In 2006, America’s Got Talent premiered on NBC and was a completely different reality TV competition show in that it focused on more than one talent, unlike shows like American Idol. The series allowed people from across the U.S. to showcase a multitude of talents that could range from singing, dancing, magic acts, to even ventriloquism.
With 19 seasons of mind-blowing talent on our TV screens, viewers would love to know what happened to some of the biggest winners from previous seasons. Fans may have wondered what happened to the show’s first-ever winner. Or, maybe they have wanted to know what’s going on with the famous Olate dogs since taking home the winning title.
8 Bianca Ryan
Season 1 Winner
The first-ever winner of America’s Got Talent was Bianca Ryan, who was just 11-years-old when she won the competition. Viewers will remember when she blew the judges away with her rendition of the Dreamgirls tune “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”
After winning the $1 million prize, Bianca’s self-titled album was released in 2006 and included covers of songs like “The Rose” and “I Believe I Can Fly.” She also released several singles and Christmas EPs. In 2019, Bianca released another EP, titled, The Reintroduction, Pt. 1, which features 8 songs, including “They Wanna Be Us Now.” She’s also tried her hand at acting, having starred in the independent film, We Are Kings.
7 Terry Fator
Season 2 Winner
Terry Fator is, hands down, one of the most successful winners of America’s Got Talent. The ventriloquist/singer impressed judges with his acts in Season 2, and he took home the $1 million prize. After the show, Terry took his act to Las Vegas where he signed a five-year deal with the Mirage on the Vegas Strip.
Today, Terry tours across the country with his puppets for his “Terry Fator: On the Road Again” Tour,” which features special (puppet) guests like Willie Nelson and Frank Sinatra.
6 Olate Dogs
Season 7 Winners
A dog that does backflips and another that can jump over objects while standing on its two back paws? Who knew dogs could have such amazing talents? Season 7 saw father-and-son duo Richard and Nicholas Olate bring their crew of dogs on stage to give the judges and viewers an extraordinary show. It’s no wonder that after they won that season, they continued to find success.
The Olate Dogs have toured the country and have performed at NBA halftime shows. The pooches even released their own Christmas album!
5 Mat Franco
Season 9 Winner
Season 9 of AGT aired in 2015 and the show saw its first magician win, and it was well-deserved. Contestant Mat Franco had been a fan of magic acts since he was a little kid and was self-taught. At 25, he auditioned by wowing the judges with a card trick that included judges Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Mel B, and Howie Mandel.
After winning the season, Mat headlined at the LINQ Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and continues to perform there today. He has also taken his act on tour, with the Las Vegas Review Journal naming Mat’s magic show the best in Vegas for two years in a row.
4 Grace VanderWaal
Season 11 Winner
Grace Vanderwaal has widely been considered the greatest America’s Got Talent winner of all time. At 12, Grace auditioned for the show by singing an original song and playing her ukulele. Her voice was unique and captivated the audience and judges alike. She even got a standing ovation from the judges, including the famously harsh Simon Cowell.
In 2017, Grace released her debut album, Just the Beginning, which found its way to No. 22 on the Billboard 200. Grace quickly found a legion of fans and found her way into mainstream music. In 2019, she released her EP, Letters: VOL.1. In August, she released the song “Call It What You Want,” and shared the news with her nearly 7 million Instagram followers.
3 Brandon Leake
Season 15 Winner
Brandon Leake was the first-ever poet to win AGT. During his audition on Season 15, Brandon performed a poem in ode to his sister who had passed. Having deeply moved judge Howie Mandel, he pushed his Golden Buzzer, which allows a judge to send an act directly to the live shows.
Since winning the reality TV competition show, Brandon has toured the world as a speaker and artist. He also released his book, Unraveling: Poems in 2022, which features a collection of original poems.
2 The Mayyas
Season 17 Winners
The Mayyas, an all-women Lebanese dance troupe, captivated the AGT judges with their audition in Season 17. Their audition was so impressive, judge Sofía Vergara used her Golden Buzzer on them. Their routines, which featured the women having to synchronize with one another, were awe-inspiring, and they would end up winning it all in the finale.
Ranking AGT judges from worst to best according to Gold Derby:
- David Hasselhoff
- Piers Morgan
- Brandy Norwood
- Julianne Hough
- Gabrielle Union
- Howard Stern
- Howie Mandel
- Mel B
- Sofia Vergara
- Sharon Osbourne
- Simon Cowell
- Heidi Klum
Although the dance group is one of the latest winners of the series, they have already made waves. They returned to the stage for Season 18’s finale and brought their incredible routines back home with a live 80-minute performance in Beirut. In January, the Mayyas joined Beyoncé on stage for a performance in Dubai for the opening of a new resort.
1 Adrian Stoica & Hurricane
Season 18 Winners
Adrian Stoica and his Border Collie, Hurricane, were the second animal act to win a season of AGT. Adrian and Hurricane’s stage performances were extremely well executed, comedic, and downright fun. The audience and judges alike truly enjoyed watching every minute of this intelligent pup. The pair were so well-liked, even judge Simon Cowell’s young son, Eric Cowell, predicted his win.
Since winning Season 18, Adrian and Hurricane joined other AGT acts for the show America’s Got Talent Superstars Live at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Looking at Adrian’s Instagram, he also continues to train dogs in dog disc competitions and is a 6x discdog World Champion.
In April, Adrian and Hurricane announced that they had added a new addition to their family. Hurricane welcomed the arrival of her new pup sister, Diva.
For more America’s Got Talent coverage, visit our Reality TV Hub.