The two-hour fifth season premiere kicks off with auditions from Los Angeles. The series is a true celebration of the American spirit featuring a colorful array of hopeful stars, including singers, dancers, comedians, contortionists, impressionists, jugglers, magicians and ventriloquists, all vying for their chance to strut and perform on stage hoping to win America's hearts -- and the $1 million prize. Written by NBC Publicity

The judges travel to Dallas, Texas, for auditions.

The New York City auditions of America's Got Talent started with a remarkable act called Fighting Gravity, a group of college students who shut down all the lights in the theater and delivered a performance that blew the judges and the crowd away. Four dancers dressed in white, who were the only figures visible on stage, turned in some precise choreography and surprised everyone when there were a couple dozen guys on stage after it ended. Howie called it the most unique and exciting act he's seen since The Blue Man Group, and Fighting Gravity was on its way to Vegas.Father-and-son duo Gino and Tony Antanies gave a so-bad-it-was-worth-cheering-for rendition of All By Myself. Piers buzzed them quickly, but the other judges were willing to indulge them a bit more. Piers said no, but Sharon said, Absolutely yes. Howie said he could sense the passion and the love, and said it was a beautiful father-and-son thing, but he voted no.A guy named Joe Menchetti put his speed-eating ...

The America's Got Talent auditions headed for New York City, and the first contestant out of the gate was 74-year-old Mary Ellen. She struggled out of the gate to get her keyboards working on Patsy Cline's Crazy. Piers buzzed her immediately, and Sharon buzzed her once she started singing. Howie was the lone holdout, and as the crowd roared in disapproval, and Mary busted into some yodeling that got the crowd back into it. Sharon told Mary she's absolutely barking mad but she loved her. Howie said he didn't know why he loved it, but he did. Piers said no, but Howie realized that even though everyone would think he was crazy, he gave her a yes. Sharon hoped Mary would find herself a husband in Vegas, and she'd get the chance because that's where she was headed.Rudi Macaggi wowed the judges and the crowd by doing a headstand on a basketball that was set on a stack of shelves that were propped up by champagne glasses and bottles. Rudi vowed more of an act that would blow our socks ...

The America's Got Talent auditions headed south to Orlando, which Piers Morgan called very, very cool. Howie Mandel said he'd not only been to Orlando before, but he's performed on this very stage.The first contestant was local lifeguard Jason Pote, who called himself a freestyle dancer. A quick three buzzes later, a winded Jason was sent home -- at least he lived nearby. He walked to the audition. Jason started a run of terrible acts, including a guy whose eyebrows danced, a guy who put some kind of colorful paint on an overhead projector, and a horrible dancer who referred to the new judge as Howie Mendez.A college student dance troupe called The Morphs were dressed in head-to-toe leotards that covered their faces. They were awful and Piers buzzed them quickly, then shook his head as he wondered why the other judges weren't buzzing them, as well. But they did, eventually. Another guy named Billy Bob beat his bicycle like a drum and was buzzed by all three judges. A hula-hoop...

The America's Got Talent auditions were back in Orlando, Fla., and the first act of Tuesday's two-hour audition episode was magician Frankie Elliston, a 19-year-old Chili's waiter who earns extra tips by performing magic tricks. He swallowed a piece of string and pulled it out through the skin on his stomach. He freaked everyone out, and Piers Morgan called it one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. He was intrigued, though, and voted yes as the crowd cheered. Sharon said she didn't know if it was good enough, so she voted no. Howie liked something about Frankie and put him through to Vegas.Another magician made it through with a slick girl in a box trick. A group of South Philly's Mummers, and a knife thrower who surprisingly used host Nick Cannon as his target all made it to Vegas, as well.Erin Barylski, a painted-up gymnast painted an American flag using pigment on her thighs was just odd enough to make it through to Vegas. A 16-year-old kid dressed as Amadeus came ...

The second day of auditions in Portland, Ore., started just as weirdly as the first day had, with a taxi driver named Soriah offering up some bizarre humming that he called Tuvan throat singing. It sounded like a human vuvuzela and after the judges mocked him a bit, they sent him on his way. Soriah was followed by a run of odd acts, including a contortion yoga dancer, a needle swallower and a girl with pink hair who admitted she made up her lyrics as she went along.It got so bad that Piers Morgan walked away and called it a complete waste of time.A family tap dancing group of three brothers and their sister, calling themselves The Hot Shot Tap Dancers, tried to turn the tide in Portland. It worked. The crowd was pumped and the judges were all smiles. Howie loved it and said there was a connection and a unity that made it work. Piers liked it but wasn't thrilled with their choreography. Although he said it wasn't perfect, Piers voted yes, along with Howie and Sharon, and they were ...

