Breaking Down The First Half of the ‘AGT: The Champions’ Lineup
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In just over a month, we’ll finally be treated to America’s Got Talent: The Champions. The AGT spin-off will feature 50 legendary Got Talent acts, and 25 of them have now been officially revealed!
Several of the acts are literal champions of the series, many others are fan-favorites who didn’t quite manage to seal the million-dollar deal, and quite a few are representing international Got Talent programs. Let’s take a look at each of them and their respective claims to fame.
Attraction: This shadow dance group won Series 13 of Britain’s Got Talent. While we have seen plenty of multimedia dance groups on the American version, most have consisted of the dancers performing in front of a screen, not behind it in “shadow” form so this style should be something fresh for AGT viewers.
Billy & Emily England: This brother-sister rollerskating duo finished in the semi-finals on both Series 9 of BGT and Season 12 of AGT. They are definitely amazing at what they do, but I fear they might be a tad underwhelming for the same audience who just saw Duo Transcend do the same thing this past summer as well as acrobatics in the same performance.
Darci Lynne Farmer: The AGT Season 12 champion has not strayed very far from the spotlight after her victory. She continues to wow audiences with her singing ventriloquism acts on tour and has a Christmas special coming out on NBC next month.
DDF Crew: These jump-ropers won Season 5 of Holland’s Got Talent in 2012, and went on to compete on their home country of Belgium’s version four years later in 2016, finishing in the finals.
Deadly Games: I personally think this danger duo was somewhat underrated when they competed on Season 11 of AGT and finished in the semi-finals, so I’m intrigued to see what they’ll do this time around while competing against some of the biggest names in Got Talent history.
DJ Arch Jnr: This “kid DJ” may have won South Africa’s Got Talent Season 6, but his real claim to fame might be holding the Guinness World Record for “World’s Youngest Club DJ”.
Issy Simpson: Another child act, Issy was the runner-up on Series 11 on Britain’s Got Talent. Her strong ability to perform magic so well at such a young age is seriously impressive, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us this season!
Justice Crew: This six-piece song-and-dance group won Australia’s Got Talent in 2010, and have gone on to have a successful music career since the show wrapped.
Kechi: She sang her heart out in every round of America’s Got Talent Season 12, but most of the buzz surrounding Kechi during her season was about her backstory: she was the sole survivor of a devastating plane crash sometime before the show started.
Kseniya Simonova: A sand artist! That’s something really neat and different for AGT! Her Ukraine’s Got Talent victory was nearly a decade ago, so we’ll see if she’s still got it when we watch her on Champions.
Light Balance: These guys hail from the Ukraine, but have only ever competed on America’s Got Talent, where they finished in third place for the 2017 season.
Moonlight Brothers: This dance/acrobatic duo recently won Denmark’s Got Talent and are hoping to keep the momentum going on Champions.
Paul Potts: This opera singer won the very first series of Britain’s Got Talent back in 2007, and went on to record a chart-topping album after his time on the show!
Paul Zerdin: In 2015, Paul became the second ventriloquist to win America’s Got Talent, and has also been part of in the Royal Variety Performance, an annual variety show in which the victorious act of BGT also gets to perform.
Piff the Magic Dragon: This magician (and his adorable dog, Mr. Piffles) were clear fan-favorites during America’s Got Talent Season 10, but lost steam at the end of the season. No worries, though; he’s currently headlining his own residency in Las Vegas.
Prince Poppycock: This opera singer made it all the way to the finals on Season 5 of AGT, and many longtime fans of the show see him as one of the best to never win. But will he be able to live up to the hype all these years later on Champions?
Sara & Hero: This trainer-and-dog duo finished in fifth place on AGT Season 12. Their routines had a lot of fun themes, and I’m hoping to see even more of those on this show!
Shin Lim: This card magician is the reigning champion of America’s Got Talent is back to make sure he remains reigning champ…but will he be able to pull off back-to-back victories?
Sofie Dossi: After finishing in the top 10 on AGT Season 11, Sofie became a viral hit with her fun contortionist tricks and ended up becoming a YouTube star with nearly 3 million subscribers.
Susan Boyle: Perhaps the most famous Got Talent alum of all, Susan famously wowed the Britain’s Got Talent judges with her rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream”. The video went viral, and Susan ended up placing second in Series 3 of the program and recording several albums afterwards.
Tape Face: Another viral sensation, Tape Face has taken his comedic mime act all across the globe, including America’s Got Talent, placing in the top 10 in Season 11. Oh, and he’s another act who ended up with a Vegas residency post-show!
Taylor Williamson: No stand-up act has ever won America’s Got Talent, but Taylor is one of several comedians to finish as runner-up. After competing on Season 8, he released a comedy album and a stand-up special, and currently tours around the world.
The Texas Tenors: This opera trio finished in the AGT Season 4 finals, and have since released four studio albums.
Tom Cotter: Another AGT “stand-up runner-up” (in his case, Season 7’s) who currently takes his show on the road.
Uzeyer Novruzov: This ladder acrobat has competed on multiple iterations of the Got Talent franchise, but his highest finish was as a finalist on Season 10 of the American version.
America’s Got Talent: The Champions will premiere Monday, January 7 at 8/7c on NBC.
