America's Got Talent (season 11)
The eleventh season of America's Got Talent, an American talent show competition, began broadcasting in the United States during 2016, from May 31 to September 11 on NBC; due to the network's live coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics, the program was forced to take a hiatus in August to avoid clashing with this. Following the previous season, Howard Stern left the program, leading not only to him being replaced by Simon Cowell, but with live rounds being moved back to Los Angeles, and held in the Dolby Theatre. In addition, the golden buzzer format was amended further, allowing the host to use it in the first stage of auditions. The guest judges for Judge Cuts this season included George Lopez, Reba McEntire, Ne-Yo, and Louis Tomlinson. This was Nick Cannon’s final season.
The eleventh season was won by singer and ukuleleist Grace VanderWaal, with mentalist duo The Clairvoyants finishing second, and magician Jon Dorenbos placing third. During its broadcast, the season averaged around 11.44 million viewers. The eleventh season became most notable in the program's history for broadcasting a stunt on live television that later went wrong and almost fatally for its performer.
Season Overview
Open auditions for the eleventh season began in late 2015, and were held within Detroit, New York City, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, San Jose, San Diego, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Orlando, and Dallas, with online auditions also accepted by producers. Unlike previous years which had used multiple venues, sessions of the judges' auditions were held at a fixed venue, taking place around March 2016 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. The Judge Cuts stage of the competition saw the involvement of actor George Lopez, singer and actress Reba McEntire, singer Ne-Yo, and singer and television personality Louis Tomlinson as guest judges for this stage.During production on the tenth season, Howard Stern revealed on his radio show that it would be the last season he would work on the program, as his work schedule in the coming year would make him unable to remain committed to performing as a judge on America's Got Talent. His announcement led to the producers debating on who to hire to replace him for the next season, after NBC renewed the program for another year. The debate eventually led to the program's executive producer and AGT creator, Simon Cowell, nominating himself as Stern's replacement for the upcoming season; his work schedule on other projects would not hinder his involvement, including his role for the new season of Britain's Got Talent in the same year.
Stern's departure had a profound impact on the program, as it meant that the live rounds were no longer restricted by contractual agreement to being held within New York at the Radio City Music Hall. The producers decided that the live rounds for the new season would be brought back to Los Angeles, and held within the Dolby Theatre. Other than the change in venue, the production staff also amended the rules of the "Golden Buzzer" to finally allow the host of the program to be able to use it, although only in the first stage of auditions, and not in the Judge Cuts. Alongside the changes, the producers had to also take into account the 2016 Summer Olympics - as the sporting event would receive coverage by the network, the scheduling of the eleventh season included not only a hiatus between August 9–17, but also having the episodes for the Judge Cuts rounds being squeezed into two weeks with two per week to ensure the hiatus could take place.
Of the participants who auditioned for this season, 36 secured a place in the live quarter-finals, with twelve quarter-finalists in each one - amongst these included: opera singer Laura Bretan, singer and ukuleleist Grace VanderWaal, jazz singer Sal Valentinetti, singer Calysta Bevier, and burlesque dancer Dorothy Williams, who had each received a golden buzzer from the main judges; magician Jon Dorenbos, contortionist and aerialist Sofie Dossi, malambo group Malevo, and singer Jayna Brown, who had each received a golden buzzer from the guest judges; and dance group Flip, video-mapping dance duo Sila Sveta, and magician Steven Brundage, who were chosen as WildCard quarter-finalists. Around 22 quarter-finalists advanced to and split between the two semi-finals - including juggling duo The Passing Zone, chosen as the WildCard semi-finalist - with 10 semi-finalists securing a place in the finals. The following below lists the results of each participant's overall performance in this season:
