# America's Got Talent season 8

The eighth season of American talent show competition series America's Got Talent was broadcast on NBC from June 4 to September 18, 2013. Following the previous season, Sharon Osbourne left the program following a dispute with the network, leading to Mel B replacing her. The judging panel was expanded with Heidi Klum serving as a fourth judge. Along with these changes, the live rounds for this season were moved to Radio City Music Hall in New York.
The eighth season was won by mime dancer Kenichi Ebina, the first foreign act to win the American competition. Stand-up comedian Taylor Williamson finished in second, with singer and guitarist Jimmy Rose placing third. During its broadcast, the season averaged around over 10.10 million viewers.

## Season overview

Auditions for the eighth season's competition took place between January and May 2013, in a far wider number of venues. Open auditions were held between January and February in Seattle, Portland (Oregon), Birmingham (Alabama), Memphis, Nashville, Savannah, Raleigh, Norfolk and Columbus. New Orleans, San Antonio, New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago also held open auditions (along with judges' auditions from March to May). Prior to production beginning, Sharon Osbourne became involved in a dispute with NBC, following the conclusion of the seventh season. Due to the treatment of her son in another of the network's programs, the dispute fundamentally culminated in her departing from the show.
Initially, executive producer Simon Cowell had wanted Carmen Electra to replace Osbourne on the program, but the decision was made to find someone else and expand the judging panel to incorporate four judges. This format change was first introduced on the sixth season of Britain's Got Talent. Singer Mel B was revealed as Osbourne's replacement, which was announced on February 20, 2013. On March 3, supermodel Heidi Klum was revealed as the fourth judge. During filming, Howie Mandel was absent on the first day of auditions in Los Angeles for personal reasons.
Following the previous season, some changes were made for the live rounds. After moving to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in season seven to accommodate new judge Howard Stern, it was announced that the live shows would be presented from Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Both the YouTube and Wildcard quarter-finals were dropped from the schedule, and replaced with a standard fifth quarter-final round, with the Wildcard format adjusted. Judges could only select one eliminated quarter-finalist each as their Wildcard act, but their choice would be granted an automatic place in the semi-finals as a result. Additionally, any participant who reached the grand-final stage of the competition would be required to conduct two different performances, although the second routine would be done with a guest performer to accompany the style of their act. For example, a singer's second performance would have the potential of involving another singer to sing a duet with them.
Of the participants who auditioned for this season, sixty secured a place in the live quarter-finals, with twelve quarter-finalists in each one. About twenty of these advanced and were split between the two semi-finals, including three quarter-finalists chosen as Wildcard acts, along with the last-minute addition that had previously withdrew before the live rounds. Twelve semi-finalists secured a place in the finals, and six finalists secured a place in the grand-final. The following below lists the results of each participant's overall performance in this season:
    Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Finalist
    Semi-finalist | Quarter-finalist | Wildcard Semi-finalist
| Participant | Genre | Act | Quarter-Final | Result |
| 2Unique | Music | Rapper and DJ | 5 | Eliminated |
