America's Got Talent (season 6)

America's Got Talent
Season 6
Broadcast from	May 31 – September 14, 2011
Judges	Piers Morgan Sharon Osbourne Howie Mandel
Host(s)	Nick Cannon
Broadcaster	NBC
Winner
Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.
Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.
Origin	Logan County, West Virginia
Genre(s)	Singing
Runner-up
Silhouettes

Season six of America's Got Talent, a reality television series, premiered on May 31, 2011, on NBC.^[1] The show was hosted by Nick Cannon, while Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel returned as judges. On September 14, 2011, Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. was announced as the winner of season six. This season was the last with Morgan as a judge, as he did not return for season 7, where Howard Stern replaced him.

Preliminary auditions

Televised auditions for season six were held in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Minneapolis, and New York City. Non-televised producers' auditions were also held in Denver and Chicago. Previews of auditions were shown during NBC's The Voice premiere during April and May 2011. Piers Morgan was absent for the first aired half of the auditions held in Minneapolis, due to being caught in a blizzard.

For the second year, a separate auditions round was also held on YouTube, with twelve acts advancing to the quarterfinal round to compete with the Top 48.

Las Vegas Week

Immediately following the final auditions episode, the first episode of Las Vegas Week aired on Tuesday, July 5, 2011, for two hours.^[2] The episode achieved a 4.6 in the adults 18–49 demographic, tying a series record set by the show's world premiere in 2006.

The second part of Las Vegas Week aired on Wednesday, July 6, 2011, for one hour.

This year, acts that passed through to Las Vegas Week performed at the Planet Hollywood Casino and Resort on the Las Vegas Strip, the same venue that hosted America's Got Talent Live in 2009.

Selection and elimination

Similar to last season, the judges split all the acts into three groups. Those in Group A were referred to as "the judges' favorites", and performed on Day 1 of Las Vegas Week. Those in Group B were seen as less likely to advance by the judges, and were declared "standby acts." These acts perform for the remaining spots after Group A on Day 2. The auditions of the Group C acts were declared by the judges to be the best and these acts moved on to compete in the Top 48 directly without performing in Las Vegas.

This year, the judges could also eliminate any act immediately after their performance if they felt the audition was sub-standard. Any audition that was at this level is in italics.

Group A: Judges' Favorites

Advanced

• Charles Peachock – Juggler
• Dani Shay – Singer^{[note 1]}
• Dezmond Meeks – Singer
• Duo Aero – Acrobats
• Echo of Animal Gardens – Talking Bird Act
• Fatally Unique – Dance Crew
• The Fiddleheads – Bluegrass Band
• Frank Miles – Danger Act
• Geechy Guy – Comedian
• J. Chris Newberg – Comedian/Guitarist
• The Kinetic King – Kinetic Artist
• Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. – Singer
• Mona Lisa – Singing Duo
• POPLYFE – Band
• Scott Alexander – Magician/Illusionist
• Snap Boogie – Dancer
• Steven Retchless – Pole Dancer
• Summerwind Skippers – Jump-rope Acrobatic Troupe
• Those Funny Little People – Novelty Dance Group
• Yellow Designs Stunt Team – Stunt BMX Team
• Zuma Zuma – Tumblers/Acrobats

Eliminated

• 4Play – Singing Group^{[note 2]}
• The Angelic Team – Classical Singers
• Armand and Angelina – Rock/Classical Singers
• The Blue Bombshells – Dance Troupe
• Brett Pemberton – Singer
• Chicago's Ultimate Tumblers – Tumbling Act
• Christina Bianco – Comedian
• Cindy Chang – Opera Singer^{[note 3]}
• Derek Sholl – Singer
• Fantastic Fig & Cat – Close-up magician
• Gary Mcintyre/Susan Kirkilin – Dancers
• Gas Mask 90 Seconds - Singer
• Harold Early (Adore)– Singer
• Hershae Chocolatae – Drag queen Impersonator
• Jammin Jay Lamont – Comedian/Obama Impressionist
• Jenn Marie Seamen – Comedian
• Jesse the Jack Russell – Dog act
• Kelsey Nord – Singer
• Kevin Shelley – Board-Breaking Performer
• LD Dance Company – Salsa Dance Troupe
• Michael Turco – Magician/Illusionist
• Mike Stone & The Kritikal Band – R&B Band
• Mr. Johns – Dancer
• Narsister – Acrobatics
• Necessary Diva – Opera Singer
• Ping Pong Guy – Ping Pong Act
• Remedy – Vocal Group
• Robert Carter – Singer
• Ryan Andreas – Singer
• Shemika Charles – Fire limbo acrobat
• Shevonne Phillidor – Singer^{[note 4]}
• Soleil Rousseau – Pole Dancer
• The BGP – Rock Band
• The Lost Boys – Rock Band
• Vegas Birds – Parrot Act