Participant | Age | Genre | Act | From | Quarter-Final | Result |
Alla & Daniel | 8, 32 | Dance | Ballroom Dancers | Upland, California | 3 | |
Blake Vogt | 27 | Magic | Magician | Lebanon, Indiana | 3 | |
Brian Justin Crum | 28 | Singing | Singer | San Diego, California | 3 | ' |
Calysta Bevier | 16 | Singing | Singer | Grand Rapids, Ohio | 2 | |
Daniel Joyner | 17 | Singing | Singer | Alamo, Tennessee | 1 | |
Deadly Games | 32, 34 | Danger | Extreme Knife Throwers | Las Vegas | 1 | |
Dorothy Williams | 91 | Dance | Burlesque Dancer | Hilo, Hawaii | 1 | |
Edgar | 15–36 | Singing / Music | Family Band | Los Angeles | 3 | |
Flip | 14–17 | Dance | Dance Group | Lévis, Canada | 2 | |
Grace VanderWaal | 12 | Singing / Music | Singer & Ukuleleist | Suffern, New York | 3 | ' |
Hara | 25 | Magic | Illusionist | Japan | 1 | |
Jayna Brown | 14 | Singing | Singer | Baltimore, Maryland | 1 | |
Jon Dorenbos | 35 | Magic | Magician | Philadelphia | 1 | ' |
Julia Scotti | 63 | Comedy | Stand-up Comedian | Whiting, New Jersey | 3 | |
Kadan Bart Rockett & Brooklyn | 10, 10 | Magic | Illusionists | Los Angeles | 3 | |
Kadie Lynn Roberson | 12 | Singing / Music | Singer & Guitarist | Kemp, Texas | 2 | |
Laura Bretan | 14 | Singing | Opera Singer | Chicago | 1 | ' |
Linkin' Bridge | 36–41 | Singing | Vocal Group | Louisville, Kentucky | 3 | ' |
Lori Mae Hernandez | 13 | Comedy | Stand-up Comedian | Lancaster, California | 1 | |
Malevo | 17–42 | Dance | Malambo Dance Group | Buenos Aires, Argentina | 3 | |
Moya Angela | 32 | Singing | Singer | Las Vegas | 2 | |
Musicality | 15–18 | Singing | A-cappella Group | Chicago | 1 | |
Outlawz | 17–20 | Dance | Hip-hop Dance Group | Gilbert, Arizona | 1 | |
Ronee Martin | 62 | Singing | Singer | Columbia, Virginia | 3 | |
Ryan Stock & AmberLynn | 34, 34 | Danger | Carnival Daredevils | Las Vegas | 2 | |
Sal Valentinetti | 21 | Singing | Jazz Singer | Bethpage, New York | 2 | ' |
Sila Sveta | 20–35 | Dance | Video-mapping Dance Duo | Los Angeles | 1 | |
Sofie Dossi | 15 | Acrobatics | Aerialist Contortionist | Cypress, California | 2 | ' |
Sos & Victoria | 37, 44 | Magic | Quick-change Duo | Mannheim, Germany | 2 | |
Steven Brundage | 25 | Magic | Magician | Saratoga Springs, New York | 2 | |
Tape Face | 37 | Comedy | Mime | Canterbury, New Zealand | 1 | ' |
The Clairvoyants | 28, 29 | Magic | Mentalists | Vienna, Austria | 2 | ' |
The Passing Zone | 49 | Juggling | Juggling Duo | Hermosa Beach, California | 3 | |
ThroWings | 25, 29 | Acrobatics | Acrobatic Duo | Boston | 2 | |
Vello Vaher | 52 | Acrobatics | Acrobatic Contortionist | Tallinn, Estonia | 3 | |
Viktor Kee | 45 | Variety | Juggler | Priluki, Ukraine | 2 | ' |
- Ages denoted in this column pertain to a participant age in their final performance for this season.
Quarter-final Summary
Quarter-final 1 (July 26)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Mat Franco, and Paul Zerdin- During the Results show, Deadly Games' picture was portrayed as Daniel Joyner during the Online Public Vote segment; it was later corrected.
Quarter-final 2 (August 2)
Quarter-final 3 (August 23)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Recycled Percussion, and Michael Phelps- The Passing Zone were later appointed as the judges' WildCard semi-finalists.
Semi-final Summary
Semi-final 1 (August 30)
Guest Performers, Results Show: The IllusionistsSemi-final 2 (September 6)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Andra Day, and Blue JourneyFinals (September 13–14)
Guest Performers, Finale: Pitbull, LunchMoney LewisFinalist | Act | Performed with | Result |
Sal Valentinetti | Singer | Jersey Boys | ' |
Sofie Dossi | Aerialist Contortionist | Il Volo | |
Linkin' Bridge | Vocal Group | Silhouettes | |
Laura Bretan | Opera Singer | Il Volo | |
The Clairvoyants | Mentalists | Paula Abdul | ' |
Brian Justin Crum | Singer | N/A | ' |
Tape Face | Mime | Shon China Lacy | |
Viktor Kee | Juggler | Il Volo | |
Jon Dorenbos | Magician | Paula Abdul | ' |
Grace VanderWaal | Singer & Ukuleleist | N/A |
- Sofie Dossi, Laura Bretan and Viktor Kee conducted a joint routine for their second performance, and thus shared the same guest performers.
- The Clairvoyants and Jon Dorenbos conducted a joint routine for their second performance, and thus shared the same guest performers.
- Tape Face also involved a number of the other finalists as part of his second performance.
