‘America’s Got Talent’ finale recap: 11 acts perform for America’s votes [LIVE BLOG]
We’re just one day away from finding out who won the “America’s Got Talent” season 18 finale. As in the past, this year’s champion will take home a $1 million cash prize and be able to showcase their talent as a headlining act in Las Vegas. Tuesday’s live two-hour show on NBC will feature encore performances from 11 acts that won over “AGT” judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofía Vergara during their auditions earlier this summer and then made it through the qualifiers too.
The 11 finalists competing on Tuesday for America’s votes are: singer Lavender Darcangelo, dog act Adrian Stoica and Hurricane, synchronized dance group Murmuration, comedian Ahren Belisle, chorale group Mzansi Youth Choir, singer Putri Ariani, shadow dance group Chibi Unity, magician Anna DeGuzman, chorale group 82nd Airborne Chorus, acrobatic duo Ramadhani Brothers and wildcard dance group Avantgardey.
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Follow along with our season 18 episode 22 recap live blog of the performances and the judges’ critiques for “America’s Got Talent” Final below:
9:02 p.m. – The opening act for finale night was Adrian Stoica and Hurricane with a performance they were dedicating to Hurricane’s mentor who passed away 10 days after their semi-final routine. In tonight’s story, Adrian and Hurricane went back in time for a retro show business themed “get ready with me” moment that included an invitation for Sofia to join them on stage. Howie called it “amazing,” Heidi called Hurricane “the smartest dog,” Sofia offered to be their assistant any time, and Simon called their act “incredible” because they didn’t hold anything back and it felt like Hurricane was acting.
9:13 p.m. – The first of five Golden Buzzer acts to perform was Mzansi Youth Choir who were the first ever act to receive that prize from the audience themselves. For their final song, they created a choral arrangement of the Coldplay and BTS track “My Universe.” Heidi was on her feet for the group because of how much happiness they bring to the competition, Sofia thought it was “the perfect song” choice, Simon thinks they’re representing their country really well and tap into the lyric appropriately, and Howie called them one of his “favorite choirs in AGT history” despite it not being his favorite of their three performances.
9:24 p.m. – Up next was Avantgardey, the dance troupe that advanced to the finale as the wild card act that earned the 11th spot with the instant save vote. Staying true to their unique sense of abstract dance, the women from Japan took on ABBA’s “Money, Money, Money” tonight. Howie said they were worth his save because they delivered their best performance to date. Sofia called them “weird and funny” at the same time. Simon agreed with Howie that they “saved the best for the last” performance of the competition. Heidi called it “superb” and thanked them for “always brining the wow.”
9:33 p.m. – With two performances under her belt, Lavender Darcangelo had confidence as she went in to her finale rendition of “You Will Be Found” from “Dear Evan Hansen.” Heidi told Lavender that she’s so proud of her and Simon said it felt like he was in a movie and Lavender was signing “the big song to get through.” Howie added that Lavender represents more to the show than just her talent and Sofia called her “amazing.”
9:44 p.m. – Chibi Unity managed to get through the semi-finals down one member who suffered an injury in the first round, so their finale performance was about capitalizing on the opportunity to realize their dream without holding anything back. Simon reminded everyone that he’s never been a big fan of dance groups, but because of groups like Chibi Unity he’s changed his tune about them. He called their performance the “best of the night so far.” Heidi acknowledged that they “take a lot of risks” and it’s nice to see the end result of so much of their rehearsals. Sofia agreed that their performances are about “hard work, passion and fun.” Howie called it “mediocre at best” because he didn’t find it as amazing as the other judges.
9:55 p.m. – The 82nd Airborne Chorus represent all 50 states of the country with members joining from each. Their hope as a group is to do the country proud as well as their comrades past, present and future. Tonight they sang the indie rock song “Brother” by NEEDTOBREATHE. Heidi thanked the group for giving their best performance of the competition and Sofia agreed that their “voices are getting better and better.” Simon thought the song they chose was an emotional choice that paid off and thinks they had a moment.
10:04 p.m. – As the first ever female close up magician to make the “AGT” finale, Anna DeGuzman has already made history. Because she is the only magician left in the competition, Anna knew she had to do something special for her final performance. In her routine, she had each of the four judges select one card from a full deck and place it in an envelope. After randomly selecting a group of cards between her and Terry, Anna also managed to match card for card with him, excluding one last card that only he had which was the Queen of Hearts that was also the card inside all of the envelopes with the judges and the audience members (except Sofia who seems to have flubbed the trick in her envelope). Sofia told her that she’s proud of her making the final as a woman, Simon and Howie were impressed with the trick, and Heidi thinks she “packed a punch” with the routine.
10:18 p.m. – Hoping to make history himself, Ahren Belisle has the chance to become the first ever comedian to win the show. For his final set, Ahren took some jabs at the frontrunners Murmuration by attempting “French hand dancing” of his own. He then turned his focus to dating and the nuances of existing in social settings with a disability. Howie liked that Ahren “got edgy,” Simon said that he’s “so edgy and so funny,” Heidi called it a “privilege” to watch his journey through the competition, and Sofia sees Ahren as a “delight” that has taught them a lot.
10:31 p.m. – Simon’s Golden Buzzer act Putri Ariani knew that choosing the right song would be the key to securing a win in the finale. For her chance at the prize, Putri picked “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by Elton John which she performed on the piano and alongside a backing choir. Simon called Putri a “rare diamond” that they find through the show, Howie said that she’s “hit it out of the park” in every round of the competition, and Heidi referred to it as a “moving performance.”
10:41 p.m. – After delivering one of the most daring acts in “AGT” history in the semi-finals, the Ramadhani Brothers realized that they’d have to go bigger in order to prove to America that they are worthy of being a “million dollar act.” To do so, they showed tricks we hadn’t seen them do before and then repeated the headstand walks up ladders and over a bridge obstacle more dangerous than the ones in prior performances. In their final trick, one brother lifted the other in a balanced head stand using a spacer pole between their heads for the first time on the show and then descended a flight of stairs. Heidi called their act “unbelievable” and thinks they should win, Sofia said it’s “been a treat” having them on the show, and Simon admitted that he’s no longer sure he knows who will win or if they’ll win instead.
10:52 p.m. – In the final spot of the night, Howie’s Golden Buzzer Murmuration described their art as mimicking a flock of birds that move in unison and waves. Tonight they incorporated more than just their arms and hands, using their jackets as props and then their legs in white tights as additional limbs to synchronize across the risers they were set up on. In their final move, they had the leader step in front of the judges’ panel and the camera turned around to display the entire audience joining in on their dance moves. Simon was mindblown and said that they’ll be the act they point to in the future as “perfection.” Howie called it the best performance of the season “from any act” and that they bring a message of unity that is important. Heidi called them “fantastic” despite liking their semi-finals performance more and Sofia called them “breathtaking.”
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