America's Got Talent (season 7)

America's Got Talent
Season 7
Broadcast from	May 14 – September 13, 2012
Judges	Sharon Osbourne Howie Mandel Howard Stern
Host(s)	Nick Cannon
Broadcaster	NBC
Winner
Olate Dogs
Origin	New York, New York
Genre(s)	Animal tricks
Runner-up
Tom Cotter

Season seven of America's Got Talent, a reality television series, premiered on May 14, 2012. Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel returned as judges. Judge Piers Morgan left the show after season six and was replaced by radio personality Howard Stern, as announced on his Sirius XM radio show on December 15, 2011. Because of Stern's commitments to his radio program, the live (post-Las Vegas) episodes moved from Los Angeles^[1] to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey.^[2][3] The season ended on September 13, 2012, with Olate Dogs announced as the winners of the season. This was Sharon Osbourne's final season.

Preliminary auditions

Producers' auditions were held in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Tampa Bay, Charlotte, Austin, St. Louis, and San Francisco.^[4][5]

Live theater auditions took place in the following cities:^[6]

Audition city	Audition date	Venue	Air date
Los Angeles, California	February 16–17, 2012	Orpheum Theatre[7]	May 14, 2012
San Francisco, California	February 24–25, 2012	Bill Graham Civic Auditorium[8]	May 15, 2012
St. Louis, Missouri	March 8–10, 2012	Fox Theatre[9]	May 14, 2012 (part 1) May 29, 2012 (part 2)
Austin, Texas	March 17–18, 2012	Long Center for the Performing Arts[10]	June 4, 2012 (part 1) June 5, 2012 (part 2)
Tampa Bay	April 3–4, 2012	Mahaffey Theater[11]	May 28, 2012 (part 1) June 12, 2012 (part 2)
New York	April 11–12, 2012	Hammerstein Ballroom[12]	May 21, 2012 (part 1) May 22, 2012 (part 2)

A final audition episode featuring acts from several cities aired on Monday, June 18. Auditions were also conducted online via YouTube. Finalists from the online auditions were to compete in front of a live audience during the season's live shows.

Las Vegas Week

The second round of competition, held in Las Vegas, aired from June 25–27, 2012, in a three-night special. The round was held at The Venetian and The Palazzo resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. 112 acts passed through from the audition rounds to Las Vegas Week, and competed for 48 slots in the live shows. Similarly to previous years, the judges divided the acts into two groups: the "Judges' Favorites" and "Standby Acts". In addition, six acts were either immediately eliminated, or sent directly to the next round of competition. The judges also had the option of eliminating an act immediately if they felt their performance in Las Vegas was well below par.

Immediate decision

Before any rounds of competition began, the judges called six acts which were not listed as being "Judges' Favorites" or "Standby Acts". Three of these acts were immediately eliminated, and three acts were sent straight from Las Vegas Week to the live rounds without any further performance because of their superior auditions.

Results of Immediate decision
Advanced Olate Dogs – Animal act William Close – "Earth Harp" musician David "The Bullet" Smith – Human cannonball/danger act Eliminated Bandbaz Brothers – Acrobats Charlie C – Singer Ivy Rose – All-girl vocal band

Group A: Judges' favorites

The judges' favorites were deemed more likely to succeed by the judges, performed on the first two days of competition, and were given the opportunity to take as many spots in the Top 48 as possible. Twenty-five of these acts advanced to the live shows.

Results of Judges' Favorites

Advanced 787 Crew – Dance crew All Beef Patty – Drag queen singer All That! – Cloggers All Wheel Sports – Stunt BMX team American BMX Stunt Team - BMX stunt team Aurora Light Painters – Light painting group Ben Blaque – Crossbow performer Cristin Sandu – Balancing performer Edon – Singer/pianist Eric & Olivia – Duet Eric Dittelman – Mind-reader Horse – Novelty performer Jacob Williams – Comedian Jake Wesley Rogers – Singer/guitarist Joe Castillo – Sand artist Light Wire Theater – Glow-light dance group Nikki Jensen – Singer/guitarist Sebastien "El Charro de Oro" – Mariachi singer and dancer Shanice & Maurice Hayes – Father-daughter singing duo Spencer Horsman – Escape artist Tim Hockenberry – Singer/pianist Todd Oliver & Irving – Ventriloquist act Tom Cotter – Comedian Ulysses – Singer The Untouchables – Dance troupe Eliminated Amazing Elizabeth – Aerialist Andrew De Leon – Opera singer Boss – Dance group Brianna Price – Singer Cecilia Detwiler – Singer Daniel Park – Singer Dave Burleigh – Impressionist Frank Roche – Impressionist[note 1] Funk Beyond Control – Dance group Isaac Brown – Singer/dancer Jason Cordero – Pianist Jorge & Alexa Narvaez – Singing duo Justin Riviera – Magician Kellen Erskine – Comedian Loyalty Dance Crew – Dance crew Luiz Meneghin – Opera singer Luna – Singer[note 2] Mary Joyner – Singer New Guard America – Drill team Roxy Doll – Singer Sammy Obeid – Comedian Simply Sergio – Opera singer Taylor Reed – Stage magician Tim Poe – Singer/musician Footnotes ↑ Roche completely changed his routine since the auditions from impressions to stand-up comedy, misinterpreting judge Howie Mandel's prior suggestions to him. After telling one awkward joke before letting his nerves get to him, and then repeating the same joke, the judges eliminated him immediately. ↑ The judges felt Luna's performance contained "no effort" and eliminated her immediately.