Group B: Standby Acts

Advanced

• Anna Graceman – Singer
• Attack Dance Crew – Dance Crew
• Avery and the Calico Hearts – Singing Trio
• Daniel Joseph Baker – Singer
• Dylan Andre – Singer
• Ian Johnson – Yo-yo Performer
• Landon Swank – Magician
• Mauricio Herrera – Singer/Showman
• Monet – Singer
• Purrfect Angelz – Dance Troupe
• Sam B – Dancer
• Sandou Trio Russian Bar – Russian Bar Acrobats
• Seth Grabel – Illusionist
• SH'Boss Boys – Rapping Trio
• Smage Brothers Riding Shows – Stunt Motorcyclists
• Taylor Davis – Singer
• Thomas John – Comedic Juggler

Eliminated

• The Body Poets – Dance Group
• Chad Selsinger – Singer
• Daniel Martin – Kid Act
• Elektrolytes – Dance Crew
• Frank Olivier – Juggler/Fire-eater
• Halls of Magic – Magicians
• Jacob Greenhouse – Singer
• Jason Quick – Danger Act
• Jessica Coolidge – Pianist
• Leonid the Magnificent – Variety Act
• The Magic Charms – Magician
• Meet Me at Fairfax and 3rd – Singer/Acrobat
• Narcissister – Doll Headed Dancer
• Preston Weber – Samoan Fire knife Dancer
• Sadie – Singer/Child Performer
• Soulman – Dancer/Singer/Entertainer
• Tanner "Lil' T" Edwards – Dancer
• Taptastic – Tap-dancing Duo
• Tricky Jackson – Dancer
• Unnamed Rapper - Rapper

Group C: Advanced directly to the Top 48

• Captain and Maybelle – Sideshow Performers
• Fearless Flores Family – Stunt Motorcyclists
• Lys Agnès – Opera Singer
• Melissa Villaseñor – Comedian/Impressionist
• Miami All-Stars – Dance Troupe
• Professor Splash – High Diver
• Silhouettes – Silhouette Performers
• Squonk Opera – Opera Singers
• Team iLuminate – Glow-Light Dance Group
• The Rhinestone Ropers – Western-style Danger Act

Unknown decision

These acts passed through the initial audition, but did not perform in Las Vegas due to personal reasons.

• Brennan Figari – Aerial Artist^{[note 5][3]}
• The Daring Jones Duo - Trapezize Duo
• DJ Face – DJ Act
• ELEW – Pianist^{[note 6] [4]}
• Illumni Men's Chorale – A cappella group
• Mrs. Smith – Rock Guitarist
• Olivia Bellafontaine – Burlesque Dance
• Rachel Zamstein – Singer and guitarist
• Sally Gould Dancers – Dance Troupe
• St. Luke's Bottle Band – Bottle Band
• The Art of Teknique – Dance Trio^{[note 7]}
• Viva La Muerte – Dancer/Stripper^{[note 8]}

Footnotes

1. ↑ Dani Shay originally sang an original song but forgot the lyrics. The judges gave her a second chance to perform another song later the same day.
2. ↑ One member in the group sang out of key and the group did not finish their song.
3. ↑ The judges felt Cindy Chang's performance was "warbly".
4. ↑ The judges brought Shevonne back for the Wild Card Show.
5. ↑ Brennan Figari was signed as an aerialist for the internationally acclaimed Cavalia show, and was unable to compete.
6. ↑ ELEW went on tour with Josh Groban, and was unable to compete.
7. ↑ The Art of Teknique had conflicts with another project and were unable to compete.
8. ↑ Viva La Muerte appeared with the Audition All Stars in the season finale despite not performing in Las Vegas.

Quarterfinals

The Quarterfinals began on July 12, 2011, and ended on August 17, 2011, with the conclusion of the Wild Card results episode. This round includes the Top 48 acts which passed through Las Vegas Week, the acts that passed through the YouTube audition rounds, and a Wild Card show featuring previously eliminated quarterfinalists.

