On September 24th, America’s Got Talent crowned the winner of their 20th anniversary season. Since the show started its season in late May, there have been countless triumphs and eliminations to lead to the 10 acts in the finale. Overall, it was a really strong finale; there was no act that left you disappointed with their performance or wishing they didn’t make it as far as they did. Even though there were 10 very strong acts, only one could come away as the winner, and that winner was singer Jessica Sanchez.
The America’s Got Talent finale was filled to the brim with talented acts, which is what you are looking for in the finale of these types of shows. But in past years, there have usually been one or two acts that either played it safe or shouldn’t have made it to the finale at all. But this year was not the case for season 20.
Here are the 10 acts that made up the America’s Got Talent Finale
- Chris Turner (Freestyle rapper)
- Team Recycled (Dance Team)
- Jessica Sanchez (Singer)
- Mama Duke (Singer-songwriter)
- Due Transcend (Trapeze Duo)
- Jourdan Blu (Singer)
- Leo High School Choir (Choir)
- Micah Palace (Singer-songwriter)
- Steve Ray Landson (Singer-songwriter)
- Lightwire (Light up dance group)
While there were acts I personally would’ve preferred to move on to the finale over others, I wasn’t displeased by any performance. Each act took risks to try to prove to America why they should be the winner of the 20th season. One of my standout acts during the finale night was Chris Turner, who took the judges’ and audience’s suggestions to create a freestyle rap. But the catch was that every time he used a suggestion, the beat would speed up, which took him all the way up to 150bpm. If I could’ve determined the winner, I would’ve chosen Chris, but alas, I am not America. However, Chris Turner managed to gain enough votes to come in second place, so I was as satisfied as I could be.
Other standout acts of the night were singer Jourdan Blu, who sang Golden from KPOP Demon Hunters, which seems to be everywhere you turn. After his previous performance, he was told he “played it too safe, and we know you have more inside of you,” so he completely switched up from his usual ballad and came out swinging. Despite his strong efforts, Jourdan came in third place in the competition. Another act that I considered a standout was the dance group Team Recycled, which took advantage of the whole theater when performing their dance. Members of the team were seen in the mezzanine and the orchestra as they used light props and their clothing to create a visually pleasing performance. Unfortunately, Team Recycled did not make it into the top five finalists despite their stunning performance.
Though every act excelled, not every act could walk away a winner. The champion title went to singer Jessica Sanchez, who, for her, was a long time coming. When Jessica Sanchez walked onto the AGT stage to audition for the judges in May it wasn’t her first time it wasn’t her first time. In fact, Jessica had to go through the same process 19 years ago as a 10-year-old when she auditioned and competed on the very first season of the show. Now at 29, Jessica was returning to the stage, hoping to get her redemption.
When Jessica walked onto the AGT stage in 2005, she wowed the judges and America with her rendition of Celine Dion’s “ I Surrender.” Unfortunately, she was eliminated in the semi-finals of the competition, brought back for the wildcard round, and eliminated again. Jessica then went on to compete on season 11 of American Idol, but fell short as she came in second place to Phillip Phillips. Still wanting to make it big and succeed, Jessica decided to audition for the 20th season of America’s Got Talent, hoping this time for a different outcome. At her initial audition, Jessica sang “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone, which earned her a Golden Buzzer from Sofia Vergara, immediately sending her to the live shows.
When Jessica made her reappearance on the live shows, she had a surprise along with her. She returned to the show 9 months pregnant, expecting a baby girl. For her first live show performance, Jessica sang “Ordinary” by Alex Warren. She was then voted through to the Semi-Finals along with magician Mastermind and freestyle rapper Chris Turner. For her Semi-Final performance, Jessica sang Golden Hour by JVKE, which again earned her enough votes to be put through to the finale, along with freestyle rapper Chris Turner, light-up dance group Lightwire, trapeze duo Circa Maria, singer Jourdan Blu, and the Leo High School Youth Choir.
For her final performance, Jessica sang “Die With A Smile” by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga. She gave her best performance of the whole competition, and at 9 months pregnant, she left everything out on the stage. But now it was up to America’s votes, and all the acts had to wait a whole day to hear the results. During the results show Jessica sang “Golden Hour” again as Circa Maria performed behind her. After multiple performances, it was time for the results, and the 10 acts were dwindled down into the top five, which included Jessica Sanchez, Chris Turner, Jourdan Blu, Leo High School Youth Choir, and Circa Maira. The top three were then revealed to be Jourdan Blu, Chris Turner, and Jessica Sanchez. As Jourdan was then eliminated from the competition, it was down to Jessica and Chris for the Vegas residency and a 1 million cash prize. Chris and Jessica were consistent all throughout the competition; there was never a moment of negative feedback or mistake. It really came down to who America thought was the better talent. As host Terry Cruise opened the envelope, he revealed that Jessica Sanchez had won America’s Got Talent. This win was extremely full circle for Jessica, as she had been waiting 19 years to get her moment in the spotlight. In interviews, she talked about how much it meant to her that she could compete along with her baby girl, and how even more special it would be if they won it together.
Personally, I would have preferred Chris Turner to walk away victorious. But despite that, I was content with Jessica’s win; I’m not always the biggest fan of singers on the show. Usually, because there are always so many different variety acts that I think would be more entertaining in Vegas. But Jessica’s powerful voice and consistency left me without any negative feelings about her win, unlike season 19’s winner Richard Goodall. Overall, it was a great season and a stellar final for America’s Got Talent, and I am very excited for May when season 21 will come along.