Group B: Standby Acts

The Standby Acts were deemed less likely to advance by the judges, and performed later for the remaining spots not already taken by the Judges' Favorites. Twenty of these acts advanced to the live shows.

Results of Standby Acts

Advanced The All Ways – Rock band Big Barry – Singer Danielle Stallings – Singer David Garibaldi and His CMYK's – Painting/dance group The Distinguished Men of Brass – Marching band Donovan and Rebecca – Acrobats Elusive – Dancer Hawley Magic – Magic act Inspire the Fire – Singing/dancing group Jarrett and Raja – Comedic illusionists LCD - Lisa Clark Dancers – Dance troupe Lindsey Norton – Dancer Lil' Starr – Tap dancer LionDanceMe – Lion dance team Michael Nejad – Instrument builder/player Rock Star Juggler Mike Price – Juggler The Scott Brothers – Dancers Turf – Dancer/contortionist Unity in Motion – Dance troupe WordSpit The ILLest – Band Eliminated Battle Born – Dance troupe Benn Mendoza's Midnight Circus – Acrobatics/dance group Burton Crane – Rapper Cliff's Demo Team – Martial artists The Cos Fam – Dance trio Dillon Havins and Friends – Band The Emily Anne Band – Band Giani – Mind-reader Granny G – Rapper The HillBenders – Bluegrass band John Pizzi – Ventriloquist Kota Sports – Stunt BMX team Lil' Babywockee – Dancer Old Shoes, New Shoes – Tap Dance Duo The Rhymatist – Rapper Rob Hayes – Rapper Serengeti Steve – Reptile handler Stepz – Dancer Summer Lacy – Aerialist Svet – Rapper/hip-hop violinist The Two Bits – Dancers The Williams Bruthuz – Dance duo Tevin McGuire – Singer

Unknown decision

Several acts were unable to compete in Las Vegas Week for personal reasons, or were not seen during the airing of the episodes. These acts were therefore automatically assumed as eliminated from the competition.

Acts eliminated at unknown stage

Alesya Gulevich – Hula hoop artist Cut Throat Freak Show & Eric Odditorium – Sideshow act Clark Academy of Irish Dance – Irish dance crew Elements Dance Cru – Dance crew The Flyte Cru – Acrobatic basketball dunkers Ganbaatar Contortion Sisters – Contortionist act Max the Acrobat – Aerial performer Micah Gregorio – Singer New York Irish Dance Company – Irish dance crew Sharon Daniels and Randy Hanson – Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne impersonators Street Beatz – Drummers Stick and Move Dance Crew – Dance crew Unnamed Gymnastics Family - Gymnastics Group Sebastian Janoski - Musician/Singer

Quarterfinals

The Quarterfinals began on Monday, July 2, 2012. This round includes the Top 48 acts which passed through Las Vegas Week, the acts that passed through the YouTube audition rounds, and a Wild Card show featuring previously eliminated quarterfinalists brought back by the judges.

Key	Buzzed	Judges' choice	Advanced to the semifinals	Finished in fourth or fifth place; won the judges' choice and advanced to the semifinals	Finished in fourth or fifth place; lost the judges' choice

Top 48, week 1 (July 2–3)

Guests: Cirque du Soleil: Zarkana, will.i.am

Act	Order	Performance description[13][14]	Buzzes and judges' choices			Result
			Mandel	Osbourne	Stern
Distinguished Men of Brass	1	Marching band performed Crazy in Love by Beyoncé & Jay-Z				Eliminated
Edon	2	Singer; sang "Titanium" by David Guetta featuring Sia.				Judges' Choice
Jarrett and Raja	3	Comedic magicians performed an illusion to "Singin' in the Rain" where seemingly empty towels came to life				Howie's Wildcard
Lil' Starr	4	Tap dancer danced to "Party Rock Anthem" and "Sorry for Party Rocking", both by LMFAO				Eliminated
Todd Oliver	5	Ventriloquist/dog act performed a comedic routine discussing the relationship between the two dogs, Irving and Lucy				Howard's Wildcard
American BMX Stunt Team	6	BMX stunt team performed stunts with ramps and a bridge to the song "Bodyrock" by Moby				Eliminated
Nikki Jensen	7	Singer/guitarist sang "The Scientist" by Coldplay				Eliminated
The Scott Brothers	8	Cartoon popper dancers performed a routine where both brothers mimicked each other's movements, ending the performance by moving around their hats as if the hats were floating				Advanced
Michael Nejad	9	Musician/instrument builder performed "Moves like Jagger" by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera with homemade instruments such as a shovel, baseball bat and a vacuum cleaner				Eliminated
787 Crew	10	Dance crew performed a routine to Skrillex's remix of "Cinema" by Benny Benassi				Eliminated
Shanice and Maurice Hayes	11	Father-daughter singing duo sang "There You'll Be" by Faith Hill				Advanced
David Garibaldi and His CMYK's	12	Performance painters painted a portrait of Mick Jagger to the song "Paint It, Black" by The Rolling Stones				Advanced

Top 48, week 2 (July 10–11)

