America’s Got Talent Revealed The Top 10 Finalists Without Many Surprises, And I Wish I Was More Excited After All The Golden Buzzers

Find out who made it through the semifinals of America’s Got Talent Season 20! The results episode is now streaming on Peacock.

As America’s Got Talent’s 20th season comes to a close, the final group of performers is incredibly strong thanks to both the recent semifinals and the golden buzzers used earlier in the competition. While the semifinals results weren’t full of surprises when host Terry Crews revealed who was still competing for the million-dollar prize and a Las Vegas show, I didn’t find myself as captivated as I usually do. I believe this is because so many golden buzzers were awarded this season.

Great news! We now have our ten finalists. The six acts chosen by fan votes have joined the four who received a Golden Buzzer from the judges – Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Mel B, and Howie Mandel. Here’s the complete list of finalists, with the Golden Buzzer recipients highlighted in bold, based on the latest results from the semifinals.

  • Steve Ray Ladson – Musician
  • Mama Duke – Rapper
  • Micah Palace – Musician
  • Team Recycled – Dance Group
  • Chris Turner – Comedian
  • Sirca Marea – Variety Act
  • Jessica Sanchez – Singer
  • Leo High School Choir – Singing Group
  • LightWire – LED Dance Group
  • Jourdan Blue – Singer

The finals are sure to be full of musical performances, but I’m finding myself less inclined to support singers this season. Unlike in Season 19 when Richard Goodall’s Journey covers impressed me, I’d rather see more unique acts win *America’s Got Talent* – there are already plenty of singing competitions like *American Idol* and *The Voice*. The judges seemed genuinely shocked when young rock performer Bay Melnick Virgolino was eliminated, while Jourdan Blue moved forward.

Overall, this year’s finalists aren’t particularly surprising, but the finale should still be fun to watch. Right now, I’m leaning towards Sirca Marea as my top pick to win, especially now that the TT Boys are out. However, I’m willing to change my mind after seeing all ten finalists perform one last time. LightWire might be popular with the audience, but I mainly remember them as the first act to receive a golden buzzer on *America’s Got Talent* Season 20.

I’m excited about the finale, but I’m not as intensely anticipating it as I have been for previous seasons. I think this is because of how many Golden Buzzers were used this year. Season 20 originally planned for fifteen Golden Buzzers – each judge and Terry Crews got two during the auditions, plus one more each in the quarterfinals. A planned group buzzer for the semifinals was canceled, leaving a total of fourteen Golden Buzzers used this season.

By the time I got to the audition stages, the excitement of the gold confetti had faded, and I was pretty indifferent when the judges started using their buzzers during the quarterfinals. I think *America’s Got Talent* would be better if they reduced the number of twists that automatically send contestants forward. Maybe they could eliminate the live golden buzzers altogether, or just limit each judge (and Terry Crews) to using one during auditions.

The season finale of Season 20 will air on Tuesday, September 23rd at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, a change from its usual 8 p.m. slot. The episode revealing the results will follow on Wednesday, September 24th, starting at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, all on NBC.

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2025-09-18 12:38