| 3Penny Chorus & Orchestra | Music | Orchestra | 4 | Eliminated |
| Aaralyn & Izzy | Singing / Music | Singer and Drummer | 1 | Eliminated |
| Aerial Ice | Acrobatics | Ice Skating Group | 4 | Eliminated |
| AeroSphere Aerial Balloon Show | Acrobatics | Aerialist | 3 | Eliminated |
| Alexandr Magala | Danger | Sword Swallower | 2 | Eliminated |
| Alexandria the Great | Danger | Escape Artist | 1 | Eliminated |
| American Hitmen | Music | Band | 1 | Eliminated |
| American Military Spouses Choir | Singing | Choir | 3 | Semi-finalist |
| Angela Hoover | Comedy | Impressionist | 2 | Semi-finalist |
| Anna Christine | Singing | Singer | 1 | Semi-finalist |
| Aquanuts | Variety | Synchronized Swimmers | 2 | Eliminated |
| Brad Byers | Danger | Sideshow Performer | 2 | Eliminated |
| Branden James | Singing | Opera Singer | 1 | Finalist |
| Brandon & Savannah | Music | Band | 3 | Eliminated |
| Cami Bradley | Singing / Music | Singer | 4 | Grand-finalist |
| Catapult Entertainment | Dance | Shadow Dance Group | 5 | Finalist |
| Champions Forever | Variety | Unicycle Group | 4 | Eliminated |
| Chicago Boyz | Acrobatics | Acrobatic Group | 3 | Finalist |
| Chloe Channell | Singing | Singer | 4 | Eliminated |
| Ciana Pelekai | Singing | Singer | 2 | Eliminated |
| Collins Key | Magic | Magician | 1 | Grand-finalist |
| D'Angelo & Amanda | Dance | Ballroom Duo | 5 | Finalist |
| Dave Fenley | Singing / Music | Singer & Guitarist | 5 | Semi-finalist |
| Dave Shirley | Comedy | Comedian | 2 | Eliminated |
| David "The Cobra Kid" Weathers | Animals | Snake Handler | 3 | Eliminated |
| David Ferman | Variety | Juggler | 4 | Eliminated |
| Deanna DellaCioppa | Singing | Singer | 3 | Eliminated |
| Duo Resonance | Acrobatics | Acrobat Duo | 5 | Eliminated |
| Forte | Singing | Opera Trio | 2 | Grand-finalist |
| Fresh Faces | Dance | Dance Group | 1 | Eliminated |
| Hype | Dance | Dance Group | 1 | Eliminated |
| Innovative Force | Acrobatics | Acrobatic Group | 2 | Finalist |
| Jim Meskimen | Comedy | Impressionist | 3 | Eliminated |
| Jimmy Rose | Singing / Music | Singer & Guitarist | 4 | Third place |
| John Wing | Comedy | Comedian | 5 | Semi-finalist |
| Jonathan Allen | Singing | Opera Singer | 3 | Semi-finalist |
| Kelsey and Bailey | Animals | Dog Act | 3 | Eliminated |
| Kenichi Ebina | Dance | Dancer | 3 | Winner |
| Kevin Downey Jr. | Comedy | Comedian | 1 | Eliminated |
| Kid the Wiz | Dance | Dancer | 2 | Eliminated |
| KriStef Brothers | Acrobatics | Acrobatic Duo | 1 | Finalist |
| Leon Etienne & Romy Low | Magic | Magicians | 3 | Semi-finalist |
| Marty Brown | Singing / Music | Singer & Guitarist | 2 | Semi-finalist |
| Melody Caballero | Acrobatics | Contortionist | 5 | Eliminated |
| Mitsi Dancing School | Dance | Dance Group | 3 | Eliminated |
| Red Panda | Acrobatics | Acrobat | — | Semi-finalist |
| Ruby & Jonas | Dance | Ballroom Duo | 5 | Eliminated |
| Sam Johnson | Danger | Daredevil | 5 | Eliminated |
| Selena Mykenzie Gordon | Singing | Singer | 5 | Eliminated |
| SensEtion | Dance | Dance Group | 4 | Eliminated |
| Special Head | Variety | Novelty Act | 1 | Eliminated |
| Sprice | Variety | Kinetic Artist | 5 | Eliminated |
| Struck Boyz | Dance | Dance Group | 2 | Eliminated |
| Taylor Williamson | Comedy | Comedian | 4 | Runner-up |
| Tellavision | Dance | Dance Group | 1 | Eliminated |
| The Robotix | Music | Band | 4 | Eliminated |
| Timber Brown | Acrobatics | Acrobat | 4 | Semi-finalist |
| Tone the Chiefrocca | Singing | Rapper | 2 | Semi-finalist |
| Tummy Talk | Music | Body Drummers | 4 | Eliminated |
| Virginia State University Gospel Chorale | Singing | Gospel Choir | 5 | Eliminated |
* ^1 Red Panda originally had a place in the quarter-finals, but were forced to withdraw for personal reasons. While they later returned as a WildCard semi-finalist, their quarter-final place was given to Melody Caballero as a direct result.