Guests: Gavin DeGraw, TRACES

Act[15]	Order	Performance description[16][17]	Buzzes and judges' choices			Result
			Mandel	Osbourne	Stern
LionDanceMe	1	Lion dance act performed a lion dance on raised poles to "Levels" by Avicii				Eliminated
Turf	2	Contortionist/dancer danced to "Imma Be" by The Black Eyed Peas				Advanced
The All Ways	3	Rock band performed "Telephone" by Lady Gaga and Beyoncé				Eliminated
Hawley Magic	4	Magic act performed an illusion where an assistant was balanced in the air on a sword				Eliminated
Lisa Clark Dancers	5	Dance troupe performed a combination of contemporary, jazz, and tap dance				Eliminated
Aurora Light Painters	6	Light painters painted a scene where a frightened girl discovers monsters under a bed to "Strangers in the Night" by Frank Sinatra				Eliminated
Danielle Stallings	7	Singer sang "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars				Lost Judges' Choice
Donovan & Rebecca	8	Acrobats performed aerial silks to "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol				Judges' Choice
Big Barry	9	Singer performed "Feeling Good" written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse while surrounded by models				Eliminated
Tom Cotter	10	Comedian performed a stand-up routine making fun of common clichés and phrases				Advanced
Ben Blaque	11	Crossbow performer performed a routine where he first shot arrows at his assistant while she held a rose in her mouth, then shot arrows at four balloons surrounding his assistant				Howard's Wildcard
Tim Hockenberry	12	Singer performed a piano arrangement of "Part of Me" by Katy Perry				Advanced

Top 48, week 3 (July 17–18)

Guests: Ashleigh and Pudsey, Havana Brown

Act[18]	Order	Performance description[19]	Buzzes and judges' choices			Result
			Mandel	Osbourne	Stern
The Untouchables	1	Latin dance troupe danced to a remix of "Magalenha" by Sérgio Mendes				Advanced
Rock Star Juggler Mike Price	2	Juggler juggled knives and fire torches on a unicycle to "Won't Get Fooled Again", then juggled four fire torches but dropped one; later poured gasoline over an assistant and juggled glow-light juggling clubs, which were on fire				Eliminated
Inspire the Fire	3	Show choir danced and sang to "Firework" by Katy Perry				Eliminated
Cristin Sandu	4	Balanced himself using cylinders with a ring of fire surrounding him to "Lights", however, the performance was cut short when the cylinders fell off of the platform only a couple of seconds after he got on them				Howie's Wildcard
Elusive	5	B-boy dancer; danced to "Super Bad" by James Brown.				Eliminated
Jake Wesley Rogers	6	Singer/pianist performed "Toxic" by Britney Spears				Sharon's Wildcard
All Wheel Sports	7	BMX variety act rode bicycles and skateboards, and did gymnastic routines to "Titanium" by David Guetta and Sia				Judges' Choice
WordSpit The ILLest - band	8	Rock/rap/R&B band performed an original song called "Lights, Cameras Flashin'"				Lost Judges' Choice
Jacob Williams	9	Stand-up comedian performed a routine that played off his awkwardness while growing up				Advanced
All Beef Patty	10	Singing drag queen performed "Let's Hear It for the Boy" by Deniece Williams with a group of male dancers				Eliminated
Spencer Horsman	11	Escape artist performed a 45-second escape-illusion where he freed himself from a steel straitjacket while trapped in a security bag raised above a bed of spikes with a curtain covering him				Howard's Wildcard
Lightwire Theater	12	Glowlight dance group performed a storyline featuring several dancing birds to "UK Current Funky House" by Justin Brett				Advanced

Note

Top 48, week 4 (July 24–25)

Guests: Cher Lloyd, cast of the Tony Award-winning musical Once

Act[20]	Order	Performance description	Buzzes and judges' choices			Result
			Mandel	Osbourne	Stern
David "The Bullet" Smith[note 1]	1	Human cannonball act shot himself out of a cannon from 40 yards through a field goal to "Let Me Entertain You" by Robbie Williams				Eliminated
All That!	2	Cloggers; danced to "Black Betty" by Ram Jam.				Sharon's Wildcard
Ulysses	3	Singer performed American Bandstand's "Bandstand Boogie" with a group of dancers				Eliminated
Joe Castillo	4	Sand artist drew animals from around the world in sand				Advanced
Sebastien "El Charro de Oro"	5	Singer and mariachi band sang "Bésame Mucho" by Consuelo Velázquez				Howie's Wildcard
Eric Dittelman	6	Mind reader in a spoof of Deal or No Deal where he had Mandel pick one of 16 cases, with Mandel choosing case 11, he then had the other judges remove 2 rows of cases, and let Mandel trade his case for case four; the remaining cases were then revealed, and Dittelman correctly predicted that Mandel had chosen case 4				Judges' Choice
William Close	7	"Earth harpist" and instrument builder performed "Love, Reign o'er Me" by The Who with a collective ensemble that included a singer and spinning drums				Advanced
Unity in Motion	8	Dance group danced to "Lux Aeterna" composed by Clint Mansell and by Kronos Quartet				Eliminated
Eric & Olivia	9	Guitarist and singer duo performed a remix of "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz				Eliminated
Lindsey Norton	10	Dancer performed a Cirque du Soleil-themed dance routine to "First Incantation" from Cirque's Zed				Sharon's Wildcard
Horse	11	Groin attack act performed to a superhero theme where he tried to stop several bank robbers, finishing with Horse defeating the "robbers" by hitting them in their groins				Howard's Wildcard
Olate Dogs	12	Dog trick act performed a Broadway theme with the song "Played-A-Live", which included various dogs doing backflips, going down slides, spinning, and jumping over obstacles				Advanced

Note

1. ↑ David "The Bullet" Smith performed outside due to safety concerns. The judges did not have buzzers in the outdoor studio, instead having red "X" signs, but the judges did not use them.