It's the final week of auditions on America's Got Talent (already, you ask?). Tuesday night's episode brought us to Chicago, where the hope was that the talent would be as deep as the pizza.The first contestant of the night promised to wow and disgust America with his talent -- sneezing with his eyes open. Germaphobe Howie Mandel refused to watch and buzzed the guy right away. The guy couldn't even get himself to sneeze, despite jamming a Q-tip into his nostril, and Piers Morgan buzzed him. Finally, Howie ran over and buzzed Sharon's X to send the guy off.A eight-man hip-hop dance crew called Strikers All-Stars from Florida said they'd been dancing together since 2002. They put on an impressively choreographed routine that had the crowd roaring. Sharon called it good, Howie called it great. With three yes votes, the Strikers were heading to Vegas.Another group of college friends, the Gentlemen of NUCO, put a rock twist on classical music instruments, and a gospel quartet called NU...

The final auditions for the sixth season of America's Got Talent were finally upon us, and Wednesday's episode took us to ... well, it wasn't clear where we were. But there were more acts waiting to impress the judges enough to get to Las Vegas.The first was a 26-year-old comedian named Jimmy Dinh (pronounced Dean, but he didn't sell sausages, he does eyelash extensions). He was very excited to be on stage. He was funny at first, but it fell apart when he began his shtick. All three judges buzzed him, but Howie encouraged him to stick with comedy and continue to perform as himself. A belly dancing duo calling themselves The Belly Dancing Duo floored Piers and Howie, who said they were both overflowing with talent. Even Sharon was on board, despite saying that Howie was just looking at the TandT. He said it was the talent, and the timing. They made it to Vegas. A hip-hop violinist from Utah went through, as well, followed by a team of pogo-stick jumping guys. A large group of ...

The Americas Got Talent audition process is taking a big step this week as the more than 100 acts to make it to the Las Vegas round will be whittled down to 48 finalists.The contestants enjoyed the sites and sounds of Vegas and talked about how much theyd love to have a show there -- the grand prize (along with that $1 million) for the winner.With the cameras rolling, Howie, Piers and Sharon pretended to debate which of the acts they preferred to see move forward. Finally, the contestants were brought into the theater as the judges appeared on stage.They were on edge, knowing that in the past some contestants have been cut even before they performed in Vegas. The acts were separated into three groups as they sat in the theater. Howie told the acts seated in Group A that they were the judges favorites and theyd be performing that night.Sharon then explained to the contestants in Group B that theyd have to wait until Group A performed to see if there were any spots still available in ...

It was Day 2 of Vegas Week on Americas Got Talent, where the standby contestants got a chance to perform for 11 remaining spots in the live Hollywood round.The danger acts went first. The Kung Fu Heroes got things started with a high-flying martial arts routine that even impressed their fellow competitors who were watching backstage. Still, The Danger Committee threw their knives at each other and juggled flaming torches around each other. Nick Pike promised to deliver something that had never been done before. After having juggled flaming torches on flaming unicycle in his original audition, Nick put a hood over his head and juggled a machete, a cleaver and a flaming torch while walking on broken glass that had been doused with kerosene. After watching Nick successfully complete his routine, Piers said it was going to be a ridiculously competitive category.Jeremy Vanschoonhoven said there were lots of people who could juggle and throw knives, but there are very few people who can do ...

Sound issues (at least on the east coast), a new studio, and a grand introduction for the judges could only mean one thing: It was time for the live competition to begin on America's Got Talent. The first 12 of the final 48 contestants were vying for four spots in the next round.Kung Fu Heroes: The first act of the night was the martial arts crew. To boost the element of danger, they were using real weapons and taking more chances than ever. One of the group's members took a hard fall during rehearsals and nearly knocked himself out. Piers Morgan said he didn't find it as enthralling as the group's audition, because it seemed like too much of a routine. It wasn't as mad as your audition, he said. Sharon Osbourne said she loved the music, but agreed that it was too much like a martial arts exhibition and she'd prefer to see more intricate choreography next time. Howie Mandel agreed.Christina and Ali: Singing sisters Christina and Ali, who both have cystic fibrosis, were feeling nervous...

