‘AGT’ crowns a champion
Spoiler alert: Winner claims prize in finale.
Spoiler alert: This story includes the name of the winner and other details from Monday’s finale of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent: The Champions.”
“America’s Got Talent: The Champions” brought together 50 competitors from past seasons and editions around the world.
But in the end, the two competitors vying for the title were of recent and familiar vintage: the 2017 “AGT” champ, ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer, and last summer’s winner, sleight-of-hand artist Shin Lim.
After the field of 12 finalists was winnowed during the last 20 minutes of Monday’s two-hour, noncompetition finale, Lim claimed the trophy and the $25,000 winner’s prize.
“It was awesome and such a fun run,” Lim tells USA TODAY of his victory, which was punctuated by a fall to the ground when host Terry Crews announced his name.
Crews, who had an up-close spot for Lim’s winning routine in last week’s show, marvels at his skill.
“He’s incredible,” he says. “I was trying to catch what he was doing. I was watching cards disappear in his bare hands and I was like, ‘What in the world?’ You know it’s a trick, but he was fooling me every time.”
Although Lim is delighted with the result, the gracious champion is not certain the voters, a panel of superfans representing all 50 states, got it right.
“Darci Lynne deserved it. She can sing, she can do comedy, all with her mouth closed. That’s almost like me doing magic without my hands. … And she sang opera, for God’s sake,” he says. “Obviously, I’m thankful for (the superfans) voting me through and I couldn’t be happier.”
Other top finishers announced late in Monday’s show, which featured numerous exhibitions and creative groupings, include: sand artist Kseniya Simonova of “Ukraine’s Got Talent” in third place; singer Cristina Ramos of the Spanish version in fourth; and, rounding out the top five, comedian and Season 12 finalist Preacher Lawson.
Crews had some favorites. “I always have loved Preacher Lawson. I think he’s a superstar. I’m a big fan of Darci Lynne and my girl, Kseniya, (who I chose) with my golden buzzer,” he says. “They’ve proven they’re at the top of their game. There’s Susan Boyle, too, for goodness’ sakes.”
Lim, 27, who’s had to stay mum about his victory since the fall taping, almost didn’t compete in the special edition of NBC’s top-rated summer show because it was taped right after Season 13.
“They said they had this show called ‘Champions.’ I had just won ‘America’s Got Talent.’ I was like, ‘No, I’m good. I’ll take a break. I want to relax,’ ” he says. “But then I thought, ‘This is kind of crazy to have all the winners compete against each other. It’s like ‘The Hunger Games’ almost. I thought, ‘I’ll give it a shot. Who knows?’”
The downside was that he didn’t have time to develop new card tricks, but that didn’t hold him back. His performance in last week’s finals competition was a variation of The Dream Act, a mesmerizing routine viewers may remember from Season 13’s semifinals.
“I guess they really liked it, with the twist at the end when the (cards) appeared in (judge Howie Mandel’s) cup,” Lim says.
Lim, who was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and grew up in Massachusetts, started piano training at 9 and didn’t begin doing card tricks until he was 16, a late start for a professional. He studied piano in college, but carpal tunnel syndrome eventually forced him to decide between the two pursuits.
“I was practicing too much, music and then sleight of hand. All this rigorous training with my fingers was too much for my wrist to handle. The tendons got too inflamed,” says Lim, who takes a break after two hours of practice.
Lim gives much of the credit for his “AGT” success to his fiancee, Casey
Thomas.
“She helped me emotionally through the whole thing, because it’s a pretty stressful experience,” he said.
Thomas, a dancer who was working with another magician when the couple began dating, provided technical expertise, too.
“She helped me in so many different ways, like camera angles, helping me block my acts, coming up with ideas to improve the act. She has a lot of creative solutions,” Lim says.
The sleight-of-hand artist, a term he prefers over magician, had achieved professional success before “AGT,” winning an international card-trick title in 2015 and appearing twice on CW’s “Penn & Teller: Fool Us.” But winning “AGT” brought a new level of visibility.
“Penn & Teller” “got me notoriety among magicians and hardcore nerds that watch magic, but never the lay public. Winning (”AGT”) changed everything,” he says, leading to “way more gigs” and a semi-residency that begins in May at ventriloquist and Season 2 champ Terry Fator’s theater at The Mirage in Las Vegas.
He’ll also be touring, but will have to take a break for another important event in a busy year: his August wedding to Thomas in Hawaii.