Key	Buzzed out	Judges' choice	Advanced to the semifinals.	Finished in either fourth or fifth place; Won the judges' vote.	Finished in either fourth or fifth place; Lost the judges' vote.

Top 48, week 1 (July 12–13)

Guests: Avril Lavigne, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert^[5]

Order	Performer	Act description	Buzzes and judges' choices
			Mandel	Osbourne	Morgan
1	Miami All-Stars	Dance troupe	[note 1]
2	Dezmond Meeks	Singer
3	Those Funny Little People	Novelty dancers
4	Fearless Flores Family	Stunt motorcyclists
5	Squonk Opera	Operatic band
6	J. Chris Newberg	Comedic singer
7	Snap Boogie	Dancer
8	Echo of Animal Gardens	Talking bird act
9	The Fiddleheads	Bluegrass band
10	Duo Aero	Acrobatics/trapeze aerialists
11	Anna Graceman	Singer
12	Sandou Trio Russian Bar	Acrobats

Footnotes

1. ↑ Because both Osbourne and Morgan voted for Miami All-Stars, Mandel's voting intention was not revealed.

Top 48, week 2 (July 19–20)

Guests: Hot Chelle Rae, TRACES

Order	Performer	Act description	Buzzes and judges' choice
			Mandel	Osbourne	Morgan
1	Attack Dance Crew	Dancers
2	Dani Shay	Singer/musician
3	Geechy Guy	Stand-up comedian
4	Daniel Joseph Baker	Singer/pianist
5	The Rhinestone Ropers	Wild West Performers
6	Dylan Andre	Singer/musician
7	Landon Swank	Magician/Illusionist
8	Smage Brothers Riding Shows	Stunt motorcyclists
9	Thomas John	Juggler
10	Steven Retchless	Pole dancer
11	Mona Lisa	Twin singers
12	Silhouettes	Silhouette dance group

Top 48, week 3 (July 26–27)

Guests: Stevie Nicks, Fighting Gravity, The Smurfs

Order	Performer	Act description	Buzzes and judges' choices
			Mandel	Osbourne	Morgan
1	Summerwind Skippers	Jump rope acrobatics
2	SH'Boss Boys	Rap trio
3	Mauricio Herrera	Singer/showman
4	Seth Grabel	Magician
5	POPLYFE	Band
6	Ian Johnson	Yo-Yo Performer
7	Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.	Singer
8	Purrfect Angelz	Dance Troupe
9	Monét	Singer
10	Captain and Maybelle	Sideshow/danger act
11	Lys Agnès	Opera singer
12	Professor Splash[note 1][note 2]	High diver

Footnotes

1. ↑ It was on this night that Professor Splash broke the world record for highest shallow water dive at 36 feet 7 inches (11.15 m).
2. ↑ Professor Splash had to perform outside the show's studio due to safety concerns. The judges did not have buzzers in the outside studio, instead having hand-carried signs with the familiar red "X", although they never used them.

Top 48, week 4 (August 2–3)

Guests: Maroon 5, Jason Derülo

Order	Performer	Act Description	Buzzes and Judges' Choices
			Mandel	Osbourne	Morgan
1	The Kinetic King	Kinetic artist
2	Zuma Zuma	Tumblers/acrobats
3	Avery and the Calico Hearts	Singing trio
4	Charles Peachock	Juggler
5	Sam B	Dancer
6	Taylor Davis	Singer/musician
7	Melissa Villaseñor	Comedian/impressionist
8	Scott Alexander	Magician/illusionist
9	Fatally Unique	Dance crew
10	Yellow Designs Stunt Team	Stunt bikers
11	Frank Miles	Dangerous performer
12	Team iLuminate	Glow-light dance group

YouTube Special (August 9–10)

Guests: OK Go and Pilobolus, Keenan Cahill, Tay Zonday, Up and Over It (a YouTube act from Britain's Got Talent).

This special quarterfinal featured acts who submitted their auditions via YouTube.

