“AGT: All-Stars” has brought back 60 former champions, finalists and fan favorites to compete for the ultimate “All-Star” title. The show’s finale — which aired Monday night — featured the 11 top acts, voted through by the “AGT” judges and superfans.
Here’s a look at 13-year-old ventriloquist Ana-Maria Margean, who has a really good shot of winning the entire competition.
Ana-Maria Margean competes on ‘AGT: All-Stars’ finale
For the “AGT: All-Stars” finale, Margean, who won “Romania’s Got Talent” in 2021, performed “I Put a Spell On You” — interrupted occasionally with insights from her puppet sidekick, Mrs. Know It All.
“It was flawless, it was absolutely flawless, and you did it even without moving your lips,” “AGT” judge Heidi Klum said. “I think you’re absolutely incredible.”
“If Ariana Grande was Romanian and 14 years old with a puppet, I think that’s what we’re watching,” “AGT” judge Howie Mandel added. “You’re exactly what an All-Star is.”
Simon Cowell, meanwhile, noted that there’s a big market for Margean’s talent and that she has a great shot at breaking through. Ventriloquists like Darci Lynne Farmer and Terry Fator, who both won “AGT,” have gone on to have great success in the industry.
In fact, Fator — who returned to compete on “All-Stars” earlier this season — was a big inspiration in Margean pursuing ventriloquism.
“I got to compete with the person I admire most, and I just want to make him proud,” the teenager said during the finale.
“AGT: All-Stars” will reveal the champion during a two-hour episode airing Feb. 27 on NBC. During the episode, the top 11 acts will perform alongside a number of musicians, including Weezer, Terry Fator, Adam Lambert and Lindsey Stirling.
Who is Ana-Maria Margean?
Margean is relatively new to ventriloquism, but that clearly hasn’t put her at any sort of disadvantage.
At the start of the COVID-19 lockdown, Margean discovered a video of Fator — one of the most successful “AGT” winners of all time — and was inspired to learn the art of ventriloquism. She got a puppet for her 11th birthday, and she didn’t waste any time getting to work.
In 2021, she won “Romania’s Got Talent” with her newfound talent.
Now, 13-year-old Margean is competing on “AGT: All-Stars” and has made it to the show’s finale.
For her audition on “All-Stars,” Margean opted to banter back and forth with her dog puppet — made by her mom — and perform a duet of Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me,” which she also sang during her “Romania’s Got Talent” audition.
She received high praise from all of the judges, who marveled that she’s only been doing this for a couple of years.
“Wow, no wonder you won,” Klum said following the performance. “You are incredible. You’re gorgeous. You can sing so beautifully. I love your furry friend, and it was funny, too.”
Margean also received support from her fellow “AGT” ventriloquists. Farmer — who was 12 when she won Season 12 of “AGT” — shared on Instagram that she was rooting for Margean and called her a “superstar,” per Talent Recap.
Fator, who won Season 2 of “AGT,” shared that he was “so proud to have inspired such a talented young ventriloquist,” according to Talent Recap.
Fator appeared on the season premiere of “AGT: All-Stars,” where judge Simon Cowell revealed that “All-Stars” would not have happened if Fator didn’t sign on to compete.
“Because if you’re going to say we’ve got the ‘best of the best,’ then you’ve got to get the best of the best,” Cowell said, per the Deseret News.
Although Fator didn’t get voted through to the “All-Stars” finale, he has no regrets about appearing on the show.
“I went on the show to support my ‘AGT’ family. From the beginning I never considered it a competition; for me, it was always a showcase of the world’s best talent,” Fator recently told People magazine. “When Simon told me that the show would not have happened if I have said no, it made me glad that all these acts were able to be seen across the globe because I was part of the show. Because I won 15 years ago, I’m established in Las Vegas and on tour; I just wanted to pay it forward so that whoever wins will be able to parlay it into great success.”