final round, the judges were still allowed to judge, but only the audience can decide the winners. Italics indicate that the act received three checks from the judges.

Season 1 Finals
Contestant Chosen by Celebrity coach Result
(August 17, 2006)
1. At Last Viewers (Semi-finals part 2) Chaka Khan Bottom 5
2. David & Dania - Quick Change Viewers (Wild Card) Steve Valentine Bottom 5
3. Rappin' Granny Judges (Semi-finals part 3) Master P Bottom 5
4. Bianca Ryan Viewers (Semi-finals part 3) Yolanda Adams Winner
5. All That Judges (Wild Card) Dave Scott (R&B choreographer) Top 3 (runner-up)
6. Taylor Ware Viewers (Semi-finals part 1) Tom McBryde (country music arranger) Top 5
7. Jon & Owen - The Passing Zone Judges (Semi-finals part 4) Penn & Teller Bottom 5
8. Celtic Spring Viewers (Semi-finals part 4) Tara Barry (Riverdance lead dancer) Top 5
9. Realis Judges (Semi-finals part 2) Gene Lubas (Cirque du Soleil choreographer) Bottom 5
10. The Millers Judges (Semi-finals part 1) John Popper Top 3 (runner-up)

[edit] Season 2

Main article: America's Got Talent (season 2)

After initially announcing in May 2006 that the second season of America's Got Talent would debut in January 2007 at 8 PM on Sunday nights, with no separate results show, the network has changed its mind and pushed the show back to the summer, where the first season had great success. This move will keep the show out of direct competition with American Idol, which has a similar premise and is more popular. In AGT's place, another reality-based talent show, Grease: You're The One That I Want, began airing on Sunday nights in the same timeslot on NBC beginning in January.[4] In March 2007, NBC announced that Philbin would not return as host of the show, and that Jerry Springer would succeed him as host,[5] with Sharon Osbourne (formerly a judge on Cowell's UK show The X Factor) succeeding Brandy as a judge. This means the show, ironically, has two British judges and one American one.

The second season has no results show, replaced by results on the performance show night instead; in addition, each Tuesday broadcast was repeated (along with The Singing Bee episode that followed the 90-minute editions of AGT) by NBC the following Saturday.

The finale of the season was shown Tuesday, August 21, 2007, and the results are shown below:

[edit] Winner

[edit] Other finalists

[edit] Final Four

[edit] Final Eight

  • Jason Pritchett - singer/guitar player from Independence, Missouri. Top 8 contestant.
  • The Glamazons - group of plus-sized female burlesque singers. Top 8 contestant.
  • Robert Hatcher - singer from Cincinnati, Ohio. Top 8 contestant.
  • Sideswipe - Martial Arts group; made an appearance in Season 1. Top 8 contestant.

[edit] Top Ten

  • The Calypso Tumblers - tumbling act. Top 10 contestant.
  • The Duttons - family band. Top 10 contestant.

[edit] Season 3

Main article: America's Got Talent (season 3)

NBC announced in August 2007 that the network had renewed the show for a third season. Auditions took place in Charlotte, Nashville, Orlando, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago from January to April. A televised MySpace audition also took place. Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan and David Hasselhoff returned as judges. Jerry Springer also returned as host. The show premiered on June 17, 2008.

Unlike Season 2, Talent became a substantially larger reality competition in Season 3, with seven weeks of auditions, compared to the four weeks of auditions in the previous seasons. Also, the auditions are held in well-known theaters across the nation, unlike the previous year. A substantial change is the new title card, which features the American flag as background. The X's match the ones on Britain's Got Talent as does the judges table. Like the previous season, the Las Vegas callbacks continued, but there were forty acts selected to compete in the live rounds, instead of twenty. Another difference from the previous season included separate results show episodes.

The show took a hiatus for two and a half weeks for the 2008 Summer Olympics, but returned with the live rounds August 26, 2008.

[edit] Winner

[edit] Other Finalists

[edit] Final Five

  • Eli Mattson- A pianist and singer. Finished in second place.
  • Nuttin' But Stringz - A hip-hop classical fusion act. Finished in third place.
  • Donald Braswell - An opera singer. Won wild card. Finished in fourth place.
  • Queen Emily - A soul singer. Finished in fifth place.

