America's Got Talent: The Champions
America's Got Talent: The Champions is a spin-off of America's Got Talent, a televised American talent show competition, created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle for the NBC television network, and first premiered on January 7, 2019. The program functions similar to AGT, but involves a variety of participants taken from across both AGT and the Got Talent franchise – including winners, finalists, live round participants and other notable entries – who compete against each other to secure a place in a grand final, in which the winner receives a cash prize and the title of America's chosen "World Champion" within Got Talent.
The spin-off is hosted by Terry Crews, who is joined by a panel of judges – at present, the panel consists of America's Got Talent judges, Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, and Howie Mandel, and Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon. Unlike the standard format for any edition of Got Talent, The Champions contest is not held live – votes for the best act are conducted under a different voting system, and episodes are pre-recorded and aired a few months after the competition has ended. Following the first season, NBC renewed the spin-off for a second season that premiered on January 6, 2020.
History
In May 2018, executive producer and Got Talent creator Simon Cowell met with executives of NBC to propose the idea of a spin-off competition for the franchise. Cowell had conceived of the idea for a global competition, based on the talent that the franchise had produced across the years from its various international editions, including the American original, and suggested that the competition incorporate some of the most memorable and notable participants from across Got Talents history competing against each other within a venue in the United States, where the franchise originated from. Executives favored the idea greatly, due to the success of America's Got Talent, and opened discussions on the format of the broadcast for the spin-off, which they agreed to have the subtitle of "The Champions". The decision was for the contest to be held between September and October that year, but with the program pre-recorded – filming would take place throughout the competition, and episodes of all stages would be edited before their broadcast as part of the network's 2018/2019 winter schedule, thus ensuring those involved in the spin-off, both host and judges, would not have any conflicting work schedules to prevent their participation on The Champions. The new spin-off soon gained approval for production, and its creation was announced on May 12, 2018.As part of the new production, Cowell decided that, alongside himself, the judges from America's Got Talents thirteenth season would be involved in the spin-off competition – Mel B was the first to announce her involvement on July 27, with Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel revealed a month later. However, the main program's host Tyra Banks could not be involved in the spin-off; media outlets had begun speculating that her upcoming work schedule after the thirteenth season would likely lead to her leaving America's Got Talent, which later proved correct in the following months. Instead, Cowell and the producers sought another television personality to take on the role, and choose actor Terry Crews to be the host of The Champions.
The program proved popular following its broadcast, with NBC later commissioning The Champions for a second season. On September 26, 2019, Crews Cowell, Mandel and Klum were revealed as returning for the new season, with singer and Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon replacing Mel B, after she had left America's Got Talent prior to the fourteenth season.
Format
Unlike the format and operations of the main competition of America's Got Talent, including the main rounds being aired live for each season, The Champions operates on a different arrangement. Participants for the competition are chosen by production staff and researchers from those who are most notable within the history of AGT and the Got Talent franchise altogether – those selected with an invite to participate in the contest range from winners, runner-ups and finalists, to the best and most notable acts in the franchise. Once all places are confirmed as filled – each participant must confirm that they are eligible for participation without anything likely to obstruct their involvement – work begins on the competition itself, though unlike the main program, the competition's individual stages are filmed, before being edited by the production staff for broadcast at a later date. Filming of the competition takes place once the first preliminary is ready to be conducted.The contest is held within a fixed venue, with all the participants divided into five groups of ten performers, with each group instructed to be at the venue on a specific date to begin their part in the competition in a preliminary round. The preliminary round functions on a mix of formats and arrangements for judges' audition and live rounds, in that each participant is held within a waiting area, from where they can watch the performance of those before and after them, before being called out to the venue's main stage to conduct a new performance for the competition; a montage sequence, consisting of their background and performance in the respective edition of Got Talent, is crafted by production staff, who edit it into the episode of the preliminary round they are performing in. As with the main program, the judges provide feedback on a performance once it is completed, and can use buzzers to denote an act that they do not find interesting, effectively stopping a performance when all buzzers are used. The host remains in the wings, and is filmed at times to provide commentary on the participant's performance for the episode covering the round. Once all participants in a round have completed their performance, an off-stage vote is conducted with a panel of 50 voters, dubbed the "Superfan" panel, who determine which of the ten secures a place in the next stage. Alongside the vote, participants may also advance through receiving a Golden Buzzer from one of the judges or the host, though while the rule for its use remain applicable in the competition, it was amended for The Champions with a condition – one Golden Buzzer can be used in each preliminary round; if three of the judges and the host haven't used it in a round, and the host should use it, then the judges yet to use it must wait for the next round to do so. A Wild Card may also be chosen by the judges for the final, once all preliminaries are completed, from any participant eliminated in these rounds. In the finals, the Superfan panel ultimately decide who reach the grand-final, and which of the grand-finalists wins the competition.
