# America's Got Talent season 17

The seventeenth season of the American talent show competition series America's Got Talent premiered on NBC on May 31, 2022, and concluded on September 14, 2022. This season featured the return of a full audience without COVID-19 restrictions, which had begun during the fifteenth season.
The season was won by dance group Mayyas, with pole dancer Kristy Sellars finishing second, and singer and guitarist Drake Milligan placing third. During its broadcast, the season averaged around 6.14 million viewers.

## Production

On March 31, 2022, it was announced that the entire main cast from the previous season would return for the new season and that the season would premiere on May 31. Originally, host Terry Crews announced the 'end of an era' in September 2021, stating that the season sixteen finale of America's Got Talent and the series finale of Brooklyn Nine-Nine had marked the end of his deal with NBC.
Judge Howie Mandel was partially absent from the June 14, July 19, and August 2 episodes, and was entirely absent in the July 12 episode, due to contracting COVID-19 at the 2022 Kids' Choice Awards. Additionally, judge Sofía Vergara was absent from the judge deliberations at Simon Cowell's house.
The live shows for the season were held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, the same venue where auditions have been filmed since season eleven. The live shows had been held at the Dolby Theatre since the same season, excluding season fifteen, during which the live shows were held at Universal Studios Hollywood.

## Season overview

Judge Simon Cowell and host Terry Crews named their favorite Golden Buzzer recipients from the previous seasons in a special retrospective episode on July 5. Singer Nightbirde from season sixteen was ranked as the number one Golden Buzzer in AGT history. Inspired by Nightbirde, who died from cancer in February 2022, Lebanese dance group Mayyas previously honored her during an audition episode on June 21. They received a Golden Buzzer from judge Sofía Vergara.
For the second time in AGT history (the first in season sixteen), a group Golden Buzzer was given by all the judges and host on the July 19 episode, to country trio Chapel Hart for their original song "You Can Have Him Jolene".
Unlike previous seasons of AGT, the live show format was changed to accommodate the top 55 acts, which were divided into five qualifying rounds of eleven acts (two acts from each qualifying round plus a wildcard advanced to the finals), instead of the usual quarter-final and semi-final rounds. In the judge deliberations portion of the episode aired on August 2, the judges selected 54 of the top 55 spots. Following this episode, a public vote was opened to allow viewers to vote the last act into the live shows. Danger act Auzzy Blood, singers Ben Waites and Debbii Dawson, and comedian Jordan Conley were all in contention for the final spot in the top 55. During the August 9 live show, it was announced that Conley had won the America's Wildcard vote.
During the final qualifying round results show on September 7, an Instant Save vote was held for viewers to send a final wildcard into the finals. The four acts included in this vote were acts that were eliminated in the live shows, with each act selected by one of the judges; Mandel selected Don McMillan, Klum selected Lily Meola, Vergara selected Celia Muñoz, and Cowell selected Players Choir. Celia Muñoz ultimately won the public vote, taking the last spot in the season's finals.
    Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Finalist | Qualifier
    America's Wildcard | Final Wildcard | Golden Buzzer Audition
| Participant | Age(s) | Genre | Act | From | Qualifier | Result |
| Acapop! | 12-18 | Singing | A-Cappella Group | Various | 4 | Eliminated |
| Aiko Tanaka | 42 | Comedy | Comedian | Tokyo | 2 | Eliminated |
| Amanda Mammana | 19 | Singing / Music | Singer & Guitarist | Trumbull, Connecticut | 3 | Eliminated |
| Amazing Veranica & Her Incredible Friends | 12 | Animals | Dog Act | Oxford, Florida | 1 | Eliminated |
| Amoukanama | — | Acrobatics | Acrobatic Group | Conakry, Guinea | 1 | Eliminated |
