The end of America's Got Talent Season 16 has come, and the group of ten finalists included all of the golden buzzer winners who didn't have to withdraw from competition. None of those five fell short in their last performances before their fates fell into the hands of voters for the last time. Judge Howie Mandel has stood by Northwell Health Nurse Choir, who won his golden buzzer, all season long, and they closed out the final night of performances with a show-stopping rendition of Rachel Platten's "Stand By You." And it turns out that something unexpected has come out of their AGT journey and going last on the final night.
Members of Northwell Health Nurse Choir spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets following the final night of AGT Season 16 performances. When I asked how it felt going into their performance knowing that they were going last of all ten performers before it would be time for viewers to start voting, group member Winnie Mele explained what they didn't anticipate from AGT up to and including their "Stand By You" performance:
I think that for us, you know, we've formed relationships with all of these other acts. We've been spending so much time together. I think one of the things that's come out of here that we didn't expect is it's almost like not a competition for us. Everybody's supportive. They're clapping, we're clapping for each other. So I think ending it for us as a group, with that title and that song that we chose, I think it was really a nice way to end the show. And maybe that's why we were put last. Because of the energy and that whole message of, you know, we're gonna stand together.
A prize of $1 million and a showcase in Las Vegas may be on the line, but for Northwell Health Nurse Choir at least, AGT Season 16 no longer feels like a competition as much thanks to the sense of camaraderie that they've built with the other performers. At this stage in the game, everybody is incredibly talented at what they do, so it's kind of hard to imagine the performers not being impressed with each other, especially since almost all of them specialize in different fields from each other. Plus, no matter what the results are, the choir of nurses has sustained their message of standing together from the beginning, and that has been a touching element of each stage of Season 16.
But what are their odds of winning AGT? Going last guaranteed that they were the freshest in the minds of AGT voters following the episode, but they also followed nine acts that were incredibly successful. Simon Cowell was even standing up on the desk to give teen aerialist Aidan Bryant the highest standing ovation that he was physically capable of, and Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara have also stood by their golden buzzer picks, much like Howie Mandel has with Northwell Health Nurse Choir. A choir has never won AGT, but Brandon Leake made history last season as the first spoken word poet to take the grand prize. Making history might not be so hard to imagine anymore!
In case you missed Northwell Health Nurse Choir's performance of Rachel Platten's "Stand By You" as their last effort to win voters, check it out now!
No matter where Northwell Health Nurse Choir places in the final crop of ten acts, they have been an unforgettable part of America's Got Talent Season 16, and I don't think anybody could blame Howie Mandel for hitting his golden buzzer in their honor. Between their talent, tendency to showcase many singers doing solos rather than just one, and their message as nurses in a time when health care workers deserve as much recognition as possible, they have been a joy to watch. That said, the judges and Terry Crews had some different favorites when naming acts that could be ideal fits for a Las Vegas stage:
America's Got Talent Season 16 will wrap on NBC with the results show on September 15, but there are still plenty of TV options in the coming weeks. Be sure to check out our 2021 fall TV premiere schedule for what you can watch and when to watch it.