Order	Performer	Act description	Buzzes and judges' choices
			Mandel	Osbourne	Morgan
1	TNC Elite	Clogging dance troupe
2	Brett Daniels	Magician/illusionist
3	Gabe Rocks	Dog act
4	Aeon	Parkour acrobats
5	Breena Bell	Gymnast/dancer/contortionist
6	Kevin Colis	Singer/musician
7	Beth Ann Robinson	Dancer
8	Gymkana	Gymnastics/acrobatic troupe
9	Kalani Basketball Freestyle	Basketball juggler
10	West Springfield Dance Team	Dance troupe
11	Matt Wilhelm	Blacklight stunt cyclist
12	Powerhouse	Show Choir

Wild Card Show (August 16–17)

This year, the Wild Cards were selected by the judges with input from an online audience on the show's website, although it was up to producers to decide whether the public audience's opinion was necessary.^[6]

All five acts that were not picked in the judges choice have been invited back to the wild card show.

Guests: Colbie Caillat, Les Misérables

Order	Brought back by	Performer	Act description	Buzzes and judges' choices
				Mandel	Osbourne	Morgan
1	Morgan	The Kinetic King	Kinetic artist
2	Mandel	Those Funny Little People	Novelty dancers/derformers
3	Osbourne	Avery and the Calico Hearts	Vocal trio
4	Mandel	Seth Grabel	Magician
5	Osbourne	Shevonne	Singer/musician
6	Osbourne	West Springfield Dance Team	Dance troupe
7	Mandel	J. Chris Newberg	Comedian	[note 1]
8	Osbourne	Yellow Designs Stunt Team	Stunt bikers
9	Morgan	Charles Peachock	Juggler
10	Mandel	The Fiddleheads	Bluegrass band
11	Morgan	Summerwind Skippers	Jump rope acrobatic troupe
12	Morgan	Landon Swank	Magician/illusionist

Footnotes

1. ↑ Howie pressed his buzzer during comments about J. Chris Newberg's performance made by Piers.

Semifinals

The semifinals of season six of America's Got Talent began on August 23, 2011, and concluded on August 31, 2011. At this stage of the competition, 24 acts that advanced past the quarterfinals performed live for a viewers' and judges' votes. Also, in this round, five acts advanced instead of four.

Key	Buzzed out	Judges' choice	Advanced to the Top 10.	Finished in either fifth or sixth place; Won the judges' vote.	Finished in either fifth or sixth place; Lost the judges' vote.

Round 1 (August 23–24)

Guests: Demi Lovato, Prince Poppycock, New Boyz

Order	Performer	Act description	Buzzes and judges' choices
			Mandel	Osbourne	Morgan
1	Zuma Zuma	Tumblers/Acrobats
2	Beth Ann Robinson	Dancer
3	Sandou Trio Russian Bar[note 1]	Russian Bar Acrobats
4	Kevin Colis	Singer/musician
5	Matt Wilhelm	Blacklight stunt cyclist
6	POPLYFE	Band
7	West Springfield Dance Team	Dance group		[note 2]
8	Melissa Villaseñor	Comedian/impressionist
9	Team iLuminate	Glow-light dance group
10	Daniel Joseph Baker	Singer/pianist
11	Miami All-Stars	Dance troupe
12	Lys Agnès	Opera singer

Footnotes

1. ↑ Sandou Trio Russian Bar decided not to perform their Russian Bar act, instead their performance involved a singer Cassie who's playing the piano turning upside down through the air.
2. ↑ Because both Mandel and Morgan voted for West Springfield Dance Team, Osbourne's voting intention was not revealed.

Round 2 (August 30–31)

Guests: David Guetta, Flo Rida, Nicki Minaj, Susan Boyle

Order	Performer	Act description	Buzzes and judges' choices
			Mandel	Osbourne	Morgan
1	The Kinetic King	Kinetic Artist
2	Fatally Unique	Dance Crew
3	Landon Swank	Magician/illusionist		[note 1]
4	Gymkana[note 2]	Gymnastics/Acrobatics troupe
5	Summerwind Skippers	Jump rope acrobatic troupe
6	Snap Boogie	Dancer
7	Anna Graceman	Singer
8	Steven Retchless	Pole dancer
9	Smage Brothers Riding Shows	Stunt motorcyclists
10	Professor Splash[note 3]	Pool High diver
11	Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.	Singer
12	Silhouettes	Silhouette dance group

Footnotes

1. ↑ Osbourne accidentally pressed her buzzer during Landon Swank's performance.
2. ↑ What was intended to be the final flip through a ring of fire and the last skill of the routine, resulted in a performer colliding with the ring of fire.
3. ↑ Professor Splash had to perform outside the show's studio again due to safety concerns. The judges did not have buzzers in the outside studio, instead having hand-carried signs with the familiar red "X", although they never used them.

