America's Got Talent season 4 explained

Module1:
Host:Nick Cannon
Judges:
Winner:Kevin Skinner
Runner Up:
Num Episodes:26
Network:NBC

The fourth season of American talent show competition series America's Got Talent was broadcast on NBC from June 23 to September 16, 2009. Following the previous season, Jerry Springer left the show due to other commitments,[1] and was replaced as host by Nick Cannon.[2] [3] A number of changes were also made to the program before filming commenced, which included replacing the "boot camp" stage with a round similar in format to that used by Britain's Got Talent, and changing the buzzer format to match that being used by the Got Talent franchise. In addition, the episodes for results in each live round of the competition were also modified. They were broadcast over a one-hour period, and would feature performances by guest stars.

The fourth season was won by country singer Kevin Skinner, with opera singer Bárbara Padilla finishing in second, and percussion group Recycled Percussion placing third. During its broadcast, the season averaged around over 11.9 million viewers, and was the first in the program's history to be aired in high definition.

Season overview

Auditions for the fourth season's competition took place across Winter until mid-Spring 2009, with auditions expanding to more cities. Filming for the audition episodes focused on those held within the cities of New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Tacoma and Seattle. Auditions were also held in Boston, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. but were not included in the episodes. Prior to auditions taking place, Jerry Springer announced he was unable to continue hosting AGT due to his talk show schedule, in addition to summer theater commitments he had. As a result, the network recruited Nick Cannon to be his successor.

The format for the second stage of auditions changed by removing the "boot camp" portion that had been used in the previous two seasons, in favor of using the selection process from Britain's Got Talent, under the title of "Vegas Verdicts". Instead, judges reviewed the tapes of participants who had made successful auditions, to determine who would advance into the live rounds. This stage would continue to divide participants into groups, allowing the judges to debate among themselves about which group of participants should earn a place in the live rounds, before bringing back each group to inform them of their decision about their progress in the competition. In some cases, participants were required to do a second performance to help the judges make their final decisions. The format for the buzzers in the live rounds was also altered to match that of the format across the Got Talent franchise, in that participants receiving buzzes from all the judges had to stop immediately, rather than being given a little more time to perform.

Two issues arose during this season during the competition. The first was the intervention of executive producer Simon Cowell, who felt "too much talent" had been eliminated during the new "Vegas Verdicts" stage. The judges decided to bring back several of the eliminated acts as Wildcards for the quarter-finals. The second was the judges' inability to determine which two acts they favored and would advance beyond the first semi-final. Eventually they opted to put both through without a vote in the second semi-final.

Forty-eight of the participants who auditioned for this season secured a place in the live quarter-finals (including those originally eliminated in the Vegas Verdicts stage before Cowell's intervention), with twelve quarter-finalists performing in each show. About twenty of these advanced and were split between the two semi-finals, with ten semi-finalists securing a place in the live final, which was a single stage rather than multiple rounds in previous seasons. These are the results of each participant's overall performance during the season:

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Judges' Wildcard Quarter-Finalist
ParticipantAge(s) GenreActFromQuarter-FinalResult
24-35AcrobaticsAcrobatic GroupOrlando, Florida4
23Singing / MusicViolin TrioLas Vegas2
Anthony & Matt24 & 22Singing / DanceSinger & Tap DancerNew York City4
13Dance DancerOrlando, Florida1
36SingingOpera SingerHouston4
Beale Street Flippers 20-26AcrobaticsAcrobat GroupMemphis, Tennessee2
Breaksk821-30DanceDance GroupKokomo, Indiana1
BRI17Singing / MusicSinger & PianistLas Vegas3
Carol Loo63DanceDancerJersey City, New Jersey2
Charles DeWayne21Singing / MusicSinger & PianistLa Verne, California2
Coney Island Chris42Danger / ComedySideshow PerformerNaugatuck, Connecticut4
Dave Johnson30Singing / ComedyComedy SingerRenton, Washington3
Diva League 20-44Dance Dance GroupWashington, D.C.1
Drew Stevyns 26Singing / MusicSinger & Guitarist Sykesville, Maryland4
Drew Thomas Magic & Illusion40 MagicMagicianOrlando, Florida1
Eleisha Miller8Singing / MusicSinger & PianistAmarillo, Texas2
EriAm Sisters11-16SingingVocal TrioSeattle4
Erik & Rickie8DanceBallroom DuoSeattle4
Fab Five24-35DanceClogging GroupMorgan, Utah2
FootworKINGz16-24DanceDance GroupChicago3
G Force8-11Singing / MusicBandAmherst, Ohio3
Grandma Lee75ComedyComedianJacksonville, Florida1
Hairo Torres23Dance / AcrobaticsContortionist DancerGrants Pass, Oregon3
Ishaara18–23DanceDance GroupBerkeley, California4
Jay Mattioli 27MagicMagicianManassas, Virginia3
Jeffrey Ou18MusicPianistCarrollton, Texas3
Kevin Skinner35Singing / MusicSinger & GuitaristMayfield, Kentucky1
Lake Houston Dance 9-14DanceDance GroupHouston1
Lawrence Beamen34SingingSingerWalnut Creek, California3
Manuela Horn36MusicYodellerSeattle1
Marcus Terrell & The Serenades22-28SingingVocal GroupKansas City, Missouri3
Mario & Jenny34 & 33VarietyJuggling DuoLas Vegas3
Mia Boostrom16Singing / MusicSinger & PianistNorth Dighton, Massachusetts4
Mosaic30-34SingingA Cappella GroupLas Vegas1
Pam Martin's Top Dog54 & 6AnimalDog ActGarland, Texas4
Paradizo Dance29 & 37AcrobaticsAcrobatic DuoNew York City2
Pete Peterkin54ComedyImpressionistNew York City2
Pixie Mystère9-11Dance / AcrobaticsContortionist Dance GroupCape May, New Jersey3
Platt Brothers22-27AcrobaticsAcrobat TrioSan Diego, California1
Recycled Percussion22-39MusicPercussion GroupGoffstown, New Hampshire4
SQ Entertainment 19-32DanceDance GroupBoston2
Team Acrodunk23-45AcrobaticsBasketball Stunt TeamHouston1
The Lollipop Girls 24-40Dance Dance GroupSan Diego, California4
The Texas Tenors34-44SingingVocal TrioHouston2
The Voices of Glory9-16SingingVocal TrioHighland, New York2
Thia Megia14SingingSingerRedwood City, California1
Tony Hoard & Rory54 & 7AnimalDog ActNew Castle, Indiana2
U4ria Dance Crew 16-23DanceDance GroupCoral Springs, Florida3

Quarter-finals summary

Buzzed Out | Judges' choice |

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Quarter-final 1 (August 4)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Terry Fator and Mariah Carey

Quarter-FinalistOrderBuzzes and Judges' VoteResult (August 5)
Breaksk81
Thia Megia2
Platt Brothers3
Diva League4
Manuela Horn5
Grandma Lee6
Mosaic7
Team Acrodunk8
Arcadian Broad9
Drew Thomas Magic & Illusions10
Kevin Skinner11
Lake Houston Dance12

Quarter-final 2 (August 11)

Guest Performers, Results Show: LMFAO and Penn and Teller.

Quarter-FinalistOrderBuzzes and Judges' VoteResult (August 12)
Fab Five1
Charles DeWayne2
Carol Loo3
Tony Hoard & Rory4
Eleisha Miller5
Paradizo Dance6
The Texas Tenors7
SQ Entertainment8
Pete Peterkin9
Alizma10
Beale Street Flippers11
The Voices of Glory12

Quarter-final 3 (August 18)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Ashley Tisdale and Daughtry

Quarter-FinalistOrderBuzzes and Judges' VoteResult (August 19)
FootworKINGz1
Marcus Terrell and the Serenades2
Pixie Mystère3
Jay Mattioli4
BRI5
U4RIA Dance Crew6
David Johnson7
Hairo Torres8
G-Force9
Jeffery Ou10
Mario & Jenny11
Lawrence Beamen12