In the first season, the competition's rules allowed for around fifty participants to compete in The Champions. The format of the program was set around a series of preliminaries, in which a "Superfan" vote, made by a select panel of voters, and the Golden Buzzer, determined who moved on to the next stage; a WildCard vote by the judges also allowed through one more participant for the next stage. The remainder of the contest was then divided between a final, and a grand-final. By the second season, the format was changed. The number of participants was reduced to forty, with the rules of the competition modified so that each preliminary would see around three acts being advanced into a Semi-finals round – two from the Superfan Vote, and the third voted for by the judges amongst the acts placed in 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively – with those reaching the semi-final competing for six places in the Grand-final, alongside those who had advanced into it with the Golden Buzzer.
Episodes
Series overview
Season 1 (2019)
Season 2 (2020)
Season 1
Contest overview
Around 50 participants from across the Got Talent franchise, ranging from winners, live round participants – both quarter-finalists and semi-finalists – and other notable acts, participated during The Champions contest in 2019, with each of the contest's preliminaries featuring around 10 participants and around 12 of these securing a place within the finals – five from Golden Buzzers, five from public votes, and two chosen as Wildcards. The following table lists each participants that took part, their history in the Got Talent franchise – the respective international version and season they appeared in, and the result of their corresponding performance in each – and their overall result in the contest:| Got Talent History Key | AGT — America's Got Talent | AuGT — Australia's Got Talent | BGT — Britain's Got Talent | BeGT — Belgium's Got Talent | ČSMT — Česko Slovensko má talent | DHT — Danmark Har Talent | DS — Das Supertalent |
| Got Talent History Key | FIT — La France a un incroyable talent | GTE — Got Talent España | HGT — Holland's Got Talent | IGT — Italia's Got Talent | MS — Minuta slavy | SAGT — South Africa's Got Talent | UMT — Ukrayina maye talant |
| Got Talent History Key | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Got Talent History Key | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Got Talent History Key | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Participant | Act | Got Talent history | Preliminary | Results |
| Alex Magala | Sword Swallower | AGT: S8 – Quarter-finalist ; IGT: S5 – Finalist ; MS: S8 – Winner ; UMT: S6 – Semi-finalist ; FIT: S9 – Participant ; BGT: S10 – Finalist ; ČSMT: S6 – Semi-finalist | 1 | |
| Angelica Hale | Singer | AGT: S12 – Runner-up | 3 | ' |
| Ashleigh & Sully | Dancing Dog Act | BGT: S6 – Winner | 2 | |
| Attraction | Shadow Theatre Group | DS: S6 – Semi-finalist ; BGT: S7 – Winner | 5 | |
| Bianca Ryan | Singer | AGT: S1 – Winner | 1 | |
| Billy & Emily England | Extreme Rollerskating Duo | BGT: S9 – Semi-finalist ; AGT: S12 – Semi-finalist | 3 | |
| Brian Justin Crum | Singer | AGT: S11 – Grand-finalist | 4 | ' |
| Colin Cloud | Mentalist | BGT: S6 – Participant ; AGT: S12 – Semi-finalist | 5 | |