| Aubrey Burchell | 21 | Singing | Singer | Pittsburgh | 5 | Eliminated |
| Ava Swiss | 18 | Singing | Singer | Oxford, Michigan | 1 | Eliminated |
| Avery Dixon | 21 | Music | Saxophonist | Atlanta | 1 | Finalist |
| Bayley Graham | 22 | Dance | Tap Dancer | Christchurch, New Zealand | 4 | Eliminated |
| Ben Lapidus | 29 | Comedy / Singing / Music | Comic Singer & Guitarist | Doylestown, Pennsylvania | 1 | Eliminated |
| Blade 2 Blade | — | Danger | Knife Throwing Duo | Mallorca, Spain | 5 | Eliminated |
| Celia Muñoz | 36 | Comedy | Ventriloquist | Madrid, Spain | 3 | Finalist |
| Chapel Hart | — | Singing | Vocal Trio | Poplarville, Mississippi | 2 | Grand-finalist |
| Cline Twins | 17 | Variety | Hockey Trick Shot Duo | Waterloo, Ontario | 3 | Eliminated |
| Don McMillan | 62 | Comedy | Comedian | San Francisco | 1 | Eliminated |
| Drake Milligan | 23 | Singing / Music | Singer & Guitarist | Fort Worth, Texas | 1 | Third place |
| Duo Rings | — | Acrobatics | Aerial Duo | Buenos Aires, Argentina | 2 | Eliminated |
| Freckled Zelda | 19 | Singing / Music | Singer & Instrumentalist | South Lake Tahoe, California | 2 | Eliminated |
| Funkanometry | 19 & 20 | Dance | Dance Duo | Vancouver Island, Canada | 3 | Eliminated |
| Fusion Japan | — | Dance | Dance Group | Japan | 2 | Eliminated |
| Harper | 10 | Singing | Metal Singer | Somerset, England | 4 | Eliminated |
| Hayden Kristal | — | Comedy | Comedian | Pueblo, Colorado | 3 | Eliminated |
| Jack Williams | 25 | Comedy | Ventriloquist | Indianapolis, Indiana | 4 | Eliminated |
| Jannick Holste | 19 | Magic / Dance | Magician & Dancer | Germany | 4 | Eliminated |
| JoJo and Bri | — | Singing | Vocal Duo | Virginia | 3 | Eliminated |
| Jordan Conley | — | Comedy | Comedian | Garden Grove, California | 5 | Eliminated |
| Kristen Cruz | 19 | Singing | Singer | Irving, Texas | 5 | Eliminated |
| Kristy Sellars | 36 | Dance | Pole Dancer | Ballarat, Australia | 5 | Runner-up |
| Lace Larrabee | — | Comedy | Comedian | Atlanta | 1 | Eliminated |
| Lee Collinson | 21 | Singing | Singer | Southampton, England | 4 | Eliminated |
| Lily Meola | 27 | Singing | Singer | Maui, Hawaii | 4 | Eliminated |
| MPLUSPLUS | — | Dance | LED Dance Group | Tokyo | 3 | Eliminated |
| Madison Taylor Baez | 11 | Singing | Singer | Yorba Linda, California | 2 | Eliminated |
| Max Ostler | 18 | Dance | Contemporary Dancer | Glenmore Park, Australia | 5 | Eliminated |
| Mayyas | 13-25 | Dance | Dance Group | Lebanon | 5 | Winner |
| Merissa Beddows | 23 | Singing / Comedy | Impressionist | Yonkers, New York | 4 | Eliminated |
| Mervant Vera | — | Singing / Magic | Rapper & Magician | Philadelphia | 5 | Eliminated |
| Metaphysic | — | Variety | Artificial Intelligence Act | Belgium & Australia | 4 | Grand-finalist |
| Mia Morris | 18 | Singing / Music | Singer & Musician | Nashville | 3 | Eliminated |
| Mike E. Winfield | — | Comedy | Comedian | Baltimore, Maryland | 4 | Finalist |
| Mr. Pants | — | Comedy | Comedian | Brooklyn, New York | 2 | Eliminated |
| Nicolas RIBS | — | Magic | Magician | Paris | 3 | Finalist |
| Oleksandr Yenivatov | — | Acrobatics | Contortionist | Ukraine | 1 | Eliminated |
| Players Choir | — | Singing | Choir | Various | 1 | Eliminated |
| Sara James | 14 | Singing | Singer | Ośno Lubuskie, Poland | 3 | Finalist |
| Shu Takada | 25 | Variety | Yo-Yo Artist | Tokyo | 5 | Eliminated |
| Stefanny and Yeeremy | — | Dance | Salsa Duo | Colombia | 1 | Eliminated |
| The Brown Brothers | 30 & 32 | Comedy / Music / Singing | Impressionist & Keyboardist Duo | Annapolis, Maryland | 2 | Eliminated |
| The Lazy Generation | — | Danger | Stunt Group | London | 4 | Eliminated |
| The Pack Drumline | — | Music | Percussion Group | Chicago | 2 | Eliminated |
| Travis Japan | 23-27 | Singing | J-Pop Band | Tokyo | 5 | Eliminated |
| urbancrew (Flyers of the South) | — | Dance | Dance Group | Metro Manila, Philippines | 5 | Eliminated |
| Wyn Starks | 39 | Singing | Singer | Nashville | 2 | Eliminated |
| XOMG POP! | 10-15 | Singing | Girl Group | Various | 3 | Eliminated |
| Yu Hojin | 29 | Magic | Magician | Seoul, South Korea | 2 | Finalist |