Top 10

The Top 10 round consisted of two episodes in one week. The performance episode aired on September 6, 2011, and the results episode concluded on September 7, 2011. The performance show featured an appearance from season five winner Michael Grimm. The results show featured performances by Il Divo.^[7]

Top Ten
Order	Contestant	Performance description[8]	Result	Notes
1	Miami All-Stars	Dance troupe; danced a cheerleading-themed Salsa routine to Will Smith's "Miami"	Eliminated	Buzzed by Piers Morgan
2	Lys Agnès	Opera Singer; sang "Dream On" by Aerosmith	Eliminated
3	Landon Swank	Magician/illusionist; an illusion to Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want to Be" and OneRepublic's "Secrets", where he conjured a live goldfish from a goldfish cracker; In the second part, he pushed his hand and arm through an apparently solid piece of glass and released the goldfish into an aquarium	Eliminated
4	Anna Graceman	Sang Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors"	Eliminated
5	Silhouettes	Silhouette performers; a theme based on a child's American Dream to "I Believe" by Blessid Union of Souls	Advanced (2nd)
6	Smage Brothers Riding Shows	Stunt motorcyclists; motorcycle tricks on a skateboarding park-like set to Sum 41's "Fat Lip"	Eliminated
7	POPLYFE	Band; a medley of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There", "I Want You Back", and "The Love You Save".	Advanced (4th)	Accidentally buzzed by Sharon Osbourne after their performance
8	West Springfield Dance Team	Dance troupe; a vampire theme	Eliminated	Buzzed by Piers Morgan
9	Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.	Jazz Singer; "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" by Dean Martin	Advanced (1st)
10	Team iLuminate	Glow-light dance group; a remix of "Thunder" by Nuttin' But Stringz (who performed on season three of America's Got Talent)	Advanced (3rd)

Finals

The finals of season six took place over two nights. The one-hour performance episode aired on September 13, 2011, and featured a performance from season two winner Terry Fator.

The two-hour finale aired on September 14, 2011, featuring special performances from many guest performers, including Def Leppard, OneRepublic, a duet with Tony Bennett and Queen Latifah, the cast of Cirque du Soleil's Iris, and season five runner-up Jackie Evancho. It also included celebrity-contestant duet performances. Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. performed with Patti Labelle, Team iLuminate with Cobra Starship, the Silhouettes with LeAnn Rimes, and POPLYFE with Stevie Wonder.

The performance show was watched by 13.67 million viewers, and the finale achieved 14.37 million viewers. In its last half-hour, the AGT final had 16.56 million viewers. The combined two-night final was watched by an average of 14.02 million viewers. Even though down from last year's finale, AGT notably rated higher than the 23rd season premiere of CBS's hit reality series Survivor: South Pacific.^[9]

This was the season's only live show without any intentional buzzes.

Finals elimination table

Key	Winner	Runner-up	3rd Place	4th Place

Finals, September 13–14, 2011
Order	Contestant	Performance description[10]	Result (September 14, 2011)	Notes
1	Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.	Singer; performed "My Way" by Frank Sinatra.	Winner
2	Team iLuminate	Glow-light dance group; a large scale, synchronized routine with kaleidoscopic effects to "Feel So Close" by Calvin Harris and a remix of the same song by Nero	Third place
3	POPLYFE	Band; performed "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" by Queen	Fourth place
4	Silhouettes	Silhouette performers; a routine about a young girl who dreams of traveling to see the world to the song "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong	Runner-up	Act's start was delayed by technical difficulties; Sharon Osbourne's buzzer went off accidentally after the performance

Round chart

The following is the list of the 48 quarterfinalists who passed through Las Vegas Week, the 12 contestants that were picked from a separate circuit of YouTube auditions, and one Wild Card Act who was originally eliminated in Las Vegas.

Italic indicates the act was picked from a YouTube audition and was not featured in the preliminary auditions or Las Vegas Week; therefore, the quarterfinals were their debut to the competition.

