America's Got Talent (season 5)
The fifth season of America's Got Talent, an American talent show competition, began broadcasting in the United States during 2010, from June 1 to September 15 on NBC. Unlike previous seasons, online auditions switched from being made via MySpace, to being made via YouTube, and the quarter-finals including two additional rounds to cover the best auditions from these and those selected as Wildcards during the selection process following the main auditions. As David Hasselhoff had left the program following the conclusion of the fourth season, producers replaced him in his role with Howie Mandel.
The fifth season was won by soul singer Michael Grimm, with classical crossover singer Jackie Evancho finishing in second, and blacklight performaners Fighting Gravity placing third. During its broadcast, the season averaged around 11.02 million viewers, with its season finale the most watched in the program's history with around 16.41 million viewers.
Season Overview
Auditions for the fifth season's competition took place across Winter - mid-Spring 2010, with production staff holding the main auditions that would be filmed within the cities of Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, and Chicago, and at the Universal Orlando Resort. Prior to production starting, David Hasselhoff had decided to leave the program and focus on a new project, leaving NBC to locate a replacement for his role in the judging panel. A week after Hasselhoff announced his departure from America's Got Talent, the network unveiled his successor as Howie Mandel, who had recently finished his fourth season as host of the American edition of Deal or No Deal before its eight-year hiatus began that year.For this season, the production staff decided to make some changes to the format, including the addition of two new rounds in the quarter-finals. The first new round was arranged for online auditions - prior to the fifth season, most online auditions were made via MySpace and did not guarantee any submissions made through the online space with a place in the competition. However, the rules for online auditions were changed in 2010, with all online auditions directed to a special channel on YouTube, through which the judges would select eleven of these submissions, alongside a twelfth voted for by online viewers, offering a guaranteed spot within the competition through a special quarter-final round. The second round was arranged for Wildcard acts - unlike the original format used before, in which Wildcards were picked out during Live Rounds, the fifth season defined that participants who were eliminated from the competition either at the Vegas Verdicts stage or in the quarter-finals, could be brought back into it for a special quarter-final round, but only if chosen by the judges, with each judge able to choose four acts for this round. The decision to include two new quarter-finals to the competition's schedule meant that the number allowed into the semi-finals from each was reduced to around four - the top three voted for by the public, and the fourth chosen by the judges from those placed 4th and 5th respectively in the public vote.
Another change in the format was a more deeper involvement of guest performers in the program - while the program mainly made use of them for entertainment during the Results episode aired after the Performance episodes, the rules were changed so that in the grand-final, each participant could conduct a performance alongside a guest performer, the choice of which was determined by the type of act they performed. Despite arranging a variety of guest performers for this season, production staff were forced to cancel the involvement of Susan Boyle during the results of the Top 10 final at the last minute, due to a legal complication securing the rights to a song by Lou Reed.