The votes were in and the first four semifinalists on Americas Got Talent would be named Wednesday night. After the first dozen acts to make it to Hollywood performed on Tuesday, Americas votes would determine which four are guaranteed a spot in the next round.Howie said that last night he saw an act -- though he wouldnt say which -- that he thought could go all the way. To the results: Host Nick Cannon called three acts from backstage -- Nathaniel Kenyon, Airpocalypse and Sally Cohn. Piers said he had no clue which of the three acts would go through. Nick quickly announced that the act moving into the semifinals is ... Nathaniel Kenyon. He got (real) hugs from all three members of Airpocalypse and Sally Cohn. Sharon said America got it right.Sally said later that she wasnt devastated and that in some ways its a relief.Be our guest: Selena Gomez and The Scene paid a visit to the Talent stage to perform her song, Round and Round. Later, the cast of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages, ...

Last week, four semifinalists were sent into the next round of the competition, and Tuesday night brought a chance for 12 more contestants to claim four more spots. Howie kicked off the night with a David Hasselhoff joke, saying that choosing last week between RNG and Future Funk, two kids dancing groups, was like David Hasselhoff deciding which daughter to share a burger with. Cheer SF: The group leader said Cheer SF has been around for 30 years. In the intro package, Piers said his problem with the group was that they were mostly blokes and a cheerleading group should have more ladies. But the group is aiming to break down stereotypes. Not surprisingly, Piers buzzed them. Sharon followed, but Howie let them finish what wasnt a particularly bad performance. It just wasnt all that impressive. Piers said he simply doesnt get cheerleading as a form of entertainment in a show like this. He said he wanted to go to sleep. Sharon loved their enthusiasm, but thought that such a mature group ...

With four spots on the line, the 12 acts that performed Tuesday waiting to learn their fates on Americas Got Talent.To the results: Host Nick Cannon didnt waste much time getting down to business, calling out the first three acts that would hear the news -- for better or worse. They were Mona Sampath Dance Company, AscenDance and Ronith. Piers hoped Roniths time was done. The act moving into the next round was ... AscenDance. Be our guest: The dancers of Ka by Cirque du Soleil stopped by to perform. Later, Train paid a visit to perform their song, Hey Soul Sister.Back to the results: Nick called for Cheer SF, Iron Horse and Alice Tan Ridley to join him on stage for the next batch of results. Howie said America always has it right and he called out that he thought they would have chosen Alice. Nick finally revealed that Alice, in fact, was Americas choice. Piers said he couldnt be happier, and said she could win the whole thing.Nick called three more acts to the stage: Michael Grimm, ...

Eight spots in the Americas Got Talent semifinals have already been claimed, and Tuesday night brought another chance for 12 more contestants to continue in the quest for $1 million and a headlining gig in Vegas. Sharon Osbourne laid down the gauntlet, saying, unfortunately, being great isnt good enough tonight. The South Philly Vikings: A group of regular guys from Philly came to show how its done in the working class town. Piers buzzed them about halfway through their high-energy group dance performance. He later explained he did it was because they were just overgrown schoolchildren in robot costumes. He said he didnt get it. Sharon apologized for her English friend -- he corrected her and said hes Irish. She said they had immense vision. She called it really good entertainment. Howie said he was someplace in between, calling it spectacular and fun, but noting that he couldnt place them in a category. CJ Dippa: The 11-year-old rapper was already dealing with the ladies trying to ...

With four more spots in the semifinals up for grabs, the 12 performers who showed their stuff on Tuesday nights episode of Americas Got Talent waited on Wednesday night to see which of them would move on, and which would go home. Howie cracked some jokes about the wow factor and said that while he didnt have another word for wow other than wow, he does spell it backwards. He and Piers Morgan then got into another verbal duel about Piers besmirching of him on Tuesday night.To the results: After a couple of minutes of filler, host Nick Cannon called the first three acts to the stage for their results: The South Philly Vikings, CJ Dippa and Haspop. The act moving on to the next round is ... Haspop. Howie said America made the right decision, saying that Haspop is raw, great talent. He said CJ Dippa has a future and will be a star, but if youre looking at raw talent, Haspop has it. Be our guest: The JabbawockeeZ, who competed in Season 2, paid a visit to promote their Las Vegas show at ...

The final four semifinal spots were on the line Tuesday night on Americas Got Talent. The last 12 quarterfinalists had their chance before the judges, and host Nick Cannon told us that for the first time one act would be so huge and so dangerous that it had to be taken outside.After the judges were introduced, Nick called for the first act of the night...Da Maniacs: A group of friends who just decided to start dancing together, Da Maniacs said they were taking their craft much more seriously now. The oversized dancers were ready to shake the ground. They started their routine with an homage to The Blues Brothers. It continued with a tribute to the stylings of MC Hammer, which earned them a buzz from Piers. The party-pooper, as Nick called him, explained that he buzzed them because there is a reason that most dancers are not your size. He said there was already a TV competition for them -- The Biggest Loser. Sharon said their melding of dance and comedy was entertaining and she enjoyed...

