As the top 5 was whittled down even further, Léa Kyle finished in fifth place with Brooke Simpson behind her in fourth. Finishing in third place was Josh Blue. That meant the winner was either Aidan Bryant or Dustin Tavella— and the $1 million prize went to Dustin Tavella! Update Sept. 12, 2021: Both Golden Buzzers Jimmie Herrod and Victory Brinker still have a shot at winning season 16 of America’s Got Talent, but if the voting for the semifinals is any indication, the two are not the sure thing they seemed earlier on in the competition. Neither of them made it through on the initial voting for their night of semifinals, which pulls the top 3 acts from Tuesday night votes. And then, only Jimmie made it through on the Instant Save, meaning he finished fourth on night one. Victory made it into the finals by judges’ pick, and that is never a good thing for a contestant, because America is pretty consistent in how it votes, normally ignoring the judges’ choices. Which means that the top six vote getters that America selected for the finale are: Aidan Bryant, Brooke Simpson, Dustin Tavella,Gina Brillon, Josh Blue, and Northwell Health Nurse Choir. And if any of these acts other than Brooke or Dustin were to win, it would make America’s Got Talent history because a comic has never won the competition, neither has an aerial act, or a choir. All things considered, it looks as if judge Howie Mandel may be right when he called this season, “The year of the comic,” meaning that Josh Blue or Gina Brillon just may walk away as the winner of season 16, and if it comes down to those two, the even money is on Josh Blue. However, Simon Cowell has done a big push for Aidan Bryant, saying, “Why I like Aidan so much, I think he defines what a variety act is. I think he’s a Vegas act. I don’t think we’ve had anyone like that win AGT. So, there’s something about him I really, really like. I think he would be a good winner, but it’s really open this year. I think there’s seven or eight people who could win it on the night.” So, while earlier in the season, the outcome seemed a sure thing, now it looks as if Simon is right and there are several people who could win it on the night! September 7, 2021: If history is any indicator of who will win America’s Got Talent season 16, the title and the $1 million prize will go to either a singer or a magician, and most likely one of the Golden Buzzers, as history also demonstrates that every year except one since its introduction six seasons ago, a Golden Buzzer has won the competition. Season 13 when magician Shim Lim won is the exception, but in so saying, he was a magic man! This year’s Golden Buzzers include singers Victory Brinker, Jimmie Herrod and Northwell Health Nurse Choir, and, while she calls herself a quick-change artist what Léa Kyle does is magical. That said, there is no doubt that the top choice to win season 16 is hands down 9-year-old Victory Brinker, who stunned the judges with her audition performance of “Juliette’s Waltz” from the French opera Roméo et Juliette. At that point in the competition, each of the judges and host Terry Crews had already anointed their Golden Buzzers, so Simon Cowell called a conference and AGT did something it had never done before. It awarded Victory a Golden Buzzer from all four judges and Terry. “I think Victory Brinker is [the one to beat],” Terry told reporters in a Zoom call after her Live Shows performance of “Casta Diva.” “Nine years old with a voice like that! That powerhouse voice was absolutely standout gorgeous and amazing.” And Simon compared Victory to Carrie Underwood, saying, “I didn’t understand a lot about country music when I first met Carrie, but you do know a star when you hear one and meet somebody. I think same with Victory despite how little I know about opera or classical music. I don’t know much, but I think she is a genuine, genuine star. I can see her making records, concerts, movies, everything. She’s got something special about her.” Coming in a close second is Sofia Vergara’s Golden Buzzer, 30-year-old children’s music teacher Jimmie Herrod, who won the Modern Family star over with his audition song, “Tomorrow.” “Jimmie Herrod, who sings a different style, now you’re talking about taste,” Terry pointed out. “Is it the people who like classical, or the people who like Broadway [who will cast the winning votes]? It’s going to be a battle of tastes as it gets down to the wire.” As pint-sized winners and runners up have shown in the past—Grace VanderWaal, Darci Lynne, Jackie Evancho, and Angelica Hale, it is hard to beat talented, cute kids, so if Victory hadn’t competed this season, Jimmie most likely would have taken home the top prize with his stellar voice. The finale will also most likely include performances by Léa Kyle, Terry’s Golden Buzzer World Taekwondo Demo. Team, comic Josh Blue, aerial act Aidan Bryant, singer Madilyn Bailey, and Howie Mandel’s Golden Buzzer Northwell Health Nurse Choir. America’s Got Talent airs performance shows on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT and results shows on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. The season 16 finale will air on Sept. 14, with the winner announced the next night. Next, Everything You Need to Know About Season 16, Including All the Golden Buzzers