Of the participants who auditioned for this season, 65 secured a place in the live quarter-finals, with twelve quarter-finalists in each one - seven of these would later be given a second chance in the Wildcard quarter-final, after losing their initial quarter-final. Around 24 of these advanced to and were split between the two semi-finals, with 10 semi-finalists securing a place in the finals, and 4 finalists securing a place in the grand-final of the competition. The following below lists the results of each participant's overall performance in this season:
| Participant | Age | Genre | Act | From | Quarter-Final | Result |
| Airpocalypse | 22-40 | Music | Air Band | Seattle | 1 | |
| Alice Tan Ridley | 57 | Singing | Singer | New York City | 2 | |
| Anna and Patryk | 12 | Dance | Ballroom Dancers | New Hyde Park, New York & New York City | 4 | ' |
| Antonio Restivo | 39 | Danger | Fire Artist | Las Vegas | 2 | |
| ArcAttack | 25-37 | Music / Variety | Electric Light Show Band | Austin, Texas | 4 | |
| AscenDance | 29 | Acrobatics / Dance / Variety | Rock Climbing Acrobats & Dancers | Berkeley, California | 2 | |
| Austin Anderson | 31 | Comedy | Stand-Up Comedian | Omaha, Nebraska | 5 | |
| Booker Forte | 21 | Dancing | Hip-hop Dancer | Richmond, Virginia | 5 | |
| Cam Hodges | 22 | Singing | Singer | Seattle | 5 | |
| Cheer SF | 19-52 | Dancing / Variety | Cheerleaders | San Francisco | 2 | |
| Chipps Cooney | 61 | Comedy / Magic | Comic Magician | Edgewater, New Jersey | 3 | |
| Christina & Ali | 13, 20 | Singing | Singing Sisters | Idaho Falls, Idaho | 1 | ' |
| CJ Dippa | 12 | Singing | Rapper | Denton, Texas | 3 | |
| Connor Doran | 17 | Performing | Indoor Kite Flyer | Bend, Oregon | 6 | |
| Da Maniacs | 25-56 | Dance | Overweighted Dance Troupe | Dallas, Texas | 4 | |
| Dan Sperry | 25 | Magic | Illusionist/Magician | Las Vegas | 5 | |
| Debra Romer | 21 | Singing / Music | Singer & Musician | Kalamazoo, Michigan | 3 | |
| Dylan Plummer | 12 | Variety | Jump Rope Artist | Cincinnati, Ohio | 5 | |
| Eric "Doogie" Horner | 30 | Comedy | Stand-Up Comedian | Philadelphia | 4 | |
| Fighting Gravity | 19-22 | Variety | Blacklight Performers | Blacksburg, Virginia | 1 | ' |
| Future Funk | 5, 10 | Dance | Hip-hop Dance Duo | Las Vegas | 1 | |
| Hannibal Means | 59 | Singing | Opera Singer | Vienna, Austria | 2 | |
| Harmonica Pierre | 74 | Musical | Harmonica Musician | Tucson, Arizona | 3 | |
| Haspop | 32 | Dance | Hip-hop Dancer | Los Angeles | 3 | |
| Iron Horse | 22-27 | Music | Rockabilly Band | Crete, Illinois | 2 | |
| Jackie Evancho | 10 | Singing | Classical Crossover Singer | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 5 | ' |
| Jeremy VanSchoonhoven | 27 | Danger | Extreme Cyclist | Talent, Oregon | 3 | ' |
| Kaya & Sadie | 32, 36 | Dance / Variety | Bellydancing Duo | Denver, Colorado | 3 | |
| Kristina Young | 22 | Singing | Singer | Little Rock, Arkansas | 5 | |
| Kruti Dance Academy | 15-33 | Dancing | Indian Classical Dancers | Atlanta, Georgia | 6 | |
| Kung Fu Heroes | 23-31 | Danger / Variety | Martial Arts Group | Costa Mesa, California | 1 | |
| Lil Chris | 12 | Singing | Singer | Sarasota, Florida | 2 | |
| Lindsey Stirling | 23 | Music | Hip-hop Violinist | Provo, Utah | 4 | |
| Luigi | 20 | Singing | Singer | Highland, California | 3 | |
| Maestro Alexander Bui | 16 | Music | Pianist | Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey | 5 | |
| Maricar | 38 | Variety | Burlesque Painter | Los Angeles | 1 | |
| Mary Ellen | 74 | Singing | Singing Yodeller | Manheim, Pennsylvania | 4 | |
| Michael Grasso | 36 | Magic | Magician & Illusionist | Cape May, New Jersey | 6 | ' |
| Michael Grimm | 30 | Singing / Music | Singer & Musician | Hancock County, Mississippi | 2 | ' |
| Michael Lipari & Ashleigh Dejon | 29-30 | Variety / Danger | Aerialists | Los Angeles | 6 | |
