Terre Haute’s singing janitor, Richard Goodall, is headed to the finals of America’s Got Talent.
He will compete for the top prize of $1 million.
congratulations to Brent Street, @learnmorejonasi, Richard Goodall, Roni Sagi & Rhythm, @SkyElementsUSA, and @Solkardinaly
for making it to the #AGT finals! 👏 pic.twitter.com/IdddB42qVt— America’s Got Talent (@AGT) September 13, 2024
Goodall got his results at the end of Thursday night’s live AGT show, where performers learned their fate; just six of 12 acts that made it to semi-finals are advancing to finals next Tuesday.
Goodall, emotional, had tears in his eyes. When show host Terry Crews asked his reaction, he was at a loss for words.
Judge Heidi Klum told him, “You deserve this so much.”
In an earlier interview, the Vigo County School Corp. custodian said he does everything with his heart. “I wear it on my sleeve.”
Those who advanced had the most votes cast by the national viewing public
On Wednesday, during live performances, Goodall sang “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor and the crowd — and judges — quickly gave their enthusiastic approval.
Goodall stated after his performance, “I am so blessed and I was ready.” He said he was willing to fight to make the finals.
Klum, who gave Goodall the Golden Buzzer during his initial audition round earlier this year, enthusiastically encouraged viewers to vote for Goodall.
Judge Sofia Vergara commented, “I love that you picked such an iconic song. The people love you … It was amazing. I’m so happy for you.”
And Simon Cowell told Goodall, “It was the last song in the world I would expect you to sing … It doesn’t matter because people love you.”
Finally, Judge Howie Mandell commented, “You have the biggest heart in this whole competition.”
The final round will feature the six semifinal winners and the four live show Golden Buzzer recipients; it will take place Tuesday, Sept. 17 with results revealed Tuesday, Sept. 24.
Those top 10 acts will compete for the honor of becoming the Season 19 champion and the winner of the $1 million prize.
Another act in the finals is Sky Elements, a drone act. It’s co-founder is Tyler Johnson, a 2016 mechanical engineering graduate of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute.