YouTube Snapple Special (August 14–15)

Guests: Gabby Douglas, Karmin, The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger

The YouTube Snapple Special aired on August 14, following a 3-week hiatus for the 2012 Summer Olympics. It allowed viewers the chance to vote for their favorite potential acts on the show's YouTube channel that they wished to see compete in the live shows. Twenty acts competed for twelve spots, with eleven contestants selected by the judges, and one other contestant (Drew Erwin) selected by the viewers.^[21] YouTube Contestants, dance crew Academy Of Villains competed with another crew for a Twitter vote, and will perform on stage on So You Think You Can Dance. Academy Of Villains also competed on season two of Fake Off, where they won 1st place overall.

Act	Order	Performance description	Buzzes and judges' choices			Result
			Mandel	Osbourne	Stern
Clint Carvalho and His Extreme Parrots	1	Parrot stunt act performed an act in which he directed a bird named Kitten from the top of a tower to inside the theater				Judges' Choice
Reverse Order	2	Rock band performed "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry				Eliminated
Rudy Coby	3	Magician/illusionist performed a trick in which a puppet came to life and "beheaded" Rudy, however the puppet took off its costume and was revealed to be Rudy. Performed to "Puppet Boy" by Devo.				Eliminated
7 in Unison	4	Dance troupe danced to "Fever" by Peggy Lee				Eliminated
Drew Erwin	5	Singer/musician performed "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia				Lost Judges' Choice
Melinda Hill	6	Stand-up comedian performed routine about her friends, her mom and current events in her life				Eliminated
Eric Buss	7	Entertainer/novelty act performed an act which involved snake nut cans synchronized to The Blue Danube				Eliminated
Romeo Dance Cheetah	8	Air guitarist performed to "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by The Darkness				Eliminated
The Magic of Puck	9	Comedic magic act performed a dancing handkerchief illusion to "Shake Senora" by Pitbull, T-Pain, and Sean Paul				Advanced
Bria Kelly	10	Singer performed "Gunpowder & Lead" by Miranda Lambert				Advanced
Cast in Bronze[note 1]	11	Carillon musician performed "Carol of the Bells" by Mykola Leontovych				Eliminated
Academy of Villains	12	Dance troupe danced to "Bohemian Rhapsody", mainly using arm motions to give visualizations of faces singing, and then "Whuteva" by Remy Ma in a hip-hop dance style				Advanced

Notes

1. ↑ Cast In Bronze performed outside due to the crew being unable to carry his instrument inside. The judges did not have buzzers in the outdoor studio, instead having red "X" signs, which all three judges used. Despite receiving three X's, Cast In Bronze was allowed to finish performing.

Wild Card Show (August 21–22)

Guests: Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen, cast of Bring It On

For the wild card show, the judges each selected four eliminated acts and brought them back for a second chance to perform. Four of these acts advanced to semifinals. Osbourne announced after the show on July 25 that she would be bringing back All That! as one of her wild cards. The other eleven selections were announced on August 15, during the YouTube Snapple round.

This was the season's first live show without any buzzes, and none of the other live shows after this round had any act buzzed.

Act	Brought back by	Order	Performance description	Result
Spencer Horsman	Stern	1	Escape illusionist undid eight padlocks in order to get himself out of a glass cage that was slowly filled with wet cement	Eliminated
All That!	Osbourne	2	Cloggers performed to "Thunder" by Nuttin' but Stringz that incorporated a virtual version of themselves on a screen behind them	Judges' Choice (2-1, Mandel dissented)
Jarrett & Raja	Mandel	3	Comedic illusionists performed an illusion in which Jarrett raises a box with Raja playing a piano in it into the air, where it explodes, Raja then reappears in the audience, still playing piano	Eliminated
Jake Wesley Rogers	Osbourne	4	Singer/pianist performed "The Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga	Eliminated
Cristin Sandu	Mandel	5	Balancing act reattempted his previous performance where he balanced on a stack of cylinders around a ring of fire; was able to stay on his tower for a longer period of time and the fire that was supposed to go off went off, however, the cylinders once again slipped off of the platform during an attempted 360° rotation, causing him to fall onto the stage	Eliminated
Todd Oliver	Stern	6	Ventriloquist/dog act performed a routine where his dog Irving runs for president	Advanced
Bandbaz Brothers	Osbourne	7	Acrobatics connected a balancing apparatus held in each other's mouths in mid-air so the younger Bandbaz could balance upside down while held up by the older Bandbaz	Eliminated
Sebastien "El Charro de Oro"	Mandel	8	Singer and mariachi band performed a mariachi version of "Theme from New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra	Advanced
Horse	Stern	9	Groin attack taker performed in his underwear, using riskier set-ups while his cohorts got in on the act of hurting themselves	Eliminated
Lindsey Norton	Osbourne	10	Dancer performed to a fast-paced, fire-inspired theme	Lost Judges' Choice
Andrew De Leon	Mandel	11	Gothic opera singer sang "Regresa a mí" by Il Divo (Spanish version of "Un-Break My Heart" originally by Toni Braxton)	Advanced
Ben Blaque	Stern	12	Crossbow performer shot a picture of an apple from a distance which went up in flame, revealing a card that said "Wildcard", in reference to the round, then did a blindfolded, chain reaction crossbow version of the William Tell trick of shooting an apple over his own head	Eliminated

Semifinals

The semifinals began on August 28. 24 acts who advanced from the quarterfinals will be split into two groups, and perform in two consecutive weeks. Three acts advance each week to the finals.

