National talent shows have a way of entertaining the audiences and well as the judges for several weeks, and some performances exceed the expectations of even the judges. But what makes a winner truly stand out is to bring something new to the table and consistently bedazzle the viewers without performance fluctuations. The Season 18 winner of America’s Got Talent checked off all the boxes and emerged as the triumphant one.
Wednesday witnessed the crowning of Season 18’s winner of America’s Got Talent after several strenuous weeks of unbridled practice and hard work. It was none other than the dynamic owner-canine duo Adrian Stoica and Hurricane who pulled out a jaw-dropping performance with Hurricane wielding the baton for the most faithful dog to an equally loving owner Stoica. Their trailblazing duo outperformed all the other equally exceptional 11 finalists on Wednesday.
Post announcing the winner, Season 19 of NBC’s Summertime Stay series got renewed with the same judges Simon Cowell, who is also the creator and executive producer, Heidi Klum(previously a Victoria Secret Angel), Sofia Vergara(who played Gloria on Modern Family), as well as the consistent host, Terry returning next summer. In fact, Deadline reports that auditions for the same are already underway.
The finale of Season 18 featured 11 fierce finalists that included, synchronized dance group Murmuration, stand-up comedian Ahren Belisle, singer-musician Putri Ariani, head-balancing duo the Ramadhani Brothers, magician Anna DeGuzman, singer Lavender Darcangelo, dance group Chibi Unity, the Mzansi Youth Choir, the 82nd Airborne Division Chorus and the all-women Japanese dance group Avantgardey. Amidst the sea of unwavering competition and talent, five finalists were short-listed from the eleven including Stoica and Hurricaine, Ramadhani Brothers, Putri Ariani, Anna DeGuzman, and Murmuration.
Surpassing these bewildering performances, the dynamic owner-canine duo stood out the most and received a heartwarming reception from the crowd as well as the judges. People report elucidating the judges’ reactions after their performance with Simon Cowell (considered a hard-to-please judge) exclaiming, “I think in terms of stepping up from the audition to the live show, this is the best act we’ve seen tonight.”
Adding to this, “This was live, and that was a tricky routine. She was amazing.” Sofia Vergara continued, “I think Hurricane is ready for Vegas,” teasingly revealing their destiny a few minutes early. Yes, after they were declared winners, they won the show’s $1 million grand prize and the chance to join America’s Got Talent Presents Superstars Live stage show at Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The finale stage on Wednesday witnessed a whirlwind of unbridled talent of the 11 finalists alongside guest talents, Chef and TV Star Cat Cora, songwriter Diane Warren, singers Jason Derulo and Leona Lewis, musician Jon Batiste, and stage-shattering performances by Season 17 America’s Got Talent finalists, The Mayyas and band Thirty Seconds to Mars. Ramadhani Brothers finished in fifth place, Putri Ariani in fourth, Murmuration in third, and magician Anna DeGuzman in second.
For their finale performance, the winning duo pulled out the best act of the evening performing unimaginable tricks to Queen’s number “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” even inviting Sofia Vergara to be a part of the adorable act. Check out their finale-winning performance from Tuesday here:
Rewinding the tapes of the duo’s talent, they have been performing all over the world for over 18 years reaching the semi-finals in 2017 on Italia’s Got Talent, and then soon after participating in Romania’s Got Talent. Either way 2023 saw a more refined and improved performance that bagged them the winner’s crown. In fact, reminiscing on their audition act, they performed on a montage of them executing their act all over the world with Megan Trainor’s “Better When I Am Dancing” playing in the backdrop.
Wednesday’s talent-filled finale also witnessed a reminiscing journey by reviewing all the special moments of Season 18, which also included a peak into the upcoming movie Trolls, a new AGT spinoff, Fantasy League, with Mel B as returning judge.
As Stoica and Hurricane move ahead to the next phase of their lives with a million dollars in their overfilled bank account, we are sure to witness several special appearances on bigger platforms in the coming weeks, months, and years. For now, we can’t wait for their Vegas appearance. Hurricane will surely star-stud the glitzy casino!