With four semifinal spots on the line, the last batch of 12 quarterfinals prepared to learn their fates on Wednesday nights episode of Americas Got Talent.Host Nick Cannon didnt waste any time getting to some results, calling for the first three performers to come to center stage.To the results: Doogie Horner, Mary Ellen and Murray were the first three brought out. Howie said he would miss Mary Ellen if she were sent home. The act continuing to the next round was ... Murray. Piers thought it was the right decision, but noted the irony in that the first time Doogie Horner made him laugh, America sent him home. Movie plug!: Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg hosted an Americas Got Talent field trip as the contestants got a chance to preview their movie, The Other Guys.Be our guest: Taio Cruz paid a visit to perform his song, Dynamite. Later, Poison frontman Bret Michaels hit the stage to perform an acoustic version of Every Rose Has Its Thorn. Back to the results: Nick brought out the next ...

Nick Cannon took to his laptop webcam to introduce the YouTube special episode of Americas Got Talent. Twelve finalists who were voted onto the show based on audition videos they posted of themselves on YouTube, and given a chance to make it into the shows semifinals and compete for the $1 million grand prize.Piers Morgan said this was the most unpredictable show that could be expected on this show, and Howie said it was a chance to someone to make it big based on a homemade video, a la Paris Hilton -- although this is a little different type of talent. PLUtonic: A geeky brigade of a cappella singers who met at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU, get it?) in Tacoma, Wash., took on Flo Ridas Low. Piers said that if Bill Gates ever formed a band, thats what it would look like. He thought they were funny, well done and there was something about them was really likable. Sharon Osbourne said their performance was good and showed confidence, but she hates a cappella groups. Howie said they ...

The night after a pretty terrible experiment -- the YouTube Special -- host Nick Cannon did everything he could to entice viewers to stay tuned, including teasing us about another twist that would be announced later in the show.Sharon Osbourne said the show took a risk, stopping short of calling it a failure. She instead chose to focus on some of the magical moments she said happened.To the results: Nick called for the first handful of acts to come to the stage: Accordion playing dog Pup, pizza dough juggler Pizza Patt, pianist Maestro Alexander Bui and comedian Austin Anderson. Sharon said she couldnt decide who America had chosen. After the seemingly obvious choice (from that bunch, anyway) of Maestro Alexander Bui was announced, Piers said he was baffled by Sharons hesitation. He said Alexander was the only true talent on the stage, standing among a guy whos not funny, a dog that didnt play the accordion, and a bloke who chucks pizzas in the air. He then encouraged Alexander to ...

In an apparent effort to make this the longest summer season of television ever, Americas Got Talent busted out another gimmick to prolong the quarterfinal round of the competition. With 20 semifinalists having already been chosen (16 from the original batch of 48 quartefinalists, plus the four YouTube qualifiers from last week), the judges brought back their favorite 12 performers who have not already secured a place in the semifinals for one last shot (we think) at moving on to the next round.(Indeed, this season of Americas Got Talent will contain 32 episodes, which is longer, by far, than any other season. Last season had 26 episodes. Season 1, for some perspective, contained 16 episodes. Yes, thats half of Season 5.)This week, each judge selected four of the unlucky quarterfinalists who came just a bit short of securing a spot in the semis. Piers Morgan chose dancers Anna and Patryk, comedian Doogie Horner, Kruti Dance Academy and Harmonica Pierre. Sharon Osbourne brought back ...

The final four spots in the Americas Got Talent semifinals were -- finally! -- ready to be claimed Wednesday night after 12 wild-card contestants got a second chance to prove themselves. To the results: Host Nick Cannon didnt waste any time getting some contestants on stage to learn their fates. He called Kruti Dance Academy, Michael Grasso, Swing Shift Sideshow and Rudi Macaggi to the stage. The act moving into the next round is ... Michael Grasso. Sharon was pleased and told Michael to keep raising the game. Bigger is better.Be our guest: Illusionist Criss Angel paid a visit to plug his show at the Luxor in Vegas, and performed two tricks. One was a record-breaking attempt at Harry Houdinis infamous straight-jacket escape. Houdini did it in five minutes, but Criss tried to get it done in one minute, hanging upside down -- and succeeded. He next did a bit where he was locked in a box, and quickly switched places with his assistant, where, after a flash, he was standing on the box and...