| Mona Sampath Dance Company | 9-31 | Dance | Bollywood Dance Troupe | Sunnyvale, California | 2 | |
| MURRAY | 30 | Magic | Magician | Las Vegas | 4 | |
| Nathaniel Kenyon | 19 | Singing | Singer | Baxley, Georgia | 1 | |
| Nick Pike | 30 | Danger | Daredevil | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | 1 | |
| NU Covenant | 21-27 | Singing | Gospel Group | Cleveland, Ohio | 4 | |
| Paul Safy Jr. | 26 | Singing | Singer | New York City | 1 | |
| Pizza Patt | 27 | Variety | Pizza Dough Juggler | Columbus, Ohio | 5 | |
| PLUtonic | 19-28 | Singing | A-Capella Group | Tacoma, Washington | 5 | |
| Polina Volchek | 24 | Acobatics | Gymnast | Las Vegas | 3 | |
| Prince Poppycock | 32 | Singing | Opera Singer | Los Angeles | 4 | ' |
| Pup | 58 | Music / Variety | Accordion-Playing Dog | Redwood City, California | 5 | |
| RNG | 11-13 | Dance | Dance Troupe | Seattle | 1 | |
| Ronith | 59 | Comedy | Impersonator | Seattle | 2 | |
| Rudi Macaggi | 43 | Acrobatics | Balancing Acrobat | Las Vegas | 4 | |
| Studio One Young Beast Society | 10-21 | Dance | Dance Troupe | Orlando, Florida | 3 | ' |
| Ryan Rodriguez | 29 | Dance | Dancer | Santa Cruz, California | 5 | |
| Sally Cohn | 75 | Music / Variety | Hand Whistler | Portland Oregon | 1 | |
| Strikers All Stars | 22-26 | Dance | Dance Crew | Los Angeles | 4 | |
| Swing Swift Slide Show | 30-31 | Variety | Sideshow Performers | Las Vegas | 6 | |
| Taylor Mathews | 18 | Singing / Music | Singer & Musician | Alexandria, Louisiana | 4 | ' |
| The Hot Shot Tap Dancers | 19-25 | Dance | Tap Dancing Troupe | Portland, Oregon | 1 | |
| The South Philly Vikings | 16-56 | Dance | Dance Troupe | Philadelphia | 3 | |
| The Strange Familiar | 27 | Music | Band | Woodland Hills, California | 3 | |
| The Strong Man | 43 | Variety | Strongman | Pesotum, Illinois | 2 | |
| Wreckless | 17-26 | Dance | Dance Crew | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | 2 |
- Ages denoted in this column pertain to a participant age in their final performance for this season.
- These participants were entered into the Wildcard quarter-final after losing their initial quarter-final.
- For health and safety reasons, ArcAttack had to perform outside the studio for their live round performances; judges were required to view the performance in person, and used hand-carried signs in place of their buzzers.
- This participant was originally eliminated during the Vegas Verdicts, but was brought back after another act that had passed that stage was forced to drop out for unknown reasons.
- The age of the dog in this act was not disclosed on the program.
- This participant initially dropped out for personal reasons, despite securing a place in the live rounds, but agreed to return as a quarter-finalist in the Wildcard round.
Quarter-final Summary
Quarter-final 1 (July 13)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Selena Gomez & the Scene, and cast of Rock of Ages & Dee SniderQuarter-final 2 (July 20)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Cast of Cirque Du Soleil, and cast of Train.Quarter-final 3 (July 27)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Mike Posner, and the JabbaWockeeZ.- Because of the majority vote for Jeremy VanSchoonhoven, Mandel's voting intention was not revealed.
Quarter-final 4 (August 3)
Quarter-final 5 - YouTube Round (August 10)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Lin Yu Chun, Evolution of Dance, and David & Dania.Quarter-final 6 - Wildcard Round (August 17)
Guest Performers, Results Show: LeAnn Rimes, and Criss Angel.Semi-final Summary
Semi-final 1 (August 24)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Jimmy Fallon, Kylie Minogue, and Recycled Percussion.Semi-final 2 (August 31)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Cast of Le Rêve, and Jason Derülo.- Due to the majority vote for Studio One Young Beast Society, Mandel's voting intention was not revealed.
