15 Times 'America's Got Talent' Contestants Were Already Famous
How famous is too famous to compete on America's Got Talent? You might think the contestants who appear on the show are, you know, talented unknowns trying to make it big, but it turns out that's not always the case.
The show has a history of sometimes bringing on acts that are already well-known-and in many cases have competed on other reality shows (even international editions of the Got Talent franchise). But technically it's totally okay, per the show's rules.
From the current AGT frontrunner Courtney Hadwin, who previously competed on The Voice Kids in the United Kingdom, to that creepy caterpillar dude who appeared on ABC's The Gong Show, here's a list of some of your favorite acts who'd spent time in the spotlight before auditioning for AGT.
Courtney Hadwin
The 13-year-old soul singer from Hartlepool, England, has been killing it ever since her explosive rendition of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle" during the first round of auditions this season on AGT. Her performance even prompted Howie Mandel to give her the golden buzzer.
As it turns out, the teen has prior experience in the spotlight: Last year, she competed on The Voice Kids U.K., where she placed in the top six. And before that, she reportedly played the role of young Cosette in Les Miserables.
Noah Guthrie
Gleeks might recognize Guthrie from his role as Roderick Meeks, a senior at William McKinley High School, in the sixth and final season of the show Glee. He even appeared in the 2015 series finale.
The 24-year-old singer got his start on YouTube, covering popular songs, and The Ellen Degeneres Show posted one of his songs on her site. He was signed with a professional management company in Los Angeles and even opened for Selena Gomez at her 2nd Annual Charity Concert benefitting UNICEF in 2012.
Before he competed on AGT this season, he apparently turned down opportunities to audition for American Idol and The Voice. Still, though, he was cut in the semifinals.
The Sacred Riana
The creepy 26-year-old Indonesian illusionist is known as Marie Antoinette Riana Graharani in real life and she specializes in, basically, scared the living hell out of audience members. At one point during this season of AGT, she pulled out a voodoo doll with Mel B's face on it. Her performance prompted a “you’re brilliant,” from Simon Cowell, who added, “I hope I see you in the final."
In fact, she'd already been in a Got Talent final-in 2017, The Sacred Riana competed on Asia's Got Talent. She was named the season winner and a video of her magic performance onstage garnered over 53 million views.
Glennis Grace
Grace is also competing in the final round of season 13 of AGT after wowing judges with a rendition of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work." The 40-year-old Amsterdam native is no newbie to talent shows. She shot to fame at age of 16 after winning the 1994 finals of Dutch competition The Soundmix Show with a cover of Whitney Houston’s "One Moment in Time." She also competed in the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, representing the Netherlands. In 2005, she won the national selection for the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest, according to Us Weekly.
Her 2017 performance of the late Houston's "Run to You" at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam went viral, garnering 2.5 million views on YouTube. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Grace's net worth is around $3 million.
Us the Duo
Folk-pop duo Us the Duo, aka Michael and Carissa Alvarado, met in 2011 on the set of a AJ Rafael music video. Seven years later, they auditioned on AGT this season, but were eliminated in the semifinals.
The group got their start on Vine a few years ago, where they amassed over 4 million followers by posting cover versions of popular songs. In 2014, they were signed to Republic Records and even joined Pentatonix on their world tour. The duo's song "No Matter Where You Are" was featured in the film The Book of Life, which caught Oprah Winfrey's attention and in November 2014, she booked them for the U.S. tour of her "The Life You Want" weekend featuring authors and inspirational speakers.
Samuel Comroe
The comedian with Tourette syndrome impressed the crowd with his heartwarming wit. According to his website, he's a fairly seasoned performer with past stints on TBS’ Conan, BET’s Real Husbands of Hollywood with Kevin Hart and a feature on All Def Digital’s Comedy Originals. He is also the winner of Ricky Gervais’ comedy competition and the San Francisco Comedy Competition. Comroe has over 47,000 subscribers on his Youtube channel and has performed "at over 100 clubs and colleges annually."
During his first appearance on AGT this season (he's a current finalist), Comroe opened up about how after 10 years of working in comedy, this was the break he’s been looking for. “This means everything. I’ve worked my entire life for a moment like this,” he said. “They don’t come very often, I’m really grateful. I just had a baby girl, and this is a beautiful opportunity.”
Aaron Crow
Also known as the Silent Mentalist, knife-thrower Crow has performed his best-selling magic show "The Illusionists" at The Sydney Opera House and on Broadway in New York City. In 2013, he auditioned for Britain's Got Talent, during which he performed a blind-folded swordsmanship act that included pouring hot wax over his eyes and covering his face with bandages, tape, and foil. He finished fourth.