Key	Advanced to the finals.	Finished in third or fourth place; won the judges' choice and advanced to the finals.	Finished in third or fourth place; lost the judges' choice.

Round 1 (August 28–29)

Guests: Neon Trees, Steve Harvey

Act	Order	Performance description	Result
Andrew De Leon	1	Gothic opera singer performed part of Schubert's aria "Ave Maria"	Eliminated
Todd Oliver	2	Ventriloquist/dog act performed a routine that emulated late night talk shows, with his dog Irving as his "guest"	Lost Judges' Choice
Donovan & Rebecca	3	Acrobatic performers performed feats of strength and aerial acrobatics to a remixed version of "Big Jet Plane" by Angus & Julia Stone	Eliminated
Edon	4	Singer/pianist performed "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction	Eliminated
The Scott Brothers	5	Cartoon popping dancers performed a dance routine that involved mannequins breaking free from a display window	Eliminated
Eric Dittelman	6	Mentalist performed a routine that involved Stern and his self-portrait sketch from Dittelman's audition; had Stern color in different parts of a replica of his sketch using highlighters. Before revealing his prediction of how Stern would color the sketch, he had the audience think of a shape other than a square, then revealed that he predicted that they would choose a triangle within a circle. Dittelman then revealed his prediction for the sketch would match what Stern had drawn.	Eliminated
Turf	7	Dancer/contortionist performed a routine to "Yeah 3x" by Chris Brown	Eliminated
Bria Kelly	8	Country singer performed a country version of "Perfect" by P!nk	Eliminated
Joe Castillo	9	Sand artist to the music of "Get Together" by The Youngbloods, sculpted images of a bird, two inter-clasped hands, and Jesus embracing a child	Judges' Choice (2-1, Stern dissented)
William Close	10	"Earth harpist" and instrument builder in addition to his earth harp, used new instruments including a three-necked guitar, two spherical drum sets and a body suit embossed with strings worn by his wife that he played with two bows, to perform "Starlight" by Muse	Advanced
Tom Cotter	11	Comedian presented the judges with a list of subjects, from which Mandel picked "College". He then gave a short set on the subject	Advanced
Academy of Villains	12	Dance troupe performed a hip-hop routine to Skrillex's remix of "Cinema" by Benny Benassi and "Secrets" by OneRepublic	Eliminated

Round 2 (September 4, 6)

Guests: Train, Nathan Burton, Haunted by Heroes with Dee Snider

The results show for the second round of the semifinals was postponed until Thursday, September 6 due to the Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants football game broadcasting live on Wednesday.

The following acts performed on September 4, 2012.

Act	Order	Performance description	Result
All That!	1	Cloggers performed a dance which had involved solos, dancing with their shoes on fire, and dancing on trays of water to "Good Feeling" by Flo Rida	Eliminated
Sebastien "El Charro de Oro"	2	Mariachi singer and band performed "Granada" written by Agustín Lara with a backing orchestra and flamenco dancers	Eliminated
The Magic of Puck	3	Illusion in which he had Stern autograph his handkerchief from his previous performance and had the handkerchief fly back to his hand, then tied the handkerchief on the wrist of his assistant and did another illusion in which after covering her up with a curtain, seemed to levitate her into the air, make her "disappear", and then made her "reappear" from a box	Eliminated
Clint Carvalho and His Extreme Parrots	4	Parrot stunt act performed a routine in which he had his parrot Kitten dance, deliver mail to a mailbox, fly through hoops, and retrieve a can of 7 Up from Osbourne, all to "Let's Get It Started" by The Black Eyed Peas	Eliminated
Jacob Williams	5	Comedian as with his previous performances, performed a comedic routine that played off his awkwardness	Eliminated
Shanice and Maurice Hayes	6	Father/daughter singing duo sang "Anytime You Need a Friend" by Mariah Carey	Eliminated
All Wheel Sports	7	Performed a variety of tricks involving walking and falling off vertical walls while harnessed, BMX bikes, scooters, and trampolines, some of which had flashing multicolored glowlights to "Give Me Everything"	Eliminated
Tim Hockenberry	8	Singer/pianist performed "Imagine" by John Lennon with a keyboard and an accompanying cellist	Eliminated
The Untouchables	9	Dance troupe performed a tango to "Tango Apache" by In-Grid with a quick-change illusion	Advanced
Olate Dogs	10	Dog trick act performed a series of tricks that included jumping over flags, walking on their hind legs, riding a scooter, forming a small Congo line, and doing back flips	Advanced
Lightwire Theater	11	Glowlight dance group performed an act in which an anthropomorphic saber-toothed cat fights two dinosaurs with light-saber-like weapons and Matrix-style effects	Lost Judges' Choice
David Garibaldi and His CMYK's	12	Performance painters painted a portrait of the Statue of Liberty with Lenny Kravitz's face on multiple panes to "Joker & the Thief" by Wolfmother	Judges' Choice (2-1, Osbourne dissented)

Finale

Key	Winner	Runner-up	3rd place	4th place	5th place	6th place

The two-night finals aired on September 12 & 13, 2012, with six acts competing for the $1 million grand prize.