### Quarter-finals summary

    Buzzed Out | Judges' choice | Advanced to Semi-finals
    Won Judges' Vote | Lost Judges' Vote

#### Quarter-final 1 (July 23)

Guest Performers, Results Show: The Rockettes, Labrinth, and Emeli Sandé
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Result (July 24) |
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Mandel | Mel B | Klum | Stern | Result (July 24) |
| Anna Christine | 1 | | | | | Advanced (Judges' Vote Tied - Won by Public Vote) |
| tellAvision | 2 | | | | | Eliminated |
| American Hitmen | 3 | | | | | Eliminated (Judges' Vote Tied - Lost by Public Vote) |
| Special Head | 4 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Fresh Faces | 5 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Collins Key | 6 | | | | | Advanced |
| Kevin Downey Jr. | 7 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Aaralyn and Izzy | 8 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Alexandria the Great | 9 | | | | | Eliminated |
| KriStef Brothers | 10 | | | | | Advanced |
| Hype | 11 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Branden James | 12 | | | | | Advanced |

#### Quarter-final 2 (July 30)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Robin Thicke, Brad Paisley
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Result (July 31) |
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Mandel | Mel B | Klum | Stern | Result (July 31) |
| Innovative Force | 1 | | | | | Advanced |
| Ciana Pelekai | 2 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Alexandr Magala | 3 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Struck Boyz | 4 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Brad Byers | 5 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Kid the Wiz | 6 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Forte | 7 | | | | | Advanced |
| Angela Hoover | 8 | | | | | Advanced (Judges' Vote Tied - Won by Public Vote) |
| Dave Shirley | 9 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Marty Brown | 10 | | | | | Advanced |
| Aquanuts | 11 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Tone the Chiefrocca | 12 | | | | | Eliminated (Tied on Judges' Vote - Lost by Public Vote) |
* ^2 Due to the nature of the Aquanuts' performance, their quarter-final routine had to be pre-recorded at another location.
* ^3 Tone the Chiefrocca was later appointed as Mel B's WildCard semi-finalist.

#### Quarter-final 3 (August 6)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Marion Ross, and Jason Derulo
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Result (August 7) |
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Mandel | Mel B | Klum | Stern | Result (August 7) |
| AeroSphere Aerial Balloon Show | 1 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Chicago Boyz | 2 | | | | | Advanced (Won Judges' Vote) |
| Mitsi Dancing School | 3 | | | | | Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote) |
| Kelsey and Bailey | 4 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Brandon & Savannah | 5 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Leon Etienne & Romy Low | 6 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Deanna DellaCioppa | 7 | | | | | Eliminated |
| David "The Cobra Kid" Weathers | 8 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Jonathan Allen | 9 | | | | | Advanced |
| Kenichi Ebina | 10 | | | | | Advanced |
| Jim Meskimen | 11 | | | | | Eliminated |
| American Military Spouses Choir | 12 | | | | | Advanced |
* ^4 Due to the majority vote for Chicago Boyz, Klum's voting intention was not revealed.
* ^5 Leon Etienne & Romy Low were later appointed as Howard Stern's WildCard semi-finalist.

#### Quarter-final 4 (August 13)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Backstreet Boys
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Result (August 14) |
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Mandel | Mel B | Klum | Stern | Result (August 14) |
| 3Penny Chorus & Orchestra | 1 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Chloe Channell | 2 | | | | | Eliminated (Judges' Vote Tied - Lost by Public Vote) |
| Champions Forever | 3 | | | | | Eliminated |
| SensEtion | 4 | | | | | Eliminated |
| The Robotix | 5 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Timber Brown | 6 | | | | | Advanced |
| Cami Bradley | 7 | | | | | Advanced |
| Tummy Talk | 8 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Taylor Williamson | 9 | | | | | Advanced (Judges' Vote Tied - Won by Public Vote) |
| Aerial Ice | 10 | | | | | Eliminated |
| David Ferman | 11 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Jimmy Rose | 12 | | | | | Advanced |

#### Quarter-final 5 (August 20)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Tom Cotter, Train, and Ashley Monroe
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Result (August 21) |
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Mandel | Mel B | Klum | Stern | Result (August 21) |
| Virginia State University Gospel Chorale | 1 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Melody Caballero | 2 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Dave Fenley | 3 | | | | | Advanced |
| 2Unique | 4 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Sam Johnson | 5 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Duo Resonance | 6 | | | | | Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote) |
| D'Angelo & Amanda | 7 | | | | | Advanced |
| Selena Mykenzie Gordon | 8 | | | | | Eliminated |
| John Wing | 9 | | | | | Advanced (Won Judges' Vote) |
| Sprice | 10 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Ruby & Jonas | 11 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Catapult Entertainment | 12 | | | | | Advanced |
* ^6 For health and safety reasons, Sam Johnson's quarter-final performance had to be pre-recorded at another location.
* ^7 Duo Resonance were later appointed as Heidi Klum's WildCard semi-finalist.

