‘America’s Got Talent’ Winner Dustin Tavella Will Not Really Receive $1 Million
The wait is over, and the America’s Got Talent winner of season 16 is magician Dustin Tavella.
With the audience cheering and gold confetti falling, Dustin thanked everyone for helping him become AGT’s next champion. "Thank you guys so much. This is absolutely amazing. I never thought I’d be here," Dustin said.
The 35-year-old was still in awe over his victory after walking off the stage for the last time.
“It’s insane,” Dustin told Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday. “I’m a 9-year-old boy dreaming of chasing the things that I love. Falling in love with magic and here I am years later standing on this stage and hearing my name called as the winner of the show, it’s crazy. It’s more than I could have ever asked for or dreamed of.”
After an incredible two-hour finale, Dustin was officially declared the winner, beating out fellow season 16 finalists Aidan Bryant, Josh Blue, Brooke Simpson, Léa Kyle, Gina Brillon, Jimmie Herrod, World Taekwondo Demonstration Team, Victory Brinker and the Northwell Health Nurse Choir in "the closest vote ever."
As host Terry Crews announced, Dustin will now be awarded a $1 million prize. But there’s a catch: AGT shows a disclaimer at the end of each episode which clarifies that the "$1,000,000 is payable in a financial annuity over forty years, or the contestant may choose to receive the present cash value of such annuity."
A decade ago, in 2011, Forbes took a closer look at the prize money. The outlet concluded if a winner chose the first option of dividing their prize over 40 years, they would only receive about $25,000 a year before taxes. And if the champion went with the “present cash value,” their prize would amount to $300,000 before taxes. Although the first option may work out better for younger contestants and the second choice could be the way to go for older contestants, neither necessarily equate to $1 million, according to the magazine.
That said, an AGT winner’s triumph is much more than the reward. Fifteen years on air and a roster of champions exemplify the show’s reach and popularity. Beyond the small screen, past winners have succeeded in their own way. Season 15 winner spoken-word poet Brandon Leake went on to sign with United Talent Agency, while season 14’s singer Kodi Lee struck an album deal with Columbia Records/Syco. What’s more, Grace Vanderwaal is as popular as ever with a whopping four million followers on Instagram and nearly two million listeners on Spotify.
We’re certain Dustin will take the magic world by storm with his talent.
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