The following acts performed on Wednesday, September 12.

Guests: Justin Bieber, Big Sean, Green Day, Joan Rivers, OneRepublic, Ne-Yo, Flo Rida, Frankie J, Blue Man Group, Burton Crane

Act	Order	Performance description	Result
David Garibaldi and His CMYK's	1	The performance painters painted a portrait of Albert Einstein on a rotating canvas to "Won't Get Fooled Again"; additionally, the CMYK's painted the first letters of the colors they represent (cyan, magenta, yellow, and key black) on their own separate respective colored canvases	4th place
Tom Cotter	2	The comedian had host Nick Cannon roll a large plush die with various subjects on each side; landing on "Poor Examples", he then performed a rapid-fire comedic routine about poor examples for children in classic children's literature	Runner-up
The Untouchables	3	The dance troupe performed a Jive routine to "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner	6th place
Joe Castillo	4	The sand artist drew host Cannon and judges Mandel, Osbourne, and Stern in the sand as a tribute to the show, with a live band performing the music	5th place
William Close	5	The "Earth harpist" and instrument builder performed two re-orchestrated versions of "Pachelbel's Canon" and "America the Beautiful" with his Earth Harp Collective	3rd place
Olate Dogs	6	The dog trick act performed to "Hey Pachuco" by Royal Crown Revue, with a series of tricks including riding in a toy SUV, walking and jumping over hurdles on their hind legs, tumbling, walking on a wheel that was being pushed by another dog, backflips, and finally, two dogs walking wheelbarrow-style over the judges' table	Winner

Round chart

The following is the list of the 48 quarter-finalists who passed through Las Vegas Week, plus the 12 contestants that were picked from the separate YouTube auditions, and two Wild Card Acts that were eliminated in Las Vegas but invited to the quarterfinals in week six by the judges. There were 24 semifinalists.

Italics indicate that the act was selected in week five from the YouTube auditions and did not compete in the preliminary auditions or Las Vegas Week; therefore, the quarter-finals were their debut on the show.

Key	Winner	Runner-up	Finalist	Semi-finalist	Wild Card[22]