Quarter-final 4 (August 25)

Guest Performer, Results Show: Reba McEntire

Quarter-FinalistOrderBuzzes and Judges' VoteResult (August 26)
Ishaara1
Bárbara Padilla2
Pam Martin's Top Dogs3
African High Flyers4
Mia Boostrom5
Erik & Rickie6
Coney Island Chris7
Matt & Anthony8
The Lollipop Girls9
Drew Stevyns10
Recycled Percussion11
EriAm Sisters12

Semi-finals summary

Buzzed out |

Semi-final 1 (September 1)

Guest Performers, Result Show: Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog, and David Hasselhoff

Semi-FinalistOrderBuzzesResult (September 2)
Team Acrodunk1Eliminated
The Texas Tenors2Advanced
Paradizo Dance3Eliminated
Drew Thomas Magic & Illusions4Eliminated
Tony Hoard and Rory5Eliminated
The Voices of Glory 6Advanced
The Fab Five 7Advanced
Grandma Lee8Advanced
Arcadian Broad9Eliminated
Kevin Skinner10Advanced

Semi-final 2 (September 8)

Guest Performer, Results Show: Cast of musical Jersey Boys.

Semi-FinalistOrderBuzzesResult (September 9)
Recycled Percussion1Advanced
Lawrence Beamen2Advanced
Erik and Rickie3Eliminated
Jeffrey Ou4Eliminated
Hairo Torres5Advanced
EriAm Sisters6Eliminated
Mario and Jenny7Eliminated
Drew Stevyns8Advanced
FootworKINGz9Eliminated
Bárbara Padilla10Advanced

Final (September 14)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Thelma Houston, Shakira, Rascal Flatts, cast members of Cirque Du Soleil, Leona Lewis, and Susan Boyle.

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FinalistOrderdata-sort-type="number" scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:10em;"Result (September 16)
The Voices of Glory15th
Hairo Torres28th
Lawrence Beamen39th
Bárbara Padilla42nd
Fab Five56th
The Texas Tenors64th
Drew Stevyns710th
Grandma Lee87th
Kevin Skinner91st
103rd

Ratings

OrderEpisodeRatingShareRating/Share
(18–49)
Viewers
(millions)
Rank (night)
(viewers)
Rank (week)
(viewers)
1"Auditions Episode 1"6.8123.3/10 [4] 11.30
  1. 1
  1. 1
2"Auditions Episode 2"6.2113.1/9 [5] 10.39
  1. 1
  1. 3
3"Auditions Episode 3"7.5133.7/11 [6] 12.91
  1. 1
  1. 1
4"Auditions Episode 4"6.8122.9/911.30
  1. 2
  1. 3
5"Auditions Episode 5"6.2103/9 [7] 10.43
  1. 1
  1. 2
6"Auditions Episode 6"6.9123.3/10 [8] 11.69
  1. 1
  1. 1
7"Auditions Episode 7"8133.6/10 [9] 13.17
  1. 2
  1. 2
8"Auditions Episode 8"6.9122.9/9 [10] 11.38
  1. 1
  1. 4
9"Auditions Episode 9"8.2143.4/10 [11] 13.75
  1. 1
  1. 1 [12]
10"Auditions Episode 10
Susan Boyle Interview"
6.6112.5/7 [13] 11.26
  1. 1
  1. 2
11"Vegas Verdicts (Part 1)"7.7133.4/10 [14] 12.76
  1. 1
  1. 1
12"Vegas Verdicts (Part 2)"6.4112.8/8 [15] 10.90
  1. 1
  1. 2
13"Quarterfinals, Group 1"7.7143.6/11 [16] 12.97
  1. 1
  1. 1
14"Quarterfinals, Group 1 Results"6102.9/9 [17] 10.68
  1. 1
  1. 2
15"Quarterfinals, Group 2"7.6133.4/1012.48
  1. 1
  1. 1
16"Quarterfinals, Group 2 Results"6.9122.9/911.42
  1. 1
  1. 4
17"Quarterfinals, Group 3"7122.9/9 [18] 11.59
  1. 1
  1. 2
18"Quarterfinals, Group 3 Results"6.4112.4/7 [19] 10.29
  1. 1
  1. 4
19"Quarterfinals, Group 4"6.9123/811.42
  1. 1
  1. 1
20"Quarterfinals, Group 4 Results"6.7112.9/810.87
  1. 1
  1. 2
21"Semifinals, Group 1"7.5133.2/9 [20] 12.81
  1. 1
  1. 1
22"Semifinals, Group 1 Results"7.4122.6/8 [21] 12.39
  1. 1
  1. 2
23"Semifinals, Group 2 "7.1122.9/8 [22] 12.03
  1. 1
  1. 5
24"Semifinals, Group 2 Results"692.1/5 [23] 10.06
  1. 1
  1. 10
25"Finals, Performances"8.5133.3/9 [24] 13.84
  1. 2
  1. 3
26"Finale"9.5163.5/10 [25] 15.53
  1. 1
  1. 2