### Qualifiers summary

    Buzzed Out | Advanced to Finals | Eliminated (Top 3) | Eliminated (Top 5)

#### Qualifier 1 (August 9)

Guest Performer, Results Show: Dustin Tavella with Sarah Hyland
| Participant | Order | Buzzes | Buzzes | Buzzes | Buzzes | Result (August 10) |
| Participant | Order | Cowell | Vergara | Klum | Mandel | Result (August 10) |
| Amoukanama | 1 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 5) |
| Amazing Veranica & Her Incredible Friends | 2 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Ava Swiss | 3 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Ben Lapidus | 4 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Lace Larrabee | 5 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Drake Milligan | 6 | | | | | Advanced |
| Oleksandr Yenivatov | 7 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Players Choir | 8 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 5) |
| Stefanny and Yeeremy | 9 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Don McMillan | 10 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 3) |
| Avery Dixon | 11 | | | | | Advanced |

#### Qualifier 2 (August 16)

Guest Performer, Results Show: Jon Dorenbos
| Participant | Order | Buzzes | Buzzes | Buzzes | Buzzes | Result (August 17) |
| Participant | Order | Cowell | Vergara | Klum | Mandel | Result (August 17) |
| The Pack Drumline | 1 | | | | | Eliminated |
| The Brown Brothers | 2 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 5) |
| Mr. Pants | 3 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Fusion Japan | 4 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Freckled Zelda | 5 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Duo Rings | 6 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 5) |
| Wyn Starks | 7 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Aiko Tanaka | 8 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Madison Taylor Baez | 9 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 3) |
| Yu Hojin | 10 | | | | | Advanced |
| Chapel Hart | 11 | | | | | Advanced |

#### Qualifier 3 (August 23)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Kodi Lee with Teddy Swims and Neal Schon
| Participant | Order | Buzzes | Buzzes | Buzzes | Buzzes | Result (August 24) |
| Participant | Order | Cowell | Vergara | Klum | Mandel | Result (August 24) |
| MPLUSPLUS | 1 | | | | | Eliminated |
| JoJo and Bri | 2 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Cline Twins | 3 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Amanda Mammana | 4 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 5) |
| XOMG POP! | 5 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Nicolas RIBS | 6 | | | | | Advanced |
| Mia Morris | 7 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Hayden Kristal | 8 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 5) |
| Celia Muñoz | 9 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 3) |
| Funkanometry | 10 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Sara James | 11 | | | | | Advanced |
* ^1 Celia Muñoz was later brought back as a Wildcard act for the Finals.

