82nd Airborne Division All-American Chorus falls short in 'America's Got Talent'
Time is up to vote for the winner of this season of America's Got Talent.
82nd Airborne Division All-American Chorus gave stellar performances on "America's Got Talent," but fell short of winning.
The chorus from Fort Liberty is among 11 finalists. The winner, who will be awarded a $1 million prize and the chance to headline a show in Las Vegas, that will be revealed Wednesday night.
Tuesday night, the military choir sang "Brother" by the group "Need To Breathe" in their final live performance. It left all of the judges, including Simon Cowell, in awe of not just the group's incredible talent but their service to the country as well.
"I want to thank every single one of you for what you do," Cowell said. "What you stand for and what you just did just now .. because that's what I call a moment ... this was the best performance of the night so far."
The 2023 AGT finalists include:
- The 82nd Airborne Division All-American Chorus from Fort Liberty
- Avantgardey, a 20-member all-female Japanese dance team
- Adrian Stoica, a dog coach, dog trainer and dog performer
- Putri Ariani, a 17-year-old singer from Indonesia
- Murmuration, a French dance troupe
- Mzansi, a South African youth choir
- Ramadhani Brothers, performing acrobatic stunts
- Anna Deguzman, 24-year-old magician
- Lavender Darcangelo, a blind and autistic vocalist and advocate
- Ahren Belisle, a nonverbal stand-up comedian with cerebreal palsy
- Chibi Unity, a 27-member fusion dance crew from Japan
A compilation video on YouTube shows all the finalists' incredible auditions.
The 82nd Airborne Division All-American Chorus first took the AGT stage in July with a breathtaking cover of "My Girl" for their audition.
Based in Fort Liberty, the chorus represents the 19,000 soldiers who serve in the 82nd Airborne Division, which specializes in forcible entry operations, during which soldiers parachute into areas to make way for further military operations.
The chorus' mission is to provide music to Fort Liberty and the local area by "telling the Army story" in support of soldiers and their families, the local community, recruiting initiatives and music education programs. The group has performed around the country, including an appearance on NBC's "TODAY."
A video of the group singing an a cappella tune while waiting for a routine jump went viral in 2022, thrusting the soldiers into the spotlight.
In July, the uniformed soldiers began their audition with formal marches and commands before surprising the audience and judges, breaking into a soulful rendition of "My Girl" by The Temptations.
When Cowell asked the group why they decided to try out, a group member replied, "We are here to win."
The group dedicated their audition performance to a fellow soldier, Specialist Elijah Crawford, who had died days earlier.
"We're dedicating this performance to him and all the soldiers that have passed before him," one member said.
"We're all rooting for you," Cowell said.
Cowell said eight of the 11 finalists are from outside the United States. He said, for them, the money isn't necessarily the most important prize.
"Vegas is really the prize," Cowell said. "The million dollars is great, but I think most of these contestants want to end up in Vegas."
Other judges for this season include Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofía Vergara.
"I don't know how America's going to choose, but it's up to you," Mandel said. "Thank God it's you and not me!"
