America’s Got Talent Season 21 returned on Wednesday night for the second part of the finale, as 16-year-old guitarist Nene Royal was named the winner of the million-dollar prize. Magician Geno Ploeger finished the AGT competition in second place.
Nene Royal Named AGT Season 21 Winner
At the end of Wednesday night’s two-hour AGT Season 21 finale, host Terry Crews announced that America voted Nene Royal as the winner of the competition. The young musician from Thailand delivered a stunning performance of “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes in Tuesday’s episode.
Nene almost didn’t make it to the live shows, as she was part of judge Howie Mandel’s “Judges’ Callbacks” group. After performing at the Laugh Factory, Mandel chose to send her to the Quarterfinals, where fellow panelist Mel B pressed the Golden Buzzer for her. This sent Nene straight to the finale.
During Wednesday’s grand finale, Nene got to share the stage with rock band Linkin Park to perform their track “The Emptiness Machine” while playing guitar. After her win, Nene got emotional and fell to the floor before thanking everyone who voted for her.
The AGT Season 21 runner-up is 22-year-old magician Geno Ploeger, who made it to the finale based entirely on America’s vote, never receiving a Golden Buzzer from the judges or host. On Tuesday night, he delivered a heartwarming routine involving family photos.
During Wednesday’s finale, Geno got to share the stage with AGT Season 9 winner Mat Franco, who was the very first magician to be named the show’s champion. The two performed a closeup magic routine together.
Finishing the competition in third place was magic group Hundred Fingers. When they were eliminated, judge Howie Mandel promised to put his money where his mouth is and follow through on a promise he made to the group on Tuesday night. As he said, “You are gonna be in Vegas. I am gonna produce you. I’m gonna pay for it.”
Rounding out the Top 5 during Wednesday’s results show were light-up dance group Royal Lasers in fourth place and aerialist Veronika Goroshkova in fifth place. During the finale, they performed with Steve Aioki and Josh Groban, respectively.
What do you think about the results of AGT Season 21’s finale? Did you vote for Nene Royal to win the show? Let us know in the comments below.
Words by:
Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