Notes and References

  1. News: Hibberd . James . Jerry Springer Out as Talent Host . . . February 7, 2009 . June 5, 2017.
  2. Web site: Nick Cannon's Got Talent . E! Online . 2009-02-09 . 2010-06-09.
  3. Web site: Nick Cannon replaces Jerry Springer as host of America's Got Talent . Blogs.tampabay.com . 2009-02-09 . 2010-06-09 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090214003101/http://blogs.tampabay.com/media/2009/02/nick-cannon-rep.html . February 14, 2009 .
  4. News: Tuesday Ratings: NBC's America's Got Talent Returns To Win, ABC's Superstars Hardly Super. 2009-06-24. 2009-06-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20090626235354/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/06/24/tuesday-ratings-nbcs-americas-got-talent-returns-for-the-win-abcs-superstars-hardly-super/21372. June 26, 2009. dead.
  5. News: Wednesday Ratings: Think You Can Dance? Keys Fox Win, Philanthropist Premiere Fair. 2009-06-25. 2009-07-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20090628161445/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/06/25/wednesday-ratings-so-you-think-you-can-dance-keys-fox-win-philanthropist-premiere-fair/21421. June 28, 2009. dead.
  6. News: Tuesday Ratings: NBC's Got Talent, ABC's Got Nothing. 2009-07-01. 2009-07-01. July 4, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090704002911/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/07/01/tuesday-ratings-nbcs-got-americas-got-talent-abcs-got-nothing/21745. dead.
  7. News: Tuesday Ratings: NBC's Tops With Talent, But Roadtrip Goes Nowhere. 2009-07-08. 2009-07-08. July 10, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090710135446/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/07/08/tuesday-ratings-nbcs-tops-with-talent-but-roadtrip-goes-nowhere/22467. dead.
  8. News: Wednesday Ratings: 'Talent' Tops 'Dance', But Fox Wins Night. 2009-07-09. 2009-07-09. July 12, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090712124757/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/07/09/wednesday-ratings-talent-tops-dance-but-fox-wins-night/22565. dead.
  9. News: Tuesday Ratings: Fox, AL, MLB All-Star Game Win; America's Got Talent Does Well At 9pm . 2009-07-15 . 2009-07-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090718204330/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/07/15/tuesday-ratings-fox-al-mlb-all-star-game-win-americas-got-talent-provides-better-fight-than-the-nl/22861 . 2009-07-18 .
  10. News: Wednesday Ratings: So You Think You Can Dance Wins Again For Fox On A Down Night. 2009-07-16. 2009-07-16. July 18, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090718202930/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/07/16/wednesday-ratings-so-you-think-you-can-dance-wins-again-for-fox-on-a-down-night/22899. dead.
  11. News: Tuesday Ratings: Hell's Kitchen Returns Down; Still Shouts Fox To Victory . https://web.archive.org/web/20110913015203/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2009/07/22/tuesday-ratings-hells-kitchen-returns-down-still-shouts-fox-to-victory/23273/ . dead . 2011-09-13 . 2009-07-22 . 2013-05-29.
  12. News: 'America's Got Talent' is tops, but CBS had most viewers last week. 2009-07-28. 2009-07-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20090814090144/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2009/07/americas-got-talent-is-tops-but-cbs-had-most-viewers-last-week.html. 2009-08-14. dead.
  13. News: Wednesday Ratings: The President Speaks; So You Think You Can Dance Wins . 2009-07-23 . 2013-05-29 . July 25, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090725210625/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/07/23/wednesday-ratings-the-president-speaks-fox-so-you-think-you-can-dance-win-easily/23356#more-23356 . dead .
  14. News: Tuesday Ratings: More To Love Premieres Light, But Hell's Kitchen Screams Fox To Victory . 2009-07-29 . dead . 2013-05-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090801233319/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/07/29/tuesday-ratings-more-to-love-premieres-light-but-hells-kitchen-screams-fox-to-victory/23801 . 2009-08-01 .
  15. News: Wednesday Ratings: Think You Can Dance Beats Talent Head To Head As Fox Wins Night . 2009-07-30 . 2013-05-29 . August 1, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090801005547/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/07/30/wednesday-think-you-can-dance-beats-talent-head-to-head-as-fox-wins-night/23864 . dead .
  16. News: NBC Ranks #2 for the week in viewers and ties for #1 in adults 25-54 . 2009-08-11 . 2013-05-29 . August 13, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090813101304/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/08/11/nbc-ranks-2-for-the-week-in-viewers-and-ties-for-1-in-adults-25-54/24607 . dead .
  17. News: NBC Ranks #2 for the week in viewers and ties for #1 in adults 25-54. 2009-08-11. 2009-08-11. August 13, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090813101304/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/08/11/nbc-ranks-2-for-the-week-in-viewers-and-ties-for-1-in-adults-25-54/24607. dead.
  18. News: NBC top ratings with 'Talent'. 2009-08-19. 2009-08-19 . Variety . Jon . Weisman.
  19. News: Weds TV Ratings: America's Got Talent tops Octomom, NBC wins night . 2009-08-20 . 2013-05-29 . August 23, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090823021431/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/08/20/weds-tv-ratings-americas-got-talent-tops-octomom-the-philanthropist-says-goodbye/25104 . dead .
  20. Web site: TV Ratings Tuesday: America's Got Talent Helps NBC Edge Fox & Hell's Kitchen . 2009-09-02 . 2009-09-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090905051532/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/09/02/tv-ratings-tuesday-americas-got-talent-helps-nbc-edge-fox-hells-kitchen/26054 . 2009-09-05 .
  21. News: 'Wipeout,' 'Talent' top primetime ratings. 2009-09-03. 2009-09-03 . Variety . Rick . Kissell.
  22. News: TV Ratings Tuesday: 90210, Melrose Place Premiere Weak; Fox & Hell's Kitchen Rule . 2009-09-09 . 2009-09-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090913142558/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/09/09/tv-ratings-tuesday-90210-melrose-place-premiere-weak-fox-hells-kitchen-rule-the-night/26542 . 2009-09-13 .
  23. News: Updated TV Ratings: SYTYCD vs. POTUS and Glee premieres nicely . 2009-09-09 . 2009-09-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090912082253/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/09/10/tv-ratings-sytycd-vs-potus-and-glee-premieres-nicely/26693 . 2009-09-12 .
  24. News: Updated TV Ratings: The Jay Leno Show premieres big, rises to 18.4 million in the final #s. 2009-09-26. 2009-09-15. September 16, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090916192859/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/09/15/tv-ratings-the-jay-leno-show-premieres-big/27165. dead.
  25. News: Updated TV Ratings: AGT finale, Leno, Glee and The Beautiful Life . 2009-09-17 . 2009-09-26 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090922214527/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/09/17/tv-ratings-agt-finale-leno-glee-and-the-beautiful-life/27454 . 2009-09-22 .