Crow brought his talents to the U.S. on this season of AGT, where he performed similar knife acts, but was eliminated in the semifinals.
Sethward the Caterpillar
Yes, even the caterpillar dude has had some past experience in the entertainment industry. He's appeared on ABC's The Gong Show as various animals, including a really creepy snake.
Zurcaroh
The group of acrobatic dancers wowed Tyra so much they earned her golden buzzer on this season of AGT. But it wasn't the first time the group has been awarded a golden buzzer: In 2017, they became internationally known when they got a golden buzzer on France’s Got Talent.
According to the troupe's Facebook page, Zurcaroh has been dazzling audiences for nearly a decade through "through expressive dance and spectacular acrobatic components, accompanied by rousing rhythms."
Bello Nock
Remember the crazy guy in a tux who shot out of a cannon and over a helicopter from last season of AGT? Turns out he was pretty well-known in circus circles, before that. In 2001, he joined Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey as a headliner. That same year, Time magazine included him on their list of "America's Best Artists and Entertainers" list, calling him "America's Best Clown." In 2007, The New York Times featured a story on Nock's "Wheel of Steel" trick in which Nock and another performer balance on a 39-foot contraption that looks like two giant hamster wheels that whirl in opposite directions.
Before auditioning for AGT, Nock performed a number of incredible stunts in New York City, including walking a high wire over Lincoln Center, hanging on a trapeze under a helicopter over the Statue of Liberty, and balancing on a high wire above Times Square for eight hours. In 2011, he was awarded the prestigious Gold Clown award, a prestigious award for circus skills.
His daughter, Annaliese Nock auditioned for AGT this season and was nailed into a coffin, which contained six sticks of dynamite that detonated. She withdrew from the competition prior the Judge Cuts round.
Colin Cloud
Forensic mind reader Colin McLeod aka Colin Cloud appeared on Britain's Got Talent in 2012, but failed to make it to the semifinal round. Dubbed the "real life Sherlock Holmes," he was later invited by creators of BBC's Sherlock to work on the hit show.
Five years later, he appeared on AGT and reached the semifinals. He described his act as a "real life mind reading," where he can tell someone's deepest, darkest secrets.
Light Balance
The Ukrainian dance troupe lit up the stage of BGT in 2014, and made it to the seminfinals.
Three years later, the hi-tech neon and LED dance group came to the U.S. to compete on AGT, where they got the golden buzzer from judge Tyra Banks during their audition. In the quarterfinals, Light Balance suffered a technical issue with their equipment, so their dress rehearsal performance was judged in place of the live show. They placed third in the season.
Stevie Starr
Known as the "Professional Regurgitator," Starr's act entails swallowing small items like coins, nails, lighter fluid, and goldfish - and regurgitating them. The Scottish performer auditioned for BGT in 2010, impressing judges by swallowing and spitting up a billiard ball.
In the semifinals, he regurgitated judge Amanda Holden's engagement ring, followed by a padlock and key. That same year he performed on Germany's version of the Got Talent franchise, Das Supertalent, where he advanced to the finals and finished seventh.
He's also appeared on the Czech-Slovak, Italian, and French version of the show. But it seems sixth times the charm. After appearing on five Got Talent shows, he auditioned for AGT in 2015 and progressed to the final round, finishing in fourth place.
Laura Bretan
The teen dazzled AGT judges in 2016, when she sang 'Nessun Dorma' from Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot. The performance even prompted Mel B. to give her the golden buzzer. Her rendition of 'O Mio Babbino Caro' from Puccini's opera Gianni Schicchi in the finals led her to a sixth place finish overall.
In an interview with The Chicago Tribune, she admitted that just a few months prior to appearing on AGT, she went to Romania for her grandfather's funeral and auditioned for Romania's Got Talent - and placed first.
"I did Romania's Got Talent for my grandfather because he wanted to see me personally on that show," Bretan told the Tribune.
When asked about appearing on AGT after winning RGT, she said: “There are like 96 versions of the show, and there have been previous contestants that have participated in more than one Got Talent.”
The Passing Zone
The comedy-juggling guys from season 11 of AGT (they were the ones that put Howie Mandel in a dunk tank and juggled Heidi Klum and Mel B.) actually appeared on the show ten years earlier.
In 2006, The Passing Zone auditioned for AGT for the first time and progressed to the finals. For their act, they brought judge David Hasselhoff on stage and made him wear a helmet with a torch on top, as they threw sharp sickles around him.
('You Might Also Like',)
