‘America’s Got Talent’ is about to announce a winner. Here are the front-runners

Simon Cowell is pictured during an audition round of “America’s Got Talent.” On Wednesday night, the show will announce the winner of Season 15. | Trae Patton, NBC

After an unusual season of production delays, illness and injury, “AGT” has made it to the finale. 

“America’s Got Talent” is about to crown a new winner. Tonight, the show will reveal which top 10 act is getting the $1 million prize and a headlining show in Las Vegas.

What’s going on?

• After an unusual season of production delays, illness and injury, “AGT” has made it to the finale.
• A two-hour finale will air on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. MDT.
• The episode will feature performances from Blake Shelton, Usher and more, the Deseret News reported.
• The Season 15 winner will be announced at the end of the show.

Who are the show’s front-runners?

• Three Golden Buzzer acts made it to the end — spoken word poet Brandon Leake, and singers Roberta Battaglia and Cristina Rae. After these performers auditioned, “AGT” judges immediately advanced them to the quarterfinals. From there, all three have continually impressed both the judges and fans. These three are the show’s frontrunners, according to Parade,

Brandon Leake

Leake was “AGT” judge Howie Mandel’s choice for the Golden Buzzer — earlier this year on “AGT: The Champions,” Mandel’s Golden Buzzer act ended up winning the show.

Leake also has the advantage of being the first spoken-word act on the show, according to the entertainment website Gold Derby. Throughout the season, Leake has performed emotional tributes to his sister and newborn daughter, as well as grappling with subjects like racial injustice and his father’s absence from his life. According to Gold Derby, Leake’s uniqueness gives him the greatest chance of winning.

Roberta Battaglia

The young singer, who turned 11 last month, was “AGT” judge Sofia Vergara’s choice for the Golden Buzzer, the Deseret News previously reported. The powerhouse singer from Canada performed Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s “Shallow” for her audition, which now has more than 32 million views on YouTube.

Of all the finalists, Roberta’s audition has the most views, according to the Deseret News. Roberta’s age is also an advantage, according to Gold Derby, as the show has previously championed young artists like Darci Lynne Farmer and Grace VanderWaal.

Cristina Rae

The Nashville-based singer was Heidi Klum’s choice for the Golden Buzzer, according to the Deseret News. Cristina Rae was the last finalist to perform Tuesday night, and all of the judges heaped praises upon her. Klum even said the show had saved the best for last.

What do the fans say?

• But according to a fan poll on Talent Recap, 14-year-old singer Daneliya Tuleshova also has a shot at winning “AGT.” One of several young singers on this season, Daneliya received 38% of the poll’s fan votes. Roberta was a close second, followed by Leake, who came in third with 8%.
• The website Heavy also listed Daneliya as a front-runner.

What about the other acts?

• The show’s remaining acts include the Bello Sisters, Broken Roots, Kenadi Dodds, Alan Silva, Archie Williams and BAD Salsa. According to Gold Derby, the latter four have the lowest chance of winning since their advancement to the finals relied on either being saved by the judges or getting a second shot at being saved by viewers.

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/363xc3w