Key	Winner	Runner-up	Third Place	Fourth Place	Top Ten finalist	Semifinalist	Wild Card

Name/Name of Act	Age(s)	Genre	Act	Hometown	Qtr. Final (Week)	Semi Final (Week)	Position reached
Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.	35	Singing	Jazz Singer	West Virginia	3	2	First Place
Silhouettes	4–18	Dance	Silhouette dancers	Denver, Colorado	2	2	Runner-up
Team iLuminate	25–33	Dance	Glow-light dance group	Los Angeles, California	4	1	Third place
POPLYFE	12–16	Music	Band	Oakland, California	3	1	Fourth place
Anna Graceman	11	Music	Singer	Juneau, Alaska	1	2	Eliminated
Landon Swank	26	Magic	Magician/illusionist	Wasilla, Alaska	2, 6	2	Eliminated
Lys Agnès	27	Music	Opera singer	Denver, Colorado	3	1	Eliminated
Miami All-Stars	13–43	Dance	Dance troupe	Miami, Florida	1	1	Eliminated
Smage Brothers Riding Shows	18–25	Performance	Stunt motorcyclists	Elkhorn, Wisconsin	2	2	Eliminated
West Springfield Dance Team	N/A	Dance	Dance troupe	Springfield, Virginia	5, 6	1	Eliminated
Beth Ann Robinson	14	Dance	Dancer	Dothan, Alabama	5	1	Eliminated
Daniel Joseph Baker	20	Music	Singer	Katy, Texas	2	1	Eliminated in Judge's Choice
Fatally Unique	13–22	Dance	Dance Crew	Rockford, Illinois	4	2	Eliminated
Gymkana	N/A	Performance	Acrobatics	College Park, Maryland	5	2	Eliminated
Kevin Colis	33	Music	Singer	New Braunfels, Texas	5	1	Eliminated
The Kinetic King	47	Variety	Kinetic artist	Saint Paul, Minnesota	4, 6	2	Eliminated
Matt Wilhelm	32	Performance	Stunt Bike Rider	Chicago, Illinois	5	1	Eliminated
Melissa Villaseñor	23	Comedy	Comedian/impressionist	Whittier, California	4	1	Eliminated
Professor Splash	50	Danger	High diver	Denver, Colorado	3	2	Eliminated
Sandou Trio Russian Bar	25–43	Danger	Acrobats	San Antonio, Texas	1	1	Eliminated
Snap Boogie	18	Dance	Dancer	Boston, Massachusetts	1	2	Eliminated in Judge's Choice
Steven Retchless	24	Dance	Pole dancer	Las Vegas, Nevada	2	2	Eliminated
Summerwind Skippers	22–36	Performance	Jump rope acrobats	Boise, Idaho	3, 6	2	Eliminated
Zuma Zuma	28–42	Performance	Tumblers/acrobats	Las Vegas, Nevada	4	1	Eliminated
Avery and the Calico Hearts	9–10	Music	Vocal trio	Lubbock, Texas	4, 6	N/A	Eliminated
Charles Peachock	35	Juggling	Juggler	Kent, Ohio	4, 6	N/A	Eliminated
The Fiddleheads	21–23	Music	Bluegrass band	Dahlonega, Georgia	1, 6	N/A	Eliminated in Judge's Choice
J. Chris Newberg	41	Comedy	Comedian/guitarist	Birmingham, Michigan	1, 6	N/A	Eliminated
Seth Grabel	29	Magic	Magician/showman	Los Angeles, California	3, 6	N/A	Eliminated
Shevonne Phillidor[note 1]	20	Music	Singer/musician	Tampa, Florida	6	N/A	Eliminated