| Cosentino | Escape Artist & Illusionist | AuGT: S5 – Runner-up | 5 | |
| Courtney Hadwin | Singer | AGT: S13 – Finalist | 2 | |
| Cristina Ramos | Opera & Rock Singer | GTE: S1 – Winner | 2 | ' |
| Darci Lynne | Singing Ventriloquist | AGT: S12 – Winner | 2 | ' |
| Darcy Oake | Illusionist | BGT: S8 – Finalist | 3 | |
| DDF Crew | Jump Rope Dance Crew | HGT: S5 – Winner ; BeGT: S4 – Semi-finalist | 2 | |
| Deadly Games | Extreme Knife Throwers | AGT: S11 – Semi-finalist ; FIT: S12 – Semi-Finalist | 2 | ' |
| DJ Arch Jnr | DJ | SAGT: S6 – Winner | 3 | |
| Drew Lynch | Comedian | AGT: S10 – Runner-up | 4 | |
| Issy Simpson | Magician | BGT: S11 – Runner-up | 4 | |
| Jackie Evancho | Singer | AGT: S5 – Runner-up | 5 | |
| Jon Dorenbos | Magician | AGT: S11 – Third place | 3 | ' |
| Justice Crew | Dance Troupe | AuGT: S4 – Winner | 1 | |
| Kechi Okwuchi | Singer | AGT: S12 – Finalist | 4 | ' |
| Kenichi Ebina | Dancer | AGT: S8 – Winner | 4 | |
| Kseniya Simonova | Sand Artist | UMT: S1 – Winner | 5 | ' |
| Light Balance | Electronic Dance Troupe | BGT: S8 – Semi-finalist ; AGT: S12 – 3rd Place | 2 | |
| Lost Voice Guy | Comedian | BGT: S12 – Winner | 5 | |
| Moonlight Brothers | Dance Duo | DHT: S4 – Winner | 4 | |
| Paul Potts | Opera Singer | BGT: S1 – Winner | 3 | ' |
| Paul Zerdin | Ventriloquist | AGT: S10 – Winner | 4 | |
| Piff the Magic Dragon | Comic Magician | AGT: S10 – Finalist | 2 | |
| Preacher Lawson | Comedian | AGT: S12 – Finalist | 1 | ' |
| Prince Poppycock | Opera Singer | AGT: S5 – Grand-finalist | 3 | |
| Ryan Stock & AmberLynn | Sideshow Duo | AGT: S11 – Quarter-finalist | 3 | |
| Sal Valentinetti | Singer | AGT: S11 – Grand-finalist | 5 | |
| Samuel J. Comroe | Comedian | AGT: S13 – Grand-finalist | 3 | |
| Sara & Hero | Dog Tricks Act | AGT: S12 – Grand-finalist | 1 | |
| Shin Lim | Card Magician | AGT: S13 – Winner | 5 | ' |
| Sofie Dossi | Aerialist Contortionist | AGT: S11 – Finalist | 1 | |
| Sons of Serendip | Band | AGT: S9 – Grand-finalist | 5 | |
| Susan Boyle | Singer | BGT: S3 – Runner-up | 1 | ' |
| Tape Face | Mime | AGT: S11 – Finalist | 4 | |
| Taylor Williamson | Comedian | AGT: S8 – Runner-up | 2 | |
| The Clairvoyants | Mentalist Duo | AGT: S11 – Runner-up | 1 | |
| The Professional Regurgitator | Regurgitator | BGT: S4 – Semi-finalist; DS: S4 – Finalist ; ČSMT: S2 – Finalist ; DS: S5 – Semi-finalist ; IGT: S4 – Semi-finalist ; FIT: S9 – Fourth place ; AGT: S10 – Grand-finalist ; DS: S12 – Winner | 4 | |
| The Texas Tenors | Country & Classical Vocal Group | AGT: S4 – Finalist | 4 | |
| Tokio Myers | Pianist/Drummer/Remixer | BGT: S11 – Winner | 5 | |
| Tom Cotter | Comedian | AGT: S7 – Runner-up | 3 | |
| Uzeyer Novruzov | Ladder Acrobat | AGT: S10 – Finalist ; FIT: S11 – Semi-finalist | 1 | |
| Vicki Barbolak | Comedian | AGT: S13 – Finalist | 1 | |
| Viktor Kee | Juggler | AGT: S11 – Finalist | 2 |
Preliminaries Summary
Preliminary 1 (January 7)
Preliminary 2 (January 14)
- Darci Lynne was later made a wildcard act for the Grand-final by the judges.
Preliminary 3 (January 21)
- Jon Dorenbos was later made a wildcard act for the Grand-final by the judges.
Preliminary 4 (January 28)
Preliminary 5 (February 4)
- David Hasselhoff, a former judge of America's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent, made a special appearance as part of Colin Cloud's performance.
