EVERY ACT HAS A STORY IN ‘TALENT’ FINALE
The winner of the country’s most-popular talent show will be named Wednesday (8 ET/PT). So, who will take the America’s Got Talent crown?
A feel-good act, for sure. The 10 finalists — five distinctive singers and five other unique performers — have created a welcome, joyful diversion for 15.8 million viewers a week. In fact this 12th
season of NBC’s summer hit is the mostwatched yet, up 14% from last year. So what do you need to know about the vocalists, dog trainer, ventriloquist and dancers vying for the $1 million prize and Vegas headlining show? USA TODAY’s
Carly Mallenbaum has the breakdown.
ANGELICA HALE, 10
Hometown: Atlanta Talent: She’s a pint-size Golden Buzzer winner with a voice that “shouldn’t actually” be so powerful, judge Simon Cowell said.
Hale, who just became a big sister, has sung challenging covers including David Guetta and Usher’s Without You and Alicia Keys’ Girl On Fire.
DARCI LYNNE FARMER, 12
Hometown: Oklahoma City Talent: She’s a ventriloquist who makes her puppets sing, and even flirt with Judge Mel B, who gave Farmer the Golden Buzzer.
Videos of Farmer’s acts have garnered millions of views online. Her audition is the most popular AGT video of the season.
SARA CARSON, 22, AND HERO, 5
Hometown: Toronto Talent: Carson, a dog trainer who travels North America with her dogs, staged a sword fight, lifeguard rescue and burglary scene with her furry co-star, Hero.
Carson’s act only made it past the auditions after Cowell convinced the other judges to vote her through.
CHASE GOEHRING, 21
Hometown: Nolensville, Tenn. Talent: He’s the singer/songwriter who got the Golden Buzzer from guest judge DJ Khaled. “We gotta work together,” Khaled told him.
Goehring has showcased his guitar skills, clever rhymes and fast-talking style with his original songs.
PREACHER LAWSON, 25
Hometown: Orlando Talent: He’s a stand-up comic with an animated, high-energy style.
Lawson, who has dealt with homelessness, delivers jokes on dating, smartphones, his motorcycle and even host Tyra Banks, who once came onstage with duct tape to seal his mouth shut.
DIAVOLO
Hometown: Los Angeles Talent: A dance troupe that its founder, French choreographer Jacques Heim, describes as “Architecture in Motion.”
The group of twenty- and thirtysomethings tumble, leap and dance in and around enormous set pieces. Heidi Klum described their performance as a “million-dollar act.”
MANDY HARVEY, 29
Hometown: St Cloud, Fla. Talent: She performs jazzy, pitch-perfect original songs despite a disability: She’s been deaf since age 18.
Cowell gave Harvey his Golden Buzzer, and said, “I’ve done this a long time. That’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen and heard.”
KECHI OKWUCHI, 27
Hometown: Nigeria, but lives in Houston
Talent: She’s a soulful singer who guest judge Seal said showed “strength through vulnerability.”
Okwuchi was one of two survivors of a 2005 plane crash. She turned to music as she recovered from burns and other injuries.
EVIE CLAIR, 13
Hometown: Florence, Ariz. Talent: She sings moving ballads, and sometimes accompanies herself on the piano. Judge Howie Mandel said Clair sounds “like an angel singing to her daddy.”
Clair dedicated each of her performances to her ailing father, who died from colon cancer this month.
LIGHT BALANCE
Hometown: Dnipro City, Ukraine
Talent: The choreographed dance group performs in outfits equipped with neon and LED lights synced to music on an otherwise pitch-black stage.
Banks gave her Golden Buzzer to this group, which uses light to create the illusions of a car, hoverboard and disembodied legs.