Those Funny Little People	23–53	Performance	Novelty dancers/performers	Chicago, Illinois	1, 6	N/A	Eliminated
Yellow Designs Stunt Team	25–41	Performance	Stunt bikers	Monument, Colorado	4, 6	N/A	Eliminated
Aeon	N/A	Performance	Parkour performers	Los Angeles, California	5	N/A	Eliminated
Attack Dance Crew	19–25	Dance	Dancers	Tallahassee, Florida	2	N/A	Eliminated
Breena Bell	8	Dance performance	Dancer/gymnast	Lincoln, Alabama	5	N/A	Eliminated
Brett Daniels	50	Magic	Magician/illusionist	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	5	N/A	Eliminated
Captain and Maybelle	38, 32	Danger	Sideshow performers	Douglasville, Georgia	3	N/A	Eliminated
Dani Shay	22	Music	Singer/musician	Orlando, Florida	2	N/A	Eliminated
Dezmond Meeks	28	Singing	Singer/Pianist	Pineville, Louisiana	1	N/A	Eliminated
Duo Aero	23, 24	Performing	Trapeze aerialists	Saint Paul, Minnesota	1	N/A	Eliminated
Dylan Andre	19	Singing	Singer/Musician	Zieglersville, Pennsylvania	2	N/A	Eliminated
Echo of Animal Gardens	15, 32	Animal act	Talking/singing bird	Lake Geneva, Wisconsin	1	N/A	Eliminated
Fearless Flores Family	8–35	Performance	Stunt motorcyclists	Myakka City, Florida	1	N/A	Eliminated
Frank Miles	50	Performance	Danger act	San Francisco, California	4	N/A	Eliminated
Gabe Rocks	N/A	Animal act	Dog tricks	Bellingham, Washington	5	N/A	Eliminated
Geechy Guy	46	Comedy	Stand-up comedian	Rochester, Michigan	2	N/A	Eliminated
Ian Johnson	16	Performance	Yo-yo performer	Hebron, Illinois	3	N/A	Eliminated
Kalani Basketball Freestyle	24	Performance	Basketball juggling	Honolulu, Hawaii	5	N/A	Eliminated
Mauricio Herrera	33	Music	Singer/showman	Orange, California	3	N/A	Eliminated
Mona Lisa	29	Music	Vocal duo	Santa Ana, California	2	N/A	Eliminated
Monet	12	Singing	Singer	Charlotte, North Carolina	3	N/A	Eliminated
Powerhouse	N/A	Singing	Choir	Burbank, California	5	N/A	Eliminated
Purrfect Angelz	22–36	Dance	Dance troupe	Hollywood, California	3	N/A	Eliminated
The Rhinestone Ropers	28, 52	Performance	Western-style danger act	Jerome, Idaho	2	N/A	Eliminated
Sam B	32	Dancing	Dancer	Falls Church, Virginia	4	N/A	Eliminated
Scott Alexander	41	Magic	Magician/illusionist	Lancaster, Pennsylvania	4	N/A	Eliminated
SH'Boss Boys	5–7	Performing	Rap trio	Atlanta, Georgia	3	N/A	Eliminated
Squonk Opera	33–52	Music	Operatic band	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	1	N/A	Eliminated
Taylor Davis	18	Music	Singer/musician	Leesburg, Georgia	4	N/A	Eliminated
Thomas John	22	Comedy/performance	Juggler	San Francisco, California	2	N/A	Eliminated
TNC Elite	N/A	Dance	Cloggers	Charlotte, North Carolina	5	N/A	Eliminated