Finals Summary
Top 12 Final (February 11)
Grand-final (February 18)
Guest performers: Tokio Myers & Voices of Hope Children's Choir, The Clairvoyants, Cirque du Soleil, and Jackie Evancho| Grand-finalist | Act | Performed with | Result |
| Cristina Ramos | Opera & Rock Singer | Brian Justin Crum & Deadly Games | 4th |
| Darci Lynne | Singing Ventriloquist | Rowlf the Dog | 2nd |
| Kseniya Simonova | Sand Artist | N/A | 3rd |
| Preacher Lawson | Comedian | N/A | 5th |
| Shin Lim | Card Magician | Melissa Fumero | 1st |
Season 2
Contest overview
Around 40 participants from across the Got Talent franchise, ranging from winners, live round participants – quarter-finalists, semi-finalists and finalists – and other notable acts, will participate during The Champions contest in 2020, with each of the contest's preliminaries featuring around 10 participants. While those receiving a golden buzzer in each preliminary would secure an automatic place in the grand-final, remaining places would be competed for in two semi-finals, each consisting of the two highest voted in each preliminary, along with a third in each voted for by the judges from amongst those placing 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively in the audience vote. The following table lists each participant that took part, and their history in the Got Talent franchise – per respective international version, season, and performance, within chronological order from first to more recent appearance:| Got Talent History Key | AGT — America's Got Talent | AIT — L'Afrique a un Incroyable Talent | AuGT — Australia's Got Talent | BGTC — ' |
| Got Talent History Key | BGT — Britain's Got Talent | DS — Das Supertalent | FIT — La France a un incroyable talent | GTE — Got Talent España |
| Got Talent History Key | HGT — Holland's Got Talent | IGT — Italia's Got Talent | MS — Minuta slavy | MGT — Myanmar's Got Talent |
| Got Talent History Key | MT — Mam talent! | NT — Norske Talenter | PGT — Pilipinas Got Talent | RT — Românii au talent |
| Got Talent History Key | - | - | - | - |
| Participant | Act | Got Talent history | Preliminary | Results |
| Alexa Lauenburger | Dog Tricks Act | DS: S11 – Winner ; BGTC: S1 – Finalist | 3 | Finalist |
| Angelina Jordan | Singer | NT: S6 – Winner | 1 | Finalist |
| Bars and Melody | Rapper & Singer | BGT: S8 – 3rd Place ; BGTC: S1 – Finalist | 4 | Eliminated |
| Ben Blaque | Crossbow performer | AGT: S7 – Quarter-Finalist ; BGT: S10 – Semi-Finalist | 2 | Eliminated |
| Ben Hart | Magician | BGT: S13 – 3rd Place ; BGTC: S1 – Participant | 3 | Eliminated |
| Boogie Storm | Dance Group | BGT: S10 – Third Place ; BGTC: S1 – Participant | 2 | Finalist |
| Brian King Joseph | Violinist | AGT: S13 – Third Place | 4 | Eliminated |
| Christian Stoinev & Percy | Hand Balancer & Dog Tricks Act | AGT: S2 – Participant, S9 – Top 12 Finalist; DS: S13 – Winner | 4 | Eliminated |
| Collabro | Musical Theatre Group | BGT: S8 – Winner ; BGTC: S1 – Participant | 2 | Eliminated |
| Connie Talbot | Singer | BGT: S1 – Finalist ; BGTC: S1 – Participant | 4 | Eliminated |
| Dan Naturman | Stand-up Comedian | AGT: S9 – Semi-finalist | 1 | Eliminated |
| Dania Diaz | Magician | GTE: S3 – Finalist | 1 | Semi-finalist |
| Duo Destiny | Acrobatic Duo | MT: S11 – Winner | 3 | Semi-finalist |
| Duo Transcend | Trapeze Duo | AGT: S13 – Finalist | 1 | Runner-up |
| Eddie Williams | Singer | AuGT: S9 – Semi-Finalist | 1 | Eliminated |
| Emil Rengle | Dancer | RT: S8 – Winner | 4 | Eliminated |
