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Golden Buzzer was not part of America’s Got Talent in the initial seasons of the show. It was introduced in season 9 to save the contestants from eliminations.
However, the format changed the following season, where the Golden Buzzer was used to send contestants straight to live shows. Each judge can press the Golden Buzzer only once during the season, sending the contestants straight to the quarterfinals.
America’s Got Talent Season 17 Format and rules explained
Celebrities Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Simon Cowell will judge season 17 of the show. Terry Crews will return as the host of the new season of America’s Got Talent.
The show will have various rounds spread across 16 weeks. Contestants will initially audition in front of the judges for 90 seconds, demonstrating their talents to receive three ‘Yes’ votes from the judges.
If their act fails to get three yes votes, the contestant will be eliminated from the competition. During auditions, judges and the host can use their Golden Buzzer once to automatically send the contestant to the live shows.
The group Golden Buzzer will return this season, which means six Acts can automatically move on to the live show.
The selected acts will then compete in Live shows, which will end with the Results episode. During the Results episode, America's vote will determine the top Acts of the week. Voting can be done via either NBC.com or the AGT app.
Fans will vote online to save one act from the bottom three acts. Only one act from fourth, fifth and sixth place will earn AGT Save, with a spot in the Finals. The judges would then vote for the two remaining acts, saving one for the last spot of the week in the finals.
Overall, out of the 36 quarterfinalists, 12 acts will be performed every week for over 3 weeks. Out of which 7 acts will move on to the semifinals each week. Then among the 22 semifinalists, 11 acts will be performed per week for two weeks. 5 acts will then move on to the finals each week.
During the Finale, the top Acts will perform for one last time. The Finale Results will be decided by America's vote. The winner of America’s Got Talent will win the $1 million grand prize and a show in Las Vegas.
Dustin Tavella was the winner of season 16. The magician shared heartwarming stories about his wife and his love for his adopted sons Xander and Sylas.
America’s Got Talent date and timing
America’s Got Talent will air its first episode on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at 8 pm ET. Live shows from August will air every Wednesday at 8 pm ET. The full schedule of the show is:
- Auditions: May 31 - August 2
- Live Shows: From August 9
- Finale: September 13
- Finale Results: September 14
Viewers can watch the show on NBC or stream the next day on NBC.com, the NBC app, Peacock, and Hulu to watch the talent competition.
