# America's Got Talent season 11

The eleventh season of American talent show competition series America's Got Talent was broadcast on NBC from May 31 to September 14, 2016. After the previous season, Howard Stern was replaced as a judge by the Got Talent creator, Simon Cowell. Stern's departure removed the contractual condition he had imposed for his involvement, leading to moving live round productions to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. While open auditions were held in multiple cities, the judges' auditions were filmed within the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, an arrangement that would persist in future seasons.
Along with those changes, the "Golden Buzzer" format was adjusted, and a planned break was made in the season's broadcast schedule between August 2–23 to avoid clashing with the network's live coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics. The guest judges for the season's Judge Cuts stage included George Lopez, Reba McEntire, Ne-Yo and Louis Tomlinson.
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 per episode. The eleventh season became prominent in the program's history for broadcasting a stunt on live television which went wrong nearly resulted in the death of its performer.

## Season overview

Open auditions for the eleventh season began in late 2015 and were held in Detroit, New York City, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, San Jose, San Diego, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Orlando, and Dallas. Online auditions were also accepted. 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. This arrangement for auditions was continued in later seasons of the show. Actor George Lopez, singer and actress Reba McEntire, singer Ne-Yo and singer Louis Tomlinson were guest judges in the Judge Cuts stage of the competition.
Before the tenth season aired, Howard Stern announced it would be his last season on AGT during his radio show, as his work schedule in the coming year would make him unable to remain committed to performing as a judge. His announcement led to a replacement for the next season, after NBC renewed the program for another year. AGT creator, Simon Cowell, replaced Stern for the upcoming season. Cowell continued with his role of Britain's Got Talent in the same year.
Due to Stern's departure, the live rounds were no longer restricted to being held within New York at Radio City Music Hall. The live rounds for the new season were brought back to Los Angeles and held in the Dolby Theatre. Other than the change in venue, the "Golden Buzzer" could be used by the host, although only in the first stage of auditions (not during the Judge Cuts). Taking the 2016 Summer Olympics into account (which received coverage by the network), the season included not only a break between August 9–17, but it included two episodes of the Judge Cuts in a span of two weeks to ensure the hiatus happened.
Of the participants who auditioned for the season, thirty-six secured a place in the live quarter-finals, with twelve quarter-finalists in each one. Among these were 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 and host; 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; dance group Flip, video-mapping dance duo Sila Sveta and magician Steven Brundage who were chosen as Wildcard quarter-finalists. About twenty-two quarter-finalists advanced and split between the two semi-finals, including juggling duo The Passing Zone (chosen as the Wildcard semi-finalist), with ten semi-finalists securing a place in the finals. Here are the results of each participant's overall performance during the season:
    Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Finalist | Semi-finalist
    Quarter-finalist | Wildcard Quarter-finalist | Wildcard Semi-finalist
    Golden Buzzer - Auditions | Golden Buzzer - Judge Cuts
| Participant | Age(s) | Genre | Act | From | Quarter-Final | Result |
| Alla & Daniel | 8 & 32 | Dance | Ballroom Duo | Upland, California | 3 | Eliminated |
| Blake Vogt | 27 | Magic | Magician | Lebanon, Indiana | 3 | Semi-finalist |
| Brian Justin Crum | 28 | Singing | Singer | San Diego, California | 3 | Grand-finalist |
| Calysta Bevier | 16 | Singing | Singer | Grand Rapids, Ohio | 2 | Semi-finalist |
| Daniel Joyner | 17 | Singing | Singer | Alamo, Tennessee | 1 | Eliminated |
| Deadly Games | 32 & 34 | Danger | Knife Throwing Duo | Las Vegas | 1 | Semi-finalist |
| Dorothy Williams | 91 | Dance | Burlesque Dancer | Hilo, Hawaii | 1 | Eliminated |
| Edgar | 15-36 | Singing / Music | Family Band | Los Angeles | 3 | Semi-finalist |
| Flip | 14-17 | Dance | Dance Group | Lévis, Canada | 2 | Eliminated |
| Grace VanderWaal | 12 | Singing / Music | Singer & Ukuleleist | Suffern, New York | 3 | Winner |
| Hara | 25 | Magic | Illusionist | Japan | 1 | Eliminated |
| Jayna Brown | 14 | Singing | Singer | Baltimore, Maryland | 1 | Semi-finalist |
| Jon Dorenbos | 35 | Magic | Magician | Philadelphia | 1 | Third place |
| Julia Scotti | 63 | Comedy | Comedian | Whiting, New Jersey | 3 | Eliminated |
| Kadan Bart Rockett | 10 | Magic | Magician | Los Angeles | 3 | Semi-finalist |
| Kadie Lynn Roberson | 12 | Singing / Music | Singer & Guitarist | Kemp, Texas | 2 | Semi-finalist |
| Laura Bretan | 14 | Singing | Opera Singer | Chicago | 1 | Finalist |
| Linkin' Bridge | 36-41 | Singing | Vocal Group | Louisville, Kentucky | 3 | Finalist |
| Lori Mae Hernandez | 13 | Comedy | Comedian | Lancaster, California | 1 | Semi-finalist |
| Malevo | 17-42 | Dance | Malambo Group | Buenos Aires, Argentina | 3 | Semi-finalist |
| Moya Angela | 32 | Singing | Singer | Las Vegas | 2 | Eliminated |
| Musicality | 15-18 | Singing | Vocal Group | Chicago | 1 | Semi-finalist |
| Outlawz | 17-20 | Dance | Dance Group | Gilbert, Arizona | 1 | Eliminated |
| Ronee Martin | 62 | Singing | Singer | Columbia, Virginia | 3 | Eliminated |
| Ryan Stock & AmberLynn | 34 & 34 | Danger | Sideshow Duo | Las Vegas | 2 | Eliminated |
| Sal Valentinetti | 21 | Singing | Jazz Singer | Bethpage, New York | 2 | Grand-finalist |
| Sila Sveta | 20-35 | Dance | Videomapping Act | Los Angeles | 1 | Eliminated |
| Sofie Dossi | 15 | Acrobatics | Contortionist | Cypress, California | 2 | Finalist |
| Sos & Victoria | 37 & 44 | Magic | Quick Change Duo | Mannheim, Germany | 2 | Eliminated |
| Steven Brundage | 25 | Magic | Magician | Saratoga Springs, New York | 2 | Semi-finalist |
| Tape Face | 37 | Comedy | Mime | Canterbury, New Zealand | 1 | Finalist |
| The Clairvoyants | 28 & 29 | Magic | Mentalist Duo | Vienna, Austria | 2 | Runner-up |
| The Passing Zone | 49 | Variety | Juggling Duo | Hermosa Beach, California | 3 | Semi-finalist |
| ThroWings | 25 & 29 | Acrobatics | Trapeze Duo | Boston | 2 | Eliminated |
| Vello Vaher | 52 | Acrobatics | Contortionist | Tallinn, Estonia | 3 | Eliminated |
| Viktor Kee | 45 | Variety | Juggler | Priluki, Ukraine | 2 | Finalist |
* ^1 Ages denoted for a participant(s), pertain to their final performance for this season.