[edit] Top 10 Contestants

  • Paul Salos - A Frank Sinatra impersonator
  • Kaitlyn Maher - A four year old singer
  • The Wright Kids - A bluegrass group consisting of three children
  • Jessica Price - A pop/folk singer
  • Joseph Hall - A 'young' elvis impersonator

[edit] Las Vegas Wildcard

A member of the Russian Bar Trio, one of the top forty final acts, was injured, resulting in the withdrawal of the act from the competition. The judges selected eight acts that the American viewing public decided on at NBC.com. The winner of the Wildcard was Donald Braswell II.

[edit] Season 3 Elimination Chart

Legend
Winner Runner-Up Eliminated Judge's Choice
Stage: Top 20 Top 10 Finals
Week: 9/11 9/18 10/1
Place Contestant Result
1 Neal E. Boyd SAFE SAFE WINNER
2 Eli Mattson SAFE SAFE RUNNER-UP
3 Nuttin' But Stringz SAFE SAFE ELIM
4 Donald Braswell II SAFE SAFE ELIM
5 Queen Emily SAFE SAFE ELIM
6-10 Jessica Price JC ELIM
Paul Salos SAFE ELIM
Kaitlyn Maher SAFE ELIM
Joseph Hall JC ELIM
The Wright Kids SAFE ELIM
11-20 Jonathan Burkin ELIM JC
Tapping Dads ELIM
Sarah Lenore ELIM
The Taubl Family ELIM
SickStep ELIM
Extreme Dance FX ELIM
The Cadence ELIM
The James Gang ELIM
Daniel Jens ELIM JC
ZOOperstars! ELIM


[edit] Season 4

Main article: America's Got Talent (season 4)

NBC has announced that America's Got Talent has been renewed for a fourth season. Auditions this year will be held in more than 9 major cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Seattle/ Tacoma, Boston and Houston. Los Angeles Auditions kicked off the tour January 29-31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, followed by Atlanta auditions February 7-8. New York and Miami auditions were held during March. Tacoma auditions are held April 25 and 26. In addition to live auditions and the ability to send in a home audition tape, Season 4 offers the opportunity for acts to upload their video direct at NBC.com/agt with their registration. This year's host will be Nick Cannon, who replaces Jerry Springer. Springer says he cannot host due to other commitments.[6] All Season 3 judges have announced they are returning for the fourth season.[7] The fourth season premiered on Tuesday, June 23.

[edit] Season 5

NBC has announced that the show has been renewed for a fifth season, which will air in the summer of 2010.

[edit] Ratings

The performance shows are rated TV-14 and the results shows are rated TV-PG.

Ever since the show first aired in 2006, its ratings have outpaced every other broadcast of the night, and occasionally, of the week. Regular TV audiences often total an average of 10 million a night, giving NBC an average 6.0/10 rating every Tuesday, higher than that of CBS, ABC, and Fox. Total ratings have exceeded by over one million viewers those of Fox's hit reality show, So You Think You Can Dance, which airs on Wednesday. In 2007, the show was the summer's most watched TV program, averaging 12.0 million viewers per night on its second season[citation needed].

In the third season of Talent, average viewers rose to over 13 million, and its rating to around a 7.9/13, Nielsen Media Research reported, again making it the number one show for summer of 2008. The highest rated episode of the third season (to date) was the Myspace auditions with 8.1/13 and 13.85 million viewers. However, the finale drew only 12.55 million viewers, dropping it below Criminal Minds (with 14.5 million viewers that night) and CSI: NY (at 14.67 million viewers).[8]

In the summer of 2009, ratings for Talent were #1 in both overall viewers and the 18-49 key demographic, making it the number one show for the summer season of that year.

[edit] International versions

Further information: Got Talent series

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Trade marks - find by number
  2. ^ America's Got Talent S3 Ep1
  3. ^ Reuters
  4. ^ NBC’s mid-season 2006–07 schedule
  5. ^ Popular Television Talk-Show Host Jerry Springer Named Host of NBC's 'America'S Got Talent'
  6. ^ http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b99189_nick_cannons_got_talent.html?sid=rss_topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories
  7. ^ http://blogs.tampabay.com/media/2009/02/nick-cannon-rep.html
  8. ^ http://www.tvguide.com/news/Ratings-CBS-NBC-19371.aspx

[edit] External links

v • d • e
America's Got Talent
Seasons
1 · 2 · 3 · 4
Hosts
Judges
Winners
Runners-up
Other alumni
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America%27s_Got_Talent"
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