The semifinals on Americas Got Talent were finally upon us Tuesday night as 12 acts got a shot at the top 10.Anna and Patryk: Nick didnt waste much time (beyond the overblown judges introductions) getting to the action and introduced the young ballroom dancers. The promised to bring an angrier side of them as they performed the paso doble. Piers said they behaved like stars. He said he was going to have a very firm view of all the acts on Tuesday, and he said they were the two most talented dancers in this competition, bar none. Sharon said their performance was perfection, as usual. Howie apologized if his past comments have made it seem like he didnt like them. He agreed that they were perfect and that this week they didnt creep him out. Christina and Ali: The singing sisters who have cystic fibrosis were ready to take on a big song in an effort to impress the judges and voters. They took on Whitney Houstons When You Believe. Sharon said their performance got stronger since the last ...

Wednesday night meant it was time to learn which contestants on Americas Got Talent would retain a chance to get into the top 10 and remain in contention for the $1 million grand prize and which would go home.Host Nick Cannon asked judge Piers Morgan whether the judges were being more critical in the semifinals, and Piers said it was business time. Nick called for the first group of acts to join him on stage.To the results: He called on electric band ArcAttack, magician Dan Sperry, kid dancers Future Funk, and singer Kristina Young. Asked to assess the group, Howie apologized to Kristina for buzzing her, but said her singing was off key. He also pointed out that Dans illusion looked choppy and fell flat. The act moving to the next round was ... no one.Nick seemed as shocked as everyone on stage after delivering the news that none of the acts on stage were moving on. Piers said he was surprised. He thought ArcAttack deserved a shot, and he thought Future Funk showed enough charm to ...

The next batch of Americas Got Talent semifinalists each had 90 seconds to impress the judges and America in an effort to remain in the million-dollar competition. Host Nick Cannon wasted no time in getting to the action.Alice Tan Ridley: The former New York subway singer, and mother of Oscar-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe, vowed to give it her all because she knew the opportunity in her hands at the age of 57. She said Whitney Houstons I Have Nothing. Piers Morgan said that in a big year for singers, Alice gave an incredibly strong performance. Sharon Osbourne said it had been so long since Ive heard that song sung that way. She said she had goosebumps, and said, from one 57-year-old to another, Alice looked fabulous. Howie said Alice has touched the heart of America. Haspop: The French street dancer who left his family behind to follow his dream, was intent to tell more stories through his dancing, and thats what Sharon said she wanted to see. It was an odd little scene, in which...

With just five spots left in the top 10, the 12 semifinalists who performed Tuesday night on Americas Got Talent would learn their fate in Wednesdays results show. Host Nick Cannon got straight to some results.To the results: Nick called singer Debra Romer, illusionists Michael Grasso and Murray, and singer Nathaniel Kenyon to the stage. Piers said that any one of the four, in previous years, would have had a place in the final. But the talent level is higher this year. He said Debra isnt quite finished, and Nathaniel didnt have a great performance. He said the two magicians are great, but Murray fell a little flat on Tuesday, and Michael stood out. The act moving into the next round was ... Michael Grasso. Piers said he was very happy and that it was great to see a wild-card act get into the Top 10.Be our guests: The cast of the Las Vegas show, Le Reve, stopped by to offer a sampling of the epic production. Later, singer Jason Derulo paid a visit to sing his new single, Ridin Solo....

If you thought all that talk of semifinals the past two weeks meant this week was the Americas Got Talent finals, guess again. Why stop now, when we could stretch this season out for another week?The Top 10 competed for Americas vote Tuesday night, and this time around there would be no judges choice. The vote will determine everything this time, and the top four vote-getters will compete next week for the $1 million grand prize.Judge Piers Morgan threw down the gauntlet, saying that the acts had to be absolutely perfect tonight.Studio One Young Beast Society: The young, reckless dance crew, which focuses on its tricks when choreographing its routines, said they were trying tricks on Tuesday that theyd never done before. There were some tremendous flips that got the crowd on its feet. What a start, Piers said, adding that he really liked that the group got more ambitious every time on stage. He called it a brilliant performance. Sharon said their passion and ambition shows and loved ...

The result show taking the top 10 down to the top 4.

The top 4 perform for a chance to be crowned the winner of this season of America's Got Talent.

The winner of this season of America's Got Talent is announced.

A weekly talent competition where an array of performers -- from singers and dancers, to comedians and novelty acts -- vie for a $1 million cash prize.