Name of act	Age(s)	Genre	Act	Hometown[23]	Qtr. final (week)	Semifinal (week)
Olate Dogs	19, 55	Animal	Dog trick act	New York, New York	4	2
Tom Cotter	48	Comedy	Stand-up comedian	Stony Point, New York	2	1
William Close	42	Music	Earth harpist	Los Angeles, California	4	1
David Garibaldi and His CMYK's	26–30	Performance	Art performers	Sacramento, California	1	2
Joe Castillo	64	Performance	Sand artist	Lexington, Kentucky	4	1
The Untouchables[note 1]	8–13	Dance	Dance troupe	Miami, Florida	3	2
Academy of Villains		Dance	Hip-hop dance troupe	San Francisco, California	5	1
All That![note 2]	23–36	Dance	Clogging dance troupe	Myrtle Beach, South Carolina	4, 6	2
All Wheel Sports	18–35	Extreme	BMX action team	Los Angeles, California	3	2
Andrew De Leon[note 3]	19	Music	Opera singer	Kyle, Texas	6	1
Bria Kelly	16	Music	Singer	Virginia Beach, Virginia	5	1
Clint Carvalho and His Extreme Parrots	52	Animal	Parrot trainer	Las Vegas, Nevada	5	2
Donovan & Rebecca[note 4]	44, 36	Acrobatics	Acrobats/aerialists	Stony Brook, New York	2	1
Edon	14	Music	Singer	Chicago, Illinois	1	1
Eric Dittelman[note 5]	26	Magic	Mind reader	Boston, Massachusetts	4	1
Jacob Williams	23	Comedy	Stand-up comedian	Chicago, Illinois	3	2
Lightwire Theater	25–43	Technology/dance	Glow-light dance group	New Orleans, Louisiana	3	2
The Magic of Puck	46	Magic	Magician	Roosevelt, New York	5	2
The Scott Brothers[note 6]	47, 48	Dance	Cartoon-pop dance duo	Las Vegas, Nevada	1	1
Sebastien "El Charro de Oro"	10–30	Music	Mariachi singer and band	San Antonio, Texas	4, 6	2
Shanice & Maurice Hayes	18, 62	Music	Singing duo	Kansas City, Missouri	1	2
Tim Hockenberry	50	Music	Singer/pianist	San Francisco, California	2	2
Todd Oliver	53	Comedy	Ventriloquist	Branson, Missouri	1, 6	1
Turf	21	Dance	Contortionist/dancer	San Francisco, California	2	1
Bandbaz Brothers[note 3]	34, 59	Acrobatics	Balancing duo	Las Vegas, Nevada	6	N/A
Ben Blaque	33	Extreme	Crossbow performer	Branson, Missouri	2, 6	N/A
Cristin Sandu	18	Extreme	Balancing performer	Las Vegas, Nevada	3, 6	N/A
Horse	25	Novelty	Groin attack taker	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania	4, 6	N/A
Jake Wesley Rogers	15	Music	Singer	Ozark, Missouri	3, 6	N/A
Jarrett & Raja	39, 32	Magic/music	Comedic illusionists	Las Vegas, Nevada	1, 6	N/A
Lindsey Norton	17	Dance	Dancer	Tampa, Florida	4, 6	N/A
Spencer Horsman	26	Magic	Escape artist	Baltimore, Maryland	3, 6	N/A
7 in Unison	14–15	Dance	Dance troupe	Yorba Linda, California	5	N/A
787 Crew	19–31	Dance	Dance crew	San Juan, Puerto Rico	1	N/A
All Beef Patty	38	Music	Drag queen	Brooklyn, New York	3	N/A
All Ways, The	19–22	Music	Rock band	New York, New York	2	N/A
American BMX Stunt Team	20–44	Extreme	BMX stunt riders	Durham, North Carolina	1	N/A
Aurora Light Painters	38–46	Performance	Light-painting troupe	San Francisco, California	2	N/A
Big Barry	70	Music	Singer	Fort Lauderdale, Florida	2	N/A
Cast in Bronze	61	Music	Carillon performer	St. Peters, Pennsylvania	5	N/A
Danielle Stallings	14	Music	Singer	Richmond, Virginia	2	N/A
David "The Bullet" Smith	34	Extreme	Human cannonball performer	Englewood, Florida	4	N/A
Distinguished Men of Brass	24–60	Music	Marching band	Tampa, Florida	1	N/A
Drew Erwin	16	Music	Singer	Arlington, Tennessee	5	N/A
Elusive	21	Dance	B-boy dancer	Austin, Texas	3	N/A
Eric and Olivia	20	Music	Singing/music duo	Austin, Texas	4	N/A
Eric Buss	37	Performance	Novelty act	Tucson, Arizona	5	N/A
Hawley Magic	30	Magic	Magicians/illusionists	Shelby, North Carolina	2	N/A
Inspire the Fire	13–29	Music/Dance	Singing/dance troupe	Charlotte, North Carolina	3	N/A
Lil' Starr	6	Dance	Tap dancer	Chino, California	1	N/A
LionDanceMe	14–35	Performance	Lion dance danger act	San Francisco, California	2	N/A
Lisa Clark Dancers	14–18	Dance	Dance troupe	Suisun City, California	2	N/A
Melinda Hill	39	Comedy	Stand-up comedian	Los Angeles, California	5	N/A
Michael Nejad	55	Music	Household music performer	San Jose, California	1	N/A
Nikki Jensen	25	Music	Singer	Sydney, Australia	1	N/A
Reverse Order		Music	Rock band	Hackettstown, New Jersey	5	N/A
Rock Star Juggler Mike Price	33	Performance	Juggler	Las Vegas, Nevada	3	N/A
Romeo Dance Cheetah	30	Performance	Air guitarist	Chicago, Illinois	5	N/A
Rudy Coby	48	Magic	Illusionist	Los Angeles, California	5	N/A
Ulysses	49	Music	Singer	Statesville, North Carolina	4	N/A
Unity in Motion	11–16	Dance	Dancers/contortionists	Cape May, New Jersey	4	N/A
Wordspit and the Illest!	20–27	Music	Hip-hop/rock band	New York, New York	3	N/A

Notes

1. ↑ The Untouchables include the children of two members from the Miami All Stars, a Top Ten finalist in season six.
2. ↑ All That! also competed in season one, where they placed runner-up along with The Millers.
3. 1 2 The contestants were selected for the Wild Card episode, but were originally eliminated in Las Vegas Week.
4. ↑ Donovan and Rebecca also competed in Britain's Got Talent with the name Crazeehorse, finishing in the semifinals. They also appeared on France's Incroyable Talent.^[24]
5. ↑ In his accompanying montage for his Semifinal performance, Dittelman mentioned that people have been constantly calling him by just his last name, so he was going with it. As a visual gag, an AGT X was placed over his first name within said montage.
6. ↑ The Scott Brothers also competed in season 4, finishing in Vegas Week.

Production

Simon Cowell, the show's executive producer, also announced in The New York Post in December 2011 that the show will be receiving a "top-to-bottom makeover", confirming that there will be new graphics, lighting, theme music, show intro and a larger live audience. Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel returned as judges, in addition to Nick Cannon who was back as host. Promotional videos began airing during the Super Bowl, promoting Howard Stern as a new judge.

On December 19, 2011, Cowell revealed plans to add a fourth, younger, female judge to the panel. He stated in an interview that he thought that four-person panels "leave less room for error". However, on January 9, 2012, Stern announced on his radio show that there would not be an additional judge, and no fourth judge was added.

NBC released several promotional videos on April 13, 2012, with shots of the current season, displaying changes in the show's set.

Additional changes in the live show set were unveiled in the live show on July 2, 2012. The new set for the live show shares similarities with Britain's Got Talent, in addition to a brand new judges' table with a revised design of the "X".