| Freckled Sky | Video Projection Dance Duo | AGT: S10 – Quarter-finalist | 3 | Eliminated |
| Hans | Singer, Accordionist & Dancer | AGT: S13 – Quarter-finalist | 1 | Finalist |
| Jack Vidgen | Singer | AuGT: S5 – Winner | 1 | Eliminated |
| JJ Pantano | Comedian | AuGT: S9 – Semi-Finalist | 4 | Semi-finalist |
| Junior Creative Dance | Shadow Dance Group | MGT: S5 – Winner | 1 | Eliminated |
| Luke Islam | Singer | AGT: S14 – Semi-finalist | 2 | Eliminated |
| Marc Spelmann | Magician & Mentalist | BGT: S12 – Semi-finalist, S13 – Runner-up | 2 | Semi-finalist |
| Marcelito Pomoy | Falsetto Singer | PGT: S2 – Winner | 2 | Grand-finalist |
| Michael Grimm | Singer | AGT: S5 – Winner | 3 | Eliminated |
| Mike Yung | Singer | AGT: S12 – Semi-finalist | 1 | Eliminated |
| Miki Dark | Magician | HGT: S10 – Semi-finalist ; FIT: S14 – Participant | 3 | Eliminated |
| Moses Concas | Harmonica Player | IGT: S7 – Winner | 3 | Eliminated |
| Oz Pearlman | Mentalist | AGT: S10 – Third Place | 2 | Eliminated |
| Puddles Pity Party | Singing Clown | AGT: S12 – Quarter-finalist | 2 | Eliminated |
| Paddy and Nico | Salsa Dancer | BGT: S8 – Finalist ; FIT: S11 – Semi-finalist ; BGTC: S1 – Finalist | 1 | Eliminated |
| Quick Style | Dance Group | NT: S2 – Winner | 3 | Eliminated |
| Ryan Niemiller | Stand-up Comedian | AGT: S14 – Third Place | 2 | Semi-finalist |
| Sandou Trio Russian Bar | Acrobats | AGT: S6 – Semi-finalist | 4 | Grand-finalist |
| Spencer Horsman | Escape Artist | AGT: S7 – Quarter-finalist; FIT: S9 – Semi-finalist | 2 | Eliminated |
| Strauss Serpent | Contortionist | AIT: S2 – Winner; FIT: S13 – Finalist | 4 | Semi-finalist |
| Silhouettes | Silhouette Dance Group | AGT: S6 – Runner-up | 4 | Finalist |
| Tyler Butler-Figueroa | Violinist | AGT: S14 – Finalist | 3 | 3rd Place |
| V.Unbeatable | Acrobatic Dance Group | AGT: S14 – Grand-finalist | 3 | Winner' |
| Voices of Service | Vocal Group | AGT'': S14 – Grand-finalist | 4 | Eliminated |
Preliminaries Summary
Preliminary 1 (January 6)
Preliminary 2 (January 13)
- Ben Blaque's performance was terminated mid-way into his routine, due to an overwhelming concern from the judges it was too life-threatening to continue.
- Mandel did not cast his vote, due to the majority support for Ryan Niemiller from the other judges, but noted his vote would have made it unanimous.
- Shin Lim, a noted participant in the Got Talent franchise, made a special appearance as part of Marc Spelmann's performance.
- For health and safety reasons, Spencer Horsman's performance had to be conducted outside the venue and with paramedics on standby; both the audience and judges were in attendance for this.
Preliminary 3 (January 20)
- Due to the majority vote for Alexa Lauenburger, Klum's voting intention was not disclosed.
Preliminary 4 (January 27)
Semi-finals (February 3)
- Due to the majority vote for Duo Transcend, Mandel's voting intention was not disclosed.
Finals (February 10)
| Finalist | Order | Act | Result |
| Alexa Lauenburger | 1 | Dog Tricks Act | Top 10 Finalist |
| Duo Transcend | 2 | Trapeze Duo | 2nd |
| Angelina Jordan | 3 | Singer | Top 10 Finalist |
| Boogie Storm | 4 | Dance Group | Top 10 Finalist |
| Silhouettes | 5 | Silhouette Dance Group | Top 10 Finalist |
| Hans | 6 | Singer, Accordionist & Dancer | Top 10 Finalist |
| Tyler Butler-Figueroa | 7 | Violinist | 3rd |
| V.Unbeatable | 8 | Acrobatic Dance Group | 1st |
| Marcelito Pomoy | 9 | Falsetto Singer | 4th |
| Sandou Trio Russian Bar | 10 | Acrobats | 5th |