#### Qualifier 4 (August 30)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Piff the Magic Dragon and Riverdance
| Participant | Order | Buzzes | Buzzes | Buzzes | Buzzes | Result (August 31) |
| Participant | Order | Cowell | Vergara | Klum | Mandel | Result (August 31) |
| Bayley Graham | 1 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Acapop! | 2 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Jannick Holste | 3 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Lee Collinson | 4 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Jack Williams | 5 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 5) |
| Metaphysic | 6 | | | | | Advanced |
| The Lazy Generation | 7 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Merissa Beddows | 8 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 5) |
| Harper | 9 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Mike E. Winfield | 10 | | | | | Advanced |
| Lily Meola | 11 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 3) |

#### Qualifier 5 (September 6)

Guest Performer, Results Show: Cast of & Juliet
| Participant | Order | Buzzes | Buzzes | Buzzes | Buzzes | Result (September 7) |
| Participant | Order | Cowell | Vergara | Klum | Mandel | Result (September 7) |
| Kristen Cruz | 1 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 5) |
| Mervant Vera | 2 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 3) |
| Travis Japan | 3 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Max Ostler | 4 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Jordan Conley | 5 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Kristy Sellars | 6 | | | | | Advanced |
| Blade 2 Blade | 7 | | | | | Eliminated |
| urbancrew (Flyers of the South) | 8 | | | | | Eliminated (Top 5) |
| Aubrey Burchell | 9 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Shu Takada | 10 | | | | | Eliminated |
| Mayyas | 11 | | | | | Advanced |

### Finals (September 13–14)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Black Eyed Peas and Light Balance
    Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place | Top 5
| Finalist | Performed with (2nd Performance) | Result (September 14) |
| Avery Dixon | Trombone Shorty | Finalist |
| Celia Muñoz | Terry Fator and Darci Lynne | Finalist |
| Chapel Hart | Darius Rucker | Grand-finalist |
| Drake Milligan | Jon Pardi | 3rd |
| Kristy Sellars | N/A | 2nd |
| Mayyas | N/A | 1st |
| Metaphysic | Jeff Ross, Don McMillan, Mr. Pants, and Lace Larrabee | Grand-finalist |
| Mike E. Winfield | Jeff Ross, Don McMillan, Mr. Pants, and Lace Larrabee | Finalist |
| Nicolas RIBS | Shin Lim | Finalist |
| Sara James | Black Eyed Peas | Finalist |
| Yu Hojin | Shin Lim | Finalist |
* ^2 Nicolas RIBS and Yu Hojin conducted a joint routine for their second performance, and thus shared the same guest performer.
* ^3 Chapel Hart and Drake Milligan conducted a joint routine for their second performance, and thus shared the same guest performers.
* ^4 Metaphysic and Mike E. Winfield conducted a joint routine for their second performance, and thus shared the same guest performers.
* ^5 Kristy Sellars and Mayyas conducted a joint routine for their second performance.

## Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of America's Got Talent season 17 :
| No. | Title | Air date | Timeslot (ET) | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Auditions 1" | May 31, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.8 | 6.33 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2 | "Auditions 2" | June 7, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.8 | 6.37 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 3 | "Auditions 3" | June 14, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.8 | 6.21 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 4 | "Auditions 4" | June 21, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 6.00 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 5 | "Auditions 5" | June 28, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.6 | 5.98 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 6 | "Simon's Favorite Golden Buzzers" | July 5, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.6 | 5.49 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 7 | "Auditions 6" | July 12, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 6.43 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 8 | "Auditions 7" | July 19, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.6 | 6.15 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 9 | "Auditions 8" | July 26, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.8 | 6.47 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 10 | "Auditions End and Judge Deliberations" | August 2, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 6.24 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 11 | "Qualifiers 1" | August 9, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 6.45 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 12 | "Qualifiers 1 Results" | August 10, 2022 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.5 | 5.50 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 13 | "Qualifiers 2" | August 16, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 6.44 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 14 | "Qualifiers 2 Results" | August 17, 2022 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.6 | 5.64 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 15 | "Qualifiers 3" | August 23, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 6.33 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 16 | "Qualifiers 3 Results" | August 24, 2022 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.6 | 5.55 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 17 | "Qualifiers 4" | August 30, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 6.36 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 18 | "Qualifiers 4 Results" | August 31, 2022 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.5 | 5.48 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 19 | "Qualifiers 5" | September 6, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 6.11 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 20 | "Qualifiers 5 Results" | September 7, 2022 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.6 | 5.69 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 21 | "Finale" | September 13, 2022 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.8 | 7.03 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 22 | "Finale Results" | September 14, 2022 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 0.6 | 6.82 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |