“America’s Got Talent” is officially down to a top 10.
Here’s a look at the acts that will compete for a headlining slot in Vegas and the $1 million prize in the Season 20 finale.
Who is competing in the ‘AGT’ 2025 finals?
Chris Turner
Chris Turner, a 35-year-old improv rapper from Manchester, England, has impressed all season with his ability to take random suggestions on the spot and piece them together into a coherent storyline and rap.
For his audition, he showed off his creativity by transforming the following suggestions from the judges into a rap: meat empanada, sparkly pants, belly button, ripe and juicy papayas, and quantum physics.
“I’m fascinated by what you just did,” “AGT” judge Howie Mandel said.
“To be able to rhyme and make it make sense, and for you to be so articulate and creative. That is such a talent,” judge Mel B added. “We could have thrown anything at you.”
Turner took it up a notch during the quarterfinals by having the audience submit ideas for the judges to pick. During the semifinals, he directly interacted with the audience as he walked around and rapped on the spot about the items people had in their pockets.
The semifinal routine had judge Simon Cowell laughing so hard he couldn’t offer up any feedback.
“I have never seen you like this, Simon,” host Terry Crews said.
“AGT” judge Sofia Vergara declared that the rapper should win the competition.
Jessica Sanchez
Singer Jessica Sanchez is one of the front-runners to win this season of “AGT” — her audition alone has 10 million views.
During her audition, which featured a performance of Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,” the 29-year-old singer revealed that she had actually competed on the first season of “AGT” 20 years ago and made it to the semifinals.
A few years later, she competed on “American Idol” and was the runner-up to winner Phillip Phillips.
But Sanchez told the judges that she ended up taking a break from music because she was so young when she started and wanted to make sure she was doing it for herself and not for others.
Marking another step in her return to music, Sanchez has wowed all season long on “AGT.”
Following Sanchez’s audition, Vergara hit her golden buzzer to advance the singer straight to the quarterfinals.
Sanchez almost didn’t perform in the live quarterfinals (she was eight months pregnant at this point). But she ultimately decided to take the stage and perform Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” — a rendition that had the judges in awe.
“I am absolutely blown away,” Cowell said.
“You have never sounded better,” Mel B added.
Sanchez’s performance during the semifinals didn’t go over as well, with Mandel in particular criticizing her song choice (JKVE’s “Golden Hour”). But the singer’s fate was in the hands of viewers, who pushed her through to the finale.
Steve Ray Ladson — Sofia Vergara’s quarterfinal golden buzzer
Steve Ray Ladson’s self-described “Blackgrass Brothercana” music wowed the judges to such a high degree during his audition that Sofia Vergara said it was her “favorite music act of the whole season, for sure.”
During the quarterfinals, Vergara doubled down on her love for the singer from South Carolina. The “Modern Family” star hit her golden buzzer to send Ladson and his band past the semifinals and straight to the finale.
Ladson has only performed originals so far on “AGT” — “Back of My Truck,” which Mandel said was “100% a hit song”; and “Boots Like Mine,” which led Vergara tp declare Ladson a “superstar.”
Leo High School Choir
When 22 singers of the Leo High School Choir took the stage to audition for “AGT,” their music director, LaDonna Hill, was visibly emotional.
“These young men are amazing — they’ve never had music experience," Hill said of the students from the South Side of Chicago. “I take whoever desires to sing. I am extremely proud of them.”
The choir quickly won over the judges with their passionate performance of The Score’s “Born For This.”
“It felt like that was your song, and you were singing it from the heart,” Mel B said.
“You guys deserve to be on this stage,” Vergara added.
The choir performed Imagine Dragons’ “Believer” for the quarterfinals, and Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries” for the semifinals. Following the choir’s energetic semifinal performance, Cowell said he believed their act was the one that had progressed the most out of all the acts in the competition.
“You guys literally tear at my heartstrings because I can see how much this means to you,” Mel B said.
LightWire
LightWire, a Brazilian LED dance troupe, earned a golden buzzer from Simon Cowell during their audition, which has more than 2 million views on YouTube.
In their first international appearance, per Parade, the group combined dance, art and technology to bring the Amazon rainforest to the “AGT” stage. Following the performance, the dancers were visibly touched by the enthusiastic response from the crowd.
“You never, ever, ever know, when you’re doing a new year, whether you’re going to see something better than you’ve seen before,” Cowell said. “And honestly — I’m not just saying this — this was one of the most beautiful, stunning acts I’ve seen across all of the ‘Got Talents.’”
Cowell’s high praise continued during the quarterfinals. The cheers from the crowd nearly drowned out his feedback as he called it one of the best live performances he’s seen on the show — a production on par with the opening ceremony at the Olympics.
Mandel said LightWire was tailor-made for the show, and praised the act’s “spectacular visuals.”
“This is the epitome of what somebody would buy tickets for and see in Vegas,” he said.
But Mandel didn’t have as much praise during the semifinals, noting that the thrill of LightWire’s routine had worn off for him by this point. The other judges, though, were quick to praise the dance troupe.
“I could not imagine the final without this act,” Cowell said.
Mama Duke — Mel B’s quarterfinal golden buzzer
Mama Duke, a singer-songwriter-rapper from Austin, Texas, auditioned for “AGT” with a rap she wrote.
The YMCA worker’s upbeat performance of “Feels So Good To Be You” had the judges dancing and even got a standing ovation from Cowell when it was over.
The rapper seemed to be in disbelief as she received praise from the judges.
“That’s already a hit,” Mel B said.
During the quarterfinals, Mel B went even further with her praise for Mama Duke, choosing to hit her golden buzzer to send the singer straight through to the finale.
“I loved you the first time, and I love you even more right now,” Mel B said.
Jourdan Blue
Jourdan Blue had one of the most popular “AGT” auditions this season, with over 6 million views on YouTube.
The 23-year-old singer from New Orleans felt inspired to audition for the show following a truck attack on the street where he frequently performs earlier this year.
“It made me realize that there’s so much more to live for,” he told the judges. “That’s what made me choose ‘AGT.’ I feel like this is the best way to level up.”
Following his audition, which featured a performance of The Script’s “Breakeven,” the judges praised his distinctive voice. Mandel ended up hitting his golden buzzer for Blue, who smiled and pocketed some of the gold confetti as it fell around him.
Blue was sick during the “AGT” quarterfinals, but told the judges he was determined to keep going and powered through for a performance of Calum Scott’s “Biblical.”
“This means everything to me and there wasn’t going to be anything that held me back from that,” he said.
“I really truly believe that you can win this,” Mandel told the singer.
“I think you’re going to do amazing in this competition,” Vergara added.
Although Blue had more energy during the semifinals, the judges weren’t as impressed.
Following the singer’s rendition of Myles Smith’s “Stargazing,” Mel B said she wanted more “grit” from Blue and felt like he was holding back a little bit.
“I think you’re playing it safe,” Cowell added, encouraging Blue to “do something unexpected” if he made the finals.
Micah Palace — Simon Cowell’s quarterfinal buzzer
Micah Palace has only performed original music on the “AGT” stage, starting off his debut on the show with “No Sabo” — a song he said references a term “used to make fun of kids who came from Latin descent but don’t speak a lot of Spanish.”
Palace told the “AGT” judges he grew up in an Argentine household in America so he “never felt like I belonged in either culture.”
The energetic performance — which took a page out of Benson Boone’s book by ending in a backflip — got high praise from the judges.
Cowell ramped up his support during the quarterfinals, which featured Palace performing “Rodeo” — a song he hopes can become a soccer anthem.
After Vergara declared that “this could work for the World Cup, definitely,” Cowell chose to hit his golden buzzer to immediately advance Palace to the finale.
Sirca Marea
There’s been a number of high-flying trapeze acts on “AGT” over the years, but for the judges, the duo Sirca Marea is standing out for the risks they take in their routines.
The married couple from Barcelona has had the judges on edge as they fly through the air, rotating between swinging by their hands and their feet.
Following the audition, Cowell called it “the most complicated, difficult aerial act” he’s seen on “AGT.”
“I think you are one of the best in the world,” he said.
The aerialists took it up a notch for the quarterfinals — to such a degree that they were actually out of breath as the judges gave feedback.
“This is a combination of danger, dedication and dance all in one,” Mandel said, praising the risk factor of their act that shows how badly they want to win. “It’s epic.”
After Sirca Marea’s semifinal act — where both of the aerialists performed blindfolded — Cowell praised them for always doing something new each time they take the stage.
Cowell said the routine — which got a standing ovation from all of the judges — “felt like a final performance.”
“If you don’t vote them through, if you send them home, you were blindfolded,” Mandel said.
Team Recycled — Howie Mandel’s quarterfinal golden buzzer
Not all of the “AGT” judges were on the same page about the dance group Team Recycled.
Although Mandel called the act “perfect for Season 20,” Mel B said she found the choreography boring at the start and that it “did not blow me away.”
But with the backing of three out of four judges, the group ended up advancing to the quarterfinals.
During the quarterfinals, Mandel said he had been waiting to give his golden buzzer to an act he believed really stepped it up. That distinction went to Team Recycled, immediately sending the dance act through to the finale.
When is the ‘AGT’ 2025 finale?
The top 10 acts will perform in the “AGT” finals on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 8 p.m. MDT on NBC.
“AGT” will reveal the Season 20 winner — based on voting from viewers — at the end of the two-hour finale airing on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 8 p.m. MDT.