MAIN Pop Culture Reality TV America's Got Talent

America's Got Talent features creative contestants who believe that they have the talent to charm America.

The audience is captured by the mimes, ventriloquists, jugglers and some indescribable performances.

Some are unbelievably talented while others are just, well... beyond belief. One of the summer season's hottest shows, NBC’s hit talent competition series returned again this year with a whole new set of hopefuls.

America's Got Talent premiered during a 2 hour special on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 9 PM ET/8PM central with the return of celebrity judges David Hasselhoff, Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan.

With former host Jerry Springer off to pursue other show biz opportunities, actor and comedian Nick Cannon (real life husband of pop diva Mariah Carey) took over major hosting duties this year.

Why we love America's Got Talent

Our AGT 2009 favorite: Voices of Glory (scroll down to see who won...)

Whether people are tuning in to watch the antics on stage or the stylings of the Hoff and the other judges, there's no doubt that they're coming to check it out and getting hooked both by the mix of brilliantly bad to seriously delusional performers.

Still there is the rare talent that shines out between the truly, magnificently awful acts. Take "Voices of Glory" for instance (see video), the family singing group that stunned audiences this season with their harmonizing "God Bless America" right from the get-go in episode 1!

With a mix of great and shockingly bad performances throughout the season, the series culminates with a live finale where one act walk aways with a million dollars!

America's Got Talent 2009 finale

The grand finale on September 16, 2009 featured a special finale appearance by none other than Britain's Got Talent star contestant, Susan Boyle, who got a standing ovation in front of an estimated 25 million US viewers!

Among the final ten contestants were Voices of Glory, breakdancer Hairo Torres, opera singer Barbara Padilla, singer Lawrence Beamen, the Fab Five dance group, the Texas Tenors trio, comedian Grandma Lee, singers Drew Stevyns and Kevin Skinner, and rhythm makers Recycled Percussion.

And the winner is ....

...the former chicken catcher from Mayfield, KY and now country singer Kevin Skinner - who gets to pocket the $1 million prize and the chance to headline his own show in Las Vegas!

Meanwhile, if you think you have the chops to compete in the America's Got Talent competition auditions for Season 5, they're now open and will continue through Spring 2010. Good luck!

More about America's Got Talent around the Web:


America's Got Talent - The official site from NBC with background info on contestants and judges, more coverage in pictures, recaps & video clips as the season gears up. Plenty of downloads, games and viewer video and photo submissions make it a cool place to get your AGT fix.

America's Got Talent - Reality TV Magazine - The latest rumors and spoilers – off stage and on. The ads are a bit loud, but the info & pics are worth it.

America's Got Talent on NBC - TV Guide.com's full treatment including the latest news, buzz, rumors and spoilers, including an episode guide and busy fan message board.

America's Got Talent - Yahoo! - The user reviews are the best part of this site plus you'll get to see picture galleries recaps of the episodes and check out the active forum for comments on the judges and performers. There's a little widget for recording to TIVO...

America's Got Talent - TV.com's site with recaps, videos, pictures, cast bios, news coverage on the show and more. The reviews are fun to read and the forum is kickin'. They also have a link for Australia's Got Talent if you want to check out the show in Oz...

also see in Reality TV -> Amazing Race | American Idol

Dancing with the Stars | Survivor