### Semi-finals summary

    Buzzed Out | Judges' choice | Advanced to Finals
    Won Judges' Vote | Lost Judges' Vote

#### Semi-final 1 (August 27)

Guest Performers, Results Show: One Direction, and Cassadee Pope
| Semi-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Result (August 28) |
| Semi-Finalist | Order | Mandel | Mel B | Klum | Stern | Result (August 28) |
| Tone the Chiefrocca | 1 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Red Panda | 2 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Angela Hoover | 3 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Duo Resonance | 4 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Collins Key | 5 | | | | | Advanced |
| Innovative Force | 6 | | | | | Advanced |
| Dave Fenley | 7 | | | | | Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote) |
| Taylor Williamson | 8 | | | | | Advanced |
| Jonathan Allen | 9 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Catapult Entertainment | 10 | | | | | Advanced (Won Judges' Vote) |
| Cami Bradley | 11 | | | | | Advanced |
| Forte | 12 | | | | | Advanced |

#### Semi-final 2 (September 3)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Fall Out Boy, and Team iLuminate
| Semi-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Result (September 4) |
| Semi-Finalist | Order | Mandel | Mel B | Klum | Stern | Result (September 4) |
| D'Angelo & Amanda | 1 | | | | | Advanced (Judges' Vote Tied - Won by Public Vote) |
| Marty Brown | 2 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Chicago Boyz | 3 | | | | | Advanced |
| Leon Etienne and Romy Low | 4 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Anna Christine | 5 | | | | | Eliminated (Judges' Vote Tied - Lost by Public Vote) |
| Kenichi Ebina | 6 | | | | | Advanced |
| John Wing | 7 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Branden James | 8 | | | | | Advanced |
| KriStef Brothers | 9 | | | | | Advanced |
| American Military Spouses Choir | 10 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Timber Brown | 11 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Jimmy Rose | 12 | | | | | Advanced |
* ^8 Kristef Brothers had to perform in the second semi-final, due to an accident in rehearsals. Red Panda were given their place in the first semi-final, both as a last-minute replacement and as Howie Mandel's WildCard act.

### Finals summary
#### Final - Top 12 (September 10)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Terry Fator, and Olate Dogs
    Advanced to Grand-Final | Eliminated
| Top 12 Finalist | Order | Result (September 11) |
| Top 12 Finalist | Order | Result (September 11) | Chicago Boyz | 1 | Eliminated |
| Branden James | 2 | Eliminated |
| Innovative Force | 3 | Eliminated |
| KriStef Brothers | 4 | Eliminated |
| D'Angelo & Amanda | 5 | Eliminated |
| Catapult Entertainment | 6 | Eliminated |
| Forte | 7 | Advanced |
| Taylor Williamson | 8 | Advanced |
| Collins Key | 9 | Advanced |
| Kenichi Ebina | 10 | Advanced |
| Jimmy Rose | 11 | Advanced |
| Cami Bradley | 12 | Advanced |

#### Grand-Final (September 17)

Guest Performers, Results Show: The Rockettes, Icona Pop, Earth, Wind & Fire, Luke Bryan
    Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place
| Grand-finalist | Performed with (2nd Performance) | Result (September 18) |
| Cami Bradley | Gavin DeGraw | 6th |
| Collins Key | Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb | 5th |
| Forte | Josh Groban | 4th |
| Jimmy Rose | Dierks Bentley | 3rd |
| Kenichi Ebina | Il Divo with Heather Headley | 1st |
| Taylor Williamson | James Lipton | 2nd |