Finals Summary
Final - Top 10 (September 7)
Guest Performers: Enrique Iglesias ; Sarah McLachlan, and cast of American Idiot.Grand-final (September 14)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Usher, the Goo Goo Dolls, cast of Cirque du Soleil, David Copperfield, and T-Pain.| Grand-finalist | Order | Act | Performed with | Result |
| Prince Poppycock | 1 | Opera Singer | Donna Summer | 4th |
| Michael Grimm | 2 | Singer & Musician | Jewel | 1st |
| Jackie Evancho | 3 | Classical Crossover Singer | Sarah Brightman | 2nd |
| Fighting Gravity | 4 | Blacklight Performers | Lionel Richie | 3rd |
Ratings
The following ratings are based upon those published by Nielsen Media Research after this season's broadcast:| Order | Episode | Airdate | Rating | Share | Rating/Share | Viewers | Rank | Rank | Rank |
| 1 | "Los Angeles Auditions" | June 1, 2010 | 7.4 | 13 | 3.6/11 | 12.35 | #1 | #1 | #4 |
| 2 | "Dallas Auditions" | June 2, 2010 | 6.1 | 10 | 2.9/9 | 10.35 | #1 | #1 | #9 |
| 3 | "New York City Auditions" | June 8, 2010 | 7.4 | 12 | 3.7/10 | 13.09 | #2 | #2 | #4 |
| 4 | "New York Auditions " | June 15, 2010 | 6.2 | 10 | 3.0/8 | 10.55 | #2 | #2 | #4 |
| 5 | "Orlando Auditions" | June 16, 2010 | 6.7 | 11 | 3.1/9 | 11.65 | #1 | #1 | #3 |
| 6 7 | "Orlando Auditions " "Portland Auditions" | June 22, 2010 | 6.8 | 12 | 3.4/10 | 11.65 | #1 | #1 | #2 |
| 8 | "Portland Auditions " | June 23, 2010 | 7.2 | 12 | 3.5/10 | 12.37 | #1 | #1 | #1 |
| 9 | "Chicago Auditions" | June 29, 2010 | 6.0 | 10 | 2.9/9 | 10.23 | #1 | #1 | #2 |
| 10 | "Final Auditions" | June 30, 2010 | 7.5 | 13 | 3.5/11 | 12.94 | #1 | #1 | #1 |
| 11 | "Vegas Week " | July 6, 2010 | 7.0 | 12 | 3.4/10 | 11.82 | #1 | #1 | #2 |
| 12 | "Vegas Week " | July 7, 2010 | 6.7 | 12 | 3.4/10 | 11.95 | #1 | #1 | #1 |
| 13 | "Quarterfinals, Group 1" | July 13, 2010 | 6.8 | 11 | 3.3/10 | 11.63 | #1 | #2 | #2 |
| 14 | "Quarterfinals, Group 1 Results" | July 14, 2010 | 6.5 | 11 | 3.0/10 | 11.17 | #1 | #2 | #3 |
| 15 | "Quarterfinals, Group 2" | July 20, 2010 | 6.2 | 11 | 3.0/9 | 10.48 | #1 | #1 | #1 |
| 16 | "Quarterfinals, Group 2 Results" | July 21, 2010 | 5.9 | 10 | 2.6/8 | 10.02 | #1 | #1 | #3 |
| 17 | "Quarterfinals, Group 3" | July 27, 2010 | 5.6 | 10 | 2.6/8 | 9.69 | #1 | #1 | #1 |
| 18 | "Quarterfinals, Group 3 Results" | July 28, 2010 | 5.7 | 10 | 2.6/8 | 9.76 | #1 | #1 | #2 |
| 19 | "Quarterfinals, Group 4" | August 3, 2010 | 6.0 | 10 | 2.9/8 | 10.37 | #1 | #1 | #4 |
| 20 | "Quarterfinals, Group 4 Results" | August 4, 2010 | 5.9 | 10 | 2.8/8 | 10.06 | #1 | #1 | #5 |
| 21 | "Quarterfinals, Group 5: YouTube" | August 10, 2010 | 6.2 | 11 | 2.9/9 | 10.48 | #1 | #1 | #2 |
| 22 | "Quarterfinals, Group 5: YouTube, Results" | August 11, 2010 | 6.2 | 11 | 2.8/8 | 10.67 | #1 | #1 | #1 |
| 23 | "Quarterfinals, Group 6: Wild Card" | August 17, 2010 | 6.1 | 10 | 2.9/8 | 10.19 | #1 | #1 | #3 |
| 24 | "Quarterfinals, Group 6: Wild Card, Results" | August 18, 2010 | 6.0 | 10 | 2.6/8 | 10.30 | #1 | #1 | #2 |
| 25 | "Semifinals, Group 1" | August 24, 2010 | 6.5 | 11 | 3.1/9 | 10.80 | #1 | #1 | #2 |
| 26 | "Semifinals, Group 1 Results" | August 25, 2010 | 6.1 | 10 | 2.7/8 | 10.52 | #1 | #1 | #3 |
| 27 | "Semifinals, Group 2" | August 31, 2010 | 6.7 | 11 | 3.0/9 | 11.50 | #1 | #1 | #1 |
| 28 | "Semifinals, Group 2 Results" | September 1, 2010 | 6.2 | 10 | 2.5/8 | 10.47 | #1 | #1 | #2 |
| 29 | "Top Ten, Performances" | September 7, 2010 | 7.3 | 12 | 3.3/9 | 12.35 | #1 | #1 | #8 |
| 30 | "Top Ten, Results" | September 8, 2010 | 7.3 | 12 | 2.8/8 | 12.14 | #1 | #1 | #9 |
| 31 | "Finals, Performances" | September 14, 2010 | 8.7 | 14 | 3.9/11 | 14.60 | #1 | #1 | #4 |
| 32 | "Finale" | September 15, 2010 | 9.5 | 16 | 3.9/11 | 16.41 | #1 | #1 | #3 |