“America’s Got Talent“ (AGT) is a reality TV talent show featuring a wide range of acts, including singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers, all competing for a cash prize and the chance to headline a show in Las Vegas. In every competition, there are winners and losers.
However, failing to win the top prize isn’t necessarily a setback. Many participants use their experience on “America’s Got Talent” as a stepping stone to further their careers and achieve success. Here are five participants who didn’t advance in the talent show but went on to find success in their respective fields:
1. Jonathan Paul Dorenbos
Jonathan Paul Dorenbos is an American former football long snapper who played in the National Football League (NFL). In 2017, he had an aortic aneurysm that required immediate surgery and ended his career. Jonathan has a parallel career as a professional magician and was a finalist on “America’s Got Talent Season 11” and got third place for the season.
Despite getting third place and ending his career in sport, Jonathan continues to give motivational talks to inspire and engage audiences by using his background in magic, and personal experiences including overcoming a serious heart condition. He also made numerous appearances on television and media. One of the examples is that he went to “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and performed his magic card trick on Ellen and her audience. Jonathan shows how he can still be successful despite the health challenges and not becoming number 1.
2. Kechi Okwuchi
Kechi was one of the two survivors in the Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 crash on 10th December 2005 that claimed 107 lives, 59 of which were her schoolmates. She received third-degree burns over 65% of her body and was given a 30% chance of survival. She also had undergone over a hundred reconstructive surgeries. Even though she faces hardship in her appearance, she never listens to criticism and negative opinions.
After being in the top 10 finalists in season 12, she continues to pursue her dream of making music her career. Kechi has released several singles such as “Don’t You Dare”, “All The Time” and many more. She performs at various events and concerts in the US and internationally.
3. Vicki Barbolak
Vicki Barbolak is one of the most famous comedians in America. At the age of 38, she saw an ad for a stand-up class and decided to go there. She realised making people laugh is her absolute best talent. After an open mic for a couple of years, she decided to get into “America’s Got Talent” and became the top 10 finalist on season 13.
Vicki then pursued her comedy career and performed for a lot of places in the US. She goes on tour and performs at places such as Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club which took place in Las Vegas. Even though she only became top 10, she still spread her wings and made people laugh to this day.
4. Micheal Geier
Micheal Geier better known as Puddles Pity Party is an American singer and entertainer living in Atlanta, Georgia, US. In 1998, Micheal decided to find a clown-themed band and collaborate with several Atlanta-based musicians, but the project eventually broke up and laid the foundation for his solo project, “Puddles Pity Party”.
In 2014, he then appeared in the talent show on season 12 where he received an “X” from Simon Cowell and were eliminated the following night. Micheal has sold out shows all over from the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco to Revolution Hall in Portland and many more. Micheal was featured as a performer in La Soiree’s 2014 South Bank show in London, in which he won the Olivier Awards. Getting an “X” from Simon Cowell does not make him a failure. He has proven that just because one person is not interested in his talents, doesn’t mean others are not interested in watching him perform as one of the greatest clowns in America.
5. Daneliya Tuleshova
At the age of four, Daneliya was recovering from a gymnastics injury and began practising ballroom dancing. Before Daneliya participated in season 15, she was famous for the Children’s New Wave, an international contest for young performers located in Russia and won the Audience Award. Two years later, Daneliya participated in The Voice Kid Ukraine where she was announced as the winner of the competition and became the first non-Ukraine to win.
She participated in “America’s Got Talent” and was praised by Fouzia for singing “Tears of Gold”. Fouzia described her voice and stage presence as amazing. But even though made it to the finals, she did not advance to the top 5 and ultimately placed 6th. Despite that, she is still singing until now, honing her talents and debuting a new single, “Like You Used To” which garners over 100K within days of release. Her success before might not help her win “America’s Got Talent”, but she has a lot of opportunities to get back up and become successful.
6. Lindsey Stirling
Lindsey Stirling was raised in a modest household in Gilbert, Arizona. Due to her family’s financial limitations, her parents could only afford half-hour violin lessons. Although Lindsey wanted to take both violin and dancing lessons, she chose violin due to financial constraints and continued her lessons diligently.
In 2010, Lindsey was a quarterfinalist on season 5 of “America’s Got Talent”, where she performed by blending violin with hip-hop, pop, and classical music. Despite her talent, she faced criticism from the judges. Piers Morgan told her she wasn’t good enough, while Sharon Osbourne suggested she should be in a group, stating that her act wasn’t suitable for a Vegas theatre. Lindsey felt devastated and humiliated by the feedback.
However, she decided to embrace her unique style and collaborated with Devin Graham on a YouTube video, which led to the release of her music video for “Spontaneous Me.” Her channel has since amassed over 3 billion total views and 12 million subscribers. In 2018, Lindsey was featured on the track “Hi-Lo” from Evanescence’s fourth studio album. She has also gone on world tours to countries such as Mexico, Europe, and North America. Additionally, she appeared on the cover of “Guitar Girl Magazine’s” winter 2019 issue. Lindsey’s success demonstrates that failure cannot deter someone determined to achieve their dreams.
Success is determined by the individual. All of them still pursue success even though they experience past failures. Therefore, we should pursue our dreams despite the challenges that we face, and we will face after. Keep dreaming and never give up!
Sources: YouTube (1)(2)(3), Vicki Barbolak Comedy, Puddles Pity Party
Sakinah contributed to this article.