Ratings
Show | Episode title | First air date | Timeslot | Rating | Share | Viewers | Nightly rank | Weekly rank |
1 | Auditions Week 1 | May 31, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.6 | 10 | 11.67 | 1 | 3 |
2 | Auditions Week 2 | June 7, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.3 | 8 | 10.79 | 1 | 3 |
3 | Auditions Week 3 | June 14, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.6 | 10 | 11.54 | 1 | 5 |
4 | Auditions Week 4 | June 21, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.3 | 9 | 11.73 | 1 | 1 |
5 | Auditions Week 5 | June 28, 2016 | Tuesday 9:00 p.m. | 2.4 | 9 | 11.21 | 1 | 1 |
6 | Auditions Week 6 | July 5, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.7 | 10 | 12.81 | 1 | 1 |
7 | Judge Cuts 1 | July 12, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.4 | 9 | 11.54 | 1 | 1 |
8 | Judge Cuts 2 | July 13, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.4 | 9 | 11.85 | 1 | 2 |
9 | Judge Cuts 3 | July 19, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.3 | 9 | 11.10 | 1 | 2 |
10 | Judge Cuts 4 | July 20, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.3 | 9 | 10.78 | 1 | 1 |
11 | Quarterfinals, Week 1 | July 26, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.3 | 9 | 10.47 | 1 | 1 |
12 | Quarterfinals, Week 1 | July 27, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 1.8 | 8 | 9.52 | 1 | 3 |
13 | Quarterfinals, Week 2 | August 2, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.5 | 9 | 11.57 | 1 | 4 |
14 | Quarterfinals, Week 2 | August 3, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 1.8 | 7 | 9.39 | 1 | 8 |
15 | Quarterfinals, Week 3 | August 23, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.4 | 9 | 11.26 | 1 | 1 |
16 | Quarterfinals, Week 3 | August 24, 2016 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 2.1 | 8 | 10.67 | 1 | 2 |
17 | Semifinals, Week 1 | August 30, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.6 | 10 | 12.28 | 1 | 2 |
18 | Semifinals, Week 1 | August 31, 2016 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 2.0 | 8 | 10.50 | 1 | 4 |
19 | Semifinals, Week 2 | September 6, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.5 | 9 | 11.96 | 1 | 6 |
20 | Semifinals, Week 2 | September 7, 2016 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 2.0 | 7 | 10.61 | 2 | 9 |
21 | Finals | September 13, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.8 | 10 | 13.97 | 1 | 4 |
22 | Finale | September 14, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.8 | 10 | 14.41 | 1 | 4 |
Specials
Show | Episode title | First air date | Timeslot | Rating | Share | Viewers | Nightly rank | Weekly rank |
S1 | Best of Season 11 Auditions | July 6, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 1.8 | 7 | 8.48 | 2 | 5 |
S2 | Quarterfinals Week 3 Recap | August 24, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 1.4 | 6 | 7.26 | 2 | 13 |
S3 | Semifinals Week 1 Recap | August 31, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 1.2 | 7 | 6.46 | 2 | 16 |
S4 | Holiday Spectacular | December 19, 2016 | Monday 8:00 p.m. | 1.8 | 6 | 9.54 | 1 | 5 |
Incidents
Live Round Stunt AccidentAccidents across the Got Talent franchise are frequently uncommon - when they do happen, it will often occur with participants who conduct performances that involve dangerous stunts and routines. As a precaution in the live rounds, for those whose performances involve elements such as these, production staff often ensure that a set of necessary precautions are put in place in terms of health and safety, including the provision of paramedics should a stunt go wrong, and in most cases pre-recording the routine before the episode is due to be aired. However, the involvement of carnival daredevils Ryan Stock and AmberLynn on the eleventh season of America's Got Talent saw staff allowing their stunt for the quarterfinal to be aired live rather pre-recorded, leading to viewers witnessing the routine go wrong and nearly turn into a fatal accident on national television.
The stunt they performed involved Ryan Stock holding a lamp in his mouth with a target on the end, with his partner AmberLynn sitting on the top of a stepladder and shooting it with a lighted bolt from a crossbow. However, the bolt missed its target and strike Stock's neck instead, bouncing off of it without penetrating the skin. Although he was able to move, the blow required him to be later examined by paramedics off-stage to ensure he had not suffered any serious injury. Both performers later revealed that the accident was caused by the notch that held the crossbow bolt to AmberLynn's equipment breaking at the moment it was fired, resulting in the bolt mis-firing at the wrong angle. Production staff later altered official clips of the performance to not include anything that would distress those would watch the scene online.