The singer-guitarist beat out nine other finalists across a two-night finale that featured Linkin Park, Josh Groban and a surprise Vegas offer from Howie Mandel.
Nene Royal is America's Got Talent's newest millionaire. The singer-guitarist won Season 21 of the NBC competition on Wednesday night, taking home the $1 million grand prize after America voted across a two-night finale.
Host Terry Crews made the announcement to close out the show. Royal had come into the finale as one of a Top 5 that also included light-up dance act Royal Lasers, magic group Hundred Fingers, aerial performer Veronika Goroshkova and magician Geno Ploeger, according to Just Jared. The full field of ten finalists this season also featured animal act Acro Canine Crew, dance group Come Here, singer Lai Noelle, animal act Olivia Befus and robotics performance group Unitree Robotics, per TheWrap.
Third place went to Hundred Fingers, and that's where the night's best off-script moment happened. Judge Howie Mandel surprised the group on stage with a promise to take their act to Las Vegas and produce a show for them. "I'll pay for it," he said, on camera, after the results came in.
The judging panel this season has been Simon Cowell, Mandel, Sofía Vergara and Mel B, and for the finale they were joined by a guest judge with a resume that spans YouTube, music and boxing: KSI.
The two-night finale leaned heavily on outside talent to fill the gaps between results. Linkin Park performed "The Emptiness Machine." Josh Groban did "Skyfall," the Bond theme, off his album Cinematic. Chloe Flower played her new single "Winter." Bruce Buffer opened Tuesday's broadcast with his usual ring-announcer bombast, and Trisha Paytas, Lele Pons, Taylen Biggs, Rei Ami and Steve Aoki all took turns on stage across the two nights.
AGT alumni got their moment too. Magician Mat Franco returned, and so did Jessica Sanchez, who won Season 20 and came back to perform one of her own songs rather than lean on nostalgia.
Cowell created the format back in 2006 and still executive produces, alongside Sam Donnelly and Natasha Brugler, with Fremantle and Syco Entertainment behind the scenes. Twenty-one seasons in, the show's basic trick hasn't changed. Put ten wildly different acts, an aerialist next to a robot dance troupe next to a guy who does card tricks, in front of the same voting public and see who they pick.
This time they picked a singer with a guitar over a robot troupe and a laser show, which says something about where America's attention still goes when the lights come up. Season 22 casting calls, if the show follows its usual calendar, should start showing up online within the next few months.
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