Snapple was the official beverage sponsor. Its product was on the judges' table throughout the season.^[25]

Ratings

The season premiere averaged 10.48 million viewers, with a 3.7 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. Although the AGT premiere achieved lower ratings than the previous season's opener,^[26] it faced regular season competition from popular CBS comedies How I Met Your Mother (3.7 rating), and Two and a Half Men (3.9 rating) as well as ABC's Dancing with the Stars (2.6 rating). This contrasts with the previous season, where Talent premiered with no competition from regular season shows. Critics disputed how Howard Stern's presence on the show affected ratings.^[26]

U.S. Nielsen ratings

Show	Episode	First air date	Rating (18–49)	Share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	Timeslot rank	Nightly rank	Weekly rank
1	Los Angeles and St. Louis Auditions	May 14, 2012	3.7	10	10.48[27]	1	2	16
2	San Francisco Auditions	May 15, 2012	3.4	10	10.58[28]	2	2	15
3	New York Auditions (Part 1)	May 21, 2012	3.2	9	9.66[29]	1	1	6
4	New York Auditions (Part 2)	May 22, 2012	3.3	9	9.44[30]	1	2	7
5	Tampa Bay Auditions (Part 1)	May 28, 2012	2.8	8	9.96[31]	1	1	3
6	St. Louis Auditions (Part 2)	May 29, 2012	3.7	10	11.51[32]	1	1	1
7	Austin Auditions (Part 1)	June 4, 2012	3.3	10	12.22[33]	1	1	2
8	Austin Auditions (Part 2)	June 5, 2012	3.5	11	12.55[34]	1	1	1
9	Tampa Bay Auditions (Part 2)	June 12, 2012	3.0	8	11.18[35]	2	2	4
10	Final Auditions	June 18, 2012	2.9	9	11.43[36]	1	1	3
11	Las Vegas Week (Part 1)	June 25, 2012	3.0	8	10.45[37]	1	1	3
12	Las Vegas Week (Part 2)	June 26, 2012	3.2	9	11.67[38]	1	1	1
13	Las Vegas Week (Part 3)	June 27, 2012	2.8	9	10.66[39]	1	1	2
14	Top 48, Week 1 (performances)	July 2, 2012	2.9	8	10.19[40]	1	1	1
15	Top 48, Week 1 (results)	July 3, 2012	2.3	8	9.32[41]	1	1	2
16	Top 48, Week 2 (performances)	July 10, 2012	2.8	9	10.69[42]	2	2	2
17	Top 48, Week 2 (results)	July 11, 2012	2.0	6	8.08[43]	1	1	6
18	Top 48, Week 3 (performances)	July 17, 2012	2.6	8	10.17[44]	1	1	1
19	Top 48, Week 3 (results)	July 18, 2012	2.0	6	7.61[45]	1	1	5
20	Top 48, Week 4 (performances)	July 24, 2012	2.7	8	10.43[46]	1	1	4
21	Top 48, Week 4 (results)	July 25, 2012	2.2	6	8.76[47]	1	1	5
22	YouTube Snapple Special	August 14, 2012	2.8	8	9.97[48]	1	1	2
23	YouTube Snapple Special (results)	August 15, 2012	2.3	6	8.48[49]	1	1	5
24	Wild Card	August 21, 2012	2.5	8	9.90[50]	1	1	1
25	Wild Card (results)	August 22, 2012	2.3	7	8.60[51]	1	1	2
26	Semifinals, Round 1 (performances)	August 28, 2012	2.5	7	9.89[52]	1	1	1
27	Semifinals, Round 1 (results)	August 29, 2012	2.2	6	8.34[53]	1	1	3
28	Semifinals, Round 2 (performances)	September 4, 2012	2.4	7	8.93[54]	1	1	8
29	Semifinals, Round 2 (results)	September 6, 2012	1.9	6	7.87[55]	1	1	10
30	Finals (performances)	September 12, 2012	2.9	8	11.05[56]	1	1	12
31	Finale	September 13, 2012	2.4	7	10.59[57]	1	1	19

Controversies

Tim Poe

There was a controversy surrounding Sgt. Tim Poe's audition on an episode of Talent that aired on June 4, in which Poe had an audible stutter, and claimed that he had gotten the vocal impediment from an injury sustained after being hit by a grenade while serving as part of the Minnesota National Guard's forces in the War in Afghanistan. Investigations by the Associated Press found the claim to be false, and the Minnesota National Guard confirmed that Poe had never been injured in Afghanistan. Poe did produce military documentation stating that "injury and disease occurred as a result of a hand grenade exploding to the right side of his head," but both the US Army and Minnesota National Guard were unable to verify these claims.^[58]

Poe sang the song "If Tomorrow Never Comes" by Garth Brooks, and won praise from all three judges. There were questions as to whether Poe would have to be disqualified from advancing to further rounds, but it was revealed during Las Vegas Week that Poe had not been advanced to the live shows.^[59] Howard Stern has called the lie "wrong on so many levels".^[60] On November 15, 2012, he responded to these accusations on an episode of Dr. Phil.

Sharon Osbourne's departure

On July 24, 2012, Sharon Osbourne announced via Twitter that she would not be returning to the show for another season.^[61] The next day, however, Osbourne announced that she was unsure of whether she would return.^[62][63][64] On August 6, it was confirmed that Osbourne was leaving the show at the end of season seven because of a feud with NBC.^[65]

Contestants who appeared on other shows

Horse competed on season four of American Ninja Warrior.

Unity in Motion competed in season four under the name Pixie Mystére. They lost the judges vote, finishing in the quarterfinals.

References

External links

• Official website
• IMDB America's Got Talent website