### Quarter-finals summary

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

#### Quarter-final 1 (July 26)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Mat Franco, and Paul Zerdin
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Result (July 27) |
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Cowell | Klum | Mel B | Mandel | Result (July 27) |
| Jayna Brown | 1 | | | | | Advanced |
| Hara | 2 | | | | | Eliminated (Judges' Vote Tied - Lost by Public Vote) |
| Outlawz | 3 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Musicality | 4 | | | | | Advanced |
| Lori Mae Hernandez | 5 | | | | | Advanced (Online Public Vote) |
| Deadly Games | 6 | | | | | Advanced (Judges' Vote Tied - Won by Public Vote) |
| Jon Dorenbos | 7 | | | | | Advanced |
| Daniel Joyner | 8 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Tape Face | 9 | | | | | Advanced |
| Dorothy Williams | 10 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Sila Sveta | 11 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Laura Bretan | 12 | | | | | Advanced |
* ^2 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)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Fitz and the Tantrums featuring Team iLuminate
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Result (August 3) |
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Cowell | Klum | Mel B | Mandel | Result (August 3) |
| Flip | 1 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Moya Angela | 2 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Viktor Kee | 3 | | | | | Advanced |
| Kadie Lynn Roberson | 4 | | | | | Advanced (Judges' Vote Tied - Won by Public Vote) |
| Ryan Stock & AmberLynn | 5 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Calysta Bevier | 6 | | | | | Advanced |
| Sofie Dossi | 7 | | | | | Advanced |
| The Clairvoyants | 8 | | | | | Advanced |
| Sal Valentinetti | 9 | | | | | Advanced (Online Public Vote) |
| ThroWings | 10 | | | | | Eliminated (Judges' Vote Tied - Lost by Public Vote) |
| Steven Brundage | 11 | | | | | Advanced |
| Sos & Victoria | 12 | | | | | Eliminated |

#### Quarter-final 3 (August 23)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Recycled Percussion, and Michael Phelps
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Result (August 24) |
| Quarter-Finalist | Order | Cowell | Klum | Mel B | Mandel | Result (August 24) |
| Vello Vaher | 1 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Ronee Martin | 2 | | | | | Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote) |
| Kadan Bart Rockett & Brooklyn | 3 | | | | | Advanced |
| Linkin' Bridge | 4 | | | | | Advanced (Won Judges' Vote) |
| Alla & Daniel | 5 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Blake Vogt | 6 | | | | | Advanced |
| Edgar | 7 | | | | | Advanced |
| Julia Scotti | 8 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Brian Justin Crum | 9 | | | | | Advanced |
| Malevo | 10 | | | | | Advanced (Online Public Vote) |
| The Passing Zone | 11 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Grace VanderWaal | 12 | | | | | Advanced |
* ^3 The Passing Zone were later appointed as the judges' WildCard semi-finalists.

### Semi-finals summary

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

#### Semi-final 1 (August 30)

Guest Performers, Results Show: The Illusionists
| Semi-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Result (August 31) |
| Semi-Finalist | Order | Cowell | Klum | Mel B | Mandel | Result (August 31) |
| Sal Valentinetti | 1 | | | | | Advanced |
| Blake Vogt | 2 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Edgar | 3 | | | | | Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote) |
| Lori Mae Hernandez | 4 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Musicality | 5 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Deadly Games | 6 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Tape Face | 7 | | | | | Advanced (Online Public Vote) |
| Jon Dorenbos | 8 | | | | | Advanced |
| Grace VanderWaal | 9 | | | | | Advanced |
| Malevo | 10 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Laura Bretan | 11 | | | | | Advanced (Won Judges' Vote) |

#### Semi-final 2 (September 6)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Andra Day, and Blue Journey
| Semi-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Buzzes and Judges' votes | Result (September 7) |
| Semi-Finalist | Order | Cowell | Klum | Mel B | Mandel | Result (September 7) |
| Jayna Brown | 1 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Kadan Bart Rockett & Brooklyn | 2 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Kadie Lynn Roberson | 3 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Viktor Kee | 4 | | | | | Advanced (Judges' Vote Tied - Won by Public Vote) |
| Linkin' Bridge | 5 | | | | | Advanced |
| The Passing Zone | 6 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Calysta Bevier | 7 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Steven Brundage | 8 | | | | | Eliminated (Judges' Vote Tied - Lost by Public Vote) |
| Sofie Dossi | 9 | | | | | Advanced (Online Public Vote) |
| The Clairvoyants | 10 | | | | | Advanced |
| Brian Justin Crum | 11 | | | | | Advanced |

### Finals (September 13–14)

Guest Performers, Finale: Pitbull, LunchMoney Lewis
    Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place | Top 5
| Finalist | Performed with (2nd Performance) | Result (September 14) |
| Brian Justin Crum | N/A | Grand-finalist |
| Grace VanderWaal | N/A | 1st |
| Jon Dorenbos | Paula Abdul | 3rd |
| Laura Bretan | Il Volo | Finalist |
| Linkin' Bridge | Silhouettes | Finalist |
| Sal Valentinetti | Jersey Boys | Grand-finalist |
| Sofie Dossi | Il Volo | Finalist |
| Tape Face | Shon China Lacy | Finalist |
| The Clairvoyants | Paula Abdul | 2nd |
| Viktor Kee | Il Volo | Finalist |
* ^4 Sofie Dossi, Laura Bretan and Viktor Kee conducted a joint routine for their second performance, and thus shared the same guest performers.
* ^5 The Clairvoyants and Jon Dorenbos conducted a joint routine for their second performance, and thus shared the same guest performers.
* ^6 Tape Face also involved a number of the other finalists as part of his second performance.

## Ratings

The following ratings are based upon those published by Nielsen Media Research after this season's broadcast:
| Show | Episode title | First air date | Timeslot (EDT) | Rating (18–49) | Share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | 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 (Performances) | July 26, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.3 | 9 | 10.47 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | Quarterfinals, Week 1 (Results) | July 27, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 1.8 | 8 | 9.52 | 1 | 3 (tie) |
| 13 | Quarterfinals, Week 2 (Performances) | August 2, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.5 | 9 | 11.57 | 1 | 4 (tie) |
| 14 | Quarterfinals, Week 2 (Results) | August 3, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 1.8 | 7 | 9.39 | 1 (tie) | 8 (tie) |
| 15 | Quarterfinals, Week 3 (Performances) | August 23, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.4 | 9 | 11.26 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | Quarterfinals, Week 3 (Results) | August 24, 2016 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 2.1 | 8 | 10.67 | 1 (tie) | 2 (tie) |
| 17 | Semifinals, Week 1 (Performances) | August 30, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.6 | 10 | 12.28 | 1 | 2 |
| 18 | Semifinals, Week 1 (Results) | August 31, 2016 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 2.0 | 8 | 10.50 | 1 | 4 |
| 19 | Semifinals, Week 2 (Performances) | September 6, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.5 | 9 | 11.96 | 1 | 6 |
| 20 | Semifinals, Week 2 (Results) | September 7, 2016 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 2.0 | 7 | 10.61 | 2 | 9 |
| 21 | Finals (Performances) | September 13, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.8 | 10 | 13.97 | 1 | 4 (tie) |
| 22 | Finale | September 14, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.8 | 10 | 14.41 | 1 | 4 (tie) |
Specials
| Show | Episode title | First air date | Timeslot (EDT) | Rating (18–49) | Share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | 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 (tie) |
| 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 (tie) |

## Incidents

Accidents are uncommon across the Got Talent franchise, but most are usually attributed towards performances that involve highly dangerous stunts and routines. As a matter of principle, production staff often engage a set of necessary precautions for any such routine that will be shown on live television, which can include having paramedics on standby, conducting the performance at another venue, or pre-recording the routine before it is due to be aired for an episode. However, staff on the eleventh season opted to allow for a dangerous stunt to be broadcast live to American viewers, performed by carnival daredevil Ryan Stock, which nearly became a fatal accident when a piece of equipment malfunctioned and nearly impaled the performer's throat with a crossbow bolt. Although he suffered no injuries, production staff were left to question why the performance had been allowed to take place, and altered all footage of the scene for online viewing as a direct result.