This has been one heck of a season for America's Got Talent, with the NBC competition series dominating in the ratings and scoring its best viewership numbers in years. And the Season 12 finale definitely had people pumped to see who would take home the grand prize, which includes a ton of money and the chance to prove one's worth as a Las Vegas headliner. And when all was said and done, it was child ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer whose won it all, though I'm sure she'll be sharing her prize with her puppet Petunia and the others.
One of the early standouts for Season 12, Darci Lynne Farmer blew away both TV and studio audiences with not just her skills as a ventriloquist, but also as a singer. She earned the Golden Buzzer at the time with a rousing rendition of "Summertime," and she's swiftly made her way through the entire season, bringing out a handful of other puppets and cracking the judges up. And Darci Lynne had what it took to win it all, becoming the third ventriloquist to get first place, as well as the third child act, and the third female act. The Rule of Threes was in her favor here.
The way things played out, it was Darci Lynne and child singer Angelica Hale as the final two contestants. The light-up dance troupe Light Balance placed third, deaf singer-songwriter Mandy Harvey placed fourth, and Sara Carson and her dog Hero rounded things out in fifth place. Check out the video of host Tyra Banks' big announcement below, which features a very emotional Darci Lynne.
The finale was full of special guests, some of which teamed up with the contestants for special performances. We got to see some Shania Twain and someone else who knows a thing or two about winning a reality competition, Kelly Clarkson. As well, Derek Hough got on stage with Light Balance for their act.
And Darci Lynne got to perform with former America's Got Talent winner Terry Fator, who was a huge fan of the young ventriloquist throughout the season. You can check out their shared act below.
America's Got Talent may be done offering audiences wacky performances (and mini-controversies) for the year, but no one should be worried about there being a lack of good TV on the way. Check out everything that's coming with our fall premiere schedule.
