11 Surprising Facts You May Not Have Known About 'America's Got Talent'

Since 2006, NBC's "America's Got Talent" has raised the bar for the elementary school talent show concept to new heights. "AGT" is open to almost anything. A dance show in virtual reality? Check. Can a chicken play the piano? Yep. Death-defying escape maneuvers? Mhm.
There are no age restrictions, so both youngsters and the elderly can participate. In this regard, the show remains exciting from week to week because you never know what you'll see next. A lot has changed for "AGT," which is currently in its 13th season and has been on the air for almost a decade. There are also behind-the-scenes mysteries to this show that casual fans may be unaware of.
Here are 13 fascinating facts about "America's Got Talent" that every fan should be aware of.

#1 There are “Got Talent” shows across the globe.

Source: America's Got Talent

According to NBC, there are approximately 70 different "Got Talent" shows around the world, including "Britain's Got Talent," "Asia's Got Talent," and "Australia's Got Talent."
As more nations produced its own versions, it even broke the Guinness World Record for the most successful reality television genre in 2014.

#2 The show's first winner was also its youngest.

Source: Michael Buckner/GettyImages

Unlike some other reality competition shows, there is no minimum age to compete on "AGT," hence there have been a few young contestants who have won.
Bianca Ryan, the show's inaugural champion, was also the youngest person to win "AGT." She was 11 years old when she won the grand prize for singing.
Since then, two 12-year-old contestants have won: Grace VanderWaal in season 11 and Farmer in season 12.

#3 The judges haven't always had a Golden Buzzer.

Source: Mitchell Varble/NBCUniversal

The "AGT" Golden Buzzer has become a staple of the show, yet it didn't exist during the first eight seasons.
According to Zap2it, it was first used to salvage an act by overriding a fellow judge's "no" or breaking a tie in season nine.
Since then, the "AGT" judges have had the power to utilize the Golden Buzzer once per season to send a notable auditionee straight to the live shows by using the Golden Buzzer.

#4 People have gotten injured during performances.

Source: America's Got Talent/NBC

Some of the acts on "AGT" are risky, and they don't always go as planned.
For example, during their act on Season 11, participant Ryan Stock was unintentionally shot in the neck with a flaming arrow by his fiancée AmberLynn Walker.
Despite the fact that he escaped with only minor injuries, the couple was eliminated from the show.

#5 One contestant was so good everyone thought she was lip-syncing.

Source: Ethan Miller and Alex Wong/Getty Images

In season five, a 10-year-old opera singer named Jackie Evancho did such a beautiful performance of "O mio babbino caro" that she had to show to the audience the next night that she wasn't lip-syncing.
She did an on-the-spot vocal exercise that swiftly convinced everyone of her aptitude.

#6 The judging panel has also changed a lot over the years.

Source: NBC

The competition was judged by David Hasselhoff, Brandy Norwood, and Piers Morgan in season one.
Sharon Osbourne, Mandel, Howard Stern, Klum, Mel B, Cowell, Julianne Hough, and Gabrielle Union have all served as judges since then.
Season 17's panel now consists of Mandel, Klum, Vergara, and Cowell.

#7 The show has been hosted by a number of popular celebrities.

Source: Paras Griffin/Getty Images for 2016 Essence Festival

Since the show's inception in 2006, it has had five different celebrity hosts.
Regis Philbin hosted the first season, Jerry Springer took over for seasons two and three, Nick Cannon had the longest run from season four to season eleven, Tyra Banks hosted seasons 12 and 13, and Terry Crews has hosted the show since season fourteen.

#8 One of the most popular winning talents is ventriloquism.

Source: America's Got Talent/YouTube

Although most "AGT" winners have been singers and musicians, ventriloquism is the second most popular skill.
So far, ventriloquists have won three of the 16 regular-season awards: Terry Fator in season two, Paul Zerdin in season ten, and Darci Lynne Farmer in season twelve.

#9 The million-dollar prize is paid out over 40 years.

Source: Chris Haston/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

When contestants win, they may believe they are instantaneously improving their life, but a disclaimer at the end of each episode reveals the reality of the show's million-dollar prize.
"The prize, totaling $1,000,000, is payable in a financial annuity over 40 years, or the contender may elect to accept the present cash value of such annuity," it says.
According to Forbes, the winner has the option of receiving $25,000 every year for 40 years or a smaller lump payout valued roughly $300,000 when the story was written in 2011.
In any instance, that sum is before taxes, so the winner receives even less.

#10 At one point, contestants could audition via MySpace.

Source: NBC/America's Got Talent

According to Mashable, when MySpace was still popular in 2008, "AGT" aspirants could shoot a video and publish it to the social-media platform to try to get a spot on the show.
At the time, NBC Universal Television's chief marketing officer, John Miller, expressed hope that the collaboration will help the station identify exceptional individuals who "may not have been reached through the regular audition process."
Prospective candidates can no longer audition on the site, but they can send video entries.

#11 None of the current judges are originally from America.

Source: Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Although the show is branded "America's Got Talent," none of the current judges are from the United States.
Howie Mandel is from Canada, Heidi Klum is from Germany, Simon Cowell is from the United Kingdom, and Sofa Vergara is from Colombia.