Footnotes

1. ↑ Shevonne was a Wild Card act previously eliminated prior to the quarterfinals in Las Vegas Week.

Production

On July 27, 2010, Piers Morgan announced that he had signed a three-year contract with the show, on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.^[11] The show's taping began in March 2011 and all of the judges were present which confirmed that all three judges, as well as host Nick Cannon, were returning. However, in November 2011, Morgan announced that he would not be returning to the show, due to him focusing on his CNN show, Piers Morgan Tonight.^[12]

NBC started promos for the show during the premiere of The Voice on April 26, also noting a change in some of the color schemes in the logo with the United States in the foreground. The judge's desk is converted to be more like that of Britain's Got Talent with a three-dimensional "X".

On May 16, 2011, Mandel had a television appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon where he talked about the show. Mandel described the show as the most dangerous. During the interview, he said that the ambulance came to the set about six times to care for some of the injured contestants.

This year, the show generally carried over its format from the previous season. The auditions process and Las Vegas Week were unchanged, while the live shows, which consisted of multiple rounds of quarterfinals (including two special weeks for YouTube acts and "Wild Card" performers), two weeks of semifinals, and two subsequent final rounds, had only minor changes from season five.

Ratings

U.S. Nielsen ratings

Order	Episode(s)	Airdate	Rating	Share	Rating/Share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	Rank (Timeslot)	Rank (Night) (18–49)	Rank (Night) (Total viewers)	Rank (Week) (Total viewers)
1	"Los Angeles Auditions & Atlanta Auditions"	May 31, 2011	8.8	14	4.3/12	15.28	#1	#3	#1	#3[13]
2	"Seattle Auditions"	June 7, 2011	7.4	13	3.7/12	12.93[14]	#1	#3	#2	#5[15]
3 4	"Houston Auditions" "Minneapolis Auditions"	June 8, 2011	7.1	12	3.7/10	12.64[16]	#1	#1	#1	#6
5	"Seattle Auditions" (Part 2)	June 14, 2011	7.3	12	3.5/11	12.59[17]	#1	#2	#1	#1[18]
6	"Atlanta Auditions" (Part 2)	June 21, 2011	7.1	12	3.4/11	12.30[19]	#1	#2	#1	#2[20]
7	"New York Auditions"	June 22, 2011	7.5	12	3.9/11	13.49[21]	#1	#1	#1	#1
8	"New York Auditions" (Part 2)	June 28, 2011	7.3	13	3.3/11	12.46[22]	#1	#2	#1	#3[23]
9	"Auditions Episode 9"	June 29, 2011	7.6	13	4.1/12	13.71[24]	#1	#1	#1	#1
10	"Final Auditions"	July 5, 2011	7.2	12	3.6/11	12.59[25]	#1	#2	#2	#4[26]
11	"Las Vegas Week" (Part 1)	July 5, 2011	8.8	14	4.6/13	15.78	#1	#1	#1	#1
12	"Las Vegas Week" (Part 2)	July 6, 2011	7.3	12	3.6/11	12.85[27]	#1	#1	#1	#3
13	"Quarterfinals, Week 1"	July 12, 2011	7.9	13	4.0/11	14.07[28]	#1	#1	#1	#1[29]
14	"Quarterfinals, Week 1" (Results)	July 13, 2011	6.8	11	3.0/9	11.43[30]	#1	#1	#1	#2
15	"Quarterfinals, Week 2"	July 19, 2011	7.3	12	3.6/10	13.04[31]	#1	#1	#1	#1
16	"Quarterfinals, Week 2" (Results)	July 20, 2011	5.9	10	2.7/8	10.32[32]	#1	#1	#1	#2
17	"Quarterfinals, Week 3"	July 26, 2011	6.6	11	3.1/9	11.54[33]	#1	#1	#1	#1[34]
18	"Quarterfinals, Week 3" (Results)	July 27, 2011	6.0	10	2.8/8	10.74[35]	#1	#1	#1	#2
19	"Quarterfinals, Week 4"	August 2, 2011	6.8	11	3.1/9	11.92[36]	#1	#1	#1	#1[37]
20	"Quarterfinals, Week 4" (Results)	August 3, 2011	5.8	10	2.5/7	9.96[38]	#1	#2	#1	#2
21	"Quarterfinals, YouTube"	August 9, 2011	6.6	11	3.0/8	11.46[39]	#1	#1	#1	#1[40]
22	"Quarterfinals, YouTube" (Results)	August 10, 2011	5.7	9	2.5/7	9.73[41]	#1	#1	#1	#3
23	"Quarterfinals, Wildcard Show"	August 16, 2011	6.0	10	2.8/5	10.40[42]	#1	#1	#1	#2[43]
24	"Quarterfinals, Wildcard Show" (Results)	August 17, 2011	5.6	9	2.5/7	9.74[44]	#1	#2	#1	#3
25	"Semifinals, Round 1"	August 23, 2011	7.0	11	3.3/9	11.99[45]	#1	#1	#1	#1[46]
26	"Semifinals, Round 1" (Results)	August 24, 2011	6.4	10	2.9/8	11.12[47]	#1	#1	#1	#2
27	"Semifinals, Round 2"	August 30, 2011	6.8	11	3.1/8	11.14[48]	#1	#1	#1	#1[49]
28	"Semifinals, Round 2" (Results)	August 31, 2011	6.5	10	2.6/7	10.65[50]	#1	#2	#1	#2
29	"Top Ten"	September 6, 2011	7.1	11	3.1/8	11.85[51]	#1	#1	#1	#9[52]
30	"Top Ten" (Results)	September 7, 2011	7.2	11	3.0/8	12.36[53]	#1	#1	#1	#7
31	"Finals, Performances"	September 13, 2011	8.1	13	3.8/10	13.67[54]	#1	#1	#1	#4[55]
32	"Finale"	September 14, 2011	8.5	14	3.6/10	14.37[56]	#1	#2	#1	#3

References

External links

• Official NBC America's Got Talent website
• IMDB America's Got Talent website
• The Original Silhouettes Website

Preceded by season 5 (2010)	America's Got Talent season 6 (2011)	Succeeded by season 7 (2012)