## Ratings

The following ratings are based upon those published by Nielsen Media Research after this season's broadcast:
| Show | Episode | First air date | Rating (18–49) | Share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | Time slot rank | Nightly rank | Weekly rank |
| 1 | Auditions Episode 1: San Antonio, New York, & Los Angeles | June 4, 2013 | 3.1 | 9 | 11.22 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | Auditions Episode 2: San Antonio & New Orleans | June 11, 2013 | 3.0 | 8 | 11.52 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 3 | Auditions Episode 3: Chicago | June 18, 2013 | 3.0 | 9 | 11.75 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 4 | Auditions Episode 4: New York & Los Angeles | June 25, 2013 | 2.6 | 8 | 10.23 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Auditions Episode 5: Chicago & San Antonio | July 2, 2013 | 2.4 | 7 | 9.56 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Auditions Episode 6: Los Angeles, New Orleans, & New York | July 9, 2013 | 2.6 | 8 | 9.81 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | Auditions Episode 7: Last Chance Auditions | July 10, 2013 | 2.8 | 8 | 10.71 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | Vegas Week, day 1 | July 16, 2013 | 2.5 | 7 | 10.06 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 9 | Vegas Week, day 2 | July 17, 2013 | 2.9 | 9 | 11.18 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 | Quarterfinals Week 1, Performances | July 23, 2013 | 2.8 | 8 | 10.34 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | Quarterfinals Week 1, Results | July 24, 2013 | 2.3 | 7 | 10.64 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 12 | Quarterfinals Week 2, Performances | July 30, 2013 | 2.7 | 8 | 9.81 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 13 | Quarterfinals Week 2, Results | July 31, 2013 | 2.4 | 7 | 10.28 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 14 | Quarterfinals Week 3, Performances | August 6, 2013 | 2.5 | 7 | 9.39 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 15 | Quarterfinals Week 3, Results | August 7, 2013 | 2.5 | 8 | 10.26 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 16 | Quarterfinals Week 4, Performances | August 13, 2013 | 2.4 | 7 | 8.79 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Quarterfinals Week 4, Results | August 14, 2013 | 2.1 | 6 | 9.51 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 18 | Quarterfinals Week 5, Performances | August 20, 2013 | 2.2 | 6 | 8.52 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 19 | Quarterfinals Week 5, Results | August 21, 2013 | 2.1 | 6 | 9.35 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| 20 | Semifinals Round 1, Performances | August 27, 2013 | 2.2 | 6 | 8.70 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 21 | Semifinals Round 1, Results | August 28, 2013 | 2.2 | 6 | 9.84 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 22 | Semifinals Round 2, Performances | September 3, 2013 | 2.3 | 7 | 9.16 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 23 | Semifinals Round 2, Results | September 4, 2013 | 2.3 | 7 | 10.03 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| 24 | Top 12, Performances | September 10, 2013 | 2.3 | 6 | 9.24 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 25 | Top 12, Results | September 11, 2013 | 2.2 | 6 | 10.80 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| 26 | Finals, Performances | September 17, 2013 | 2.4 | 7 | 11.19 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
| 27 | Finale | September 18, 2013 | 2.5 | 7 | 11.49 | 1 | 2 | 12 |
Recap Episodes
| Show | Episode | First air date | Rating (18–49) | Share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | Time slot rank | Nightly rank | Weekly rank |
| 1 | Auditions Recap | July 17, 2013 | 1.9 | 7 | 7.65 | 1 | 2 | 15 |
| 2 | Quarterfinals Week 1, Recap | July 24, 2013 | 1.6 | 5 | 6.65 | 1 | 2 | n/a |
| 3 | Quarterfinals Week 2, Recap | July 31, 2013 | 1.5 | 5 | 6.54 | 1 | 2 | n/a |
| 4 | Quarterfinals Week 3, Recap | August 7, 2013 | 1.5 | 5 | 6.35 | 2 | 3 | 16 |
| 5 | Quarterfinals Week 4, Recap | August 14, 2013 | 1.3 | 5 | 5.75 | 2 | 3 | n/a |
| 6 | Quarterfinals Week 5, Recap | August 21, 2013 | 1.3 | 4 | 5.87 | 2 | 3 | n/a |
| 7 | Semifinals Week 1, Recap | August 28, 2013 | 1.3 | 5 | 5.96 | 2 | 4 | n/a |
| 8 | Semifinals Week 2, Recap | September 4, 2013 | 1.4 | 5 | 6.16 | 2 | 3 | n/a |
* ^a The weekly rank for these episodes is unknown, due to each not being amongst the 25 highest rated shows of their respective week.